Costumes, children, trick-or-treat buckets… Oh my! Halloween is here and with it, sugary sweet moments and memories just dying to be photographed.

Capture the spooktakular excitement of the holiday with these easy-to-follow tips.

Halloween Photography Tips

Photograph the details

Throwing a Halloween party? Don’t forget to photograph the itty bitty details. Take a few shots of your tablescape and treats before guests arrive.

Find unique perspectives

Switch things up and have some fun. Stop shooting straight on – look for exciting and unique perspectives when shooting Halloween decorations.

Up high. Down low. To the right or left. Experiment as you go!

Capture candid moments

Watch, wait and prepare to click. Capture eager hands digging into bowlfuls of candy corn.

And sneaky little children munching on brownies under the table.

There’s no limit to the amount of fun when sugar is involved. Stand at the ready to capture those awesome candid moments.

Grab that group shot without shedding a tear

Kids unruly, uncooperative and high on sugar? Don’t be afraid to bribe them into taking a group shot before heading out to trick-or-treat. Cotton candy, sleepovers, a brand new car. It doesn’t matter what you bribe them with.

Though you could always promise to let them unleash their silly faces once the nice shots are out of the way.

Heck, you might even prefer the silly shots over the calm, collected and properly posed ones.

Don’t forget the costumes

Photograph your pretty little princess in all her glory.

Position her in front of a mirror during the big reveal. You’ll get great costume detail shots and are guaranteed to get a few smiles too.

Get up close and personal with a portrait

Don’t forget to squeeze a few portraits in. Focus on your trick-or-treater’s beautiful face.

Who can resist big brown eyes, a sweet smile and a pretty painted face?

Think outside the box (or jack-o-lantern)

Forget those boring jack-o-lantern photos. Create a sweet and memorable photo this holiday by photographing your jack-o-lantern in a sweet and sentimental way.

Treat yourself to some cool trick-or-treating shots

Don’t be afraid to experiment once the sun goes down. You can still capture compelling trick-or-treat photos without the use of flash.

Kick up your ISO, shoot wide open, slow that shutter speed down and take advantage of pockets of light.

With just a little bit of patience, pre-planning and creativity, you too can capture the sugary sweet excitement of Halloween.

What are some of your favorite things to shoot during Halloween?

AdoramaPix Contributor: Kristi Bonney is a writer, photographer and speaker with a deep-seated love for all things social media. Her blog, Live and Love Out Loud, is a beautiful and inspiring hub for photographers of all skill levels – featuring photography tips and tutorials, freebies and inspiring photo challenges. Kristi’s passion for photography is matched by her love of parenting and empowering women.

October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Breast Cancer is the second most common cancer among women in the U.S.

I was recently talking with member, Monica Schiller, about her work at the Park Nicollet Jane Brattain Breast Center   out of Minnesota. She told me about an amazing initiative the foundation and center is launching. They will be launching a truck called the Mammo- a -go-go. It’s an outreach program designed to make sure women get their mammograms to detect any signs of breast cancer. It’s on wheels and comes to you. While, this is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, we at Adoramapix would like to support  breast cancer outreach, research and education during October. We thought what better way than to donate some money to this worthwhile cause, because as we know early detection can often be the key to surviving breast cancer.

So with this in mind, during the last week in October, we would like to donate *$1 for each new “Like” we get on our  facebook page. That’s right, all you have to do is “Like” us.. and what’s not to like? From October 25th through the 31st, each new like will net this foundation/center $1. (up to $5,000) So ask your friends, your  family, your community to get involved. It’s as easy as clicking a button. Donation and charity doesn’t get much easier than this..

This is not all though, we would like to offer during this last week 20% off our Soft Pink and Blush Leather-Lux books, any size. Simply use code: pxpink20 through October 31st and you can save 20% off your Pink Leather Lux Photo Book.  We are so excited to be involved and help in this worthwhile cause and foundation.  So help us, help others.. start HERE by clicking “like”.

It’s our favorite time of year! The leaves turn colors, the air gets a little more crisp, and Starbucks breaks out the Pumpkin Latte’. This can only mean one thing.. it’s time for Photo Plus in New York City! We are so excited to be at the show again this year. It is a time for us to step out of the lab, away from our computers and talk to our members face to face.

We want to invite you to come down to the Javitz Center October 25th and 26th to check out our amazing products. You can get a true hands on experience flipping through the pages of our amazing photo books on display. You can also check out our new Aluminyzed Metal Prints.. it’s ok to drool a little, these prints are amazing. We’ll be at booth 937 with Adorama. Also, if you just want to check out the Expo you can click HERE for your free Expo Pass.

The fun does not stop here. Oh, no we are just getting started.  At the Expo, we will be having our famous Twitter Scavengener Hunt. Follow us on Twitter on the 25th and 26th for clues as to where to find the various prizes hidden throughout the trade show. Clues will be released at 11am, 1pm and 3pm on both days.

Plus, we want to cut loose a little. Who doesn’t love a photo booth? We’ll be hosting a first of its kind, Instagram Photo Booth. So let loose, pick up some Halloween treats, put on some silly masks and get your mug posted to our Instagram Feed. Who doesn’t want 15 minutes of fame?

And my favorite part, let’s have a photo walk shall we? Join myself, Libby, Instagram Aficionado, Jay Wilson and NYC Nighttime Photo Guru, Matthew Pugliese for a Bright Lights Big City photo walk in Times Square October 24th at 7pm.  Meet us with your dslr or smart phone at the TKTS area (big red staircase – where people sit) in the middle of Times Square. It’s located at the intersection of Broadway and 47th St. We will share tips, drag shutters and push those ISOs! Prizes will also be given out … so what’s not to love about a night time photo walk in Times Square with fun people and great prizes?

