Halloween: A Photographers Dream

© Cecile Gambin Photography

One of my favourite times to take photos is during Halloween season. People are happy, colourful and not afraid to be in front of the camera.

Having a week to prepare for this I decided the best plan was KISS. Not the group and not the action but the acronym that my high school English teacher used to tell us: Keep It Simple Stupid.

My original plan was to set up a couple of flood lights, a few pumpkins and leaves. Then I remembered I had some gel kits for my flashes. Bingo! Change of plan.

I used a combination of 3 flashes, one gelled green and the other two set up in light modifiers (HUGE shout-out to Nelly for lending me your SB-800).  Wouldn’t have been able to pull-off this look without it. The lights ran beautifully with only 3 misfires and one round of batteries. Besides my tombstones falling over I was really happy with the simplicity of the scene, it’s clean lines and ability to look ghoulish yet not too scary. Perfect for the wee little monsters that I knew would show up.

What I love most about taking photos at this time of year is how relaxed people are. I think Halloween brings out the kid in us all and people aren’t afraid to let loose, giggle, and just relax in general. It’s a great atmosphere! Plus as mentioned I love the colours and setting the scene for creativity is boundless. I had tons of fun looking at each costume and figuring out the best way to photograph them.

By the end of the evening approximately 30 families and a bunch of wild card teens dropped by. Of course, a large bulk showed up 45 minutes before the end which made for a bit of craziness but that’s how the ball rolls sometimes. Overall, an amazing evening and I love how the photos turned out!! Hope you enjoyed them to 🙂

© Cecile Gambin Photography

© Cecile Gambin Photography

© Cecile Gambin Photography

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