Taking Halloween pictures?

Question

I am attempting to make a calendar for a Christmas gift and would like to take a picture of lighted carved pumpkins for October. Does anyone have any good tips on getting a good shot? I tried it before and they ended up blurry or just not what I had pictured....

I have a Kodak Easyshare digital camera, if that helps!

Answer 1

Pumpkins are hard to do. You want detail in the pumpkin itself, but that nice warm glow to come through. Use a flash and you get just the pumpkin but not enough glow. No flash and the pumpkin is washed out but the glow looks great.

So here's what you do. Use fill-flash and a longer exposure (using a tripod, of course). Experiment with your settings for the shutter setting. Start with 1/60 and go longer each time. Have your aperture set small (higher f number) so your flash won't wash out the details. Try a few settings until you find one that works.

For a pocket camera that had different scene modes, the "party mode" works great, because it lets in some ambient light and gives you a fill-flash.

Answer 2

I would suggest putting the camera on a tripod, something stable if one is not available. Then use your self timer. That way you won't get the initial image shake from pressing the shutter release. Your camera should take a long exposure. You can add a light to give a little color to the outside. Experiment with it a little. Try turning it on while the shutter is open, moving it around can give some cool effects too.

Answer 3

Im not sure if you have the ability with that camera, but you should try to see if you can adjust the shutter speed. Put the camera on something stable (tripod, table, chair) and take a pic with the lights out and the pumpkin lit.

The firework setting might work for this.

Answer 4

I agree with thejokker, but I would emphasize using a tripod. There are some pretty cheap tripods suitable for small digital cameras at places like WalMart or Ritz Cameras. Or, you may have a friend who can lend you one.