We buried a wireless electronic flash (a speedlight) under a pile of leaves for this effect.
This is more than just a fun Halloween idea. It’s a decent demonstration of what you can do with the wireless lighting kit when you get a little playful. For example, I had Alexander bury mine in a pile of colored leaves. Allow me to explain.
Our neighbor and friend, Joshua, came over the other day proudly displaying his new Halloween costume. It dawned on me that his get-up would be better documented with some light on it and not while Joshua was walking down a dark, night time sidewalk. I scheduled a photo session at dusk days before Halloween. If you want to get a really nice picture of a child in a Halloween costume, it’s possible Halloween night may not be the best time to do it.
He’s a ghoul. He’s a monster (not Joshua, his character). So I wanted to put some ghoulish light on him. What a great use for the wireless flash! I wanted the light to be colored. I put the light on the ground and asked my son, Alexander, to bury it in the most colorful leaves he could find. I could have used professional colored gels or cellophane or colored gift wrapping paper, but I felt that leaves was more in keeping with feeling of our neighborhood coven. The buried flash under a pile of leaves photographed like a witches bonfire in the middle of the forrest.
Be aware that everything I do with the wireless flash unit is manually exposed. I need test exposures as much as you do. There is no shame in that and it’s certainly one of the most wonderful attributes of digital photography. You get to see your pictures, and your mistakes, now.
Also, once again, I put the flash on very low power—1/16th. That allowed me to use a large aperture (f2.8) and keep the depth-of-field shallow. And with fresh batteries at low power the flash can recharge just about as fast as I can shoot. That’s REALLY nice.
And don’t forget to photograph the little monster under the mask. If your trick-or-treater face is hidden by whatever costume they decide to wear, make sure you get a record shot of them WITH their costume and not wearing it. Faces are for the ages.
My photo assistant, Alexander, helped me bury the wireless flash in a pile of colored leaves for drama and color. And if you’re ghoul’s face is covered by a costume this year, don’t forget to get a shot of the real monster’s face.
