Disney Photography Tips

[MarkBarbieri]

Don't Forget Real Life

Some people are so obsessed with their new digital camera or camcorder that they use it constantly on their trips. Remember to actually live your life on vacation rather than transform yourself into some sort of traveling photo/video director. If your memory of Spectro-Magic has a little plastic frame around it and exposure information at the bottom, you may have spent too much time recording your vacation and not enough time vacationing.

The same goes for posed photos. If you force everyone to stop what they are doing and form up for a group shot once or twice a day, you’re probably having a good time. On the other hand, if you do that once or twice an hour, you’ll end up with well posed shots of angry kids.

Make sure that you let strangers enjoy their vacation as well. It’s terribly annoying to idle in one spot while someone has an entire walkway blocked off for a picture that takes them 5 minutes to get right. If you must block a crowd to get your shot, be quick about it.

 

[MarkBarbieri]

Patterns Can Be Fun

Where it is the seemingly endless repetition of triangles on Spaceship earth, or the repetition of stroller after stroller, patterns can make for good photographic subjects. It’s best if you completely fill your picture with the pattern. That gives the sense to the viewer that the pattern will keep repeating for ever.

 

[deletedpenguin]

Great tips.

Should I even bother thinking about bringing a tripod/monopod to DL? Since the last time I went to DL, I purchased a Canon 30D DSLR and multiple lenses and don't know if it would even be worth bringing the tripod for night shots/etc., for one night out of the trip.

 

[jann1033]

some how i duplicated this

 

[jann1033]

Great tips.

Should I even bother thinking about bringing a tripod/monopod to DL? Since the last time I went to DL, I purchased a Canon 30D DSLR and multiple lenses and don't know if it would even be worth bringing the tripod for night shots/etc., for one night out of the trip.

could look at it the other way, it's your only chance to get those night shots and a tripod might be more insurance ( i'd take it in other words)

this drives me absolutely crazy..and then they shoot you the evil eye when you don't realize they still haven't taken the dumb thing and walk in front of them" Make sure that you let strangers enjoy their vacation as well. It’s terribly annoying to idle in one spot while someone has an entire walkway blocked off for a picture that takes them 5 minutes to get right. If you must block a crowd to get your shot, be quick about it"


good tips, last trip been to long ago for me to think of any

 

[deletedpenguin]

I suppose I could bring it just in case. I'll be there multiple days, so I could always try without it by bracing against objects/placing the camera on a wall etc. and then see if I should bother. I could always go get it for the evening one night as well...

 

[MarkBarbieri]

Shoot 'em Right Between the Eyes

To add to PhotobearSam's comment about moving around and trying different perspectives, don't always shoot down at your kids. Most good photos of kids are taken when you get down on their level. Get eye to eye with them, see things from their perspective, and then shoot them.

 

[MarkBarbieri]

Let the Light Shine Through

Most of the time, it is best to shoot with the sun behind you or off to one side. One exception to that is when you shoot translucent objects. They often look better with light coming through them.

Here is a stained glass window with light reflecting from it:

Here is the same window with light shining through it:

 

[MarkBarbieri]

Flash and More

Ever take a flash picture and have your subject come out OK but have everything behind them really, really dark? There are several ways to deal with that problem. First, increasing your ISO, opening your aperture wider, and slowing your shutter speed all help. Those changes will allow your camera to "see" more of the background. Your camera will probably lower the amount of flash to compensate.

Another trick that some cameras support is a mode that fires the flash but leaves the shutter open for a while longer. On a Canon, you make this happen by using the flash with the camera in AV mode. That allows the stuff in the front of the picture to be lit up by the flash while the stuff behind your subject is still exposed normally. Because the shutter is open for a long time, you should ask your subject to stay very still, even after the flash fires. You should also use a tripod or something else to hold your camera still.

Here are a couple of old examples from my film days:

And one from last year in a cave:

 

[MarkBarbieri]

Start a Collection

Disney fans seem to be big collectors. They collect pins. They collect autographs. How about themed photo collection? Pick a subject that you like and build a collection of photos of that subject. You could try to collect photos of as many different characters as possible. You could collect photos of the entrance signs of all the rides you go on. Oblio seems to be collecting photos of Photo Spot signs.

 

[MarkBarbieri]

Shoot Your Trip

Everyone gets the standard shots of the Castle, the Tree, etc. Those are good to have, but it's just as important to shoot the things that mean something special to you. Take time to shoot the little things that make your trip special.

I always like to take a shot of the pastries that we buy in France. Those are a highlight of our day at Epcot. Is it a great picture? Not really. That doesn't matter. It means something to me and that's what is important.

 

[PhotobearSam]

Mark, I do that. I have a collection of DH in every crazy hat we can get our hands on. The cool thing is that he is the one initiating it and he does not like to pose. He is getting better at it though.

