Camera Bag

[DawnM]

Well, we homeschool, so we wouldn't qualify anyway. Any student in an un-accredited school wouldn't qualify either. :rolleyes:

Dawn

Eligibility for Adobe Student and Teacher Editions Adobe Student and Teacher Editions are for use by:

•University and college students—students enrolled at a higher education institution defined as an accredited public or private university or college (including community, junior, or vocational college) that grants degrees requiring not less than the equivalent of two years of full-time study

•Primary and secondary school students—students enrolled at an accredited public or private primary or secondary school providing full-time instruction
•Faculty and staff—teachers and staff employed by an accredited primary or secondary school, or a public or private university or college

[Photoguy]

Do most airlines allow two carry-ons? I'm just trying to figure out how to get my tripod and camera bag onto the plane. I've had my luggage lost before so I'm hesitant to put my tripod in my suitcase since I use it quite a bit. Any suggestions?

[Raindown]

You can check the tripod, but I wouldn't ever check your bodies or lenses.

[Master Mason]

I always check my tripod and carry on my camera...

[KAT4DISNEY]

Yes, most airlines allow two carry-on's. The size of the plane you are flying on can factor in. One can be a small suitcase of designated size and the other is a personal item which can be a camera bag/purse/briefcase/computer case. If your tripod would fit in a case that is small enough and you had a small camera bag you could probably make it work. There's been some debate about what TSA will allow thru security though relating to a tripod.

I have always placed my tripod in my checked bag.

[mom2rtk]

We're going to the World in December and I have decided to mail a box down ahead of time to include my tripod. I want to see Spectro and Wishes on arrival day, so can't afford to wait for the Magical Express to deliver my luggage. After all, last trip it was WELL beyond the promised 3 hours before it arrived. If you don't need it your first night out, then putting in a checked bag works well.

[ssanders79]

If your tripod has spikes at the end you might have an issue with TSA. Make sure you screw down the rubber feet to cover the spikes. This seems to be a grey area with TSA in terms of whether they will allow them or not. It could fall under the no club like objects rule.

[DebºoºS]

We're going to the World in December and I have decided to mail a box down ahead of time to include my tripod. I want to see Spectro and Wishes on arrival day, so can't afford to wait for the Magical Express to deliver my luggage. After all, last trip it was WELL beyond the promised 3 hours before it arrived. If you don't need it your first night out, then putting in a checked bag works well.

Good suggestion. I missed having my tripod the first night on my May trip. ME took forever to get the bags to the room. I begrudgingly went to the park without it and used my beanbag as support. Usually we put the bags on ME with us. In May I traveled alone and I just couldn't manage my bags and camera gear.
I love ME, but the bag delivery isn't always speedy. Send it ahead!

[mom2rtk]

Good suggestion. I missed having my tripod the first night on my May trip. ME took forever to get the bags to the room. I begrudgingly went to the park without it and used my beanbag as support. Usually we put the bags on ME with us. In May I traveled alone and I just couldn't manage my bags and camera gear.
I love ME, but the bag delivery isn't always speedy. Send it ahead!

Yeah.... we actually SAW our luggage in the big carts out front when we arrived around 5. We left for dinner, confident that it would be in our room when we got back around 9. Nope. Several calls later, and MUCH time on hold..... it finally arrived around 11. I was pretty ticked off since I had an early morning planned the next day and purposely hadn't planned anything big that night so we could make an early night of it.

[topdog]

I've been using mostly Capture NX to process all my D200 RAW files for years and it has worked great for me. Since I might be adding a Panny or Canon (also shooting RAW) under my belt, it's time for me to think about getting a package that let me edit and organize all the pictures a little more efficient.

I never use either package. Which one have you experienced or use and which one did you prefer? And why? What are the pro & con on either package? Give me everything you got to convince me. I have both PC and MAC so platform is not an issue for me.

I would like to hear all about it. All your input will be greatly appreciated.

[Mosca]

I use Lightroom, and upgraded to 3 the day it was available. But I think that I would be pleased as punch with Aperture 3, I hear it is an excellent program as well.

Lightroom 3 rocks. That doesn't mean that Aperture doesn't; it might rock, too. But Lightroom 3 rocks.

[Master Mason]

I have lightroom 1 and will be moving to 3 shortly. I haven't tried apeture, because as far as I know it is only available on Apple.

[ukcatfan]

I have to throw my alternative pick in the mix, Bibble Pro. I really liked it in version 4, but version 5 has blown me away! The selective editing and the healing/cloning are great! I have almost no need for a normal image editing program. Give the trial version a try.

[DawnM]

It doesn't surprise me that the votes are leaning in favor of Lightroom. Aperture is only available for Apple and there is a large percentage of folks who don't have or want an Apple.

I just downloaded the 30 day trial of Aperture 3 twenty five days ago and I am sold. I just ordered the full version.

Dawn

[photo_chick]

Lightroom just does more than Aperture. Bibble is also great though.

[DawnM]

I have read several recent reviews that Aperture 3 is much more like LR than it used to be. But that is not my personal opinion as I have never worked with LR.

http://www.thomas-fitzgerald.net/2010/02/10/top-10-new-features-of-aperture-3/

[JJ71]

I tested both LR2 and AP2 and preferred the latter. Now I am using AP3 and find it to be a great upgrade over AP2. Here is a short article which compares AP3 and LR3:

http://aperture.maccreate.com/2010/06/19/aperture-3-vs-lightroom-3-an-aperture-users-initial-impression/

[mom2rtk]

Now that I've vowed to plow ahead into the 21st century, I've downloaded LR3 and am quite intrigued with what it is capable of. I really could stand to take a class, but don't have time in the near future.