If you have any questions regarding any of these events, you can always email me at libby@adoramapix.com. I can’t wait to step out from behind my computer and meet you!

We are excited to announce our next big contest. It’s called The Great American Photo Book. Over the course of the year, we saw some amazing images coming in from every American state. It got us thinking, it would be great to see these images come together into one photo book.. to show the richness, the texture and the history of America. So, we decided, hey we run a great company that produces amazing photo books, we can do this! So this is where you come into the picture. We will be taking photo entries from photographers around the country from each state. Heck, you don’t even have to live in the state to submit your picture.  If your photo wins a spot in The Great American Photo Book, then you receive a free 8×12 Aluminyzed Metal Print.

Plus, this is for charity! Profits from the sale of these books will go to The American Red Cross.  We couldn’t think of a better charity to give this money to, than an organization that  helps rebuild America after natural disasters.

So here is a general breakdown of how the contest will work. Now through December 31st, 2012, we will be accepting submissions for The Great American Photo Book on our Facebook page.   The top two entries with the highest votes per state will be submitted to the Adoramapix Judges. We will then choose the best image to represent that state in the photo book. This way it is a collaboration between you the photographer and us the publisher.

Now, with any contest that we run there is a list of Rules and Regulations.  For this contest, you must:

1. Be a fan of ours on Facebook. (This is where the actual contest will run on Facebook)

2. Only one entry per person. You must put the name of the state in the title of your submission.

3. Photographers who submit images, must own the copyright to those images.

4.  And of course, any contest we run contestants must adhere by our 2012 General Contest Rules and Regulations.

* Please note.. #19 in our General Contest Rules and Regulations has been amended for this contest.  Photographers will retain rights.

(Copyright: By entering the Contest,  Photographer will retain all rights to photograph he/she submits. By entering the Great American Photo Book Contest, photographer hereby grants Adoramapix (sponsor) (1) a nonexclusive, unconditional, unrestricted, worldwide, irrevocable ,royalty-free license to reproduce, reformat, adapt, creative derivative works, distribute, transmit, display, make available and perform the photographs photographer submits to Adoramapix (sponsor) in and/or through any and all medium or media, now known or hereinafter developed or discovered, and (2) the right to use your name, city and state in promotions and other publications. Sponsors’ use of the submissions may include without limitation, advertising, promotion and marketing for this contest only The .Great American Photo Book for this year and subsequent years. Authorized Parties will not be required to pay any additional consideration or seek any additional approval in connection with such use. Additionally, by entering, each entrant grants to Adoramapix the unrestricted right to use all statements made in connection with the Contest, and pictures or likenesses of Contest entrants, or choose not to do so, at their sole discretion. Authorized Parties will not be required to pay any additional consideration or seek any additional approval in connection with such use.)

5. Contest runs from November 1, 2012 to December 31st, 2012 midnight EST.

Winners will be announced in January. Winners will receive an 8×12 and or an 8×10 Aluminyzed Metal print of their winning image. Their photo will be published in The Great American Photo Book and your name will be featured in the book credits, as well as an online announcement. You’ll also receive an icon you can put on your website or blog, to let friends or clients know you won. The finished book will be made available for purchase online.  The luxurious photo paper pages of this beautiful lay-flat hardcover book will make a great addition to any household, and last a lifetime.  Best of all, profits from the sale of these books will go directly to the American Red Cross.. an orgranization that helps those in need during natural disasters in America.

This week’s featured member is KrisD Mauga of Krashing Motions Photography and KrashSets  from sunny Long Beach , California.

Kris is a triple threat in the business, she is an amazing mom and wife, an uber talented photographer and she also runs her own preset and design company. Feel like you’re an underachiever now?? Plus, all of this was just accomplished in the last four years.

KrisD is known for her fun and real moments between couples. I asked her what she loves to photograph and where she gets her inspiration from, she answered, “  I love capturing couples engaging with each other and being in the moment.  I am inspired by the real moments, their interaction with each other.  I deem my style as editorial journalism.  I am inspired by editorial photography and street photography.  With these inspirations, I feel I am able to capture work that is unique and powerful.”

KrisD started her photography business in 2008 and her design business this year.  Although she is still fairly new to the industry, I asked her if she could go back in time and give herself some advice what would it be? She said, “ Embrace your failures as the stepping stones towards success.”

Of course, as photographers we always want to know.. Hey what’s in your bag? KrisD replied, ” For every day 7D 50 1.4/, 20 2.8 LED Video light, batteries & cards, iphone. For weddings 7D, 5D MarkII, 35.14, 50 1,4, 135 2.0, lens baby composer, 60 2.8 macro, 580 ex II, 2 back up flashes, 2 led’s (of course card n batteries) h2o, energy bar, 5 hour energy, and iPhone.”

Thank you so much KrisD for sharing your beautiful imagery and your spunk with us.

As I mentioned before, not only is she a great photographer she also runs a successful preset and design company called KrashSets. Check out some of the before and afters using her presets.

KrisD is being very gracious and wants  to share her amazing presets and designs with us. Exclusively for Adoramapix members you, can save 25% off items from her store KrashSets through Sunday at  midnight.  To save 25% simply enter the code: adorama25 before checking out.  Also,  one lucky reader will receives 3 sets of KrashSets ($99) value — all you need to do is comment on this blog post and you’re entered to win! Winner will be announced next Wednesday.

If you would love to see more of her work you can check out her website at Krashing Motions. Also, feel free to stalk her on Twitter or simply stop by her Facebook page KrashingMotions and Like her.

But wait, there is more — don’t forget about her design services KrashSets.  You can also find KrashSets on Twitter and Facebook! Let her know Adoramapix sent you!