Spooky+Silly Halloween Photos
- Leslie Cooper
- Sep 28, 2024
- 4 min read
Each year my son and husband have taken Halloween photos in different contexts. The first year we did a Mike Myers themed shoot, then we did ghosts and then pumpkin heads. This has really become a "thing" for us and it lets our son get creative and have quality time with his dad. (I'm just the background worker of makeup artist and photographer).
Our first year we were very fortunate to have Tiffany with Three Moons Photography take photos for us. ( https://threemoonsphotography.mypixieset.com/?fbclid=IwY2xjawFic3tleHRuA2FlbQIxMAABHVakx2gZc_jR8QWKuiWkcxIz9m9UAuejZr8L21mYXyfV4jZOIjS8ZU_Xpg_aem_q9jV-FTP5XVyD8T_7GnTLw )
This was B's first photo shoot where he had a little "role play" included and he nailed it. I was so proud of him for getting in to character and sticking with it for as long as he did at 4 years old.
While I know this shoot isn't for everyone but it is definitely for us with our love of all things Halloween!
To achieve this shoot we used these or similar products:
Raglan: https://amzn.to/4dm1c9y
We knew we were going to destroy this shirt so we went cheap. What's funny is the blood all came out in the wash and that shirt lasted us FOREVER.
Jeans: https://amzn.to/4gHmBwY
Again went on the lower price side here (this was 4 years ago so prices may have changed) and the blood all came out of everything.
Shoes: https://amzn.to/3N0QIBN
I did actually buy Converse here, but we wore them for quite awhile!
Michael Myers mask: https://amzn.to/3XVIa5w
Michael Myers costume: https://amzn.to/3XXDtrI
My husband is 6'4" and 240 so this big and tall jumpsuit from Dickies was perfect!
Fake blood:https://amzn.to/3XXwAGV
I actually did hair and makeup for a living so I had some faux blood on hand, but really any fake blood will do!
Props: https://amzn.to/3N3dMQg
The bike and helmet in the photo were from my baby boutique at the time, Sweet Tea and Caviar. The brand is Banwood. The lizard in the bike basket is Jellycat! At the time we also cross used these photos for marketing so had to throw a little in here and there.
Ghost Photos
Our second year we had just had a little one in late June and so trying to get everything mapped out and elaborate wasn't in the cards. Tiktok had a trend of ghost photos going around so we jumped on the bandwagon and got these fun shots! I was the photographer and editor of these photos and am by NO MEANS good at either so don't zoom in or judge.
For this shoot we already had the twin and king white bedsheets. We grabbed black clothing for underneath (shirts to shoes) and added a pair of glasses. We drove around our town and found random spots we liked for the photos.
Pumpkin Head Photos
In 2022 we got to work on these pumpkin head photos! Again, photographer and editor so don't look too closely.
I've seen a lot of talk about the pumpkin heads and the weight, etc. We did look in to doing these out of the decorative pumpkins you can find at the major craft stores, but I am on of those "weirdos" who when I have a vision and something doesn't fit I can't get past it. I couldn't find craft pumpkins in the irregular shapes and imperfections that come with real pumpkins.
So here's what we did:
We picked up two pumpkins at our local pumpkin patch. We held up random ones until we found the shapes and sizes we thought would fit nicely on B and my husband. We scraped these pumpkins out until it was a very small layer before the skin. Literally until it was almost skin and fitted them. B's was still a little too heavy for him so what we ended up doing was cutting out a panel off the back to remove some of that weight. You can see a little of how this looks here:
As you can see of the pumpkin in Devin's left hand there is a pretty large panel off the back. We kept the bottom portion in tact so it didn't slide off his head and break while wearing it. This removed enough of the weight of the pumpkin that he was able to wear it for 10 minutes at a time. Enough for us to get the shots we needed! He was such a trooper again for these photos.
For their fits we opted for low cost again as neither of my boys would wear a turtleneck for more than just these photos. (sensory issues ya know).
Turtleneck for B: https://amzn.to/4eFlQm4
Turtleneck for Dev: https://amzn.to/4eWWTmz
Pants for B: https://amzn.to/3XZIHDB
Pants for Dev: https://amzn.to/3BgnVGG
Halloween Photos 2023 + 2024
We did not get to do photos last year. We had good intentions, but with activities and such all last year we couldn't seem to get a time to get out there and get them done. We had a plan last year that we are moving forward with this year and we CAN'T WAIT for you all to see it come to fruition. With B getting older we are able to do more "elaborate" things and this year is going to be by far my favorite "theme". Stay tuned for our 2024 photos and the magic we get to create together for another year!
And here's a little photo of the girls just playing around one day as to not forget their love for all of this too! The hats were literally the hanging hats from our dining room that we had extras of and they threw on. https://amzn.to/3zDbdRZ
With love from me!
Leslie
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