I need to start from scratch, with basic concepts about how it works, what to do first, second etc, then what to do with the photos when I'm done.

I know LR3 is new, so I"m guessing no manuals out in stores yet. Would it be just as good to start with something on LR2? Or would that only confuse me (which wouldn't be hard.......)

I'm very excited about this and thanks to anyone who can drag me into something new!

[tlcmommyx4]

I have to ask you if you ended up getting that Student-Teacher verison? I ordered LR3 on the 9th of June and still don't have anything. I hope you don't mind me learning along with you!

[mom2rtk]

I have to ask you if you ended up getting that Student-Teacher verison? I ordered LR3 on the 9th of June and still don't have anything. I hope you don't mind me learning along with you!

I just downloaded the trial version for free with the full expectation of ordering the student version once I try it out. After even just a few minutes of playing around, I can't imagine not following through on it.

Was the student version not a download? Do they actually mail it to you?

You ought to download the free trial in the mean time.

[KAT4DISNEY]

Adobe has some lightroom 3 tutorials online. I haven't watched these but did for lightroom 2 and they were very helpful.

Tutorials (http://www.photoshopsupport.com/lightroom/tutorials.html)

I also just looked and Scott Kelby has a Lightroom 3 book that should be out very soon. His book for 2 was very good IMO. He goes into his own personal workflow and what some others do as well as the actual features of Lightroom.

[Mosca]

Get Scott Kelby's book for Lightroom 3 (http://www.amazon.com/Photoshop-Lightroom-Digital-Photographers-Voices/dp/0321700910/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1277332908&sr=1-1). He gets to the heart of what you need to know. Some people don't like his sense of humor (I don't mind it), but the meat is there, and it is easy to understand.

[mom2rtk]

Adobe has some lightroom 3 tutorials online. I haven't watched these but did for lightroom 2 and they were very helpful.

Tutorials (http://www.photoshopsupport.com/lightroom/tutorials.html)

I also just looked and Scott Kelby has a Lightroom 3 book that should be out very soon. His book for 2 was very good IMO. He goes into his own personal workflow and what some others do as well as the actual features of Lightroom.

Get Scott Kelby's book for Lightroom 3 (http://www.amazon.com/Photoshop-Lightroom-Digital-Photographers-Voices/dp/0321700910/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1277332908&sr=1-1). He gets to the heart of what you need to know. Some people don't like his sense of humor (I don't mind it), but the meat is there, and it is easy to understand.

I had no idea there would be a book out already. Thanks for the heads up on that and on the tutorials!

The humor would be great in my opinion. I try not to take anything to seriously. Even more importantly, if it's easy to understand, it should be right up my alley........

Can't wait to start playing!

[DisneydaveCT]

...and I am off to WDW to celebrate my 50th :cake:. But more exciting than my birthday is being able to spend the weekend with my 16 y.o. DD who I haven't seen in more than 3 months.

I will also be joined party: by my princess:, her DD, two of my DSis's and one DB-I-L.

[Gianna'sPapa]

Have a great time!:thumbsup2

[GoofyontheHiSeas]

You might want to check out Matt Kloskowski's site Lightroom Killer Tips (http://lightroomkillertips.com/). He has a bunch of presets and also videos on many things. I love the ones that he shows you how he works through a picture. He too is part of the Kelby group. There is also Lightroom Blog (http://lightroom-blog.com/) and also Lightroom for Digital Photographers (http://www.thedigitalphotographyconnection.com/LFDP.php?accesscheck=%2FLFDP2.php).

[Pea-n-Me]

:bday: and have a great trip!

[photo_chick]

Lightroom 3 is an improvement over Lightroom 2, with some new features, but much of it still works the same way.

[ssanders79]

If you want to get started you can check out your local library or book store for a LR2 book. While it will not be specific to LR3 the general workflows will be the same aside from the enhancements of LR3.

[Coffeemate]

Hello all,
I would like to find some coupons for Disney's Photopass Photo book. Does anyone know if there is any out there? We just got back from Walt Disney World and I would like to purchase a book with pictures from the Disney photographers but I don't want to pay $79.00ish for it. I know there is one for pics of our personal downloads for $49.00ish. Thank you for your help.:thumbsup2

[mom2rtk]

I've been playing around on Lightroom 3 for a while, and really loving it.

Being new to this, I'm sure I will have lots of questions. Many thanks in advance to all of you who are willing to help!

First, sometimes the options seem overwhelming, especially when one has several thousand frames from a big vacation. Are there certain standard things you do to large batches of photos to just punch them up a bit? Maybe just bump up the exposure a bit, add a touch of contrast, bring up the blacks a bit? Something like that? Or do you individually adjust each frame?

Anyone want to give my their most common step by step on how they approach an image?

[klam_chowder]

If it says it expires on July 1...

does it expire at 12:01am as in very late on June 30th?

or does it expire at midnite July 1, which means you have almost until July 2?

As you probably guessed, mine is to expire but I've been too busy to do much about it...wondering if I should spend time. If it expires at the end of the day on July 1, it might be worth giving it a shot! :rotfl2:

Any info much appreciated! :goodvibes

cheers,
:flower3:

PS. Not interested in paying Disney more money so I can spend more with them (i.e., extension crock). :sad2:

[WilsonFlyer]

Assuming you mean pictures that have already been taken...

Your pictures are apt to start disappearing 30 days from the day they were taken. It could happen anytime afterwards.

I've always been able to get extensions a week at the time simply by e-mailing them and asking.

