Disney Photography Tips

[Dcanoli]

You can use a tripod anywhere you want.

I carried mine everywhere I went for the entire trip a few weeks ago.

 

[PA disfan]

Great advise everyone!!!! Keep it commin.

 

[staugielady]

Can somebody tell me how to get the soft water effect in night shots? I don't have enough posts to put up an example, but what I mean is the effect where the water looks white? I hope I'm explaining this right... Thank you for your help.

 

[DisneySuiteFreak]

Can somebody tell me how to get the soft water effect in night shots? I don't have enough posts to put up an example, but what I mean is the effect where the water looks white? I hope I'm explaining this right... Thank you for your help.

You have to use a tripod and slow shutter speed.

 

[amykay9377]

You have to use a tripod and slow shutter speed.

I've had luck doing this using the Fireworks setting on my Faux-SLR (Fuji FinePix s700). I captured a waterfall at a local garden with a 3 or 4 second exposure time. Just make sure to use a tripod or other surface (a bench, wall, floor, etc) so that you don't move. Think of 'catching' the water the same way you 'catch' fireworks.

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[staugielady]

Awesome, thank you so much - I'll try it!

 

[Moeluv4u7]

I am enjoying this thread- I am definitely no photographer and understand it is not the camera but the photographer/picture-taker that does the work- However these tips will help me to understand what settings I should use to get some very nice shots & I hope it will help me to foster my abilities to get great shots for our family enjoyment-
I appreciate everyone who has contributed tips- They have all been very helpful to me & I am anxious to read more-
Thank-You to Mark & all the Photography Disboarders for being patient with us newbie's

 

[manning]

Shoot Your People

Don't get so hung up on shooting the beautiful sites and shows. Make sure that you take plenty of shots of your kids, spouses, friends, etc. Don't just take those shots where everyone is posed in front of the castle either; get shots of people watching shows, riding rides, etc.

Tight is great, wide is busy. The eyes want to wonder on wide. Unless you are doing a panorama.

 

[GOLFDISNEY72]

just bought a new camera today for our trip in 2 weeks. Put the battery on the charge and came straight to the boards. The last camera I bought had 3 megapixels. This one has 10. I hope it helps along with the tips I am reading here.

 

[WillowBelle]

Can someone answer this question that may be non-answerable . Is there a general rule of thumb in manual settings for indoor type photos? I have been studying this board (and another pixel board) like I'm in school, trying to learn how to take better photographs. I have a 50D and will be bringing my 50mm f1.4 lens (that I never realized could be so beneficial and take such good photos until reading all these discussions) to the world. I understand about ISO and have learned that the lower the f stop the more DOF that is created...how to I know what is the best aperature (1/250 <-- isn't that apearature) to set the camera on to get a relatively well lit indoor picture. Take for instance - the lighting in line for BL - what settings would you use? It takes me (what feels like) forEVER to get a propertly exposed picture. Is there a setting that I can put the camera on that will pick that number for me and have it properly exposed?

I have decided to challenge myself on this upcoming trip and not use my flash (at all) unless it is for fill. I really like night time photography with my tripod and shutter release - those are no problem for me, it's the regular lighting (i.e., not bright light, not super dark) that gives me the most trouble.

Sorry if I'm not explaning this so some of you pros can understand .

 

[william4192]

Any more tips?

 

[Iwant2BAprincess]

I know some of you will probably laugh at this question. I have a digital rebel and have not played much with the manual settings. I know how to change my iso but could use some help with the fstop

TIA

 

[bdtracey]

I know some of you will probably laugh at this question. I have a digital rebel and have not played much with the manual settings. I know how to change my iso but could use some help with the fstop

TIA

I'm hoping that I can help you out with this. I relatively new to the world of dSLR's so I hope the pro's can bear with me and back me up on this.

The best way, I find, to think about my aperature (f stop) is to imagine your eye. The lower the f-stop (the lower the number) the bigger the "pupil" is. Therefore, the lower your f-stop the larger your aperature is thus letting in more light. The more light your camera can let in the faster (1/50 is faster than 1/30) your shutter speed can be. The faster your shutter speed is the less risk you have in having blurry pictures...so to speak.

