Halloween is one of the best seasons for portrait photographers to get creative. Or experimental, at the very least. People love getting into costumes, dressing up in Halloween colors and themes, and of course, exploring spooky spots. Understandably, however, it can get extra challenging to do something different year after year. Halloween themes symbols are timeless, but that also means it’s hard to avoid cliches and come up with something original.
If you’re planning to do a Halloween portrait shoot but don’t have any ideas yet, today’s featured series by Moscow-based Sonya Voda might give you some inspiration. I’m a big fan of conceptual portraits, which often works really well for the spooky season.
Halloween visuals inspired by quirky portrait styles
A quick look at Voda’s portrait work so far gives us an idea on her visual style. While there’s a bit of color play in her sets, most of them come in subdued, almost vintage hues. I think that worked really well to give her “Pumpkinhead” series a warm, retro look still fitting of the fall season.
I also like how the pumpkins provided the pop of color against the mostly muted scenes and all-black wardrobe. It brings the viewer’s attention to her quirky take on Halloween portraits. There’s also a touch of youthfulness that we often see in her portrait work. Put together, all these details make for a fun, laid-back and eye-catching portrait project. Halloween doesn’t always have to be limited to scary visual stories. If you’ve been thinking about moving away from the horror theme this year, this series may just give you some ideas.
A day in the life of the “Pumpkinheads”
When we speak of Halloween photos, they typically depict eerie locations, scary scenes or frightening characters. This portrait series, however, turns the classic Jack-o’-lantern theme on its head — literally and figuratively. It takes away the scary elements that we typically associate with such Halloween themes. Instead, it depicts what looks like just another day in the life of our pumpkinhead couple.
The series also shows what I absolutely love about conceptual portraits: a clear story centered around the theme. It’s also great that we see a more defined narrative in this series, which I think makes it stand out from the rest of her work. Coming up with a story that will serve as the basis of a portrait shoot can be in itself challenging. But, as we can see from her pumpkinhead portraits, it can lead to a more interesting and solid body of work.
Lastly, I think these Halloween portraits remind us that the simplest approach can still lead to great results. There’s no need to build a super elaborate set or complex props just to create a successful body of work. Feeling stuck or in doubt? Try simplifying your process and ideas and build on it as you go. You may be surprised at what you can come up with!
If you liked this cool collection, make sure to also check out Sonya Voda’s Behance portfolio to see more of her portrait photography.
All photos by Sonya Voda. Used with Creative Commons permission.