For serious pumpkin carvers, like the thousands of readers who eagerly await the annual "This Old House" and ExtremePumpkin.com carving contests, it can be painful to see their efforts disintegrate as nature takes its course.
One of the 2009 "This Old House" carving contest winners (click to enlarge).
This year, instead of consigning your artwork to the compost heap, preserve it forever in videos and photos. Time-lapse videos are perfect for documenting the carving process, and are fascinating to watch. Put them on your blog, upload them to YouTube or Facebook, or make a DVD. Here's how to make time-lapse videos on your PC or on your Mac. Before you start, get some inspiration from YouTube!
Check out some YouTube time-lapse carving videos like this one for inspiration. Keeping the pumpkin lit while carving makes for a neat visual effect, and also lets you see what the finished result will look like as you carve.
Another great way to preserve and share your masterpiece is through photos. But not just any photos! There is an art to shooting pumpkins as well as carving them. Pose your pumpkin in an appropriate spot, with props if desired (spiderwebs, hats, other pumpkins, fake blood, etc.), and wait for just the right light. Dusk is usually a good time, since there is enough ambient light to show the pumpkin, yet it's also dark enough for the interior lighting to shine through. Here are some tips from Instructables.com.
To take a good pumpkin photo, try a long exposure time and some external lighting as well as internal (click to enlarge).
This year, you'll have the best documented pumpkin ever! So start carving and have a great Halloween.