Thread: How to take better haunt photos...

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Here are 13 quick tips to improve your haunt photos:

1) Get a friend to take the pics for you. (Chances
are, you already know someone who is really good at
taking photos and owns a nice camera. Ask them if
they would mind taking some shots of your haunt. They
will be flattered and you will end up with great
photos.)

2) Use a tripod. (In low light, it's almost
impossible to hold your hand perfectly steady. This
will keep your pics from blurring.)

3) Use timer. (Believe it or not, your finger
pressing the button sometimes shakes the camera enough
to ruin a perfectly good shot.)

4) Take your pics at dawn or dusk. (At these times,
the sky is dark enough to look like night, yet there
is still enough light out to take photos)

5) Take day and night shots. (Taking shots at night
isn't as tough as you might think. Taking shots
during the day gives a different feel to your images.
Give them both a shot.)

6) Show some depth. (Shots are more interesting if
they have some depth to them. Don't just take a
close-up of your tombstone. Step back a little so you
can see the tombstone is in a graveyard and there are
monsters in the background. Give the shot some
context.)

7) Get down. (Don't take every shot from a standing
position. Get down low and shoot up at a monster to
make it look scarier, or get down on the same level of
your tombstones so the viewer can feel more connected
to the image.)

8) Turn off your flash. (Shadows are good. They make
your pics look spookier. There's nothing scary about
a bright, flatly lit monster.)

9) Use "fast" film. (If you're using a film camera,
choose a film with an ISO of 400 or faster. If you're
using a digital camera, set it for an ISO or 400 or
faster.)

10) Turn off the date stamp. (There are other ways to
remember what year the shot was taken, you don't need
it in the lower right-hand corner of every shot.)

11) Get close. (Most people stand too far away when
they take photos. Next time you're taking a picture -
whether it's of your haunt, your girlfriend or your
dog - stand at the distance you're usually comfortable
with, then take one step forward and take your shot.)

12) If you're using a digital camera, use the
eyepiece, not the LCD screen. (Your hands will be
steadier if you're holding the camera to your eye
instead of out from your body.)

13) Set your digital camera to the highest resolution
possible (It will allow you to print larger photos,
and keep things looking crisp when you crop.)

very god tips. i'd also like to add:

the rule of thirds. don't center objects or people/monsters in your photo. think of the pic as divided into thirds either running vertically or horizontally. have the center of an object roughly 1/3 fromthe bottom. this gives them "head room" and just subconsciously feels better. also if somethings's moving, give it 2 thirds in from of it. this is called "lead room".

don't cut subjects/montsters of at joints. this includes wrists, knees, ankles, elbows. this is also unsettling to the mind's eye.

Originally Posted by BATFLY

don't cut subjects/montsters of at joints. this includes wrists, knees, ankles, elbows. this is also unsettling to the mind's eye.

But what if it's a severed head?

Also, for digital camera users, selecting the "landscape" setting is an easy way to disable the flash.

DB

Thanks for the tips. I have a digital camera (minolta) but it doesnt have a landscape setting. It does have an 'ex. comp.' with a range of -2 to +2. Do I need to set that to a special setting?

MsM