# How to take impressive Halloween shot



## DaveintheGrave (Feb 12, 2004)

Yea, I loved that pic when I saw it.

Looks like a scene from a horror movie!


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## blackdogrdc (Sep 20, 2010)

With all the different lighting techniques and how dark it can be I have been toying with the different settings on my camera and I've found you can get different looks just by adjusting what setting you use.


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## RunawayOctober (Jul 3, 2011)

I know the AZ Haunters ring is having or had a workshop on Halloween Photography that I was too busy/chicken to go to. Maybe one of those guys can pop in with some tips?


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## GobbyGruesome (Sep 14, 2005)

Bump! I think this is an awesome idea for a thread. We love Halloween and we're pretty proud of our display, but somehow our photos are starting to look the same each year - they just seem kinda dull and don't do the evening justice.

The only tip I would have is - if you have a Halloween Village, turn on the macro and take a photo from inside the display - I think it really helps to take photos from the little people's perspective...










Actually, that's not a bad tip all around - remember to think about the point of view. 

But like Estertota, I'm also looking for specific situations, too. I know some folks have posted about making photo op props, but I don't think I've ever seen any photos. Anyone want to share? I've also seen photos of people with those finger lights, using long exposures, which were pretty cool.


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## SkellyCat (Oct 30, 2008)

Here is one of mine (and my biggest fear!) Shuddddder!


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## James B. (Oct 8, 2009)

Long exposures with a 14gb digital camera on a tripod; I manually set the light and time:


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## Johnson724 (Jun 24, 2009)

James B. said:


> Long exposures with a 14gb digital camera on a tripod; I manually set the light and time:


Exactly ^

AND NO FLASH

Some of the cameras will do a decent job on the auto setting but its best to manually set it.


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## Johnson724 (Jun 24, 2009)

An idea people can try

Set up the camera for a long exposure shot with whatever background you have. Take the shot, have the people you want to pose jump into frame, shine a light on them real quick and have them move out of frame. It will take some practice to do but you end up with an image like this.









Of course I only shined the light on my noggin but you get the idea.

That way you can have ghostly images of your ghostly guests.


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## kallie (Dec 4, 2007)

Johnson724 said:


> An idea people can try
> 
> Set up the camera for a long exposure shot with whatever background you have. Take the shot, have the people you want to pose jump into frame, shine a light on them real quick and have them move out of frame. It will take some practice to do but you end up with an image like this.
> 
> ...



Yowza! That's creepy


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## GobbyGruesome (Sep 14, 2005)

Very cool, Johnson! 

James - your photos and yard are amazing! I'm assuming you're shooting with a DSLR? Is there a ballpark time frame I could use as a starting point for a long exposure? 15 seconds? (I think DSLRs will do better in low light than point-and-shoots, right?


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## talkingcatblues (Jan 30, 2009)

Johnson724 said:


> An idea people can try
> 
> Set up the camera for a long exposure shot with whatever background you have. Take the shot, have the people you want to pose jump into frame, shine a light on them real quick and have them move out of frame. It will take some practice to do but you end up with an image like this.
> 
> ...


Now we know what you're going to look like in the afterlife, Johnson! (Only I'm a little worried that there seems to be some flames in the picture... hmmm... what could this mean... )


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## Johnson724 (Jun 24, 2009)

DSLR's will do better but I have seen some decent stuff from some of the point and shoots. They bought a bunch of point and shoots for our regular investigators and I have taught them how to take some decent night shots with them.


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## Johnson724 (Jun 24, 2009)

talkingcatblues said:


> Now we know what you're going to look like in the afterlife, Johnson! (Only I'm a little worried that there seems to be some flames in the picture... hmmm... what could this mean... )


Means I have a little devil in me...bwahhhhaaa haaa haaa hack cough cough blep...whoops there he is


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## talkingcatblues (Jan 30, 2009)

SkellyCat said:


> Here is one of mine (and my biggest fear!) Shuddddder!


I love this picture because of the sense of motion it seems to capture - that spider looks like it could jump out at the camera at any minute.


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## talkingcatblues (Jan 30, 2009)

Johnson724 said:


> DSLR's will do better but I have seen some decent stuff from some of the point and shoots. They bought a bunch of point and shoots for our regular investigators and I have taught them how to take some decent night shots with them.


Without tripods, though, or always with?

Even at a really high ISO, my night shots always seem to have so much camera shake. I know I should use a tripod when the opportunity is there to get one set up, but at something like a parade, that can get difficult. I guess if your guys are doing crime scenes and whatnot they do pretty much have the time to bring along a tripod?


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## Madame Leota (Sep 19, 2005)

Johnson724 said:


> An idea people can try
> 
> Set up the camera for a long exposure shot with whatever background you have. Take the shot, have the people you want to pose jump into frame, shine a light on them real quick and have them move out of frame. It will take some practice to do but you end up with an image like this.
> 
> ...


Wow! I love this! My son is a photographer and always playing around with "painting with light" techniques. I'm going to show him this.


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## Halloweenie1 (Sep 28, 2008)

*JamesB*
Excellent job! Love the pics and the haunt!


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## Madame Leota (Sep 19, 2005)

I'm no photograher, but I took this last year with while playing with my son's DSLR. I doubt I could do it again but I love the way it turned out!


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## GobbyGruesome (Sep 14, 2005)

ˆGreat photo Madame L! Reminds me of what they use to tell us in art class about having a foreground, middle, and background. The fence in the foreground gives it a ton of depth and makes you feel like you're right there. (He looks like he might be on the move too!) Nice!


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## Halloweenie1 (Sep 28, 2008)

Neat


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## talkingcatblues (Jan 30, 2009)

The angle on that one makes it interesting too, I think, Madame Leota - instead of being a sort of formal posed looking, everything at 90° shot, the tilted perspective gives it the look of something that might have been snapped really hastily (possibly right before running away!)

Plus it's another good outdoors-daytime one. I really really love well-lit night shots, but it's great to see that some people also have the knack of catching that spooky feel even in the middle of the day.