[photo_chick]

Each image is a little different and I treat each one individually. Here's basically what I do..

open the image
adjust the white balance
switch to black and white and adjust the contrast, brightness, etc.
go back to color and adjust a little more if necessary
If I need to "fix" anything like fringe or heal a spot this is when I do it.
noise reduction then sharpening if necessary
apply any kind of effects (grain, vignette, etc.)
export to jpeg or send to Photoshop

[KAT4DISNEY]

When I import I usually apply a preset I've done the includes what I do with most of my images such as bump up the clarity and a slight bump on the blacks. I'll also apply key words that apply to all the images on the import.

Next I'll go thru and mark images for deletion that are out of focus etc. At the same time I often mark my prefered images that I want to select and may do more edits. At some point here I'll apply additional key words.

Once I've completed any edits (cropping, recovery, fill light etc.) then I'll export directly to Zenfolio. Recently I've stopped saving my jpgs locally unless I have a particular reason to do so. I'm not necessarily recommending this but I feel comfortable enough with this for myself. If I need them I can download from Zenfolio.

[mabas9395]

switch to black and white and adjust the contrast, brightness, etc.
go back to color and adjust a little more if necessary


I'm curious why you go to b/w for your contrast and brightness adjustments?

[photo_chick]

I'm curious why you go to b/w for your contrast and brightness adjustments?

It's much easier to see the tonal values when you take color out of the equation.

[disneyboy2003]

Are there certain standard things you do to large batches of photos to just punch them up a bit? Maybe just bump up the exposure a bit, add a touch of contrast, bring up the blacks a bit? Something like that? Or do you individually adjust each frame?

Anyone want to give my their most common step by step on how they approach an image?

For me, each photo is different, especially on vacation where photos come from sooooo many different places and lighting conditions.

However, you don't necessarily have to adjust each photo individually, one-by-one. I usually have several similar photos that are taken around the same time, at the same place, in the same lighting conditions. With these several "similar" photos, I can make my adjustments to 1 photo and then "Sync" these adjustments to all the "similar" photos.

I do like to increase the blacks a little bit. I also like to increase the Clarity and Vibrance. How much I increase the other sliders in the Develop module will depend on the photo itself.

Hope you're getting the hang of using Lightroom. Looks like Scott Kelby's book The Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 3 Book for Digital Photographers (link (http://www.amazon.com/Photoshop-Lightroom-Digital-Photographers-Voices/dp/0321700910) to Amazon) is coming out on July 12!

The other book I'd really recommend, too, is Martin Evening's book The Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 3 Book: The Complete Guide for Photographers (link (http://www.amazon.com/Adobe-Photoshop-Lightroom-Book-Photographers/dp/0321680707/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1277962930&sr=1-1) to Amazon), which came out earlier this month on June 8. As good as this book is, it's 672 pages, so it's *very* thorough. I'd probably use this more as a reference book.

Hope that helps! :)

[klam_chowder]

okay, thx a mint for the reply, 'bob' :goodvibes

cheers,
:flower3:

[mom2rtk]

I don't know if they will "give" you an extension..... now that they sell those extensions.......... Just so you're prepared! The mouse needs a little more cheese.......

[mom2rtk]

Each image is a little different and I treat each one individually. Here's basically what I do..

open the image
adjust the white balance
switch to black and white and adjust the contrast, brightness, etc.
go back to color and adjust a little more if necessary
If I need to "fix" anything like fringe or heal a spot this is when I do it.
noise reduction then sharpening if necessary
apply any kind of effects (grain, vignette, etc.)
export to jpeg or send to Photoshop

Cool idea to adjust contrast and brightness in b/w. I'll have to try that! Many thanks for responding.

When I import I usually apply a preset I've done the includes what I do with most of my images such as bump up the clarity and a slight bump on the blacks. I'll also apply key words that apply to all the images on the import.

Next I'll go thru and mark images for deletion that are out of focus etc. At the same time I often mark my prefered images that I want to select and may do more edits. At some point here I'll apply additional key words.

Once I've completed any edits (cropping, recovery, fill light etc.) then I'll export directly to Zenfolio. Recently I've stopped saving my jpgs locally unless I have a particular reason to do so. I'm not necessarily recommending this but I feel comfortable enough with this for myself. If I need them I can download from Zenfolio.

I do like your idea of having certain presets. I know I saw that in one of the tutorials. I am starting to see a pattern to what I like, usually a slight bump up in exposure and contrast, just a matter of personal preference. I can see starting with something along that line.

For me, each photo is different, especially on vacation where photos come from sooooo many different places and lighting conditions.

However, you don't necessarily have to adjust each photo individually, one-by-one. I usually have several similar photos that are taken around the same time, at the same place, in the same lighting conditions. With these several "similar" photos, I can make my adjustments to 1 photo and then "Sync" these adjustments to all the "similar" photos.

I do like to increase the blacks a little bit. I also like to increase the Clarity and Vibrance. How much I increase the other sliders in the Develop module will depend on the photo itself.

Hope you're getting the hang of using Lightroom. Looks like Scott Kelby's book The Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 3 Book for Digital Photographers (link (http://www.amazon.com/Photoshop-Lightroom-Digital-Photographers-Voices/dp/0321700910) to Amazon) is coming out on July 12!

The other book I'd really recommend, too, is Martin Evening's book The Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 3 Book: The Complete Guide for Photographers (link (http://www.amazon.com/Adobe-Photoshop-Lightroom-Book-Photographers/dp/0321680707/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1277962930&sr=1-1) to Amazon), which came out earlier this month on June 8. As good as this book is, it's 672 pages, so it's *very* thorough. I'd probably use this more as a reference book.

