Photography Tips to Keep in Mind for Halloween

The keys to capturing them are not that different from the normal keys to good composition in photography. As you photograph Halloween this year keep in mind some of the basics of good digital photography from digital camera school.

Find Points of Interest

Photo by Maharepa

Before hitting the shutter ask yourself ‘what is the focal point in this image?’ All good images have something that holds the attention of those who view them.

Rule of Thirds

One way of enhancing the composition of your shots is to place your points of interest in smart positions. While the rule of thirds can be broken with great effect it’s a useful principle to keep in mind.

Fill Your Frame

Halloween is a time of drama and you can add to this in your images by getting in nice and close and filling the frame with your subjects. Whether it’s people or objects – getting in nice and tight will usually add punch to your shots.

Give Subjects Space to Look into

When photographing people one of the most effective compositional techniques is to use the space around their faces effectively by giving more room on the side of their face that they’re looking into.

Find Fresh Angles

Photo jen clix

Make your images stand out by finding fresh perspectives to shoot from rather than pumpkins.

Photograph the Details

When you step back, take a look around and notice the smaller details, you will find the ‘money shots’. Times like Halloween are filled with all kinds of smaller details including decorations, carved pumpkin, people dressed in costumes, bags full of treats, etc.

Shooting in Low Light

To really capture the mood of these situations you’ll want to avoid the stark and bright light of flash photography and so you’ll need to switch off your flash and do one (or all) of three things to some extent:

Increase your ISO – the larger your number the more sensitive your image sensor is to light and the darker conditions you can shoot in without having to slow down shutter speed. On the downside you’ll get more grainy/noisy shots.

Slow down shutter speed – choosing a longer shutter speed lets more light into your camera. On the downside you’ll see any movement in your shots blur. Consider using a tripod if you lengthen your shutter speed.

Use a larger Aperture – this widens the hole in your lens and lets more available light in. It will also lessen the depth of field in your shots. If you have a DSLR with a few different lenses is to use the ‘fastest’ lens you own as it will let you choose larger apertures.