The ghost photoshoot trend: how to do the bedsheet ghost photos

The ghost photoshoot trend is simple: put a plain white bedsheet over your head, add a pair of small round sunglasses and pose in ordinary places, then give the photos a hazy, faded vintage film look. It started on TikTok in 2020 and comes back every autumn. All you need is a sheet, sunglasses and a phone; the humour comes from a ghost doing everyday things.

What you need for a ghost photoshoot

• A white flat sheet. A twin or full-size flat sheet covers you to the knees or the floor. Plain white cotton photographs best; patterns and shiny fabric distract.
• Small round sunglasses. Black round frames are the signature look. They sit on the outside of the sheet.
• A phone and a friend. Most shots need someone else holding the camera. For solo shots, a small tripod and the timer work.
• Optional props. A bunch of wildflowers, a paperback, a milkshake, vinyl records, a pumpkin. Anything ordinary.

Cutting eye holes or wearing it as a hood

The classic version is a sheet over the whole head with two small eye holes cut where your eyes are (mark them with the sheet on, then take it off to cut). The sunglasses cover the holes. If you want your face in the photo, drape the sheet over your head like a hood instead and let it fall around your face. Both versions read as the trend.

How to get the vintage film look

The trend's look is soft, hazy and slightly faded, like a photo from the 1970s.

• Shoot in soft light. Overcast days, open shade and the hour before sunset are ideal. Harsh midday sun makes a white sheet glare.
• Haze the lens. Stretch a piece of old sheer tights over your phone's lens, or breathe on it just before the shot, for a dreamy glow.
• Fade it in editing. Lower contrast, lift the blacks a little, mute the saturation and add some grain. Many phone editors have a "fade" or "vintage" slider.
• Keep the whites white. Warm filters turn the sheet yellow. Adjust the warmth until the sheet looks white.

12 ghost photoshoot location ideas

1. Leaf toss in the park. Stand under bright autumn trees while a friend throws leaves in front of the lens.
2. An empty road. Stand in the middle of a quiet country road or footpath and shoot from far away so the road leads to you.
3. The pumpkin patch. Sit on a hay bale holding a small pumpkin with a barn behind you.
4. Bedroom with vinyl. Lie on a bed flipping through records next to a turntable, fairy lights on the wall.
5. A diner booth. Sip a milkshake through a straw in a red vinyl booth; neon in the window helps at night.
6. A second-hand bookshop. Read a paperback between tall shelves (ask the shop first).
7. The front porch at dusk. Sit on the steps among lit jack-o'-lanterns just after sunset.
8. A laundromat. Sit on a row of washing machines under fluorescent light, completely deadpan.
9. A wildflower meadow. Hold a bunch of flowers on a breezy morning and let the sheet catch the wind.
10. A playground swing. Two ghosts side by side on a grey afternoon.
11. A grocery aisle. Push a cart past the cereal boxes (again, ask first).
12. A bus stop. Wait patiently with a tote bag, as if it's an ordinary commute.

Poses that work

• Deadpan. The ghost never reacts. Stillness is funnier than a spooky pose.
• Doing everyday things. Reading, eating, doing laundry, waiting. The more ordinary the task, the better the photo.
• Far away. A tiny ghost in a big empty space (a road, a field, a car park) is one of the trend's most recognisable shots.
• Ghost friends. Two or three ghosts with mismatched sunglasses or hats so they're easy to tell apart.

Common mistakes

• Direct midday sun. The sheet blows out to pure white and loses its folds. Wait for shade or late afternoon.
• Too much fabric. A king-size sheet pools on the ground and hides your shape. Trim it or tuck it so it ends around your ankles.
• A busy background. Cluttered scenes make the ghost hard to read. Pick one clear setting.
• A warm filter. It turns the sheet yellow and the photo orange. Keep colour neutral and fade it instead.

Try the ghost photoshoot with AI

If you don't have a sheet, a friend with a camera or the right weather, the AI ghost photoshoot generates ten bedsheet-ghost portraits of you from one to three clear photos of your face. The sheet is draped like a hood, so your face shows in every photo. Scenes include the leaf toss, the empty road, the diner booth, the laundromat and the wildflower field. Most photoshoots are ready in under a minute, and a single photoshoot is $6.99.

Ghost photoshoot FAQ

When did the ghost photoshoot trend start?

It started on TikTok in 2020 and has come back every autumn since, usually from late September through Halloween.

Do you need to cut holes in the sheet?

Only if the sheet covers your whole face. Cut two small eye holes and wear the sunglasses over them. If you drape the sheet like a hood, you don't need holes at all.

What kind of sheet works best?

A plain white cotton flat sheet, twin or full size. Fitted sheets bunch up, and patterned or shiny fabric loses the classic look.

Can I do a ghost photoshoot alone?

Yes. Set your phone on a tripod or a ledge, use the 10-second timer and burst mode, and pick a spot where you can walk into frame easily.