Hope that helps! :)

First, Many thanks for always being willing to take the time to help me with such thorough answers! I really do appreciate it.

I like the idea of fixing one photo in a group then using the sync function.

I'm sort of getting the hang of LR3, but still struggling on some things. I think I need to sit down and watch the tutorials again. It all made sense when I watched it, but I need to watch again to set it in my mind.

I will definitely pick up one of the books. I'd like one to read through to complement the online tutorials, then one to act as a reference. It sounds like the ones you mentioned will do just that!

[raysnkaysmom]

Ok...question for photography at Epcot...
We are going to Epcot for our honeymoon, and I got the idea from the WEdding and Honeymoon board of having a Disney photographer... Of course, I'm already booked with our wedding photographer (outside of Disney), but was wondering, couldn't we just put our wedding attire back on, get a photopass and take pics around Epcot??
http://www.wdwinfo.com/wdwinfo/digital-photos.htm#discount

Seems like such a huge savings...and if they aaren' t perfect, I wont' be upset, as its our second set, but I'd LOVE to have Disney wedding pics :)

Anyone hear or see this happen before??

[mom2rtk]

I have a question on how to handle my images once I have finished my LR edits.

I have a storage system I have used for years with the software I got with my camera. It just stores them by date in folders. I was thinking of just continuing that system and exporting my LR edited photos into a subfolder in the appropriate date as needed.

Here's my question: When I exported so far, I selected the option to optimize for screen viewing since I was posting them online. I forgot about that and printed a couple and didn't think they were that great. I"m assuming I need to save them optomized for glossy paper since that's what I print on.

Do I need to save them in both forms? Is there that much difference if I just use the "optimize for glossy paper" option even for my online stuff?

[mom2rtk]

Ok...question for photography at Epcot...
We are going to Epcot for our honeymoon, and I got the idea from the WEdding and Honeymoon board of having a Disney photographer... Of course, I'm already booked with our wedding photographer (outside of Disney), but was wondering, couldn't we just put our wedding attire back on, get a photopass and take pics around Epcot??
http://www.wdwinfo.com/wdwinfo/digital-photos.htm#discount

Seems like such a huge savings...and if they aaren' t perfect, I wont' be upset, as its our second set, but I'd LOVE to have Disney wedding pics :)

Anyone hear or see this happen before??

Adults are not allowed to enter the parks in costume, only children up to age 9. One of the things they are specifically trying to prevent is exactly what you are describing. They want to keep those photos an exclusive of those willing to pay the price for a Disney wedding.

[Daisy14'sDH]

I dunno about the age rule... they sell the Pirate league gear to anyone... but I do know what you mean, a wedding dress is a far cry from a pirate costume... so with that said if you wore a dress purchased at BBB....

[lov2b@disney]

no they will not let you in to epcot in your dress...you have to be booked through DFTW and have a disney wedding photographer

[MICKEY88]

you could always get the disney bride and groom hats/ears and have pictures taken bythe photo pass people..

[disneyboy2003]

I have a question on how to handle my images once I have finished my LR edits.

I have a storage system I have used for years with the software I got with my camera. It just stores them by date in folders. I was thinking of just continuing that system and exporting my LR edited photos into a subfolder in the appropriate date as needed.

Here's my question: When I exported so far, I selected the option to optimize for screen viewing since I was posting them online. I forgot about that and printed a couple and didn't think they were that great. I"m assuming I need to save them optomized for glossy paper since that's what I print on.

Do I need to save them in both forms? Is there that much difference if I just use the "optimize for glossy paper" option even for my online stuff?

I don't know much about optimizing for screen vs. optimizing for glossy paper, so I can't help you with that.

In terms of organizing your photos into folders, though, I usually create folders of specific locations, rather than folders of different dates. For example, let's say I went to Las Vegas for a 7-day trip. A year from now when I look back at my Vegas photos and want to find Mandalay Bay photos, I'm *not* going to remember the exact date I went to Mandalay Bay. With your date-based folder system, you'd have to go through all 7 folders to look for Mandalay Bay photos.

In this case, I would just create 1 Las Vegas folder, perhaps "Las Vegas NV, 6-2010" for example, and I'd dump all the Vegas photos in there. For sure, I would add keywords for each photo so that later on I can search "Mandalay Bay" and pull up all those photos in an instant. If I took LOTS of photos at a bunch of Vegas hotels, then *maybe* I would consider creating sub-folders like "Mandalay Bay", "MGM Grand", "Bellagio", etc., just to make it easier to pull up those particular photos.

For WDW, what I typically do is create a "WDW, 6-2010" folder. Within this folder, I'll create several subfolders: "Magic Kingdom", "Epcot", "Disney's Hollywood Studios", "Animal Kingdom", and "Resorts". If I end up going to Magic Kingdom several times, then I'll create sub-sub-folders within Magic Kingdom for the different dates, like "Magic Kingdom, 6-24-2010" and "Magic Kingdom, 6-26-2010". This is what the folder hierarchy looks like...
WDW, 6-2010
--Magic Kingdom
----Magic Kingdom, 6-24-2010
----Magic Kingdom, 6-26-2010
--Epcot
--Disney's Hollywood Studios
--Animal Kingdom
--Resorts

Later on, when I look back at my Magic Kingdom photos, I can simply open the "Magic Kingdom" folder, and all the MK photos from BOTH dates will be displayed. With this folder organizing system, I don't have to remember the exact date for a photo I'm looking for.