You are really good BTW.

And


Congratulations on 1000 posts.

i just hit 4000 this week and all I can say is I LOVE THE DIS!!!

 

[MarkBarbieri]

Show Some Speed

Today's cameras can take pictures in less than 1/1000th of a second. That will freeze just about anything at the parks, regardless of how fast it is. That may not always be the best way to shoot a picture.

If the story you want your picture to tell is about speed, use a longer shutter speed. That gives the object in your picture a chance move a bit during the exposure.

Here are two pictures of Everest. The first was taken at 1/125th of a second. The second was taken at 1/13th of a second. The second gives a much better sense of the speed of the coaster.

 

[MarkBarbieri]

I have a collection of DH in every crazy hat we can get our hands on.

That leads to another tip

You Don't Have to Buy It to Shoot It

If you find a cool hat, a neat toy, or something else interesting at a shop, there is no rule that says that you have to buy it to shoot it. Put it on, take the shot, and put it back.

 

[sthnbell19]

These tips are great!!!

 

[Geoff_M]

Request - I'd like to see some good tips with examples on shooting fireworks.

I'll give 'er a shot...
1) Turn the flash off. If you're using a point-n-shoot, figure out how to set it to "no flash".
2) Use auto exposure. If you get really good at it, you can try to use manual exposure, but 85% of the time Auto works great with the flash off.
3) Hold the camera as still as possible by holding it against a stationary object or drag along a tripod.
4) Hit the shutter release as the shell is about to explode.

Here are some examples: Using the above tips... They were taken during the same Illuminations show standing on the bridge between the UK and France. I braced the camera against the bridge railing. No tripod needed!

 

[Geoff_M]

Request - I'd like to see some good tips with examples showing long exposures to capture motion at night.

I'll combine this with the tips about use of rear (2nd) curtain flash sync.

1) Hold the camera still... or not. Below you'll see examples of holding the camera still against a light post (Epcot sidewalk lights) and deliberate shaking (monorail photo) the camera. It depends what "look" you are looking for.

2) Set the camera to Auto exposure again.

3) If using rear curtain sync, set the camera to that flash mode and set the flash compensation to -1 stops (so you totally won't blow out your subjects with light.)

 

[Geoff_M]

Tripods... You don't need no stinking tripods!!!

I know lots of people like to drag along tripods into the parks with them. I also know that a lot of them can be rather small and lightweight. But... Pssst! Here's a secret. I love taking low light, long exposure photos at WDW (some lasting 5-10 seconds), but I've never used a tripod!!! I don't need one!

So what's my secret? Be creative! WDW is loaded with things you can use to stabilize your camera. The list includes:

1) Fence/bridge railings
2) Light posts
3) Tops of trash cans (they're flat).
4) The ground
5) Buildings
6) Etc.

If you need to tilt the camera a bit so it's not quite parallel to what you're using for stabilization, place something under the lens of the camera to prop it up. For a 7 second fireworks shop (shown above in this thread) I actually wedged two fingers under the lens to bump the barrel skyward a bit. You can also use a child's bean bag under the camera and align things more to your liking!

 

[Geoff_M]

Fun with condensation!!!

If you've been to WDW in the summer, you know what I'm talking about! You leave your nice cool hotel room and 5 minutes later get your camera out of the bag/case/fanny pack/etc. and "Presto!" the front of the lens fogs up, as does the viewfinder... and the surface of the camera "sweats" moisture. You can't take a picture for a couple of minutes until all of the fog disappears. If you wipe it off of the lens, more just takes its place.

This is due to the "cold" camera hitting the hot humid Florida air. Until your camera's temperature is close to the ambient air temp outside, that suckers gonna fog up. In some cases the condensation can cause electrical problems with equipment (I had a camera once that would refused to turn on for a while if it developed severe condensation). Here's a simple way to avoid this...

1) Before you leave your room, place the camera in a ziplock bag.
2) Place it in the camera bag or other carrying case, but leave the zipper cracked so air can get inside it easier. This will prevent the case from acting like an insulated cooler. With the case cracked for air, any condensation that develops as the camera warms up will form on the outside of the ziplock bag.
3) When you pull the camera out for the first time, make sure the camera doesn't feel "cold" in the ziplock bag. If it does, let it warm up inside the ziplock for a couple of minutes before you pop the seal.
4) Once the camera is no longer chilled, you can pull it out without fear of it fogging up.

 

[brack]

Request - I'd like to see some good tips with examples on shooting fireworks.

Request - I'd like to see some good tips with examples showing long exposures to capture motion at night.

Obviously I used a tripod but this one was a mini version I placed on a trash can.

I also took about 20 different shots at various speeds and aperture settings.