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## Johnson724 (Jun 24, 2009)

talkingcatblues said:


> Without tripods, though, or always with?
> 
> Even at a really high ISO, my night shots always seem to have so much camera shake. I know I should use a tripod when the opportunity is there to get one set up, but at something like a parade, that can get difficult. I guess if your guys are doing crime scenes and whatnot they do pretty much have the time to bring along a tripod?


You pretty much need a tripod or some steady surface taking a shot like that. Even if you are able to brace yourself really good on something your heartbeat can cause a blur. If you are going to do shots like that you are going to pretty much need to take the time to set up the shot. That type of photography is not well suited to quick shots or moving shots.

There are some things you can try with a point and shoot with a flash also but you really need to practice ahead of time to see how its going to look for the final product. You can try shielding the flash so it is directed more upward instead of at the subject. That way the flash wont wash out any other lighting you may have.

And yes, I carry a tripod on my truck and do have to take the time to set up on some of my shots. And trust me, I still screw up on plenty of them but thats the nice thing about digital cameras. They also have monopods which are basically like a walking stick that you can attach a camera to. That can help steady your camera but you still will probably have some shake. Neat thing about those is sometimes you can get them at Walmart because they have monopods for scopes that also fits some cameras.


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## GhostTown (Jul 6, 2011)

My mother bought me a nice Konica Minolta for xmas in '06, but I've lost the damned instruction manual and Konica Minolta quit making cameras. 

Quick question for us dummies out there: What does DSLR mean?


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## Johnson724 (Jun 24, 2009)

I always end up being dissapointed in my haunt pics because I am always in a hurry to take them so they dont turn out that great. I am used to being able to take all the time in the world on my shots. Usually because my subjects arent moving.


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## Halloweenie1 (Sep 28, 2008)

*Here are a few of mine....*


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## Johnson724 (Jun 24, 2009)

GhostTown said:


> My mother bought me a nice Konica Minolta for xmas in '06, but I've lost the damned instruction manual and Konica Minolta quit making cameras.
> 
> Quick question for us dummies out there: What does DSLR mean?


Digital single lense reflex


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## Johnson724 (Jun 24, 2009)

Great shots Halloweenie...love the pumpkin shots


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## talkingcatblues (Jan 30, 2009)

Halloweenie1 said:


> *Here are a few of mine....*


I love every single one of your pictures, Halloweenie - don't know if it's the colors, or the soft tone (or the palm trees making it look warm!) but they all look so intriguing. I just want to hide behind one of those tombstones and watch to see what kind of things come walking down the path when they think no-one's looking...


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## talkingcatblues (Jan 30, 2009)

Johnson724 said:


> I am used to being able to take all the time in the world on my shots. Usually because my subjects arent moving.


And that would be a "Yikes!"



Johnson724 said:


> I always end up being dissapointed in my haunt pics because I am always in a hurry to take them so they dont turn out that great.


I don't know - I like this one of yours a lot....

http://www.halloweenforum.com/membe...ween-night-2010-picture65397-picture-030.html

Very creepy look!


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## SkellyCat (Oct 30, 2008)

Very nice pixs everyone...Halloweenie1, those are just total eye-candy!

Talk about a picture saying a thousand words...


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## Halloween Scream (Sep 29, 2010)

Great post idea! I was disappointed that I didn't take more careful pictures last year. This has definitely inspired me to get out the tripod and play around with light exposure. Love everyone's use of colored lights - my single favorite decorating technique!


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## Aaaprn (Aug 18, 2011)

GhostTown said:


> My mother bought me a nice Konica Minolta for xmas in '06, but I've lost the damned instruction manual and Konica Minolta quit making cameras.
> 
> Quick question for us dummies out there: What does DSLR mean?



VICTORY!!!!!!! we found the instruction manual!


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## ondeko (Oct 14, 2008)

I took this 2 years ago. I was on my stomach on the ground like a sniper pointing the camera at a sharp angle to catch the tombstones in the foreground and the full moon behind the trees in the background.


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## Madame Leota (Sep 19, 2005)

Halloweenie1 - Love Love Love! Those are a real work of art! What lens were you using?


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## estertota (Oct 17, 2010)

WOW... thanks for all the awesome ideas .
I will try to take similar photo.
I really like: 


Johnson724 said:


> An idea people can try
> 
> Set up the camera for a long exposure shot with whatever background you have. Take the shot, have the people you want to pose jump into frame, shine a light on them real quick and have them move out of frame. It will take some practice to do but you end up with an image like this.
> 
> ...


WOW, but I don't really understand how it take, sorry. 
Will it be OK if it will be near glass oven?
Please could you explain me that step by step again. I would be very grateful for your help.

Also I would try to take some shots with lights cause all your photos look AMAZING.
Thank you all for sharing again .


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## James B. (Oct 8, 2009)

GobbyGruesome said:


> James - your photos and yard are amazing! I'm assuming you're shooting with a DSLR? Is there a ballpark time frame I could use as a starting point for a long exposure? 15 seconds? (I think DSLRs will do better in low light than point-and-shoots, right?


It is a DSLR point and shoot; a Panasonic Lumix (not sure which model off the top of my head) I picked up on sale. I turn off the flash, set the picture size to the largest best quality, set the shutter speed as long as it will go (I think 30 seconds is it), set the ISO between 1600-800 for night photos, and set the color saturation to vivid because of the deep colors in the lighting. It is on a tripod, I do however play with the angle of the pictures by adjusting the tripod legs, a slight tilt can make the image a bit more interesting. 

I have a book on digital photography I got from Barnes and Nobles about 4 years ago that helped me figure out night photography settings for digital cameras. I really need to break down and get a better camera one day. 

Thanks for the complements everyone.



Halloweenie1 those are some great photos!


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## Johnson724 (Jun 24, 2009)

estertota said:


> WOW... thanks for all the awesome ideas .
> I will try to take similar photo.
> I really like:
> 
> ...


Here is a link were I went into more detail with it.

http://www.halloweenforum.com/tutorials-step-step/103594-photo-tip-2.html

The link is to page 2 of the thread. Page 1 has another tip called painting with light that with a few modifications you might be able to use.


