Coronavirus has given us fright enough this year. But Halloween is creeping closer, so here are some tricks and treats for taking spookily good photographs, and for pranking your friends and family.
Photograph a ghost
With today's cameras it is simple to take a picture of what looks like a ghost. The secret is shutter speed. In low light, a long exposure makes anything that moves appear semi-transparent. Photographers call it motion blur.
- Set a long exposure. Set the shutter speed to 10 seconds. On a DSLR, the fireworks mode works a treat in low light. On a smartphone, use night mode or any long-exposure setting.
- Find a dim setting. A sheltered patch of woodland just before sunset is ideal.
- Dress up a friend. Forget the bedsheet with two eye holes. Go for a costume that looks hundreds of years old: a Victorian dress, a pirate or a medieval knight.
- Have them move slowly while the picture is taken.
Add some orbs
If you've watched films or documentaries about the paranormal, you'll know about orbs: little circles of blurred light that seem to float in mid-air. You can control where and when they appear.
Spray some water or blow some talc into the air, then take a photo using a torch or your phone's flash. Lit for a brief second, the particles look like orbs in your picture.
Better pictures of the night itself
Halloween parties may be off the menu this year, but there is always next year. Dressing up wouldn't be the same without some great pictures to look back on.
- Time it right. For outdoor shots, take your photos an hour before sunset. Your phone will tell you when that is.
- Get down to their level. If you have no tripod, hold the camera at the children's eye level and shoot from the hip. They will fill the frame instead of looking tiny against a spooky house or a giant tree. As a rule you get better photos at the same height as your subject.
Give these a go and let us know how you get on.
Got a shot worth framing? Call us on 01234 856 501 or email sales@EasyFrame.co.uk. We'll always chat, even if you don't want to buy.