For the past eight
years, our family has created a Halloween family portrait. The project began
with the hosting of our first Halloween party when we moved to our current
neighborhood. We used the photos as invitations to the event. Each year the
photographs became increasingly more popular, and we tried to out-do ourselves
each year.
This becomes really
difficult after a while. The photographs started as the three of us in plain
clothes, and I would add costumes using Photoshop. Now, we purchase costumes,
props and backdrops to enhance the final appearance of the photograph.
Thankfully, my
family is awesome and willing to participate. We have learned over the years
that the more involved the project is, the more preparation is required to
quell tempers. A typical shoot when we first started would take 15 minutes to ½
hour. This year’s photo shoot took three hours.
We have an initial family
meeting to brainstorm ideas. After we agree on the premise, I draw some
sketches to help create the basic structure of the photos and help finalize the
picture in my head. I then design a timeline of everything that needs to be
done on the day of the event. A few days before the photo shoot, we have
another family meeting to go over expectations and any questions. Once everyone
is on board and all questions have been answered, we are ready to go. With everyone
now knowing the timeframe, and what is needed to successfully complete the
shoot, they are much more willing to take part in it.
We make sure to eat
a good meal before the photo shoot. After lunch everyone gets in costume, puts
on their makeup and I set up the photo equipment.
This year our annual Halloween portrait pays homage to the 50's sci-fi movies. Our plan was to be the typical suburban neighborhood family with a dark secret.
The portrait went very smoothly with
very few bumps. I would like to thank my family for this fun, but unusual
tradition.
