Photo Tips

Spooky Photo Tips for Halloween!

Me Ra Koh

I don’t know how your house feels today, but my kids are FREAKING OUT about Halloween! They’ve tried their costumes on a dozen times, and I’ve had to bribe them NOT to wear them anymore so they will last for Halloween. I’m not sure if they’re more excited about trick or treating or decorating. Blaze has taped fall leaves to our walls, windows, backs of chairs, kitchen cupboards. At five, he’s more into decorating than I’ve ever seen. The pumpkins finally got carved. The candles are lit. The kids are making the “ooooooh, ooooooh, OOOOOOOH” ghosts howls throughout the house. Blaze also colored black spiders and taped those up. He asked me if our house feels “super spooky” with all these spiders and leaves around. I’m not sure how I even fall asleep with how spooky things are. 🙂

So what are my best Spooky Photo Tips for capturing the sweet, creative spirit of your kids this Halloween? How do we freeze Halloween 2009 with our cameras? Do we use our flash and shoot it straight at the kids? Do we take the photos inside the house because it’s so dark outside? But then our lighting at night is often icky when it’s inside. Photo tips? What are they?

I say, forget about taking your Halloween photos right before you go trick or treating. Forget about firing the flash on the kids and blasting their little faces out (unless they are dressing up as ghosts :)). Instead, SET YOURSELF UP FOR SPOOKY, FEAKING AMAZINE SUCCESS! Take their pictures early in the day when you have great natural light! Or, let them put on their costumes for a special 30min Photo Shoot! 🙂

When our costumes arrived, the kids were so excited to finally BE the heroes they dream about. After they were dressed, I nonchalantly asked if they’d like me to do a Bat Girl/Wolverine Photo Shoot. They whipped around and looked at me with the biggest smiles “REALLY MAMA!” I said, “Sure, I’d love too!” And inside I was thinking, why haven’t I done Halloween photos like this before! Instead of pulling teeth, making them wait to trick or treat, while I take their photos…They struck every favorite pose (on their own!). It was so much fun.

Photo Tips for Halloween with Celebrity Photographer, Me Ra Koh

Photo Tips for Halloween with Celebrity Photographer, Me Ra Koh

Look out. Wolverine isn’t messing around!

Photo Tips for Halloween with Celebrity Photographer, Me Ra Koh

Photo Tips for Halloween with Celebrity Photographer, Me Ra Koh

How do you take great Halloween photos if your kids are younger, and they aren’t old enough to be strike a pose in character?

I say, capture the story of the age they are. Just like Pascaline and Blaze, let your little ones wear their costumes during the day today or tomorrow when the available light is still great. Observe their play and look for the specific characteristics that make this age so precious. Are they dressed up for Halloween but still dragging their favorite blanket around? That’s a great image to take. Why? Because you’ve just captured the story of who they were, not who they were necessarily dressed up as, but who they really were for 2009 Halloween–blankie and all. Does that make sense?

Maybe you dress them up, and it just makes them cry. That will be a super sweet picture in years to come. Only the little ones tend to cry when the costume goes on. In fact, I spotted this wonderful Halloween photo on Facebook the other day. I had to email the photographer behind this and ask for her permission to show you. It’s just to good.

Photo Tips for Halloween with Celebrity Photographer, Me Ra Koh

That is one of the BEST Halloween photos I’ve ever seen! Tina, you can’t get a better Halloween photo then this, especially when they’re little! (Thank you so much for letting me share this with our blog.)

Photo Recipes/ Camera settings for Halloween Photos?

You know me, I love the buttery, blurred backgrounds. I would suggest shooting in Aperture Priority Mode with the lowest fstop your lens will allow. And then offer to do a free “Photo Shoot” of the kids. You may be surprised with what their Halloween characters give you!

Enjoy! (And if you have time, post on my Facebook Page your Halloween photos!)

Much love,

Me Ra

p.s. Wait! I want to know what your dressing up as!!! Kari Hale, are you listening? Brian looked at me the other day and said “Do you want me to be Edward Cullen for you?” 🙂 (ha! ha!) I told him I wasn’t sure if the neighborhood mothers would be able to contain themselves. 🙂 So right now, I’m leaning towards Storm from the XMen, after all, Blaze is Wolverine. And Brian was thinking of getting my parents old wheelchair in their garage and being Xavier.

But then that means I’d have to push BRIAN around the neighborhood. Um, NO! Nice try though Brian! 🙂 How did we go from Edward Cullen to Xavier? 🙂

What do you think we should be? What are you going to be?

 

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  1. lora says:

    no way Me Ra!! My son Noah has that same costume, he wore it to school today and I posted a pic on facebook. I took the picture when it was kinda dark this morning!! I can’t wait to show my son Noah your blog and let him see your son, and YES my 7 year old knows about your blog!!!!!! 🙂 Lora

  2. Michelle says:

    I love how Blaze gets into his role. He is SO serious as Wolverine! I don’t think I want to mess with him! =)

    Batgirl is awesome! She has the utility belt and all! you go Batgirl!!!!

