Ghost photoshoots are one of the easiest Halloween photo ideas to recreate because you really don't need an elaborate setup. A white sheet, a simple outdoor location, and a few fun accessories can completely transform the look.

You can make your ghost photos feel spooky and cinematic, nostalgic and vintage, funny and casual, or even slightly ridiculous in the best possible way.

The classic white-sheet ghost photoshoot has also evolved beyond simply cutting two eye holes into a sheet. Sunglasses, beanies, baseball caps, cameras, food props, and even tiny ghost costumes for pets can give the photos much more personality.

Here are some of our favorite ghost photoshoot ideas, poses, props, locations, and editing tips for creating Halloween photos you'll actually want to keep.

What You Need for a Ghost Photoshoot

You don't need much to create the classic ghost look.

Start with:

• A white sheet
• Sunglasses or glasses
• A beanie, baseball cap, or other hat
• A camera or phone
• A few optional props
• An outdoor location

A plain white sheet works best because it gives you that instantly recognizable ghost shape and photographs well with both natural light and flash.

You can use a flat white sheet you already own or pick up an inexpensive one specifically for the photoshoot.

How to Make the Ghost Costume

For people, you don't necessarily need to cut eye holes into the sheet.

One of our favorite ways to style a ghost photoshoot is to keep the sheet completely intact and place sunglasses over the area where the eyes would normally be.

The glasses help define the face of the ghost while also making the photos feel a little more playful and modern.

You can then add accessories directly over the sheet, including:

• Black sunglasses
• Retro sunglasses
• Beanies
• Baseball caps
• Cowboy hats
• Headphones

Try adjusting where the fabric falls until you get a shape you like before you start taking photos.

If you're photographing more than one person, use slightly different accessories for each ghost so they each have their own personality.

Ghost Photoshoot Ideas With Pets

You can also create a miniature ghost costume for a dog or other pet.

For pets, you'll want to create proper openings so they can see clearly and make sure the fabric is short enough that they can't step on or trip over it.

Use a lightweight piece of fabric rather than a heavy sheet, and only try this if your pet is comfortable wearing something over its body.

Keep the photoshoot short and remove the costume immediately if your pet seems uncomfortable.

A person dressed as a ghost next to a tiny pet ghost can make an especially cute Halloween photo.

Fun Props for Ghost Photoshoots

Props are one of the easiest ways to make ghost photos more interesting.

Instead of having the ghost simply stand in the middle of the frame, give them something completely normal to do.

The contrast between an everyday activity and someone covered in a white sheet is what makes these photos so fun.

Some of our favorite ghost photoshoot props include:

• French fries
• Burgers
• Pizza
• Fast-food bags
• Coffee cups
• Vintage cameras
• Digital cameras
• Disposable cameras
• Pumpkins
• Trick-or-treat buckets
• Books or magazines
• Flowers
• Headphones
• Skateboards
• Old phones

Food props work especially well.

Try photographing a ghost sitting on a curb with french fries, carrying a pizza box, holding a burger, or sharing food with another ghost.

A camera is another great option, especially if you want the photos to feel more nostalgic. Have the ghost hold the camera toward you as though they're photographing the photographer.

Ghost Photoshoot Pose Ideas

Once you're dressed, you really don't need complicated posing.

Simple poses usually look best because the ghost costume already creates such a strong shape.

1. Stand Completely Still

Place the ghost in the center of an open space and have them stand completely still with their arms underneath the sheet.

This works especially well when there's plenty of negative space around them.

2. Walk Away From the Camera

Photograph the ghost walking down a sidewalk, trail, road, or through an open field.

Let the sheet move naturally while they're walking rather than trying to keep everything perfectly in place.

3. Sit on a Curb

Have the ghost sit on a curb, bench, stairs, or even directly on the ground.

Add a drink, fries, camera, or other casual prop.

4. Wear Sunglasses

Sunglasses can completely change the personality of the photo.

Take some straight-on portraits where the sunglasses become the main feature of the costume.

5. Add a Beanie or Baseball Cap

Put a beanie or baseball cap directly over the ghost's head.

This works especially well for closer portraits and casual lifestyle-style photos.

