From the editor: This article gives us some great tips
for taking Halloween photos of the kids each year!
There she was in all her glory. Long white lab coat, frizzy hair, safety
goggles -- and a face smeared with the black ash of an experiment gone
terrifically wrong. She was, at least on this Halloween night, Dr. Abby
Normal. But for most of her life I had known her as Abigail, my
daughter, and I had just taken some of the most legendary photos of her
life.
These weren't your garden-variety portraits. Not exactly WalMart studio
stuff either. They were pictures taken of my kids in their natural
element - being kids. That is the real photo opportunity of a holiday
like Halloween.
For treasured images this Halloween, here are some quick tips to
remember to get once-in-a-lifetime photos:
1. Stop Posing - Halloween is not a formal affair. So don't bother with
the wedding style shots. Engage the kids in the play associated with
their costumes -- and THEN shoot the pictures. Candids reveal the smiles
much more than a "Hold still, honey!" moment.
2. Shoot Early, Shoot Often - Film is the cheapest part of photography.
And in this digital age, there just isn't a reason not to shoot several
images. There are many good reasons for being trigger happy with the
camera. First, if kids are use to you constantly firing away they won't
bother with the plastic smiles. But most importantly, shooting more
simply increases your chances for great pictures. With Halloween
pictures some of the best images are taken while the costuming is in
process -- don't wait for the finished product in getting out the
camera.
3. Get in Their Face - Halloween was made for pretend. Kids love to make
faces, don costumes and assume a new personality. It is the ultimate
form of exhibition. You just can't let the opportunity pass. They WANT
to be noticed. Most point-and-shoot variety cameras have wide-angle
lenses. While this helps them to get sharp results and to work well in
lower light, they tend to move the subject matter further away. Most
have a minimum shooting distance of around three feet. Don't be afraid
to push that limit at Halloween. Get in close, have them make faces, ask
them to talk to the camera. They will. It is, after all, Halloween.
4. Let Them Call the Shots - It's their party. Ask them what kind of
pictures they want. When my son was Harry Potter a few years back he
wanted to jump off the roof on his Nimbus 2000. We had to reason with
him a bit. But a little leap from a lawn chair to the grass did the
trick and we got the shots of Harry in flight. Chances are your kids
have an idea of the persona they are adopting. Let them call the shots
to document the experience.
5. Use the set - Most of us decorate for the season. There could be
haystacks, a bubbling pot, a roaring fireplace. Use these props, even if
they don't fit the theme of the costume. Down the road the memories you
cherish will include all the fun that went into creating the holiday
environment in your home.
Good candid pictures of children require active participation and
putting them at ease. Halloween is the easiest of seasons in which to do
this.
Jeff Westover is a freelance writer and father of seven from Salt Lake
City, Utah. He is the managing editor of My Merry Christmas.com, where
folks have been making merry online for more than a decade. He writes
about holidays, families, parenting, home schooling and photography for
a variety of publications both online and offline. Please visit
http://mymerrychristmas.com
for more articles like this one.
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