Further to this, the lower your f-stop the more background blur (bokeh) you will get. For example, if you're shooting at f/1.8 the corners will be more blurred/fuzzy/out of focus than if you're shotting at f/8. At f/1.8 you'll be able to have a much faster shutter speed, lets just say for arguments sake 1/50, as opposed to 1/4 for the same exposure at f/8. This is because at f/1.8 the lens lets in more light.

This is how I think of it, I'd appreciate any clarification as much as the PP...just no flames please

 

[scoot241]

I know some of you will probably laugh at this question. I have a digital rebel and have not played much with the manual settings. I know how to change my iso but could use some help with the fstop

TIA

You can do two things; either put the camera in Av (aperture priority) mode where you control the aperture and the camera calculates the rest, or put the camera in M mode and control the aperture by holding down the exposure compensation button and turning the wheel (this is how it works on the XSi). If you turn the wheel without holding down the button, it will change the shutter speed.

 

[MermaidMom]

Mark B.- I've been inspired by your Disney photos (& other photos) for years! I also got a smugmug site because I enjoyed looking around yours!

I'd also like to add the tip that you should never underestimate the power of your editing software to improve your pictures once you get home. I am often too impatient to fiddle with all the settings on my camera or things are just moving too quickly to set it just right. I use Photoshop Elements and it's saved my bad shots time and again. It is definitely easier and faster to get it right the first time but that doesn't always work out. For an investment of less than $80, you can have this magic tool in your bag.

This was a very so-so night shot of the carousel but with a little editing, I really love the glow of the lights. (This was with my somewhat crappy point & shoot cam, not my DSLR)

Another great tip that people miss is that you don't always have to stick your subject with the sun blaring in their face. You don't want to shoot directly into the sun but if you can get it somewhat to the side the light from behind really makes things glow nicely, especially in the morning sun. It's great for kids with cute hair - it really frames them with that special glow. Again, a shot from our last vacation without a DSLR and could have been much, much better but still a nice morning glow feel to the picture.

THANKS to everyone for this great thread & tips!

 

[jpmom97]

Thanks for all the tips! I need to get a notebook for all of it.

 

[lizet313]

Thanks for all the tips! I need to get a notebook for all of it.

That is a great idea

 

[racreel]

Another great tip that people miss is that you don't always have to stick your subject with the sun blaring in their face. You don't want to shoot directly into the sun but if you can get it somewhat to the side the light from behind really makes things glow nicely, especially in the morning sun. It's great for kids with cute hair - it really frames them with that special glow. Again, a shot from our last vacation without a DSLR and could have been much, much better but still a nice morning glow feel to the picture.

THANKS to everyone for this great thread & tips!

A bit of fill flash can also be used in situations like this to add a little light to the people while still getting that glow that you want.

 

[Cory_D]

Hey guys, I'm new here, but have been lurking around for quite some time. After reading this excellent thread, I thought I would come in and share the fireworks technique that was taught to me. So here it is.

The Required equipment:
DSLR
Shutter Release cord
Tripod

The Technique:
Set the camera to Manual setting
Set the focus to manual focus
Set the depth of field to infinite
Set the shutter speed to Bulb
Set the aperture to F/11 or higher
Perhaps adjust the exposure bias up or down one step

I would also study the fireworks shows at WDW on Youtube. It makes it much easier to learn when the one burst you really want to capture is coming up. I haven't been to WDW since I learned how to shoot fireworks, but here's one of my shots from NJ just to show my technique in action.

edit: Since I need 10 posts to post links, just click the link in my sig to go to my Flickr page. All my fireworks shots are there.

 

[Sewfun]

Hey guys, I'm new here, but have been lurking around for quite some time. After reading this excellent thread, I thought I would come in and share the fireworks technique that was taught to me. So here it is.

The Required equipment:
DSLR
Shutter Release cord
Tripod

The Technique:
Set the camera to Manual setting
Set the focus to manual focus
Set the depth of field to infinite
Set the shutter speed to Bulb
Set the aperture to F/11 or higher
Perhaps adjust the exposure bias up or down one step

I would also study the fireworks shows at WDW on Youtube. It makes it much easier to learn when the one burst you really want to capture is coming up. I haven't been to WDW since I learned how to shoot fireworks, but here's one of my shots from NJ just to show my technique in action.

edit: Since I need 10 posts to post links, just click the link in my sig to go to my Flickr page. All my fireworks shots are there.

Great advice. I have the tripod, just need to get the shutter release remote bfore my trip to the World in Dec.