How to take Better Costume Photos

If you are going to be taking your darling children trick-or-treating tomorrow, you are going to want to get some great photos to commemorate the moment! Here are a few tips that will help you take some great snapshots of your sweet children (or scary monsters)! 

Be sure to take some inside and outside, to achieve two different looks. While inside, make sure you take the picture against a wall, but do not place your child directly in front! Be sure to put around 3-5 feet of space between your child and wall. Find a window that lets in natural light, and try to position your child around that window! That will help to eliminate shadows. While outside, find shade! Do not try to take a picture in direct sunlight, or with backs to the sun. Around 5:00 is a great time to take pictures outside. Try to find a pleasing background, such as trees or plants. Be on the lookout for unsightly objects that may fall in the background, such as cars, corners of houses, or mailboxes. Sometimes we are so focused on getting a child still that we forget to look in the background! 

Make sure costumes are straightened and all parts are on the right way! Nothing like looking back at photos to see that a button was left unbuttoned or a bow hanging out.  Try to put bulky items on at the last minute so your child doesn't grow tired of the costume. 

When taking the photos, be sure not to cut off limbs, such as bottom of feet or tips of fingers. To get a true smile, try telling jokes or playing a game. "Cheese" sometimes gives a not so believable smile. If you see that your child is not into pictures at the moment, take a very quick break, check out some squirrels, look for a bug, or grab a quick sip of water. Sometimes a small distraction can get them back into the picture taking groove. Most importantly, be sure to take several different pictures, and try to get into a photo or two yourself! You will be very happy that you took time to capture the moment! 

Here are a few that I took of my own Cinderella today!! Although I have my lighting equipment, I actually just took a moment to position her beside a window and draped some curtains on a backdrop stand, without my strobe lights. You could even drape something over the back of the couch. Told a few jokes, promised some coloring time, and got some cute poses! Have fun, and enjoy spending time with your own princesses, kings, monsters, and goblins tomorrow!