There aren’t too many days where a kid looks cuter than when she is dressed up in her Halloween costume. Halloween is the perfect time to practice your photography and get great photos of your kids. Your photos will be colorful and full of life. There is usually a lot going on on Halloween, so getting the image you want can be challenging. That’s why I created these Halloween photo tips just for you. In this post, you will learn what Halloween photos of kids to take to creatively capture the moments.
Details of the costume
Take time to photograph the little details of your child’s costume. Get photos of the accessories, the face paint, the sparkles, etc. In these photos, think about what makes this costume special to your child and try to capture the essence of that in your photo. Look for the little things and take some photos close up and farther away.
Include colors of the season
Fall is the perfect time for taking great photos. The light is usually settled from the height of the summer, the leaves, grasses, and other natural elements look beautiful. Even if you don’t live in a place with lots of fall foliage, the pumpkins and other decorations bring in all those warm, yet subtle colors. Use these colors as you take your photos. Notice the backgrounds and foregrounds and figure out creative ways to show the season in your Halloween photos.
Get the traditions
Do you carve pumpkins, make cookies, rake leaves and jump in them? Even if it a small moment, take photos of the little traditions if your family. Capturing these moments in your Halloween photos of your kids will bring a smile to your child’s face when he looks at the photos in the future. Include family members or friends whenever possible to tell the whole story and don’t forget to have fun too! The photos don’t have to be perfect or staged. Just enjoy the moments and try to depict that in your photos.
At the door and trick or treating
You know that moment when your child nervously walks up to the door to say, “trick or treat”? This is a perfect time to snap a photo. The doorway creates a beautiful frame for your image and the size of your child is evident by the giant door she is standing in front of. This photo is great from the other side as well if you are able to take it that way. If you know the person well, ask if you can be inside the door before your child comes and rings the doorbell. This way, when the door is opened, you can get a photo of your children from the front through the doorway. Again, the doorway creates a perfect frame and you have a new perspective for your photograph. Another important part of your Halloween photos is walking from house to house. Take photos from the front and behind ad your children are walking the neighborhood.
Show the crowd
With our young kids, we generally trick or treat in town where all the businesses hand out candy and we can easily go from one to the next. My favorite thing about this is the enormous amount of small children doing the same thing with their families. The massive group of tiny Halloween costumes adds character and depth to my photos. Include the crowd in your photographs to. Look for ways to take the whole scene while still getting your child to stand out in the photo. This can be a challenge, but a very good way for you to improve your composition skills.
Photograph the candy dump
We all remember getting home after a night of trick or treating and inspecting our loot, right!? I would start eating my candy immediately, while my brother was a sorter. He spent hours putting his candy into piles of candy he liked, didn’t like, chocolate, not chocolate, etc. Whatever the method, it is fun to see the look on your child’s face as they literally sit in a pile of candy, which if you’re like us, only happens on Halloween. Of course, we don’t let them sit and eat all their candy right then, but photographing their expressions and tiny hands looking through their treasure is priceless.
Use available light
Part of the Halloween experience is often being out at night. Take photos that show the darkness and try to use street lighting or other available light to help you get light onto faces or other important parts of your image. Sometimes this means you will have to move yourself around or wait for the perfect photo and that’s okay. You don’t have to be taking as many photos as possible. In fact, as you get better at photography I hope you are able to take fewer photos, but come away with more images you love; taking your time to get just the right image in each situation.
Now that you’ve read this post, you are ready to document your Halloween and come away with some precious photos. Photography is all about perspective, so look beyond the first photo you see and push yourself to capture something great. Always looking for a new perspective is what will turn your photography from just okay, to stunning. Use these Halloween photo tips to get fun photos of your kids as you enjoy this holiday together.
What to do now:
Get out there and take halloween photos of your kids. It may not be Halloween right now as you read this, and that’s okay. You can pin this article for later by clicking the Pinterest icon on the side or you can use these halloween photos tips as you take everyday photos of your kids. Many of these skills can be transferred into other photo moments in your everyday life. My goal for you is that you have fun with photography and make it a part of your every day. Tag me on Instagram (@athomewithkidsblog) and show me your favorite photos.
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