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## Johnson724 (Jun 24, 2009)

Oh and as far as the glass oven that should not be a problem unless you have light actually shining on the oven. The picture I posted was in front of a glass front faux fireplace.


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## Johnson724 (Jun 24, 2009)

Another important thing is the ISO or film speed. The lower the number the less light is needed to develop a shot. A film speed of 100 is good for a bright day were a film speed of 400 is good for a dark. Basically the lower number will not absorb as much light and the higher number will. The higher number you go the less quality you will have in your pictures. Generally not that big of an issue for most of yall but in my work shots I cant go over 400 in most cases unless they are overall shots.


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## GhostTown (Jul 6, 2011)

Johnson, you've been soooo much help in an area where I desperately needed it. THANK YOU!!!


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## nhh (Oct 7, 2008)

Here are my tips... I'll get some photos loaded and posted here too. 

At night tripods!! but, if you don't have one handy try setting the camera on something flat and steady like a car hood or a post. Be careful when you press the button. 

For point and shoot cameras I will try to stay away from the "night" setting becuase it tries to bring in too much light. I use a "sports" mode a lot for night. But take the same shot with a couple different settings and look at the result.

Turn off your flash (most of the time), if you can't turn it off quickly, just cover it with your hand or some tape.

Another tip when you don't have a tripod or time to play with manual settings.
Most point and shoot camera's have a rapid fire setting so you can hold the button down and it takes a few photos quickly one right after the other. Try standing, leaning against something, arms down and close to your body, then just fire off a handful of shots like 4 or 5 in that rapid fire mode. One of them will be clear.

Digital rocks, just take a ton and delete all the bad ones. No one needs to know about them.


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## stick (Apr 2, 2009)

Thanks for all the tips and I hope to take better pictures this year.


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## Johnson724 (Jun 24, 2009)

Good tips. I am glad someone chimed in about the point and shoots. I dont have a whole lot of experience with those other than fiddling with them. The cameras I use are little more advanced so thats what I am used to.


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## TheEighthPlague (Jun 4, 2009)

*Another Tip*

Another tip, when taking shots at night on a tripod or sturdy, flat surface: Use the 10-second delay, (like you would use if you were trying to jump into the shot.) That way the camera has time to stabilize after your button press and you'll get a steadier shot.

Also, you can use sandbags on the tripod help to stabilize it. If you don't have sandbags, a bag of rice or beans (or a severed arm) will probably do the trick.


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## Johnson724 (Jun 24, 2009)

I use the timer on a lot of my shots. It takes me longer to do shots but like I said before. My subjects are not usually going anywhere.


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## Xane (Oct 13, 2010)

Johnson724 said:


> I use the timer on a lot of my shots. It takes me longer to do shots but like I said before. My subjects are not usually going anywhere.


But they _*have*_ been pointed and shot at! (some of them, anyway)


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## njwilk (Oct 18, 2005)

If you have props that take some time to get set up, it's fun to do a sort of time lapse of the work involved. I set up a little point and shoot digital camera on a cinder block in my flower bed the day we put up the pirate ship one year. Just walked over to it every ten minutes or so and clicked the button then put the photos into a slide show. Added a few seconds of actual video when the sail was hoisted. Here's the slideshow:

http://www.nancywilkinson.com/Site/Holiday_Blog/Entries/2007/10/13_The_Ship!_The_Ship!.html


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## Halloweenie1 (Sep 28, 2008)

Madame Leota said:


> Halloweenie1 - Love Love Love! Those are a real work of art! What lens were you using?


*Hey everyone (Madame L, James, Johnson,TCB,SkellyC) thanks for all the nice compliments!*

*ML:* I use two different Zoom Lenses- one is a 28-70MM and the other (I tend to use it more) is a 12- 24MM Lens (It is a _very_ wide lens, so really can capture everything in the picture and gives that BIG and expanse feeling to the picture.)

*For EXAMPLE:*









My camera exposure is on "Manual" instead of a timer, I do it myself. (This is how I get the cool fogging effects and lights) 
I can manipulate better how long and open/more closed I leave the exposure. I have a shutter release cable attached to my camera (while on the tripod-also helps with keeping the camera very still, cause a slight bump will cause the pic not to be sharp), when I think it's been long enough. With digital, the great thing is after you take the picture, you can see the result immediately, so if I think I need to leave the exposure longer or close the shutter for less or more light I can manually control that, and take another one. Kinda just trial and error, and messing around. You have to take your time with it. And I find the best light to take pictures is at dusk (so there is some light left) but it is very short time period, 15- 30 min at the most. I can't set up all the shots in that time, so some of them suffer as far as the best lighting available, but- it's OK, I am not a perfectionist. 

Oh and no flash what so ever. Those with a point and shoot can still do a pretty good job if you have a camera that allows you to turn off the flash and a tripod. Just make sure you take the pics when there is still some light- DUSK. Otherwise it will be too dark. Depending on your time zone, right at sunset like 5:30 - 6:00pm.  *Thanks!* *H1
*


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## Halloweenie1 (Sep 28, 2008)

ondeko said:


> I took this 2 years ago. I was on my stomach on the ground like a sniper pointing the camera at a sharp angle to catch the tombstones in the foreground and the full moon behind the trees in the background.


*Love the moon in the back...very foreboding.*


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## GhostTown (Jul 6, 2011)

I've been practicing. I'm so very new with this prop building/lighting/photo taking stuff.... 

First prop (one of two), my first attempt at colored lights (have some spots, but I only have orange tissue paper over a 130 watt lamp for the moment), and first attempt at the exposure/aperture adjusting on a tri pod. Actually, this is one of about 25 shots taken. I kinda suck at this right off the bat.

Help me out if you see things to correct, please.










On the hand, and behind, you can see where I was screwing around with a flash light trying out my hand at "painting with light".


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## Johnson724 (Jun 24, 2009)

GhostTown said:


> I've been practicing. I'm so very new with this prop building/lighting/photo taking stuff....
> 
> First prop (one of two), my first attempt at colored lights (have some spots, but I only have orange tissue paper over a 130 watt lamp for the moment), and first attempt at the exposure/aperture adjusting on a tri pod. Actually, this is one of about 25 shots taken. I kinda suck at this right off the bat.
> 
> ...