However, be sure to add keywords to all your photos, too! All my Magic Kingdom photos will always have the word "Magic Kingdom" as a keyword. So later on, you can search your *entire* library of photos and very easily pull up all your Magic Kingdom photos.

Hope that helps! :)

[not_Joanna_eggs]

True - you can only take your pictures in the park with your wedding attire on if you have a DFTW.

However, you can do a Resort Photoshoot in your wedding attire. Just not in the parks. But you could schedule a session at Poly and get pictures there.

These aren't from a Disney Photographer, but to give you an idea of the location...

http://i450.photobucket.com/albums/qq230/pheifej/More%20pre-ceremony/JC07251-24-10.jpg

http://i450.photobucket.com/albums/qq230/pheifej/More%20pre-ceremony/JC09821-24-10.jpg

http://i450.photobucket.com/albums/qq230/pheifej/pre%20ceremony/JC05381-24-10.jpg

Otherwise, Another option - anyone can book a private session in the Epcot World Showcase, but can't wear your wedding attire. You could wear a white sundress though...

[MICKEY88]

there is one other way to pull this off, take lots of good scenic shots at WDW..then when you get home,find a local photographer, who has a green screen, they could shoot you in front of the green screen, then drop in your disney beckground...

[WDWFigment]

I would be nervous about doing it with the resort PhotoPass people. They can be just as hit-and-miss as the in-park PhotoPass, and that's a lot of effort/time/money for shots that may end up being less than stellar.

[Marlton Mom]

I agree with Figment about the hit or miss nature of Photopass photographers.

I'm not sure about this but don't they let guests in wearing costumes for Halloween?

Perhaps you could convince a friend who is good at photography to accompany you and and your costumes (i.e. "Bride :bride: and Groom :groom: ") for a round of pictures at Mickey's not so scary Halloween party.

Mwa ha ha......
Always scheming! :smooth:
Marlton Mom

[mom2rtk]

So those of you who ordered this student edition:

1) how long did it take to arrive?

2) Is it exactly the same as I have been using in the free trial?

3) Will I have to uninstall what I have, or will I just enter the number I get on what I receive?

I guess I was surprised there was an actual "delivery" with this. I thought once I sent a copy of my son's student id and paid, they would just email me a code.

[ssanders79]

We got married in the Wedding Pavilion in 2005. To get pictures in our attire in the parks was a huge extra fee that we did add-on to our DFTW package. Our package included pictures during the ceremony, around the wedding pavilion with the castle in the background and pictures at the reception on a balcony at the GF.

[Luv2Scrap]

I have never heard about this software, but I'm a student so I could get the discounted price if I wanted it. I have CS3 that I can use minimally, meaning I took a class last year but don't remember much :laughing:, and I haven't had a lot of time to practice and learn more.

Would this software be a good option for me for when I don't need something as powerful as CS3? Or would I be better off continuing to clunk my way through CS3, hoping that I will get better at it with more practice?

Does this software do anything that CS3 doesn't do?

[marandaclan]

Thinking about purchasing some prints on PhotoPass -but wondered if anyone knew of any valid promotion codes that are good now.

THanks!

[JimbobJimbo]

http://hinkel.smugmug.com/Walt-Disney-World/April-Trip-2010/Magic-Kingdom/MG3058/912832076_3evPU-L.jpg

[steery1]

http://reflectionsby.smugmug.com/photos/602128753_eJZ2P-XL.jpg

[giantstu]

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4006/4688650889_6274e535b1.jpg

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4008/4691658004_8f062765e2.jpg

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4043/4691026591_26aaf3d8df.jpg

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4040/4691672084_95085a57c7.jpg


A few of mine:)

[raysnkaysmom]

Yeah...talked to a wedding photographer in the area, said that only Disney photographers are allowed IN the parks, and that if you are in your wedding dress, they generally do it before or after park hrs...
So, we may end up doing it at a resort :)
And... we'll just go with photopass honeymoon photos :)
Hopefully by then, we'll have our awesome camera and can set some up ourselves :)

[disney0505]

My wife was working on putting an album together from the photopass pictures at home and she had kept modifying borders and saving her changes. Now, the pictures are not available any more. She called Disney and they told her IT may be able to retrieve the pictures but it was hit or miss. Has this happened to anyone before? Does Disney actually permanantely delete the pictures after a certain amount of time has elapsed? We really want those pictures. I can't imagine Disney would not have an archive somehwere to retrieve these. She has been working on the album 3 days prior to them being removed.

[Daisy14'sDH]

As far as I know they only save the photos for 30 days or so before they remove them from there system. I don't know if they back them up or not, that would be an incredible amount of memory for them to save.

Good luck with the retrieval, and please post the results of your dilemma!

[DisneyBoundYrly]

I'm looking for the same thing! Been online and found nothing... I usually save $50, looks like they're only offering $15 off this year :-(
Still excited, though! Disney here we come!!

[ILuvCrush]

I used this link and it deposited the certificate in my cart.... I tried it today to make sure it still worked, and the link is still valid.:banana::banana:

Theres no expiration on the certificate itself.... so you can even buy one now for a trip next year!


http://www.disneyphotopass.com/previsitoffer.aspx

[pgowder]

I used this link and it deposited the certificate in my cart.... I tried it today to make sure it still worked, and the link is still valid.:banana::banana:

Theres no expiration on the certificate itself.... so you can even buy one now for a trip next year!


http://www.disneyphotopass.com/previsitoffer.aspx

Thanks for posting that!