6. Hold a Camera

Have the ghost hold a film camera, digital camera, or disposable camera.

You can photograph them looking through it, holding it toward you, or letting it hang from their hand.

7. Eat Fast Food

Give the ghost fries, pizza, a burger, or a takeout bag and photograph them doing something completely ordinary.

These are some of the funniest ghost photos because the situation feels so normal despite the costume.

8. Hold a Pumpkin

For a more traditional fall Halloween look, have the ghost hold a pumpkin or sit near several pumpkins.

This works especially well at a pumpkin patch or in a fall field.

9. Photograph Two Ghosts Holding Hands

For couples, friends, or siblings, have two ghosts hold hands and walk away from the camera.

You can also have them stand side-by-side facing the camera.

10. Sit Two Ghosts Together

Place two ghosts on a bench, curb, blanket, picnic table, or set of stairs.

Have them sit naturally instead of posing perfectly.

11. Put One Ghost in the Background

Photograph one person closer to the camera while another ghost stands much farther away.

This can create a slightly eerie feeling without needing complicated editing.

12. Add Movement

Have the ghost run, spin, or walk across the frame.

A little motion blur can make the sheet feel more ghost-like, especially when you're shooting later in the day or at night.

Best Locations for Ghost Photoshoots

Outdoor locations tend to work especially well for ghost photos because the simple white costume stands out against natural surroundings.

Look for places that give the ghost plenty of room in the frame.

Some ideas include:

• Open fields
• Trails
• Wooded areas
• Pumpkin patches
• Quiet sidewalks
• Empty parking lots
• Desert landscapes
• Dirt roads
• Parks
• Open grassy areas

You don't necessarily need a location that already looks spooky.

A completely ordinary location can actually make the ghost costume feel even more interesting.

Try Shooting at Night With Flash

For a darker and spookier ghost photo, shoot outdoors at night and use direct flash.

The flash will illuminate the white sheet while allowing the background to stay darker, creating that eerie point-and-shoot Halloween look.

You can also try shooting around dusk while there's still a little ambient light in the sky.

Direct flash works particularly well with sunglasses, casual props, parking lots, streets, and more nostalgic film-inspired ghost shoots.

You Don't Have to Shoot at Night

If shooting at night isn't practical, don't worry.

You can photograph your ghost during the day or around sunset and create a darker Halloween mood afterward in Lightroom.

In fact, shooting when there's still enough available light can give you more detail to work with during editing.

Instead of intentionally underexposing everything in camera, concentrate on getting a good exposure on the white sheet. You can always deepen the background, shadows, and overall mood afterward.

How to Edit Ghost Photos in Lightroom

Editing is where you can decide exactly what kind of ghost photoshoot you want.

The exact same photograph can feel completely different depending on whether you edit it dark and moody, warm and nostalgic, faded like film, or completely black and white.

A few things to pay attention to when editing ghost photos:

Protect the Whites

Because the costume is usually bright white, watch your highlights.

You want the sheet to stay bright while still retaining some visible folds and texture.

If the sheet looks completely blown out, lower the highlights or whites slightly.

Deepen the Shadows

For a spookier photo, deepen the shadows and blacks around the ghost.

This creates separation between the bright white sheet and the environment.

Adjust the Temperature

Warmer tones can create a cozy, nostalgic fall feeling.

Cooler tones can make the photo feel more eerie.

Neither is necessarily better — it depends on the Halloween aesthetic you're trying to create.

Add Film Grain

Film grain works especially well with ghost photos because it adds texture and helps create that nostalgic Halloween-photo feeling.

Adjust the Greens and Oranges

If you're photographing outside, the surrounding foliage can sometimes become distracting.

Adjusting your greens, yellows, and oranges can help keep attention on the ghost while also creating a more cohesive autumn color palette.

Four Ways to Edit Your Ghost Photos

One of the easiest ways to create a completely different feeling is to start with a Lightroom preset and then make small adjustments for your individual photograph.

Here are four ghost photo editing styles we love.

Dark & Moody: Vintage Autumn

If you want your ghost photos to feel darker, moodier, and more autumnal, try our Vintage Autumn Lightroom Presets.

Vintage Autumn works especially well when you've photographed earlier in the day but still want the finished image to feel deeper and more atmospheric.

