How to Capture Halloween Costumes

It’s almost Halloween! Can you believe how fast this year has gone by!? I am hoping that even with Covid-19 virus we will still have some kind of Halloween celebration.  It is not my favorite holiday, but it’s close! I love this time of year.  The leaves and the weather getting colder!  I love most everything about fall, but I do not care for pumpkin spice everything.  I’m happy with just normal coffee, ha! So here are some things to consider when photographing those Halloween costumes. 

1.       Set the Stage

Consider the costume itself! What setting should it be in? Is there something you can add to make the photograph extra special? For the sleeping beauty photo below, I used flower petals and a soft pillow to set the stage (so to speak).  When my daughter was Mary Poppins, I let her borrow my umbrella and let her play out the character!  It is so much fun to capture the costume in a way that speaks to the character they are playing. Hopefully, you have practiced the make up and have a plan for props! Sometimes it’s just one prop that can make all the difference.

2.       Edit for Magic

Photoshop can really add magic to the photo.  Use it to help the scene!  You can use a glitter overlay like I did when my kid was Belle. This overlay is from Jessica Drossin.  Or you can edit the eyes out to make your ghost look extra creepy! For a Harry Potter costume consider adding a lightning bolt, or a smoke overlay for a witch!  Maybe do a composite, or make your subject levitate.  I have a tutorial here on how to do a levitation photo. The possibilities really are endless for a good photoshop edit! This is a really good time to start experimenting.

3.       Capture their Personalities

Make sure to document the way they laugh or their favorite part of the costume, or how much candy they got that year.  It might be a good idea to try to do pictures ahead of time too!  That way you have plenty of time for trick or treating. Don’t forget to capture those details!

Whatever you do, make sure to document these moments! It’s so fun to look back at previous years.  For more Halloween inspiration check out Kellie Bieser.  She is the master at capturing Halloween costumes!

Thanks for reading!

How to take Back to School Photos

It’s that time of year! All the kids are going back to school. How are you going to document it this year?! Well, I have some tips and ideas for you here:

1.       Tradition

Do you have a first day of school tradition? If not, create one! Our tradition is taking a portrait in front of our driveway every year.  Some people hold a sign or chalk board, others do a front door picture.  Some make sure to get the photo outside of the school. Whatever your tradition is, make sure to stick to it! It is so good to see how your child grows over the years.  Tip: sometimes in that early morning it is pretty dark.  This would be a good time to use your off-camera flash set up!

2.       The Bus

This is a classic photo for going back to school! If your child rides the bus that moment that they get on is so important.  You will wish you had that documented if you miss it. Perhaps you drive your kids to school.  Then make sure you capture them piling into the car and waiting in the car drop off/pick up line.  Tip: this is the perfect time to use those primary colors that scream school!  Those are yellow (like the bus), red and blue. Or you can be super creative like Meg Bethard was: here.    

3.       Details

You cannot tell a story without details! Show the nervous hands waiting for the bus.  Show the backpacks and new pencils they so carefully picked out.  What was their favorite school supply to pick out?  This year be sure to capture those masks; it really documents the weird time we are in.  Maybe you’re homeschooling, or E-learning this year.  Make sure to photograph their learning environment, and many of these tips can still be used!  

4.       The Interview

This is a yearly tradition for us!  We do a quick interview the day or two before school starts and then I put their answers on the portrait I took of them that first school day. I always try to ask the same questions.  It is so fun to see their answers change as they change each year!  It helps me to mark what their interests are at that moment in time.  Somethings change while others stay the same.   I always ask these questions:

What is your favorite color?

What is your favorite book?

What is your favorite movie?

What is your favorite food?

What do you want to be when you grow up?

It is such a great tradition; I highly recommend you implementing it with your own family!

5.       The Preparations

There is a lot of preparations that are done before the school year begins.  Make sure to capture all these moments: the cereal they eat, the packing their lunches, brushing teeth and hair, the squirrelly energy that happens right before that first day begins at school.  These are all moments that help tell that first day of school story.  

These are just some ideas on how to remember the new school year.  I’d love to see and hear about your traditions! Feel free to contact me! Thanks for reading!

How to do a Double Exposure

What is a double exposure? It is a technique that layers two different exposures on a single image, combining two photographs into one. 

There are 3 different ways to do a double exposure.  The first is with a digital camera.  You can achieve this in camera.  For Nikon you would go to the photo shooting menu (which is the camera icon in your menu).  From there you would select the multiple exposure mode.  Arrow down to select the number of shots you want to combine.  Then select multiple exposure and arrow through to turn on for a single photo or series.  When you take your first photo there will be a symbol of overlapping squares at the top of your photo on the LCD screen.  Then take another and it will combine them for you!  For me personally, I have added this multiple exposure option to the “my menu” feature on my Nikon D750.  That way it is easily accessible.  On a Canon it is very similar.  You would use the dial to turn across to “multiple exposure” and click “set.” You will then have several sub menus options.  This article here explains better on how to do it on a Canon.

The second option is if you shoot film.  Some film cameras allow you to do this, and some do not.  With film I believe you generally try to overexpose, but with double exposures it is best to underexpose.  It might take some getting used to. To create the double exposure, you will want to expose the same frame more than one time. Google it to see if your film camera has this capability and read more about shooting double exposures on film here.

The third way is to do it in Photoshop. Choose the photos that you think will layer nicely.  For my example I have used a puddle with a leaf in it and a portrait. Open them in Photoshop and put one layer over the other.  Then adjust the opacity. I have then masked off the areas of her face that I want to show through and have more detail. I did this by adding a layer mask to my overlaying puddle photo.  I then paint with a soft black brush to let the lower portrait layer show through. I then brought in more color by adding a blue gradient layer.  I then masked off the areas I didn’t want the gradient layer to affect.  I then added some paint on a new layer to add depth and more of the orange color.  I set it to pin light according to my preference and lowered the opacity. And there you have it! Adobe has a great tutorial here.  

It’s easy to do, but to be successful compositionally it can be quite difficult.  With a double exposure the shadows of your first frame will be filled in by the light parts of your second frame.  So, it’s best to try to visualize what you want it to look like.  Though it can be very hit and miss.  It’s something worth experimenting with. Sometimes overexposing or underexposing can help you clearly define the double exposure. If you want to see an outline of your subject place your subject against a blank background.   

Thanks for reading!