Halloween Photo Tips---Shooting Pumpkinsby Michele Cheplic | More from this Blogger 23 Oct 2007 11:58 PM Candy. Check. Costumes. Check. Camera... Don't forget your camera! Halloween is just a few days away, which means it's a fantastic time to make room on your memory card (or buy extra film) to capture all the frameworthy festivities. The holiday offers a myriad of great subjects to photograph - trick-or-treaters, Jack-O-Lanterns, decorations, candy creations, haunted houses and so on. What's more, autumn's colorful leaves make for an ideal background for spectacular Halloween shots. In this blog I will be providing tips on how to shoot Jack... O-Lanterns. (Or, as my 3-year-old daughter calls them---"pumpkins with faces.") Pumpkins and the fanciful and frightening faces that are carved out of them are one of the most photographed objects this time of year. But documenting on film the same image you see with your eyes is often a tricky proposition. In most cases Jack-O-Lantern's are photographed at night, which means your camera automatically thinks it needs to use the flash. The problem with using your flash to capture Jack is that the tone of the flash doesn't match up with the warm glow from the pumpkin. To out trick your camera try employing the following tips: Shoot Jack-O-Lantern's at dusk. The natural soft lighting allows you to see the shape of the pumpkin and the candlelight without the harsh shadows. Use a Tripod. To capture a sharper image (and avoid shaky hand syndrome) place your camera on a tripod or set it on the edge of sturdy surface and raise your ISO to 400 or 800, and slow down the shutter speed. Turn off the Flash. By doing so you can capture the Jack-O-Lantern as your eye sees it. If you are shooting with a digital camera take a few test shots and review the results. Then tweak the settings until you capture the image exactly the way you want it. Add More Candles. This took me two years to figure out. Brighten up Jack by adding multiple candles or glowsticks inside your Jack-O-Lantern. Doing so will sharpen the contrast between Jack and your background. Also, it helps to illuminate the details of the carvings. In my next blog I will provide tips shooting your little pumpkins... and ghosts, goblins, princesses and Ninjas. Related Articles: Photography Lessons: The Rule of Thirds More Common Sense Tips To Capturing A Frame-Worthy Picture Common Sense Tips To Capturing Frame-Worthy Pictures Snapping Frameworthy Shots Of Your Kids More Tips On Photographing Newborn Babies Photography Potpourri----NO To "Cheese" and YES to Hats Telling A Story With Your Shots Learn more about Michele Cheplic  Michele Cheplic was born and raised in Hilo, Hawaii, but now lives in Wisconsin. Michele graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison with a degree in Journalism. Relevantphotography tags User Comments No comments on this article yet. Be the first to comment! Community Tags halloween, photo tips, pictures, picture taking, photography Discuss this article
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