Some tips for taking scary photos on Halloween

Halloween is one of the best occasions to take scary photos of yourself, your children or pets. However, there are a few things to keep in mind when it comes to Halloween photography.

In fact, taking a Halloween photo can be a difficult task due to the often prohibitive shooting conditions. For this reason, in this article, I will tell you some tricks on how to take Halloween photographs . Consider that you can take scary and terrifying photos with moody light , scary places and props , without spending a dime. So here are some tips to follow to take wonderfully terrifying photos.

The light and spirit of the party

The main problem, as always when shooting indoors , is the light. Generally, Halloween parties are celebrated in the evening and indoors, in extremely low light conditions. Surely enough features to make most photographers despair, especially the novice ones. There's no need to be afraid, however: taking Halloween photos is possible, even for the less experienced.

The other aspect that a photographer must take into account when taking this kind of photographs concerns the spirit of the party. In other words, you need to be able to take scary photos . In this sense, however, a distinction must be made. Artistic photographs are one thing, which allow the photographer greater freedom of expression. Another thing, however, are the photographic services commissioned, perhaps by a local. In this second case, the standards are different and tend towards photographic reportage. Having made this necessary clarification, we can move on to the real question: how to take pictures of Halloween .

Let's start with the right equipment.

The more experienced, of course, already know it: it's not the right equipment to be a photographer. Except when it comes to light.

In fact, to take a Halloween photo , you won't need very expensive cameras (although they can help a lot) as much as good quality lenses and powerful light sources.

Let's go in order, though: first of all the photographic lenses. Obviously, the brighter the lens, i.e. the wider the focal aperture, the less need for a light source. Consequently, logic suggests to adopt a lens with very wide focal lengths (f/1.8, f/2.8, etc.), perhaps fixed. Especially for beginners, financial availability could be a limit.

Another solution, which is based on photographic optics, is the choice of a short focal length lens. The lower this will be and, theoretically, the higher the shutter speed and therefore the amount of light that the sensor will capture. This trick has a limit, however: in the case of moving subjects, as they might be for Halloween photographs at a children's party, you risk having always blurry photographs.

For this reason, to the rescue of those who don't have a luminous optics, comes the light source: the photographic flash. With a clarification, however: the flash will certainly help less experienced photographers in most situations. However, it will inevitably take away much of the glamor of a Halloween photo shoot .

Don't worry, however, because even in this case it will be possible to take excellent photographs. After all, you don't always shoot for a photographic exhibition. So, don't be intimidated: you can also rely on the illuminator that many SLRs, especially entry-level, are equipped with. Provided you don't place yourself at too great distances, and accepting some small qualitative compromises, you can still get good results. On the contrary, if you want to make a small investment, the photographic flash market offers a vast choice, suitable for every budget and every need.

The right settings for the Halloween photo shoot

Once the question of the equipment is closed, another fundamental aspect to get a good Halloween photo shoot is the camera settings. Obviously, every piece of equipment and every condition requires the right amount of improvisation. Some guidelines, however, may help photographers who want to experiment with manual settings in their Halloween photography .

Let's start with sensitivity. The scarcity of light, in fact, will lead to an increase in the ISO number, but be careful: very high values will correspond to higher noise. In principle, therefore, it is always better to use values lower than or at most equal to ISO 400. As regards the focal aperture, as previously mentioned, the higher it will be, the more light will be captured. On the other hand, it will be important to focus perfectly to avoid that the subjects are blurred. In principle, for a Halloween photograph , it is always advisable to set the maximum aperture of the lens, in any case below or equal to f/4.

As far as shutter speeds are concerned, always keeping in mind the conditions in which Halloween photos are taken, it would always be better to choose long shutter speeds. This, however, does not always coincide with the needs of the scene. A few tests, before starting to get serious, especially for the less experienced, can be useful in order not to make mistakes. In any case, an acceptable range - it being understood that everything depends on the ISO number and the focal aperture - can oscillate between 1/125 and 1/60 of a second.

The last aspect concerns a stylistic question. The color of Halloween, everyone knows, is the orange of pumpkins. Usually, in places where this anniversary is celebrated, there is a rich presence of light sources that tend towards this colour. The chromatic predominance will inevitably also be reflected in the Halloween images you create. If you like the effect obtained, you can safely leave everything as it is. Otherwise, balance the whites before you start shooting, so as to obtain less distorted photographs.

Now that you have the right equipment and set the right settings on your camera, you're ready for your Halloween photography and some other little tips for more original compositions and shots.

Snaps through the fabric for a ghost effect

This very scary effect is very easy to reproduce . Just take a very light and soft piece of fabric and place it in front of the subject you want to photograph.

When shooting through a semi-transparent material, everything becomes more ghostly on the other side. Don't forget to aim at a very bright light source. The brighter it is, the more the person's silhouette will stand out. Experiment and play with lights and expressions .

Don't use too much light

When it comes to lighting, the most common items you can use are lamps, torches, or even candles. Feel free to use a high ISO number if the light is low.