    MMM…Edward Cullen. Now, that’s HOT! (I just started Eclipse so I’m on a Twilight streak!)

    I haven’t dressed up for Halloween in years, but his year we are going to a party so I am going as a Pink Lady from Grease and my hubby will be a Greaser. =)

  3. LobotoME says:

    OMG! I’m making my husband dress up as Edward Cullen and I’m going as Alice Cullen and Samantha is bat girl and Henry is a bat! 😉

  4. I think you and Brian should go as Strom or Rogue and Cylopes or Jambit (my personal fav).

    I’ve got Star Wars going on here this year. Except for the parents. Hubby wears this silly oragne shirt with a pumpkin on it and I am going to be a butterfly this year. Pitures to come.

  5. Kim says:

    First of all, hey! I have that bench in my back yard! And I take pictures of kids (the neighbors, not mine) standing on it! Hee.

    I am getting a bunch of my friends together and we’re going as the characters from the game Clue. I’m going to be Miss Scarlet. I wanted to authentically recreate the excellent 1985 movie costumes, but that will have to wait until my friends are more patient with me. 🙂

  6. Christina B says:

    Love the picture.. too funny!!

    My 3 yr old is going to be sleeping beauty, the little one is going to belle from beauty and the beast. Sooo im having my dog be the beast!! A friend of mine made his costume. LOL cant wait =D

  7. Kari says:

    A couple of things. First of all, the halloween pic of the kids on the steps is PRICELESS! I am still laughing about — wish I had that one of my own kids. 2nd, is it bad to buy posters of Edward Cullen for my 13 year old just so I can look at them? Somehow that just feels wrong… but, yet, so right, too…. a conundrum for sure! Now my kids: three pirates ( my little war-mongers) and one flower pot (my peace-lover) and a baby kitty. I am going as woman who no longer brushes her hair or teeth or cares what she looks like (oh wait, that is really me…)!

  8. Carey says:

    I VOTE FOR EDWARD!!! I <3 boys who SPARKLE! http://barefoot-memories.com/blog/careys-favorite-things/
    Do it Brian!!! As if I could lub you any more than I already do…. I think I would if you were Edward tomorrow night!

  9. Me Ra says:

    These comments CRACKED me up today! Especially Kari’s (oh, wait, that is really me!). Thanks for bringing tons of smiles to my day! And gosh Kari, I don’t know if that’s wrong…I just don’t know. 🙂

    Now to pray for the rain to go away! Or we’re going to have a WET year of trick or treating!

  10. Melissa says:

    Mmmmmmmm….I vote for Edward. I would love to see how you make him sparkle 🙂
    Your kids are perfect, as always. And the photo of the kids on the steps is priceless!

  11. Andrea J says:

    Thank you for the great, timely tips! Can’t wait to try them out tomorrow. I really appreciate all your advice and knowledge that you share so freely. Thank you.

  12. jennifer says:

    love the pics and the advice! I had all but given up with even thinking of trying tomorrow night. We went to a party the other night as myself: michael jackson, I know, maybe overdone? Not necessarily, my husband went as blanket. The item. Yes, he wore a snuggie. We did a man in the mirror dance off.

  13. Melanie says:

    I love the picture of your children!!! Great idea to have a photo shoot beforehand.

  14. denise karis says:

    ahhhhhhahaha – blaze and his blades!!! so funny – poor babies in the second photo 😛

    i am Harry Potter this year with the glasses and lightning bolt scar :p

    Kayden will be peter pan!

  15. Suzi says:

    Love these tips and your photos! My son is Batman this year, i’ll have to show him your photos, he will love them!

    I tried three times to email you my photos until it finally worked…phew!

    Thanks for the advice, I will take my kids photos beforehand every year from now on!

  16. Angela says:

    Question for you….What is the *best* way to take pumpkin carving/”jack-o-lantern” photos?? It needs to be dark for the pumpking to be lit up right?
    hmmmm…is a tri-pod or image stabilizer the only way?

  17. Jennifer says:

    Great tip! I tried it and got our best halloween pics to date! Can’t wait to see B’s costume.

  18. J.P. says:

    Well, no kids yet, but we took pictures of our costumes before going out! Wendy went conceptual by embodying “Christmas Creep”: the way stores try to make Christmas come earlier each year by putting out Christmas displays in September and October.
    I was a little more down to earth–way down in fact. I went as Dr. Cockroach from Monsters vs. Aliens. Wendy made me the greatest mask and antennae that wiggled wonderfully!
    So when do we get to see your costumes?!?

  19. Wendy says:

    Woah! Sweet costumes and awesome photos!!!

  20. […] show images soon. It’s also been fun getting your Halloween photos and hearing how you put my Spooky Photo Tips to practice! I’ll try to post a handful of those too. But today I need to post something […]

  21. Ron Wesley says:

    Interesting Comments Very Nice

  22. gibson 335 says:

    think imma start playing my guitar 🙂 i’m at peace. this is probably the best xmas eve ever! 🙂

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