Turn off the built-in flash for better Halloween photos - by FlickrLickr

Halloween has to be my favorite time of year to take pictures. Colorful costumes worn by highly inebriated people with very few inhibitions. Sounds like a photographer’s paradise to me! Those of you with kids will also want to take lots of pictures of your little hell raiser.

Here are my tips for getting better Halloween pictures. Many of these are common to good photography, a few are unique to the season.

Avoid The Police Lineup

The natural tendency for most holiday photographers is just grouping everyone together in what looks like a cramped police lineup.

Break up that boring old line into smaller groups of two or three with some kind of logical divisions, then position the groups. Have some closer to the camera and some farther away, some down low on the floor, and some standing in the background. You’ll get much more interesting photos that way.

Ghoul Lighting

You’ll get better holiday lighting effects if you have an external flash that you can move off the lens axis. If you don’t have an external flash, you can get a model compatible with your Canon or Nikon e-TTL internal metering for around $75 dollars. If you don’t want to spend the money on an e-TTL wireless controller, you can always just get a sync cord for around $20.

Once you have your flash liberated from the top of your camera, you have many more options for creative lighting. You can move the flash under your subject for the “ghoul lighting” effect, or off to the side for those sharp shadows that add an air of mystery.

External flash units also give you the creative freedom to add colored filters or other effects to give your lighting an other worldly appearance.

If you have a point-and-shoot camera, you can always turn off the flash and do your best with the natural light available. The harsh, straight-on look of a built-in flash unit is rarely optimal lighting.

Take The Mask Off

If you have kids, be sure and take a couple pictures with the mask off so you’ll know which little demon was wearing the mask years from now.

Besides, it makes better blackmail material when they get older if you can see their face.

Get In The Spirit

Dressing up yourself will change the way subjects react to you. Instead of just an observer, you’ll be part of the fun. You’ll be amazed at how much more expressive subjects will be if you make an effort to blend in.

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