THE GHOST SHOOT THAT ALMOST DIDN'T HAPPEN.
This Halloween shoot was a little different from our usual adventures. It was also a LOT harder than I expected. My kids were actually scared during this one, and honestly… that abandoned house was creepy as heck! The house was located off 3rd Avenue in Camas, Washington, and no one lived there. We parked over at the church parking lot and walked over to the house with our cameras and costumes. Sounds easy enough, right? Well… not exactly. The kids were nervous about everything—the sticker bushes, the creepy surroundings, the house itself—and I was over there sweating, stressing, and trying to convince two scared little ghosts that everything was okay.
But I was determined to get these photos.
This was one of those moments where the photographer in me was thinking, “We are already here, we are getting the shot!” while the mom in me was thinking, “Okay, maybe we should just leave.” 😂 Somehow, we managed to make it work.
And honestly? It was worth it.
Even though they were NOT exactly thrilled about this particular photo adventure, I absolutely love having these images to look back on. I mean, come on… who are these two cute little ghosts?! At the time, there was definitely some complaining, some crankiness, and a whole lot of convincing. But now, looking back at the photos, all I see are memories.And apparently, one spooky location wasn't enough because we packed WAY too much into this day. After the abandoned house, we also made stops at the skate park, the Liberty Theater, and Target. Looking back, I probably should have known that was way too many locations for two kids in costumes. 😂 By the end, they were definitely getting cranky.
But hey… we got the shots I wanted!
That's one thing I've learned from photographing my kids: sometimes the session doesn't go exactly how you pictured it. Sometimes they're having the time of their lives, and sometimes they're over it five minutes in. Sometimes I'm sweating and stressed trying to make everything happen. But years later, those little imperfections are part of what makes the memories so special.
The year after this, we did another Halloween adventure at the park in their costumes and ended the night with snacks from the convenience store. Those sessions have become some of my favorite memories because I love being able to document my kids during my favorite time of year.
Halloween will always be my favorite holiday, and I think I'll always find a reason to grab my camera, put my kids in costumes, and chase a little spooky magic. 🎃👻
Even if they complain the entire time.
Because someday, they're going to look back at these photos too—and hopefully they'll laugh and say, “Dang… we were cute ghosts.”
