As we all know, coronavirus has given us enough of a fright this year, fingers crossed that we are nearing the end! However, Halloween creeps closer and closer towards us, so we thought it would be perfect timing to give our readers some frighteningly clever tricks and treats to capture the perfect photograph during this time of year.
We like to consider this article an early treat, so consider these instructions as a go-to guide so that you can use to prank your friends and capture some crazy shots from your own camera that makes your photographs look spookily good! Sorry... no more puns!
So, put your creative hat on and think ghosts, ghouls, orbs and everything else that give you the chills, as with these tricks, you will be able to capture photos that you take with family & friends and really freak them out.
It can be challenging for most photographers, no matter how experienced you are to get a picture of a ghost when it can't be explained. That's because, with today's cameras and the advancement in technology, it's incredibly easy for people to deceive their viewers on what they are actually seeing. In other words, it's rather simple for someone to snap what looks like a ghost!
What plays a massive part in this deception is the cameras shutter speed. For those of you who are fortunate enough to have a DSLR camera to hand, the fireworks mode used in low-light setting works an absolute treat for these kinds of photographs. For those of you that prefer to use your smartphones, the only thing you will need to take advantage of is a long exposure time.
So, the first thing to do is to set the shutter speed to 10 seconds, ideally, you need to set it up so that it shoots in night-mode in a dimly lit setting, such as highly sheltered woodland area just before the sunsets.
The next part of the plan is all about the preparation. For this to work, you need to have a pal with you who can dress up in costume... and yes we know what you're thinking, "just have them wear a bedsheet over them with to eyes cut out?" no... we are going to be a little more advanced than that. The idea is to have them dressed in a costume that looks like it is from hundreds of years ago. Think Victorian dresses, pirate costumes or even medieval knights.
By taking the snapshot in a long exposure time in low light setting, it will make any moving object/ person in the setting appear semi-transparent. So whichever one of your friends is going to play the part of the demented spirit, they only need to move slowly whilst the photograph is being taken.
In photography, this is known as motion blur. For the non-photographer, it’s a pretty nifty effect.
If you've watched any films or documentaries on paranormal activity, I am sure you have been made aware of the phenomenon of orbs. These are described as little blurs of circular light that appear to float around in mid-air that doesn't seem to belong there. The fantastic part about this is that you can control where and when they appear.
To capture the effect of an orb all you need to do is either spray some water or blow some talc in the air, then take a photo using either a torch or the flashlight mode on your smartphone. When the particles are illuminated for a brief second, they will take on the appearance of orbs in your snapshot.
Now we know that Halloween parties may not be on the menu this year but don't forget there is always next year, so there is no harm in knowing these tips well in advance.
Halloween dress-up and celebrations would never be the same if you couldn't look back on some spectacular pics. For this, here are a few handy tricks that you can use to get the best photos taken of that particular night.
For outdoor snaps, try to take your photos an hour before the sunsets. If you are unsure as to what time the sunsets, have a look on your smartphone and it should be able to give you an indication as to the time this takes place.
So, if you don't have a tripod as your disposal then the next best thing to do is to take the camera to eye-level of the kids and shoot from the hip. The reason why you do this is because whoever is in the shot will fill the frame rather than look tiny against the backdrop you have chosen such as a spooky-looking house or a giant tree.
As a rule of thumb, you usually get better photos when you are at the same height as the subject you are photographing.
So now you have a handful of tricks that you can use for this up and coming Halloween holiday. Give it a go and let us know how you get on!
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You can contact EasyFrame on 01234 856 501 and / or sales@EasyFrame.co.uk and they'll always chat even if you don't want to buy!
Article Posted: 12/10/2020 08:25:58