Guest blogger Ronda Kaysen: Taking great Halloween pictures of the kids all decked out in their spooky get-ups is no easy feat. You've got sugared-up tots to corral, difficult lighting to conquer and the force of trying to get the complete epitome of a once-in-a-lifetime event.
For help, momlogic sat down with Erin Nelson, owner of ErinLeigh Photography, a children's photography company in San Francisco.
She gave us the lowdown on how to become a challenging photo session into an opportunity for truly memorable pictures.
momlogic: Why is it so difficult to make good Halloween pictures?
Erin Nelson: Part of it is that you look under pressure because you see it's not like snapshots in the bathtub: If you don't get this issue right away, the party's over. Try to remember that there are leaving to be a lot of events, a lot of Halloweens. Give yourself a break.
Halloween is too difficult because of the lighting. By the end of the night, you're losing light, but that can be to your advantage. Turn off your camera's flash and see what happens. Instead of the usual crisp images, you'll get some spooky effects that show motion and energy.
ml: How do you have pictures of kids who are way too emotional to sit quiet for a camera?
EN: Sometimes it's better to drift with the occasion that's in presence of you. Walk ahead of them and go around rather than have them stop what they're doing. They're more aroused and more unruly than usual. They're not made to sit still; you get to go where they are.
ml: If you were passing to have parents one slice of advice, what would it be?
EN: Turn off the on-camera flash. The on-camera flash is a very blunt tool. It will ever make pictures look flat. When you use the flash that's on the camera, it's like throwing this big blanket of light right in face of you. You miss the depth. It's startling.
ml: Any tips on how to get very creative shots?
EN: Try different angles. Hold the camera up high and stop downward for a bird's-eye view or crouch down low to see what your little pirates and princesses see. Get in close, then go wide. Go way ahead of your trick-or-treaters on the sidewalk, then turning round to catch them walking toward you.
ml: What if you get home, upload the pictures and don't get any that immediately grab your eye as keepers?
EN:Play around with your image-editing program. Experiment with a few photos to see if converting them to black-and-white improves them. Sometimes a so-so photo - especially one with distracting background elements - can really get a big photo this way. But remember, not every show is a "wow." Before you send your pictures online or have an album, choose only the ones that give you react out loud. Twenty terrific photos won't feel as terrific if they're mixed in with eighty "OK" photos.
ml: How can a parent take great Halloween pictures without spending the entire night behind the camera?
EN: Pick and take the moments that you're going to get a characterization of and be selective about that.Watch what's going on and go where your eye leads you. Above all, it should be fun!
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