[steery1]

http://reflectionsby.smugmug.com/photos/596635481_DNjVr-L.jpg

[MICKEY88]

http://www.starrrshots.com/img/s8/v9/p661594632-5.jpg

http://www.starrrshots.com/img/s7/v7/p286794542-5.jpg

[PhotoQueen]

Is that a Mickey Mouse Neoprene Cloth?? Do they sell them at the parks?? :love:

[theemily]

As a photopass photographer, I find this discussion genuinely fascinting and I'm going to throw my two cents in. What a lot of people don't seem to realize is two things:

1. We are not paid on commission, nor do we get any kind of incentives for taking/selling more pictures than other photographers. Guests are constantly asking me if we are paid on commission and promising that they will buy my pictures, but it genuinely doesn't matter in any way other than making my proud of my work. We never know how many of our photos sell, though I have sold a few prints of pictures I've taken in our camera center, and it always puts a smile on my face.
2. Most photopass photographers aren't previously trained in photography. Some of us have photography degrees or work in other fields in addition to working for the mouse, but otherwise, you get all of your photography training on the job. The photographers that I work with who have no previous 'formal' photo training don't really consider themselves artists, they just love their job and enjoy making magic for guests like we all do.

Also, we're trained to offer to take pictures with guests cameras...usually before the guest can ask. I always, always offer assistance for people who look like they're struggling to take a picture, and I always approach families where one person doesn't get to be in the picture and offer to take it for them. I'm also glad to use your camera in addition to mine, wether it's in front of an icon or at a character meet and greet - we just want to make your trip as smooth and magical as possible. I'm always surprised when people are shocked that we offer to use their cameras...we just want to help you have the best vacation possible! :thumbsup2

[RBennett]

As a photopass photographer, I find this discussion genuinely fascinting and I'm going to throw my two cents in. What a lot of people don't seem to realize is two things:

1. We are not paid on commission, nor do we get any kind of incentives for taking/selling more pictures than other photographers. Guests are constantly asking me if we are paid on commission and promising that they will buy my pictures, but it genuinely doesn't matter in any way other than making my proud of my work. We never know how many of our photos sell, though I have sold a few prints of pictures I've taken in our camera center, and it always puts a smile on my face.
2. Most photopass photographers aren't previously trained in photography. Some of us have photography degrees or work in other fields in addition to working for the mouse, but otherwise, you get all of your photography training on the job. The photographers that I work with who have no previous 'formal' photo training don't really consider themselves artists, they just love their job and enjoy making magic for guests like we all do.

Also, we're trained to offer to take pictures with guests cameras...usually before the guest can ask. I always, always offer assistance for people who look like they're struggling to take a picture, and I always approach families where one person doesn't get to be in the picture and offer to take it for them. I'm also glad to use your camera in addition to mine, wether it's in front of an icon or at a character meet and greet - we just want to make your trip as smooth and magical as possible. I'm always surprised when people are shocked that we offer to use their cameras...we just want to help you have the best vacation possible! :thumbsup2

Wow! This is awesome!! I have to be honest; I have always considered your job to be my dream job!! You get to hang out at the greatest place in the world, taking pictures, working for my favorite company in the world, AND it's not even sales oriented!!! :banana: DW and I are trying to sell our house and find jobs so we can move down there, but we are more than likely going to be trying to get to the Vero Beach area. (Too bad THEY don't have photopass photographers! :lmao:) In all seriousness, from one guest to you... THANKS for all that you do!

[theemily]

Wow! This is awesome!! I have to be honest; I have always considered your job to be my dream job!! You get to hang out at the greatest place in the world, taking pictures, working for my favorite company in the world, AND it's not even sales oriented!!! :banana: DW and I are trying to sell our house and find jobs so we can move down there, but we are more than likely going to be trying to get to the Vero Beach area. (Too bad THEY don't have photopass photographers! :lmao:) In all seriousness, from one guest to you... THANKS for all that you do!

It really is a wonderful job...despite the heat and the long hours standing :rotfl: But really, to be able to capture the first time a little princess meets her favorite character and getting that hug that mom or dad missed on their camera is amazing. I love being part of the magic. Plus, on my best days I get to play around with Goofy or Stitch or Donald all day - what could be bad about that?

And you're very, very welcome. :goodvibes

[Mosca]

That explains a lot, theemily. I was extremely disappointed in my photopass photos. We don't have any small children, and it was hard to find a photographer away from the characters. In 5 days of theme parks, we got less than a dozen photographs, in total... counting multiple photographs taken by the same photographer. And the shots we did get were horrible, all fill flash and blown highlights.

I paid the $99 in advance, and when I saw the shots I canceled the order. This was probably the most disappointing Disney offer I've ever accepted, and the only one I've ever asked for my money back on.

Too bad we didn't run into you, I'm sure you would have taken some nice shots. But even if they were great, we would have needed a lot more than a dozen of them to make it anywhere near a decent value.

[Gianna'sPapa]

I want to add my thanks to all the Photopass Photgraphers. Just like my own pics, some are good/great and others are throwaways! In June I had a long conversation (he wasn't busy) at the Dessert Party. He was a long time wedding photographer in the Orlando area. He was extremely accomodating, friendly and forthcoming about his job. While the job may not allow for the greatest of photographic creativity, he did provide a great service and represented Disney very well. He was part of our magical experience as were all the photographers we ran into or used. Kudos to all of you.:thumbsup2

[LPZ_Stitch!]

The photographers that I work with who have no previous 'formal' photo training don't really consider themselves artists, they just love their job and enjoy making magic for guests like we all do.

I think this makes all the difference in the world.

Regardless of the skill-level of the PP Photographers, I've never met one that didn't have a "Disney" attitude. They all seem to love their jobs, or they're *really* good at faking it. They always seem to be Cast Members, first!

