RECORD THE PREGAME SHOW
Snap pictures as the kids are getting ready for trick-or-treating. Kids adore their Halloween costumes. They ooze with excitement. Their eyes and mouths come to life with exaggerated expressions. Watch for great faces.
SHOW YOUR COLORS
Halloween celebrations are rich with vibrant color. Capture background hues by using a slow shutter speed with your flash unit. If you use one of the Tough series of cameras, consider setting the shooting mode to "Nightscape." This is foolproof way to slow down the shutter speed. Another approach with Olympus interchangeable lens system cameras and select compact cameras is to set the flash sync on "Slow" and manually adjust the shutter speed. Try speeds as low as one second to get interesting and spooky light trails punctuated by sharp details when the flash fires.
RAMP UP YOUR EXPOSURE INDEX
If you can, shoot with a higher exposure index (E.I.) or ISO value. You can combine a higher ISO with flash to help capture lots of ambient background light indoors and out—and add depth to your images. I routinely use E.I. values as high as 3200 to maintain great image quality when shooting with an OM-D camera.
STEADY IT UP
The Olympus image-stabilizing technology is best in it’s class. If your shooting with a current Olympus interchangeable lens camera, set your camera body on “S-IS1,”All Direction Shake I.S.” and you can prowl the neighborhood and shoot handheld up to several seconds. Use an aperture of F5.6, an you’ll get pin-point sharpness in dim light. If your camera doesn’t have a modern I.S. mode, consider using a small, lightweight tripod when you tour the neighborhood haunted house.
GET CLOSE
Improve those faraway scenes of kids walking down the sidewalk with parents in tow. Remember to stay within about five to 10 feet of the goblin group. You'll also be within flash range so your results will be well-exposed.
GET LOW
Get in the habit of kneeling down to photograph children. Cuddle up to their bags of Halloween candy. This puts you on their level and results in an image with a more pleasing, realistic perspective.
DON’T FORGET THE DETAILS
To fill out your personal Halloween photo album, shoot lots of details and tell a story. Close-ups of the jack-o-lantern faces, the candy bowls, and tight shots of painted faces are ideas for starters.
TAKE ADVANTAGE OF TWILIGHT
Use the time just before dark — the "magic hour” — to take portraits of your kids in costume out in the front yard or on the sidewalk. Try to include a little environment to add visual interest.
BONUS TIP: CHECK OUT FALL FESTIVALS
For a fun and spooky time, check for local fall festivals in your area. Loads of pumpkins to discover and creepy Halloween gatherings about on the weekends leading up to the big night.
ABOUT LARRY PRICE
Web: larrycprice.com
Blog: larrycprice.com/blog
Twitter: @LarryCPrice
Instagram: @LarryCPrice
Over his storied career, Larry has worked for some of North America’s largest newspapers, including The Philadelphia Inquirer, The Baltimore Sun, Fort Worth Star-Telegram and The Denver Post. He is currently at work on a longterm project about global pollution with support from the Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting in Washington, D.C.
WANT MORE HALLOWEEN TIPS?
Learn how to capture spooky scenes, abandoned places, or how to add costumes to your photos.
- Capturing Creepy Moods for Halloween
by Olympus Visionary Frank Smith - Hauntingly Beautiful: How to Shoot Abandoned Places
- Take Spooktacular Photos with Art Filters
For more seasonal tips - like capturing autumn leaves, trains and more, check out the Featured Tips area of our Photo Tips page.
