It is Challenge Day and our task is to capture some of those ghouls, ghosts, and goblins that lurk at this time of year before they escape! You will definitely need a tripod to accomplish this.
Capturing the Great Ghost Escape:
- Find a location where ghosts like to hang out. At my house, it was in the hall.
- Spot your escaping spirit. If the ghosts are elusive, find a human friend who is willing to help you impersonate a ghost.
- Camera settings are tricky with this and will likely take some experimentation. The important thing is that you need to use a very long shutter speed, at least ten seconds. It is easiest to shoot in low light. If, however, you want to try this outdoors during the day, you'll definitely need a ten-stop Neutral Density (ND) filter. My camera settings were SS 10", f//10, and ISO 400. I had very minimal ambient light.
- Place your ghost in the scene. Once you press the shutter, you'll want them to stand as still as possible for half the duration of your SS. Then they need to escape from the frame as quickly as possible.
- This may take several attempts. Play with your settings until you get the image you want.
- If you are feeling like a ghoul yourself today, set the timer on your camera and float through your photo!
- Most of all, have a little fun!