Hooray!!! It’s finally October 31’st! That awesome day where it is completely acceptable to walk around dressed like a pirate/fairy/ninja (or Elsa if you have a little girl between the ages of 3-9!). I’m all about getting into the spirit of the holidays, and I particularly love Halloween because it’s really the kickoff to the rest of the holiday season. So I wanted to share some tips for how to take great halloween pictures of your kiddos (or friends kiddos) that you can use right now!

How to Take Great Halloween Pictures

Make it Fun!

We all want that picture where all the kids are looking and smiling at the camera, it’s pretty much a requirement. But once you’ve got the “official” picture out of the way, make it fun by inviting the kids to act like the character they are dressed as (just watch out for those ninjas… they judo chop is killer 😉 ). More than likely, this picture will be a lot more natural looking, and will definitely be the favorite!

Make it Interesting

Ask yourself – what is the point of this picture?
Once you’ve figured that out, then ask yourself, how can I make this interesting? You can take a different viewpoint (by getting up high or shooting down low), choose not to include everything in the frame (because what you choose to include is just as important as what you choose to exclude!).

Light it Up

Lighting can really make or break your pictures, so I recommend taking as many pictures as you can early in the evening because once that sun goes down it’s gonna be really hard to get a decent picture. Admit it: we’ve all got those pictures where our kid is completely blown out and white from the camera flash, and the background is pitch black (you know what I’m talking about!). In order to avoid this, back up from your subject, allowing the light from the camera’s flash to not be so harsh on your subject. My suggestion is always gonna be to avoid your on camera flash like the zombie apocalypse, but sometimes it can’t be helped, so use it smartly!

 

Resist Perfection

Halloween is a fun day and you don’t wanna get super hung up on camera settings and let it ruin everyone’s mood.
Take a few pictures, making sure to capture the silly spirit of the holiday, but then get out there and enjoy your babies as they embark on a dentist’s favorite holiday 😉