Thats a great shot!!!

The lighting in the mouth is a little over done but other than that.. Again Great Shot!!!

And a nice looking prop too.

It takes a lot of practice and dont worry the so called experts mess up plenty of times to. Matter of fact if you ever go to a photo studio and they try to sell you a photo that is slightly blurry they may say that they were using a "soft focus" on that shot. No, its just a blurry shot they screwed up on and are still trying to sell it to you.


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## GhostTown (Jul 6, 2011)

The mouth should be much more red than it shows in the photo, but I can't stop it from blowing out without getting way too dark with everything else. Maybe I need a brighter up light, and less aperture or something?

Thanks for the compliments.


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## Jack Skellington (Oct 25, 2005)

Great pictures here and great tips, especially to turn of the flash and use a tripod. I've gotten into the habit of taking tons of pictures of all the stuff so I can remember what we did and how it looked. Digital is great and I'll walk around with a tripod and take shots of everything for hours so that I get the right shots.

Here is one of my favorites


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## Madame Leota (Sep 19, 2005)

Johnson724 said:


> Thats a great shot!!!
> 
> It takes a lot of practice and dont worry the so called experts mess up plenty of times to. Matter of fact if you ever go to a photo studio and they try to sell you a photo that is slightly blurry they may say that they were using a "soft focus" on that shot. No, its just a blurry shot they screwed up on and are still trying to sell it to you.


Yeah, I thought so! We have a local professional photographer that uses that sell line a lot. She has a ton of followers that fall for it but I always just saw blurry pictures. Guess she has the marketing skills, if not the photographic!


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## The Crow 1994 (Sep 18, 2003)

We just picked up a new Canon T3i DSLR a couple months ago and I can't wait to try it out this Halloween. Just need to pick up a tripod for some awesome night shots.


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## klwdesigns (Sep 20, 2011)

ghosttown, did you make that prop?! I think that's the scariest eFn homemade prop I've ever seen. I love it!


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## GhostTown (Jul 6, 2011)

Yes, my wife and I made it. Thanks!


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## Halloweenie1 (Sep 28, 2008)

GhostTown said:


> I've been practicing. I'm so very new with this prop building/lighting/photo taking stuff....
> 
> First prop (one of two), my first attempt at colored lights (have some spots, but I only have orange tissue paper over a 130 watt lamp for the moment)..... I kinda suck at this right off the bat.
> 
> ...


I like both the picture and the prop, they are super great! 
(You don't suck.)


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## theundeadofnight (Aug 14, 2011)

Hi,

Lots of impressive photos and tips/hints in this thread .

Here is another tip to add to the list .When trying to get accurate color, white balance/color temp is important . Both photos below were taken right after each other with the same lighting source (cloudy sky during day time) . The first photo has the white balance set as Daylight and shows the true color of the prop that we have all seen many times. The second photo has the white balance set as tungsten ( that would be like your normal table lamp bulb,not a CFL ) and adds too much blue,making the prop look much different . Most cameras have thie option to change the white balance in their menus.

















I hope that was helpful and not just stating the obvious .


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## Johnson724 (Jun 24, 2009)

theundeadofnight said:


> Hi,
> 
> Lots of impressive photos and tips/hints in this thread .
> 
> ...


I had debated about adding in about the white balance. I had started typing something up about it several times and had gotten distracted (I dont know why people bother me when I am trying to goof off at work). Glad you brought it up because it can help bring out the true colors in normal shots. I havnt played with it to see how much it effects some of the more extreme lighting that we usually end up with in our haunts tho.

And you are not stating the obvious. I dont think alot of people are familiar with it.


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## GhostTown (Jul 6, 2011)

Halloweenie1 said:


> I like both the picture and the prop, they are super great!
> (You don't suck.)


TYVM. 


I think my shots will improve when I finally get outside with my props in the evening. Get some green behind them, or even dark evening sky. That garage is failing me.


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## Madame Leota (Sep 19, 2005)

I will add one thing I don't think I've seen mentioned: when all else fails, Photoshop and/or Lightroom are your best friends!


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## GhostTown (Jul 6, 2011)

Photoshop I can do! 

In fact, it's _what _I do, to an extent.


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## estertota (Oct 17, 2010)

GhostTown said:


> Photoshop I can do!
> 
> In fact, it's _what _I do, to an extent.


Thanks for all the pics ;D.
Hah Photoshop is the best way even if the photo doesn't look how you like to be you can just transform it the way you like.
I would try some of your tips when my ankle heals.

Thanks for all ideas!


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## Johnson724 (Jun 24, 2009)

Madame Leota said:


> I will add one thing I don't think I've seen mentioned: when all else fails, Photoshop and/or Lightroom are your best friends!



EEEEKKK!!! Photoshop!!!!!

I kid....I only say that because dont dare ever say photoshop around us.

We actually use photoshop to a very very limited extent to enhance fingerprints but we will never say that we use photoshop in a trial. "It is an image enhancement software provided..."

I really could probably use some tips on it though.


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## estertota (Oct 17, 2010)

Johnson724 said:


> EEEEKKK!!! Photoshop!!!!!
> 
> I kid....I only say that because dont dare ever say photoshop around us.
> 
> ...


Haha  I know but it's good to dim or lightened picture and sometimes very helpful.

And know that the tips are about clear photography not "photoshoped"


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## Johnson724 (Jun 24, 2009)

Thats basically what we do with it. It can brighten or darken fingerprints and thats all we are allowed to do to them. We do use it sometimes on video still shots.

I really need to start playing with it more because I have been trying to do some of my own photos for different things, Halloween being one of them, and I hate a good shot being ruined by some small thing.


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## GhostTown (Jul 6, 2011)

Photoshop is easy. That's why I'm so interested in doing the _RIGHT_ way.

