Halloween keeps sneaking up on me.  My friends seem to always be ten steps ahead of me, planning their costumes and finding the right party or haunted house to attend.  Me, on the other hand, wakes up on Halloween day with no costume and no plan.   Which is why I suppose I’d rather photograph the costumes than wear them.

If you’re planning to take photos this year, here are a few tips to make them stand out.

Shoot as much as you can before it gets dark.

Photography is all about using light so if you want to capture some nice images shoot at dusk.  If there’s still some light available you’ll be able to include the background in the shot and avoid using your flash

Stoop down to the level of your subject.

If you have kids and you’ve dressed them up in adorable costumes, make sure you get down to their level to compose your shot.

Fill your frame.

Whether you’re shooting with your iPhone or a nice digital SLR, move closer to your subject compose your shot.  Take a few shots, one wide and some close up portraits.

Keep still.

If you’re shooting stationary objects like a jack-o-lantern or other Halloween accessories, take your time, keep your camera steady and try a slightly longer shutter speed.  If you can, use a little tripod or set your camera down on something stable so you don’t have camera shake.

Have a safe and sane Halloween!