Murder mystery party photographs

A good photograph helps make for wonderful memories of your party. Here are some tips for taking memorable murder mystery party photograph.

taking photographs of your murder mystery party

Murder mystery parties are great occasions for taking photographs. I've taken lots of photos at murder mystery parties - and far too many of them have been mediocre or worse. Here, then, are my tips for making sure that your photos are something to be proud of.

A couple playing Murder at SeaThis murder mystery is set aboard an ocean liner - this photo would have been better with an appropriate background

Pick your background

Backgrounds: One thing that can really spoil a photograph is a poor choice of a background.

A plain wall is often best - some kind of theme backdrop is even better.

Take photos early

Timing: I prefer to take photos at the start of a party. There are two reasons for this - the first is that I am usually hosting the game, and I find I am often too busy once the party gets rolling.

The other reason is that the costumes are usually better at the start of the evening - after a while ties and buttons are undone, hats are removed and costumes generally look a little more ragged.

On the other hand, taking photos at the end of the party can be good as well. If the party has gone well, everyone is buzzing and that can really come over in a group photograph.

Posed or unposed?

Posed or unposed: In short - posed.

Whenever I try and take unposed photographs at a murder mystery party, I tend to get an awful lot of photographs of people's backs...

Curse of the Pharaoh - a murder mystery party gameA fairly typical photograph of lots of players' backs
A couple playing a murder mystery party gameA nice posed photo. (Shame about the curtain pole.)

Groups or couples?

Groups v couples: I find that taking photos of couples works really well - it's best if you hold the camera on its site and take a "portrait" style photo rather than landscape.

Taking photos of groups is okay, but there's a point where you can't tell who everyone is, particularly with cheaper cameras and large groups.

Playing Death on the GambiaClose up of two characters busy negotiating in Death on the Gambia. I cropped this slightly for added impact.

And that's about it - have a good party and take lots of photographs!

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New game

Cover for Backstage Business

Backstage Business - a 1980s rock music themed murder mystery for 18-22 guests.

Don't know where to start?

Here's my suggested quick route through the site:

Step 1 - Go to Choosing a Game to choose the game that suits your party best.

Step 2 - Review the Tips for Hosts for helpful advice.

Step 3 - If you want to keep up to date with the latest murder mystery game news, click on my What's New page.

Step 4 - Once you've had your party - tell me how it went! Click here to tell me your murder mystery party story.

Got a question? Click here to go to the FAQ.

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