I don’t know how your house feels today, but my kids are FREAKING OUT about Halloween! They’ve tried their costumes on a dozen times, and I’ve had to bribe them NOT to wear them anymore so they will last for Halloween. I’m not sure if they’re more excited about trick or treating or decorating. Blaze has taped fall leaves to our walls, windows, backs of chairs, kitchen cupboards. At five, he’s more into decorating than I’ve ever seen. The pumpkins finally got carved. The candles are lit. The kids are making the “ooooooh, ooooooh, OOOOOOOH” ghosts howls throughout the house. Blaze also colored black spiders and taped those up. He asked me if our house feels “super spooky” with all these spiders and leaves around. I’m not sure how I even fall asleep with how spooky things are. 🙂

So what are my best Spooky Photo Tips for capturing the sweet, creative spirit of your kids this Halloween? How do we freeze Halloween 2009 with our cameras? Do we use our flash and shoot it straight at the kids? Do we take the photos inside the house because it’s so dark outside? But then our lighting at night is often icky when it’s inside. Photo tips? What are they?

I say, forget about taking your Halloween photos right before you go trick or treating. Forget about firing the flash on the kids and blasting their little faces out (unless they are dressing up as ghosts :)). Instead, SET YOURSELF UP FOR SPOOKY, FEAKING AMAZINE SUCCESS! Take their pictures early in the day when you have great natural light! Or, let them put on their costumes for a special 30min Photo Shoot! 🙂

When our costumes arrived, the kids were so excited to finally BE the heroes they dream about. After they were dressed, I nonchalantly asked if they’d like me to do a Bat Girl/Wolverine Photo Shoot. They whipped around and looked at me with the biggest smiles “REALLY MAMA!” I said, “Sure, I’d love too!” And inside I was thinking, why haven’t I done Halloween photos like this before! Instead of pulling teeth, making them wait to trick or treat, while I take their photos…They struck every favorite pose (on their own!). It was so much fun.

Look out. Wolverine isn’t messing around!

How do you take great Halloween photos if your kids are younger, and they aren’t old enough to be strike a pose in character?

I say, capture the story of the age they are. Just like Pascaline and Blaze, let your little ones wear their costumes during the day today or tomorrow when the available light is still great. Observe their play and look for the specific characteristics that make this age so precious. Are they dressed up for Halloween but still dragging their favorite blanket around? That’s a great image to take. Why? Because you’ve just captured the story of who they were, not who they were necessarily dressed up as, but who they really were for 2009 Halloween–blankie and all. Does that make sense?

Maybe you dress them up, and it just makes them cry. That will be a super sweet picture in years to come. Only the little ones tend to cry when the costume goes on. In fact, I spotted this wonderful Halloween photo on Facebook the other day. I had to email the photographer behind this and ask for her permission to show you. It’s just to good.

That is one of the BEST Halloween photos I’ve ever seen! Tina, you can’t get a better Halloween photo then this, especially when they’re little! (Thank you so much for letting me share this with our blog.)

Photo Recipes/ Camera settings for Halloween Photos?

You know me, I love the buttery, blurred backgrounds. I would suggest shooting in Aperture Priority Mode with the lowest fstop your lens will allow. And then offer to do a free “Photo Shoot” of the kids. You may be surprised with what their Halloween characters give you!

Enjoy! (And if you have time, post on my Facebook Page your Halloween photos!)

Much love,

Me Ra

p.s. Wait! I want to know what your dressing up as!!! Kari Hale, are you listening? Brian looked at me the other day and said “Do you want me to be Edward Cullen for you?” 🙂 (ha! ha!) I told him I wasn’t sure if the neighborhood mothers would be able to contain themselves. 🙂 So right now, I’m leaning towards Storm from the XMen, after all, Blaze is Wolverine. And Brian was thinking of getting my parents old wheelchair in their garage and being Xavier.

But then that means I’d have to push BRIAN around the neighborhood. Um, NO! Nice try though Brian! 🙂 How did we go from Edward Cullen to Xavier? 🙂

What do you think we should be? What are you going to be?