Halloween is, and always has been, one of my very favorite holidays. Growing up, we always made my costumes, usually from just piecing together clothes from around the house and occasionally branching into dying some fabric and getting really creative. I still love making costumes but this year we went store bought much to the demand of the 5 year old pictured below. While I have great memories of all of those crafted and created costumes from my childhood, I don’t have many pictures. Here are some tips to help you capture this magical time of year!

1. Capture the details! – Get a close up of that plastic pearl necklace and the 6 rings your little girl added to her princess costume. Capture the winter pants sticking out from under their costumes to show how cold it was that night! Take a picture of the haul they got from the neighbors!

2. Change up your angle! – Get down on your kid’s level for great portraits. Shoot their dinosaur tails hopping down the street from way down low on the ground. Get creative!

3. Start early– This one’s two fold!

A. Start early! The best light is about an hour before sunset so this Saturday, taking your kiddos out for some portraits around 5pm will get you the most flattering and easiest to work with light!

B. Start Early! Get pictures of your kiddos BEFORE they are all dressed and ready! Capture the process of putting on all that facepaint and  the layers of cheap fabric

4. Add in that Atmosphere –  Show the where and the when by paying attention to your background. Get the pumpkins on your porch behind your goblins and ghouls. One thing I love to do is include our house in the background, I want them to remember what their childhood home looked like when they’re older!

5. Get your kids in character! – Getting them to do their best impression of who their dressed as will give you some genuine interaction with the camera and some awesome personality!

6. Get candid – Take pictures of them going door to door! The excitement and anticipation they feel shine through in your photos!

7. Take an “After” picture!! – What does all that face paint and tulle look like after hours of trick or treating and too much sugar?!

BONUS: Tech tips! 

Have a DSLR? In low light, you can up your ISO and use lower aperture number (f 1.8, 2.8 etc) to get better exposure without having to use flash.

Shooting with an iPhone? Tap on the spot where you want your focus! Then you can slide the little sun up or down to get brighter or darker exposures.

If you enjoyed these tips and would like to see more posts like this one, let me know by sharing your Halloween pictures or simply leaving a comment below!