Take your photos at dawn or dusk

That was the #1 tip given to me by Dave Gugel, creator of the fantastic display you see on the left. Most people make the mistake of photographing their displays during the day (when it's difficult to capture any sort of spooky "mood") or when it's already dark out (which causes obvious lighting problems and often leads to the implementation of the dreaded "camera flash"). At dawn and dusk, there's just enough light out to take your pictures easily without a flash, yet not so much light that haunted displays lose those wonderful dark shadows. Plus, being able to capture some stormy clouds in the distance is sure to add dimension and character to any photo.

To see more of Dave's display, click here.