Special effects make-up, prosthetics, theatrical costumery, expert lighting techniques and other out-of-the-ordinary pre-production and photographic techniques can help make a photograph into a memorable and terrifying masterpiece. Whether you're creating unnatural skin-tones, using scary contact lenses, adding injuries and impalements to an otherwise undamaged body, or turning a model into a zombie or a werewolf, creating horror photography with special effects techniques takes a lot of skill, practice and patience (just as creating realistic horrific photomanipulations does).

As Hallowe'en edges ever closer and artists' minds turn to darker things, the Horror & Macabre Photography gallery begins to swell uncomfortably with snapshots of people in their costumes. Instead of posting snapshots, get artistic with your photos! You've already put all that effort into creating amazing costumes and make-up, why not try creating amazing photographs of those costumes to share?

So whether you're new to sfx make-up and props, have splashed a bit of fake blood around and want to expand your reportoire, if you're new to art photography and fancy trying your hand at things macabre, or are simply looking for a bit of inspiration for further horrific photographs, there's plenty of oozing repulsive goodness on DA and all over the web to inspire and educate!

So put down that plate of spaghetti bolognese (you really won't feel like eating it in a minute), brush the cobwebs out of your eyes, shoo the black cat and toads away from your feet and enjoy...



Well-known examples of visual trickery on DA







Recent submissions to fool the eyes and melt the mind






Special effects tutorials

Theatre Effects: Lacerations.
A guide to making realistic lacerations with details of the equipment required, illustrated with photographs.

How to make fake scabs/flesh.
A guide to making realistic fake scabs/flesh, suitable for larger areas of skin, illustrated with one of the most fabulously disgusting photographs I've seen in a long time!

How to make fake blood.
5 fake blood 'recipes' for you to try.

Grow your own horns.
Instructions for making your own horns (seriously, any shape and size!) and invisibly attaching them to your head.

Cover your beard.
An extremely detailed tutorial for glamorous drag queens, adventurous make-up artists and dedicated horror models everywhere!

Simple make-up.
Explanations of how to create a number of effects, such as stitches, lacerations, burns, warts and puncturing nails.

Corrective make-up.
Instructions for altering the shape of facial features - useful in fashion, fetish and portrait photography too!



Lighting tutorials for photography

Taking great Hallowe'en pictures.
A simplistic, but useful, tutorial for taking great looking hallowe'en photos.

How to take great Hallowe'en photographs.
A very detailed article about photographing people in costume and other spooky things, illustrated with lots of great photos.

Light direction.
A well-illustrated explanation of the effects of lighting subjects from different directions. Useful for all types of photography.


_{Note: All thumbs featured in this article were submitted as photography, not photomanipulation and there was nothing in any of the descriptions to lead me to believe that they are not photographs. If you think that any of these images were altered digitally, this is not the place to express your opinion. Play nice! And if you created one of the images that's featured and you know that you've sneaked a bit too much Photoshop in there, do the decent thing and move the image to the correct gallery.}