Halloween Photography

Simple Tips for Better Halloween Photography

by Bill Jones

Jack-o-lanterns, spooky decorations, and costumed children are clear signs that Halloween is at hand. What does this mean to photographers? It usually indicates the opportunity for low-light photography, unique compositions, and even some experimental techniques.

When someone thinks of Halloween they usually envision the carved pumpkins called jack-o-lanterns, and while these photograph quite beautifully in the daytime lighting due to their brilliant orange hues and whimsical designs, they are really most remarkable during the evening hours when candles make them glow. The trouble with photographing these icons of the season after sunset is that they can present the photographer with the risks of over and underexposure.

There are a few things that can be done to allow the photographer a few good exposures, including positioning the camera so the flame of the candle is not in direct sight of the sensor, adding a few more candles to strengthen the power of the glow inside, and even covering the flash unit with colored cellophane in the red or orange hues to allow extra light of the right color group.

Additionally, a photographer will have to use low-light settings for recording house decorations, trick or treaters, and any landscapes that are appropriate to the season. This means that the ISO, shutter speed, and f/stop or aperture must be adjusted to meet the needs of the setting or moment.

Photo by D’Arcy Norman

If the photographer wants to easily make their camera a bit more sensitive to ambient light they can simply bump up the ISO, but this comes with the risk of adding “noise” or graininess to the picture. A good alternative is to open up the aperture on the camera by dialing the f/stop to a low setting such as f/1.4 or f/2. This, however, does dramatically shorten the depth of field and is best used when foreground and background can be out of focus. Lastly, the photographer can slow down their shutter speed to let more light into the sensor, but everything in the image must remain completely still to prevent blur – unless this is the desired effect.

Photo by Jeffrey Jose

Where composition is concerned, the season presents a photographer with an enormous range of opportunities, but for many Halloween photographs the details often make the image. This means that it is a good idea to get in close and fill the frame. Consider the effect of a close-up photograph of a child in their Halloween makeup, or an image that captures all of the textures of a recently carved pumpkin. Don’t forget that Halloween is also a wonderful opportunity for colorful and interesting group shots due to the many parties and special events that occur. Instead of taking a shot of a clustered group of people in costume why not use a different perspective  and shooting up at their faces?

This is an excellent article by Bill Jones

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Tips on photographing Fall

Wow!  Summer is still with us!  The temperature is rising to 87 on Wednesday! 

It's not too soon to learn how to capture the autumn splendor! 

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To photography enthusiast, autumn must be the most pleasing season. Away from the wet spring, heat summer, and cold winter, the refreshing fall is the most comfort season for shooting. If you take photos regardless of the unique of fall, it is difficult to produce excellent work. Here are just little experiences of photography in the fall.

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When we talk about the fall, it is a common condition that we think about the gorgeous colors, all the trees are good subjects. Want to restore the golden Indus or red maple leaf in the photo? The key is the choice of the light. It is better to use back light while shooting, let the bright sunshine go through the leaves. There will make the leaver look a bit transparent, which will totally express the bright colors.
At the same time, we must pay attention to the exposure. If you are using the manual mode, you can use the spot metering to the leaves, and then add the aperture or reduce the shutter, otherwise, the details of the trees will be lost.
If you are shooting at the lakes and mountains, there will be greater. Want to take a clear reflection in the water? The best solution is using backlight.
If you want to let more scenes go into the water, simply reduce the shooting angle. The exposure is similar to the backlight photography. Different state of water can reflect different expressions. If you throw some leaves to the river, it may be more like a static photo. If you throw a stone into the rivers, the ripple will produce a feeling of moving.

While shooting, we need to pay attention to the feature of the water surface: the near is dark while the far is bright, especially when the water is clear and low. In this situation, we have to choose different amount of exposure by the subject.
Besides the trees and water, the wind must be another thing we can think about the fall. It will also be a great photography material. However, while shooting the scene under the blue sky and white clouds, it may be overexposed. The solution is metering on the ground, and then reduces the amount of exposure based on measured data. A filter will be necessary in this condition.
The clouds performance also is influenced by the sunshine: the intensity of light, the level of irradiation angle. Especially at dawn and dusk, the colors of the clouds can be described as colorful. At this time, the hue of the clouds can be changed by changing the amount of exposure, if you want to dilute it, you can increase 2 or 3; if you want to strengthen it, you can reduce 1 or 2 in exposure.
Photography is not just using your own camera, but also your minds. Go out and start your shooting.

-Courtesy of  dingjhzt I'm a video producer and photography lover. Below are the tools I often using: PhotoShop, video converter (convert avi to mp4 on mac), Windows Movie Maker, iMovie, Final Cut Pro, AE, and so on.

Here is one of our favorite autumn photographs

 This pumpkin picture was taken in Northville Michigan at an old farm on Currie Road.  The day was perfect for photographing!  The semi cloudy day was wonderful to capture the brilliance of the fall leaves and allowed us to have just the right shadows on the ground and pumpkin.

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