The warmer fall tones and darker mood make it a great option for pumpkin patches, fields, outdoor ghost portraits, and Halloween photos where you want the surroundings to feel more dramatic.

This is also an easy way to create a darker Halloween look without needing to shoot your entire session at night.

Nostalgic Flash Film: Analog Film

For ghost photos shot with direct flash, sunglasses, food props, or casual friend photos, try our Analog Film Lightroom Presets.

This style works especially well if you're going for a nostalgic point-and-shoot feeling.

Think flash photos in parking lots, pizza, McDonald's fries, disposable-camera styling, friends, and slightly imperfect candid moments.

Soft Vintage Halloween: Vintage Film

If you want something softer and more faded, our Vintage Film Lightroom Presets are another great option.

These are ideal if you want the ghost photos to feel nostalgic rather than extremely dark or spooky.

Vintage Film works beautifully with warmer outdoor light, fields, pumpkins, and simple lifestyle-style ghost portraits.

Haunted Black & White: Old Soul

Black and white can completely change the mood of a ghost photo.

Our Old Soul Black & White Film Presets create a more timeless, eerie look that can make the photo feel almost like an old found photograph.

Try black and white for simple portraits, night flash photos, empty landscapes, or any image where you want the shape and texture of the ghost to become the main focus.

Ghost Photoshoot Ideas for Couples and Friends

Ghost photoshoots are especially fun with two or more people because you can create little scenes rather than individual portraits.

Try:

• Holding hands
• Sitting together on a curb
• Sharing pizza
• Walking down a road
• Taking photos of one another
• Standing far apart in a field
• Wearing different sunglasses or hats
• Carrying pumpkins
• Sitting at a picnic table
• Ordering or eating fast food
• One ghost photographing the other

Don't worry about making every photo serious.

Some of the best ghost photos are the ones where the ghosts are doing something completely ordinary.

Final Tips for Your Ghost Photoshoot

Keep the setup simple.

The white sheet already does most of the work visually, so you don't need an elaborate Halloween backdrop or dozens of props.

Pick one or two accessories, choose a location with enough room to work, and concentrate on creating a variety of compositions.

Take wide photos, closer portraits, walking shots, sitting shots, and plenty of candid moments between the more posed photos.

And don't feel like your photos have to look extremely dark straight out of camera.

Capture a clean image with enough detail, then use Lightroom to create the final Halloween atmosphere you want.

Whether you go dark and moody with Vintage Autumn Lightroom Presets, nostalgic with Analog Film Lightroom Presets, soft and faded with Vintage Film Lightroom Presets, or eerie and black and white with Old Soul Black & White Film Lightroom Presets, the edit can completely change the final feeling of your ghost photoshoot.

Ghost Photoshoot FAQ

What do you need for a ghost photoshoot?

The simplest ghost photoshoot only requires a white sheet and a camera or phone. You can also add sunglasses, hats, food, cameras, pumpkins, or other props to give the photos more personality.

Do you have to cut eye holes in the sheet?

No. For people, you can leave the sheet intact and place sunglasses over the area where the eyes would be.

For pets, make sure they have clear openings to see through and that the fabric doesn't interfere with their movement.

Is it better to shoot ghost photos during the day or at night?

Both can work. Nighttime photos with direct flash create a darker, spookier effect straight out of camera.

Daytime and sunset photos give you more available light and can easily be transformed into darker Halloween images during editing.

What is the best Lightroom preset for ghost photos?

For a darker fall Halloween look, we love Vintage Autumn Lightroom Presets.

For nostalgic flash photography, try Analog Film Lightroom Presets.

For softer vintage color, Vintage Film Lightroom Presets works beautifully.

And for an eerie black-and-white look, try Old Soul Black & White Film Lightroom Presets.

Can you take ghost photos with a phone?

Absolutely. The costume and composition are much more important than the camera you're using. Phone flash can also work really well for nighttime ghost photos, especially if you're intentionally going for a casual point-and-shoot look.

What should you wear under a ghost costume?

Anything comfortable that won't create too much bulk underneath the sheet works well. If your legs or shoes will be visible in the photo, consider how they fit the overall look before your shoot.