Some take great pictures, some take so-so pictures. And, it's certainly a *fantastic* service to know that even if I don't like the picture they took with their camera, I can 100% trust them to take a picture of me *with* my family, with MY camera, and not run off with it! :rotfl:

[Mosca]

Reading some responses afterward, I do want to stress that the photographers themselves were wonderful people; it was the results I was unhappy with.

[brack]

Is that a Mickey Mouse Neoprene Cloth?? Do they sell them at the parks?? :love:

Not sure that it is neoprene but they do sell those lens cloths at the parks. I put one on my DW's P&S.

[JimbobJimbo]

http://hinkel.smugmug.com/Walt-Disney-World/April-Trip-2010/Magic-Kingdom/MG3049/912828399_FkwPZ-L.jpg

[theemily]

Mosca: I completely understand about having trouble finding us NOT with the characters - I've had many guests say that I'm the first photog they've seen 3 or 4 days into their vacation, and that really sucks. I totally think there need to be more 'icon' locations, though we do have quite a few photographers around (at least at Animal Kingdom). There definitely needs to be a better way to find us even if they don't have the ability to put us out there. We just need the guests to say these things to Guest Relations - as a PPP I can make suggestions to managements but if guests are suggesting things more often, they're far more likely to happen. Also, as a defense to the photographer, it's pretty impossible to check our shots as we go, and it can take up to half an hour for a message to get to us if the images are ending up blown out to due flash/camera issues, so we don't always know something is wrong until too late. And a teeny note on the value of the CD: at $149.95, it is the same cost as having 15 5x7 prints done by us, so if you do like more than 15 of your image, I think the CD is a good value. Obviously because of your situation, it ended up not being a good value, but I do try to point that math out to guests so they don't think that the CD is only a good value if you have 100+ pictures - I constantly have guests wanting 20 prints and being shocked at the cost even though they already turned down my offer as the CD being a better value. (Now I'm rambling again...sorry!)

Gianna'sPapa: Thank you! You guys are the reason we do our job (or most of us, at least) :goodvibes And its true, we don't really get any creative wiggle room, we take the shots we're told to take for consistency's sake, but some of us try to do more with it if we can.

LPZ: Thanks! Because PP is only 5 years old, most of us were cast before we were PP, adding to the "cast first, photog second" mentality, but again, our training is always "cast first, photog second," no matter what. And you can trust any cast member to not run off with your camera after taking a picture, but 98% of the Photopass photogs will do a pretty darn good job with your camera - getting the people and the Tree of Life to look equally large & important in the picture takes some practice :lmao:

[RBennett]

Dude, this is so cool to actually hear from a cast member! (Ok, I'm showing my geek side.) Some of my favorite memories from recent vacations are actually just standing there talking with a cast member or PPP for a few minutes. In November we were at DAK for EMH and spent a good portion just talking to Dora while trying to get some shots of my own of the Tree of Life. While talking with her, she mentioned that she wished she had a Dora the Explorer backpack. DW and I even went to the store off property later looking for a Dora backpack, with no luck. You guys are my favorite experience to the parks sometimes! :thumbsup2

[steery1]

Maybe you know (or are) one of these guys...........
http://reflectionsby.smugmug.com/photos/607639098_DHTtU-XL.jpg

http://reflectionsby.smugmug.com/photos/607639609_K89F5-XL.jpg

http://reflectionsby.smugmug.com/photos/239322456_H7C4u-L-2.jpg

[theemily]

RBennet: Aww, I love Dora, she's such a sweetheart. I'm glad we can help make the magic for you!

Steery: Yep, I know the first two. I work with the girl in the first photo, and Danny in the second photo did his CP at the same time as me but he now works over at Kilimanjaro Safaris! I never really got to know him as my CP was in attractions, but I know him through friends/other photogs. So fun to see photos of people I know on here! popcorn::

[MICKEY88]

this PPP, lives about 5 minutes from where I work in PA.

http://www.starrrshots.com/img/s7/v7/p286794542-4.jpg

then there is SUPER PPP, I think she forgot to wear her cape.

http://www.starrrshots.com/img/s5/v4/p737926644-4.jpg

[steery1]

RBennet: Aww, I love Dora, she's such a sweetheart. I'm glad we can help make the magic for you!

Steery: Yep, I know the first two. I work with the girl in the first photo, and Danny in the second photo did his CP at the same time as me but he now works over at Kilimanjaro Safaris! I never really got to know him as my CP was in attractions, but I know him through friends/other photogs. So fun to see photos of people I know on here! popcorn::


If you look here theres a whole thread devoted to you guys! :thumbsup2
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2033864

[MICKEY88]

Is that a Mickey Mouse Neoprene Cloth?? Do they sell them at the parks?? :love:



are you maybe thinking, microfiber, rather than neoprene

[MinnieForMe]

I've had wonderful luck with my photopass pictures and we prebuy the CD every year. I've had more than one Photopass Photographer ask me if I want a picture with my own camera and I decline because I've already bought the CD.

Now, we were in Busch Gardens in April and after their photographer took our picture, I asked for one with my camera and he refused. Apparently, one of their photographers dropped someone's camera and it was now forbidden. Of course, we discussed his DSLR's and how many pictures he takes in a day for a few minutes and he said "just give my your camera, I'll take your picture". They were fun to hang out with too!

[PhotoQueen]

Wow I Really need To Pay Attention to what I'm Typing lol Yeah Micro Fiber Is Deff What I ment... Neoprine really wouldn't do me any good

[MICKEY88]

Wow I Really need To Pay Attention to what I'm Typing lol Yeah Micro Fiber Is Deff What I ment... Neoprine really wouldn't do me any good

it would if you wanted to patch your wetsuit LOL

[pointandshoot]

Not that one more comment matters but here goes.

