It’s happened. At last. Halloween is on a Saturday. So once you’re done with the 12-hour trick-or-treating marathon, take a photo!
The Challenge
Take a photograph of a jack-o-lantern, Halloween costume, or a giant pile of candy. Whatever you like! Just take a photograph of Halloween.
The Method
Given the variety of your potential subjects, there’s no single technique to reference. So check out this epic written by the New York Institute of Photography that pretty much covers the gamut. You won’t find f-stop recommendations, but you will read a ton of practical tips on lighting, timing, framing, and subject-wrangling.
The Example
Our lead shot is by Cristian Iohan Ştefănescu over on flickr. I included it to demonstrate an important point: He created that effect only by planting his dSLR and using a 6-second exposure. So for those of you shooting jack-o-lanterns, it’s important for you to have reasonable expectations on how to create a dark glow.
The Rules – READ THESE
0. No watermarks. They’re so ugly.
1. Submissions need to be your own.
2. Photos must be taken this week.
3. Explain, briefly, the equipment, settings, technique and story behind shot.
4. Email submissions to [email protected], not me.
5. Include 970px wide image (200KB or less) AND a native resolution sized shot in email.
6. One submission per person.
7. Use the proper SUBJECT line in your email (more info on that below)
8. You agree to the Standard Contest Rules – though we DO accept non-US resident submissions.
9. If the image contains any material or elements that are not owned by you and/or which are subject to the rights of third parties, and/or if any persons appear in the image, you are responsible for obtaining, prior to submission of the photograph, any and all releases and consents necessary to permit the exhibition and use of the image in the manner set forth in these rules without additional compensation. If any person appearing in any image is under the age of majority in their state/province/territory of residence the signature of a parent or legal guardian is required on each release.
Send your best photo by Monday, November 2nd at 10AM Eastern to [email protected] with “Halloween” in the subject line. Save your files as JPGs, and use a FirstnameLastnameHalloween.jpg (970px wide) and FirstnameLastnameHalloweenWallpaper.jpg (2560px wide) naming conventions. Include a story of the shot in a few sentences. And don’t skip this story part because it’s often the most enjoyable part for us all beyond the shot itself!
