Ten Halloween Photography Tips

Halloween is a great time for making memories and taking pictures. Here are ten photography tips to remember for the autumn-holiday.

Tip #1: Get Your Batteries Ready. There's that old saying, "When the time of need arises, the time for preparation is past." Make sure ahead of time that you have enough camera batteries to handle all of your Halloween needs. And if your camera has a rechargeable battery, charge it the night before.

Tip #2: Time Your Photo Shoots Right. In the craziness of getting costumes ready and running out the door, it's easy to run out of time for taking pictures if you don't plan ahead. Schedule time in for a photo shoot while everyone's makeup is still fresh and costume is still intact.

Tip #3: Find Good Lighting. The right lighting is crucial for photographs to look their best. If you can, take your outdoor pictures of the family in the daytime for great natural lighting. For taking pictures of carved pumpkins, turn out all the lights and let lit candles resting inside the pumpkins provide the dramatic contrast you'll need for a great set of photographs.

Tip #4: Vary Your Backgrounds. Whether you like it or not, all pictures have backgrounds. You may not have a home studio to take photos of the kids in front of a nice, clean backdrop, but you can still rotate what you chose to have as the background of your photograph. Try taking some pictures in front of Halloween decorations and others in front of a more neutral backdrop. You'll never know which background will look best until you a try a few out.

Tip #5: Rotate Your Angles. If you have the same approach for taking all of your Halloween pictures, five feet in front and head-on, your end collection might not be that interesting. Rotate between taking head-on shots and taking pictures from various angles and heights. Many times we photographers luck into just the right location from experimenting with so many others.

Tip #6: Take Close-Ups. Taking close-ups can capture subtle details that will then last for a lifetime. Don't be afraid to get too close with the camera, especially when it comes to taking pictures of children and decorations.

Tip #7: Take Panoramas Too. Just as close-ups provide details that would not otherwise be captured, taking panorama or wide-angled shots allows for an understanding of the whole scene at one time. If everyone is so darling at his or her respective pumpkin-carving station, try capturing the moment from afar.

Tip #8: Take Staged and Candid Shots. The traditional staged picture, with everyone saying "cheese" on the count of three, can have great results. But after a while, those posed grins may not look so happy. Try taking some candid shots too when the kids don't know you're snapping away. This method may produce some random shots that won't do you any good, but it also might give you some of the best shots of the night.

Tip #9: Photograph Everyone Together. It's nice to have pictures of everyone individually, but it's great to have that one representative shot where everyone at the party is together. If your camera has an automatic timer, play around with the settings and see if you can't get something to work out. Or, you can always ask a neighbor to run over for three minutes and then offer the same photography favor for her.

Tip #10: Have Fun. With all of your photography goals for the night, don't forget to have fun. If your pictures aren't working out like you had hoped, take a break from the camera and dig into the fun. If you're too busy fuming at your camera, you're probably not going to have memories you want saved from the night anyway.