A good scene + proper lights + proper photography *>* photoshop


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## TagTeam (Oct 15, 2009)

This is one of my favs form last year


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## moshrider1000 (Sep 20, 2009)

The biggest tip for people starting out in low light photography that I have is to be careful with the shutter button. Most cameras will listen to the shutter speed even if you hold the shutter button. So if you hold still, carefully press and hold the shutter button, only releasing AFTER the shutter closes. This helps keep from shaking the camera by releasing the button while the shutter is open. Beyond all settings, this is in my opinion, the most important thing I have discovered. This applies even when using a tripod if you aren't using remote release or time delay.



njwilk said:


> If you have props that take some time to get set up, it's fun to do a sort of time lapse of the work involved. I set up a little point and shoot digital camera on a cinder block in my flower bed the day we put up the pirate ship one year. Just walked over to it every ten minutes or so and clicked the button then put the photos into a slide show. Added a few seconds of actual video when the sail was hoisted. Here's the slideshow:
> 
> http://www.nancywilkinson.com/Site/Holiday_Blog/Entries/2007/10/13_The_Ship!_The_Ship!.html


If you have a Nikon camera http://diyphotobits.com has a handy Camera Control program that will run a time lapse for you. The program will also do may other things that revolve around remote shutter release, as well as store photos directly to your computer instead of to the camera. Check with  this page to see if it will work with your camera. And the best part, it's FREE!

Attached are a couple of photos I have taken. 

The first is a great example of using a key light. This photo does not use a flash, as flash is too intense. It does however use a soft light positioned off to the side of the camera to light the actors face.


The second is just a shot I took while the carnival was in town this summer. Their carousel was very well lit and looked great at night so I grabbed the camera and tripod and snapped a few pictures.


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## Johnson724 (Jun 24, 2009)

Your first shot reminds me of a technique we use during the day. If for instance we are trying to photograph an object that, lets say, is under a car in the shadows but everything else is lit by the bright sun. If you focus in on the object in the shadow you are either going to get the object in the shadow with everything else over exposed or everything else looks normal but the shaded area is too dark. What we do is take our detachable programable flash and bump the flash down. That way when the shot is taken the flash lights up the shaded area but does not obliterate the brightly lit area. What you did basically is the same and with a great effect. Both are awesome shots.


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## Halloweenie1 (Sep 28, 2008)

TagTeam said:


> This is one of my favs form last year
> View attachment 88252


*Very neat! I like the theme concept....*


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## MonaV (Sep 22, 2011)

Wow, these pics look amazing!


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## Mordessa (Jul 23, 2007)

I'm so glad I found this thread! Last year, we had a professional photographer say he was going to come to the party and take pictures for us, but he never showed, and nobody remembered that his absence=no photos, so we hardly got any pictures during the party. We thought we had lucked out when a different photographer asked if she could come by the day after the party to take pics of everything before we took it all down. She spent about two hours here taking pics of all the props and decorations. We signed a paper so she could use whatever shots she took as her own stuff, but that she'd send us copies to use as we wanted on our site as long as we gave her credit. Unfortunately, when she did finally send us a cd of the pictures, the cd didn't work and I haven't been able to contact her since.  So we have like 10 pictures total for last year's haunt. 

This year, hubby has just gotten a really nice camera and he's really excited about taking our Halloween pictures, I'm totally going to give him the link to this thread so he can see all the great shots you guys took and read all of the excellent advice. 

Btw, how do some of you get your pictures to show up big in the thread, rather than as thumbnails that you need to click on?


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## GhostTown (Jul 6, 2011)

I have an account on www.photobucket.com. I upload the pictures to that site, and then use the







tags in my post. 

In other words, photobucket stores the images online for me, instead of using an album on this site. When I post a picture, I literally post a link to the picture which causes it to appear in my posts. Make sense?

An example would look like this:


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## JohnnyAppleseed (Sep 17, 2008)

Some of mine from last year...



































My advice, shoot at dusk not in complete dark. Use various lighting sources and look to remote trigger flash when possible, experiment with back lighting and side lighting. Vary your aperture and speed, take several shots at various angles, speeds, stops, etc. You never know what will be the one. Use a tripod or a mono pod to assist with steadying the camera. Also, as someone else mentioned, I use the camera timer on my Sony A1 with some success.


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## Spider Rider (Nov 3, 2006)

I like this kind of shot (I didn't take it). You can see something in the distance but you can't see what's 5 feet in front of you. So you are shooting from the shadows.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/82728062/in/gallery-noahfentz-72157626222752815/


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## Mordessa (Jul 23, 2007)

Ahh!! Thanks GhostTown!  

Oooo Johnny, those are excellent shots! Well done!

And Spider Rider, dang, that's an amazingly spooky shot! That's the kinda thing I'd love to be able to take!


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## talkingcatblues (Jan 30, 2009)

Niiiice ones, JohnnyA! I love the shadow in the JOL scarecrow picture. And Spider Rider, that photo is gorgeous in every way, so good find. I agree with the flickr comment that it seems like it's straight out of a movie - looks like the setting for a very interesting story.

All of y'all are definitely convincing me to just suck it up and use a tripod already to try and improve my low light shots.


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## Spider Rider (Nov 3, 2006)

Yes a tripod is a must. Here are 2 pics I took with the standing in the shadows look.


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## Johnson724 (Jun 24, 2009)

Spider...Everytime I see those pics I just drool.


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## Halloweenie1 (Sep 28, 2008)

JohnnyAppleseed said:


> Some of mine from last year...


I really like your haunt... lovely pics!


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## moshrider1000 (Sep 20, 2009)

Here's two more that show how perspective can change the feel of a photo, even more so with a night photo. 

FYI these two were taken without a tripod using the shutter button technique I talked about earlier.


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## neka4ok (May 24, 2010)

*This is my sick imagination of the hit-parade of blood: "Halloween Headless" & "Dismembered Girl"

Someone tore off his head on the last Halloween....
*









*Be careful with a sharp knives.....*


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## Johnson724 (Jun 24, 2009)

neka4ok said:


> *This is my sick imagination of the hit-parade of blood: "Halloween Headless" & "Dismembered Girl"
> 
> Someone tore off his head on the last Halloween....
> *
> ...


That looks great


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## Johnson724 (Jun 24, 2009)

Not a Halloween pic but last night we had a good lightning storm to the south of my house.

