Firs and foremost I want to thank you all for your very kind comments throughout this thread, you all rock!
nosferatu wrote:Love the pics so far and the video. But, come on, where is it? You know what I'm talking about!
Your pics always look fantastic but its the stair shot I'm always jealous of.
Oh dear, I'm sorry to disappoint you but there is no stairs shot this year
I just just couldn't face carrying the pumpkins up and down two flights of stairs
Post-Halloween update.
I started setting up the display outside at about 10:30 am and it was so warm it was strange, the warmest UK Halloween on record! It was perfect and stayed mild throughout the night if a little breezy later on.
As I was setting up the garden kids would come to the gate to see what was happening, they were all happy and excited to tell me what they'd be coming trick or treating as. It was really nice just to hear how excited they were about Halloween. I'm hoping that what I've been doing is going to help encourage others to make the effort for Halloween, the neighbours next door but one did put some jack-o'-lanterns in their windows and some decorations by the door.
This Halloween was the best one, not only weather wise but atmosphere and general feeling of the night. I lost count of how many trick or treaters we had but it must have been a record, everyone was happy and having fun. Saw some great costumes; 2 Jason's, 1 Freddy Krueger, a bumble bee, an awesome werewolf, many witches + skeletons and zombie everything from school girls to a construction worker!
Everyone was full of admiration for the display and pumpkins, Elsa and Olaf were predictably the favourites of the night amongst the younger kids, Michael Myers and the Xenomorph + Facehugger with the older ones. I'm reliably informed that the garden was 'sick' which means cool or something.
Take a Kit-Kat and choose one from the other bowl:
The terrifying trifle was for guests and the cupcakes for family + friends who came trick or treating. I lost count of how many times I had to refill the treat bowls, all 90 kit-kats went, well 85 (kept a pack for myself).
Trick or Treat supplies:
Some friends brought their daughter trick or treating, she'd had her pumpkin smashed earlier when they left it on the doorstep, she's only 5 and was quite upset
So I sent over Elsa and Olaf, to say she was happy is an understatement
It was a bit breezy later on so it was difficult getting photos of the hanging decorations.
Wicked witch:
Window display as I didn't want to run the projector.
Spiked heads:
Pumpkins and Halloween tree:
Halloween tree:
So that was Halloween 2014, I hope you all had a great time. I was run off my feet, it was a long day but I loved every second of it; a perfect Halloween
What? I told you there is no stairs shot, sorry
Don't be looking down here for it Nos.
Ahh you knew it:
I can't wait to do it all again next year, thanks again to everyone in the ZP community for helping make Halloween what it is
I don't mind being asked at all, I use a digital compact; Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX60. It's got a couple of ace night modes; Night Scenery which, dependant on available light can give you 2 - 7 second exposure time and Starry Sky has 15, 30 and 60 seconds exposure presets. I use a mix of these settings + external light sources to get the right balance of light in the picture 
