Spooky Season Inspiration
October in the Northern Hemisphere means SPOOKY SEASON! The time for ghosts, goblins, ghouls, witches, and all things eerie! There have been several big trends over the last few years when it comes to Halloween photography— we’ve seen white sheet ghosts with sunglasses, pumpkin heads, and “boo-doir” (ahem… scantily clad Halloween skeleton decorations)— but we wanted to highlight some of the more subtle ways you can incorporate spooky season in your photos!
Keep reading to see some of our favorite spooky inspo and how to accomplish that seasonal eeriness in your images!
Fog & Mist
We love being able to see things clearly— obviously, sight is one of our five senses! So when our view is obstructed by an atmospheric effect like fog or mist, it makes us hyper-aware of our other senses, a feeling of foreboding, of “what could be lurking in the mist…” That’s why incorporating fog and mist in your photos is a sure-fire way to get those spooky vibes going with otherworldly and unsettling ambiance!
If you don’t have access to fog or mist (most of us don’t have command of the weather, so if you do have access to it on a regular basis, congrats on your weather-sorcery skills), you can use one of our Mist tools! Quest 20 Orphic comes with a Mist preset, and the upcoming Mythos Presets collection will have 3 Low Mist options!
Image by Helena Duque
Edited with Quest 31 Mythos + Mythos tools, coming November to Quest
Tip: Combine real fog or mist with the Mist presets for an extra ooph of mystery and otherworldliness
Image by Bernadeta Kupiec
Edited with Quest 30 Autumnal, Foliage - Desaturate, Foliage - Darken, Low Mist 3 from the upcoming Mythos Presets
Use the Darkness
Much like fog and mist, darkness also elicits a feeling of unease and eerie atmosphere due to our inability to see in the dark. Use dim lighting, shadows, and vignettes to create mood, shape light, and create tension in your images.
Image by Sean Bennetts
Edited with Quest 31 Mythos + Mythos Tools, coming November to Quest
Image by Jamie LeMaire Photography
Edited with Quest 20 Orphic + Mist
Tip: Use darkness in the way you frame your images to amplify the mood and direct your viewer’s eye to the subject— this can be done using elements of the scene that are already there (such as doorways, windows, tree tunnels, or darker colors), or in post-production using vignettes, radial and linear gradients, or Subject/Background masks.
Image by Lydia Harper
Edited with Quest 31 Mythos + Mythos Tools, coming November to Quest
Image by Sarah England
Edited with Quest 23 Odeon, Color Grade 1, Abyss from Descent
Unsettling Locations
People like being around other people… at least when we’re not safe in our homes! Placing your subjects in abandoned, isolated locations help boost the spooky mood. We’re disturbed by the idea of being alone, especially in places where there are lots of places to hide, or where things have decayed and are no longer “safe”.
Image by Rebekah Dunn
Edited with Quest 20 Orphic, Mythos tools (Mythos coming November to Quest)
Tip: Combine an isolated or abandoned location with a mysterious figure or silhouette for extra mystery!
Image by Bernadeta Kupiec
Edited with Quest 31 Mythos + Mythos tools, coming November to Quest
Combine some or all of the above elements for the spookiest photos!
What is your favorite thing to photograph for spooky season? Tell us in the comments!