I have tried numerous times to get a good lightning shot and have never had much luck. I stopped trying a while back because I had been taking pictures one evening and the storm hit and kept getting worse. I finally put my camera up and was still standing outside when a tornado came through the trees not 300 feet from my house. Fortunately at that point it was small and did only slight damage to my neighborhood. It did continue on for 15 miles and tore up some others. This is the first time I have tried it since then. I took about 54 shots and only got a few good ones. Camera was on a tripod and I kept the shutter open about 10 seconds.


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## purpleferrets3 (Jun 20, 2008)

Johnson724 said:


> Not a Halloween pic but last night we had a good lightning storm to the south of my house.
> 
> I have tried numerous times to get a good lightning shot and have never had much luck. I stopped trying a while back because I had been taking pictures one evening and the storm hit and kept getting worse. I finally put my camera up and was still standing outside when a tornado came through the trees not 300 feet from my house. Fortunately at that point it was small and did only slight damage to my neighborhood. It did continue on for 15 miles and tore up some others. This is the first time I have tried it since then. I took about 54 shots and only got a few good ones. Camera was on a tripod and I kept the shutter open about 10 seconds.
> View attachment 89510
> ...


Just beautiful!


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## GhostTown (Jul 6, 2011)

Those are killer!


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## talkingcatblues (Jan 30, 2009)

Wow, those are tremendous! Ten seconds, huh - I wouldn't have expected that long? But it obviously worked great. Going to look up firework picture guidelines now - I'm betting that's similar...

And I don't see why a lightning/thunderstorm wouldn't count as a Halloween picture - gotta animate those corpses somehow.


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## Johnson724 (Jun 24, 2009)

talkingcatblues said:


> Wow, those are tremendous! Ten seconds, huh - I wouldn't have expected that long? But it obviously worked great. Going to look up firework picture guidelines now - I'm betting that's similar...
> 
> And I don't see why a lightning/thunderstorm wouldn't count as a Halloween picture - gotta animate those corpses somehow.


It was about 10 seconds...hit the shutter, step away from the camera, walk over to my beer, take a swig or two and the shutter would close. 

Hit the button again...repeat the process. Some I adjusted and did a little longer. One of the things I like about the picture is you can see stars in the the top right area of the pics.

I sometimes play around and point the camera straight up, set the camera on its longest setting and take a shot. Its amazing how many stars you end up seeing that you cant see with the naked eye. The only thing is if you blow the picture up the stars become streaks due to the rotation of the earth.

I heard that the aurora is supposed to be really active tonight and we might even be able to see it down here. I might try to find me a spot with a clear view to the north and see what I can do.


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## talkingcatblues (Jan 30, 2009)

Johnson724 said:


> I heard that the aurora is supposed to be really active tonight and we might even be able to see it down here. I might try to find me a spot with a clear view to the north and see what I can do.


Damn - too bad it's midweek or I could duck out of the city and try and catch that. If you get anything please do put it up somewhere. 

Have you seen this video? It's the Aurora as viewed from the International Space Station - just taken this month. 






(Looking at the ISS info it says it's the Australis rather than the Borealis tho'.)


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## Johnson724 (Jun 24, 2009)

I've seen the video...it looks amazing.


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## purpleferrets3 (Jun 20, 2008)

I have been trying out some of the suggestions on this thread. Im still learning but was playing with settings yesterday .



















This one just for fun


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## Johnson724 (Jun 24, 2009)

Good job! I like the different perspectives. Adding the "model" really changes things up too. Great!


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## James B. (Oct 8, 2009)

The jack o lantern night photos look great.


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## purpleferrets3 (Jun 20, 2008)

Johnson724 said:


> Good job! I like the different perspectives. Adding the "model" really changes things up too. Great!


Thanks! I took them in our attic. I was diggin out all my Halloween goodies and thought perfect opportunity to try to use some of your tips as I was checking light bulbs in pumpkins. I dont have anything set up yet til tommorow. I also found the costume box . I love that old dress  I use to just use the automatic setting on my camera and thanks to this thread I am learning how to use all those extra buttons I didnt know I had lol! Looking forward to awesome Halloween photo's this year so Thank you everyone for sharing how to do that.


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## purpleferrets3 (Jun 20, 2008)

Heres a few I played with in Photoshop


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## purpleferrets3 (Jun 20, 2008)

James B. said:


> Long exposures with a 14gb digital camera on a tripod; I manually set the light and time:




I absolutely love these!!!


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## talkingcatblues (Jan 30, 2009)

Wow, purpleferrets, your JOL shots came out great! I really like the framing on the second photo (plus I like their faces!)


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## Rxtorres (Sep 28, 2011)

wow these photographs are all sooo amazing...great thread. Thanks for all the good tips cant wait to give this a go.


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## matthewthemanparker (Sep 8, 2007)

One of my favorites from last year. It's a friend's daughter during setup just hanging out by the coffin and stalkaround.


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## Mizerella (Aug 6, 2009)

All these pictures are so amazing!

I am in the market for a new digital camera, but I can't decide what to get. 
Any and all suggestions would be much appreciated!


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## airtube (Oct 25, 2009)

*2010 halloween*

Some of last years props and haunt. first time posting pic so forgive. will fig out how to add more.


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## talkingcatblues (Jan 30, 2009)

matthewthemanparker said:


> One of my favorites from last year. It's a friend's daughter during setup just hanging out by the coffin and stalkaround.


That little gal's got some moxie! So cute.


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## talkingcatblues (Jan 30, 2009)

Mizerella said:


> I am in the market for a new digital camera, but I can't decide what to get.
> Any and all suggestions would be much appreciated!


Are you thinking digital SLR or point and shoot?


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## Mizerella (Aug 6, 2009)

I think point and shoot, but I know nothing.
I have had my eye on Fuji Film Finepix S1500 or the S2940 because I saw some night pix with a tripod and liked them. Also they were under $200 
I really don't want to go over $300 if I can help it, since I am not a professional.


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## Halloweenie1 (Sep 28, 2008)

Mizerella said:


> All these pictures are so amazing!
> 
> I am in the market for a new digital camera, but I can't decide what to get.
> Any and all suggestions would be much appreciated!


