It’s almost here! Halloween is a perfect time of year to let your kids let loose and help even the most reserved child explore their personalities with the help of a costume. All you need to do is to have your camera on hand to capture the action, with the help of some spooky surroundings to cement the image.
Before hitting the shutter ask yourself ‘what is the focal point (or point of interest) in this image?’ All good images have something in them that holds the attention of those who view them – learn more about focal points and how to enhance them here. Usually a child’s face is the focal point, but depending the costume it might vary; a pumpkin, scary accessory, hat, etc.
One way of enhancing the composition is to position points of interest using the rule of thirds. For example, position your child to the right third of the shot, with something to balance them on the left you’ll create a more dynamic image that encourages the viewer to keep looking around.
You don’t have to include everything in your image, just a few key points to give viewers a feeling of what is going on, rather than trying to get every part of the surroundings in the frame. By filling your frame you put more emphasis on what’s important – your child!
When your child is looking to the left or right of the image try to leave more room on that side, it keeps the interest within the frame. The same goes for action shot – leave a bit of room ahead of the action for a more dynamic image.
If you’re tired of taking photos from the same angle, change it up! Try photos from above, looking down (great for group photos), or get down low and shoot upwards. For super spooky photos you’ll find that this technique works quite well.
Besides photographing portraits of your kids, look for some details that tell the story of this particular Halloween – the pumpkins carved, the treats collected, the tired faces after all is said and done. Don’t forget to capture a few good images of the spookiest houses – you can create an interesting collage for your kids to remember!