Hey Miss Miz!

In my experience, Cannon and Nikon are very good brands to go with....even in the point and shoots. 

I have a Nikon SLR (which means you can change the lenses).


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## Johnson724 (Jun 24, 2009)

The main thing I know about those cameras is that they have trouble focusing in low light. We used an older model fuji finepix and at night had to briefly shine a flashlight on something at night for it to focus. Some of the reviews I read say at least the S2940 may have the same issue.


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## Halloweenie1 (Sep 28, 2008)

Mizerella said:


> I think point and shoot, but I know nothing.
> I have had my eye on Fuji Film Finepix S1500 or the S2940 because I saw some night pix with a tripod and liked them. Also they were under $200
> I really don't want to go over $300 if I can help it, since I am not a professional.


You can get a nice point & shoot for that price. Go to a couple of places and have them show you the best point & shoots for low light photography. 
You also want to make sure you are able turn off the flash manually. This way you can shoot with available light and get all your lights, props. etc. with more spooky look, without that washout. Get the sales people to show you.

...and invest in a lightweight tripod...it does'nt have to be expensive.  H1


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## Mizerella (Aug 6, 2009)

Thank You
I will go and try the Nikon and Cannon too.

I must not forget, easy off flash is a must! My last camera you had to go through a maze on the digital menu to disable flash and then it reset it each time! Horrible!

Maybe I'll just take them each home for a 'night test shoot' before I commit.


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## Sipesh (Sep 5, 2004)

Some of my recent real cemetery photos for the fun of it. Macro pictures are great... And is it just me or is the angel statue that I shot... scowling? Gotta love the little things that show up when you go black and white.


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## kagey (Sep 11, 2011)

Excellent Ideas!


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## purpleferrets3 (Jun 20, 2008)

A few I took at a local Pumpkin farm. 



































my garden angel...she looks kind of creepy up close


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## DirtyDodge (Sep 25, 2009)

Played with the exposer option in my front yard with my Cannon PowerShot (15 sec exposer) nothing too exciting. if it wasnt for this thread i would've never known the potential of this camera. Thank you all!


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## blackdogrdc (Sep 20, 2010)

Took this pic 2 nights ago using some of the advice on this thread. Turned the flash off and just let the lighting be the only light available. Of course played around with the settings until I found the right one as suggested on this thread.


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## Johnson724 (Jun 24, 2009)

Great shots everybody!!!! That is the thing about this forum. Someone asks a question and so many people offer advice. Glad to know that the advice that we (And I do say we) gave has helped people out.


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## neka4ok (May 24, 2010)

*i packed all my bags*


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## TJN66 (Oct 7, 2011)

SkellyCat said:


> Here is one of mine (and my biggest fear!) Shuddddder!


Where or how did you make that spider? Its great!!!


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## Halloweenie1 (Sep 28, 2008)

DirtyDodge said:


> Played with the exposer option in my front yard with my Cannon PowerShot (15 sec exposer) nothing too exciting. if it wasnt for this thread i would've never known the potential of this camera.


.....really beautiful shots. Great job.  H1


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## Zombie Sniper (May 14, 2011)

Here's a couple of my favorites. I still need to learn low light better though.


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## GhostTown (Jul 6, 2011)

I'm glad too see this thread pop up again. It is responsible for our new found fondness of taking photos at night or evening. We're going to be camera shopping at some point in the near future now.


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## Halloweenie1 (Sep 28, 2008)

GhostTown said:


> I'm glad too see this thread pop up again. It is responsible for our new found fondness of taking photos at night or evening. We're going to be camera shopping at some point in the near future now.


Love your props....and of course the photography.


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## matrixmom (Oct 29, 2010)

*Pics with number settings*

1st pic is with my Nikon D80 Iso 1000,f 8, shutter speed 1. Second pic is used the camera's "nighttime button" which automatically adjusts for night shots- the specs are iso400,f 3.8 and shutter 3.0.Which does everyone like best?


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## osenator (Nov 3, 2009)

I am extremely happy with most of my pics this year! Please check my gallery of my Mockingbird Drive Haunt 2011. A tripod and night setting is what I use this year, so much of a difference it makes!


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## GhostTown (Jul 6, 2011)

Zombie Sniper said:


> Here's a couple of my favorites. I still need to learn low light better though.



Wow, I really like this thing.


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## GhostTown (Jul 6, 2011)

matrixmom said:


> 1st pic is with my Nikon D80 Iso 1000,f 8, shutter speed 1. Second pic is used the camera's "nighttime button" which automatically adjusts for night shots- the specs are iso400,f 3.8 and shutter 3.0.Which does everyone like best?


Number 2.


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## SimplyJenn (Jul 29, 2010)

That is really cool. you know if you did it with a yellow/orange light your face would have looked like it was coming out of the fire place.


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## Zombie Sniper (May 14, 2011)

GhostTown said:


> Wow, I really like this thing.


Thanks. It was made from an old white tree from X-mas that a friend dropped of at the door and some stuff I had laying around.
This is the only day pic I have (with neighborhood kids wanting to pose with it).


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## Count Chocula (Oct 19, 2007)

My first attempt with my little Kodak EasyShare M1093. I guess the exposure was 5-6 seconds.


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## matrixmom (Oct 29, 2010)

Count Chocula said:


> My first attempt with my little Kodak EasyShare M1093. I guess the exposure was 5-6 seconds.


Beautiful colors with your camera...and a Kodak! wow! I never had much luck with them.But it also helps that you have a great yard and lights!


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## talkingcatblues (Jan 30, 2009)

Old habits die hard...  I tried to take some pictures of my yard Halloween night thinking "Well, I'll just hold the camera really steady..." As usual, looked ok on the little screen but came out all fuzzy on the computer. So remembering this thread, I dragged out the big heavy thrift store tripod, and with much sighing and wrestling with the dang thing, took the same shots over again, using the self-timer and longer exposure as suggested on this thread. 

And of course it made a world of difference in the blurriness factor. So thanks, you guys. 

Night pictures:


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## ldogg53 (May 23, 2008)

a couple of shots I got of my yard from Monday night... 
the weather in Houston was perfect for the chilled fog and the moon really set the scene.


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## Halloweenie1 (Sep 28, 2008)

Count Chocula said:


> My first attempt with my little Kodak EasyShare M1093. I guess the exposure was 5-6 seconds.


*Nice! I like all the colors...especially the way you lit the tree*.  *H1*


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## Halloweenie1 (Sep 28, 2008)

talkingcatblues said:


> Old habits die hard...  I tried to take some pictures of my yard Halloween night thinking "Well, I'll just hold the camera really steady..." As usual, looked ok on the little screen but came out all fuzzy on the computer. So remembering this thread, I dragged out the big heavy thrift store tripod, and with much sighing and wrestling with the dang thing, took the same shots over again, using the self-timer and longer exposure as suggested on this thread.
> 
> And of course it made a world of difference in the blurriness factor. So thanks, you guys.
> 
> Night pictures:


*Cool! Love the spiders!!!*  H1


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## dariusobells (Sep 24, 2007)

Can't add too much to what has has already been stated here about tripods and delays. I do have some night shots i was pretty happy with this year 


Halloween Prep 2011 98% by monica_riney, on Flickr

This one was shot on my Nikon D40 on aperture priority mode. ISO 200, F5, the shutter time was 30 seconds according to the image EXIF information. (EXIF is exchangeable image file and shows all the properties and camera settings used to produce the image.) you can view the EXIF info on most any JPG image with most editing software or on Flickr choos "view EXIF info" from the actions menu at the top left when viewing an image on their web site. 

I had a couple of shots that I should have spent more time on and played with my camera settings I haven't done any adjustments on my light by changing the exposure bias or some of the other settings in the camera menus. 


Halloween Prep 2011 98% by monica_riney, on Flickr


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## LaBruja (Oct 16, 2010)

Bumping this thread up so maybe some newbies can get some tips...


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## pumpkinpie (Jul 9, 2011)

Any tips for those of us stuck using an iPhone (besides...get a real camera,lol)


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## LaBruja (Oct 16, 2010)

I do not have one, but there are some photographers out there doing some high grade stuff with them.


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## Rania (Oct 27, 2011)

Wow how did i miss this thread? Great pics, great ideas!

I have a Canon DSLR and when i shot my haunt last year, i shot in the Depth of Field mode, always on a tripod, and let the mode make the decisions.

The two pics below were ISO 800, F/22 and and a 20 second shutter speed. I let the lens auto focus and let the Adep mode do the metering.


















This FCG pic is ISO 1600, F/20 for 5 seconds. I thought it was a longer exposure but i just looked it up in Lightroom (the better Photoshop)









This one is an ISO400, f/5.0 for 3.2 seconds. 









I took these before i knew about photography the way i do now. This year should make for some interesting shots since i know how to shoot in manual now, my camera films in HD and i'm getting a camera slider. I have no video of last year, which is what i am really focusing on this year.


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## GhostTown (Jul 6, 2011)

Rania said:


> This FCG pic is ISO 1600, F/20 for 5 seconds. I thought it was a longer exposure but i just looked it up in Lightroom (the better Photoshop)


Great pics. Just curious though..... what are you doing with Lightroom? 

Now that I think about your past posts, you do a lot of great camera work. Is this a hobby of yours, or do you dabble in photography professionally?



BTW... we upgraded to a Pentax K5 since last year, and LOVE IT. This thread kind of pushed us to want to hit a higher level of photography. Mostly for our cats, but Halloween, too.


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## Rania (Oct 27, 2011)

GhostTown said:


> Great pics. Just curious though..... what are you doing with Lightroom?
> 
> Now that I think about your past posts, you do a lot of great camera work. Is this a hobby of yours, or do you dabble in photography professionally?
> 
> BTW... we upgraded to a Pentax K5 since last year, and LOVE IT. This thread kind of pushed us to want to hit a higher level of photography. Mostly for our cats, but Halloween, too.


Hey thanks! I wouldn't say i am a professional photographer YET. I have done a lot of photography for the real estate company i work with, but have really only started learning how to shoot in manual in the last year. Lots more to learn, so i consider myself in the beginning stages of professional photography. I have no desire to do weddings or portraits. I prefer nature and creative National Geographic type stuff. I am using a Canon 550D T2i DSLR and right now am going back and forth between 3 lenses ( 18-55mm kit lens, a 200mm telephoto and my best one - the 50mm 1.8 lens) I also have a Go ProHero2 that i use for timelapse stuff. This year i plan to timelapse the build of my haunt. I would love to see how each area goes up over time, but in a matter of minutes.

Lightroom is the new photoshop. It is a more streamlined version where you import all your pictures from a collection, edit with a bunch of developing tools as if you were in a darkroom so to speak. It has presets with lots of creative filters, ways to create slideshows, and super fast export options allowing you to export all pictures at once. LOVE IT.


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## Killamira (Oct 14, 2009)

Great shots guys!


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## GhostTown (Jul 6, 2011)

Yeah, I'm familiar with Lightroom. Not many are though, which is why I asked.


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## LaBruja (Oct 16, 2010)

GhostTown said:


> Yeah, I'm familiar with Lightroom. Not many are though, which is why I asked.


LOTS of people know what Lightroom is..well in the camera forums anyway. Maybe if you got off the Halloween forum once in awhile LOL


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## GhostTown (Jul 6, 2011)

LaBruja said:


> LOTS of people know what Lightroom is..well in the camera forums anyway. Maybe if you got off the Halloween forum once in awhile LOL


Any time we bring up Lightroom to clients we get weird looks.

I would assume camera forums would be pretty familiar with the software. Just like this forum has a pretty good idea what a vampire or zombie is.


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## Rania (Oct 27, 2011)

dariusobells said:


> Can't add too much to what has has already been stated here about tripods and delays. I do have some night shots i was pretty happy with this year
> 
> 
> Halloween Prep 2011 98% by monica_riney, on Flickr
> ...


Words do not describe how much i love these pictures. The lighting is epic


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