Chatting with an original Photopass cast member last month, from what he states, that department is very profitable. Not sure a snap from another camera makes a difference.

More importantly, they are cast members first who place the guest experience ahead of all else.

Lastly, I have much respect for them. Unlike other cast members, they often work in the hot sun without fans or cover for shade.

And besides, if it wasn't for Photopass, many of us would never show up in any vacation pictures:-)

Chuck

[theemily]

pointandshoot: yes, we're a very profitable department for the resorts and thats all i have to say about that :rolleyes1 and yes, the long days in the sun (especially at DAK) are really rough - there are very few locations where we have fans/shade and we get quite feisty about it, though our leadership team does everything the can to keep us from being in the sun back to back.

thanks for the compliments! :goodvibes

[Daisy14'sDH]

We have gotten the photo cd every time we have gone to Disney, and have always been happy with the results. Of course we go for 10-14 days at a time and we make sure we get a ton of photos! Some are better than others but there have been very few throwaways.

We found on the cruise that the photographers were a step above what we experienced at the parks, they have a lot more equipment at their disposal, which helps a lot.

But our favourite shots are the candid ones that the PPP take of us at the parks, we love those! Wish they would do that more often!

[irish_trip_mom]

Can anyone suggest a cover/case for my Nikon D40? I am looking for something that will fit over the camera, but I'll carry it by the strap. I have a camera bag that I like for traveling, but sometimes you just want to get rid of the bulk, KWIM?

Thanks for the help! I leave for DL next week, so if I can get it in a brick & mortar store, even better!

[2Tiggies]

I don't recall a PP photographer taking a picture with my camera. I am sure it's happened but usually there is a character manager there IF I hand my camera over. This may depend largely on whether the guest is fairly certain that they are buying the CD. If this is the case, it is probably not the first thing to jump to mind to pass your camera to them when there is already a photographer taking your picture. :confused3

[Icemann]

Check OP/Tech they might have something you are looking for.You can go to their website and look to see if any thing jumps out at you.They all so make something called body armor but it's not made by OP/Tech.Google Nikon body armor.If you find it on the web site you can check the local brick and mortar.A hotel shower cap works in a pinch and they are free :cool1:

[photo_chick]

I got mine from Lenscoat.

[My2Girls66]

I have one of these.

http://www.tiffen.com/products.html?tablename=zing

[KAT4DISNEY]

I have one of these.

http://www.tiffen.com/products.html?tablename=zing

I also have one of these that I use when not carrying a bag.

[Daisy14'sDH]

One of the reasons we bought the DSLR was knowing that the PP's would take family photos of us. When you go twicw a year do you really need to spend $130 on the PP photos? No, it gets real expensive, we've spent over a grand on Disney photos so far, thats a lot of money for us!

When I see people struggling with getting photos of themselves I always help, tonight we were down in Niagara Falls to watch the fireworks for my DD 6 (OMG I can't beleive time goes so fast!) and I took photos for 3 families. I may not get the best photo for them , but at least they are all in it! lol, maybe I'll give up my business and apply to be a CM!

[Bstanley]

I also use a Zing neoprene case. It fits tightly around the camera/lense and allows use of the normal neck strap. It's easy to wrap around the camera, easy to get the camera out of, waterproof and lightweight. I definitely recommend it.

[zetachi]

thought I'd bump this thread and see if there were anymore suggestions.

I'm presently using the Lowepro FastPack 400 and while I love the bag I've got it loaded with so much gear that by the end of the day it hurts. Not to mention I've recently gotten a herniated disk in my back so the heavy bag is a no go for extended periods.

I'm looking for a small day bag for an E-510 with 11-22 or 14-54 attached and room for the other lens or 2 in the bag. Some memory cards, maybe FL-36 flash some other odds and ends.

Thought maybe a waistpack or small sling/shoulder bag. I've had the Lowepro sling bag in the past and hated it.

[photo_chick]

No bag. I have a Crumpler strap and Lenscoat pouch for the camera and keep it on me. I also am the pack mule and have a water proof hip pack to carry the water that also holds a couple of lenses nicely with my extras. I keep a plastic bag in that for when I need to keep my camera dry.

[LPZ_Stitch!]

Can anyone recommed a good bag for the following gear:

Canon T2i
3 lenses: EF-S 18-55, EF 75-300, EF 50/1.8
3 batteries + charger
8 - 10 SD cards (in their plastic cases) + USB card reader
various cables (mini HDMI, standard A/V, USB)

We're vacationing in Maui, and I would like a bag to keep my camera and lenses as safe as possible from rain, mist, splashing waves and sand.

I don't expect expanding my selection of lenses any time soon. And, if I did, I'd probably just be replacing the 75-300 with something better and leave it home/sell it.

[SrisonS]

I have a Lowepro Pro Runner 200AW backpack. That might do the trick for you. It'll hold everything you mentioned. Plus, it also has a built-in rain cover. They might even still carry it at Best Buy, if you wanted to give it a closer look (I bought online though).

[Chikabowa]

I just bought a Crumpler 7 million dollar home. I had just about 40 pounds of gear that I hauled around for 12 hours continuously on saturday and it was awesome. I had to hike a mile up straight up hill with that bag and it was TOTALLY comfortable.

I highly suggest any of the Crumpler series bags. :)

[Raindown]

Lowepro or Crumpler you can't go wrong. I have a slingbag if I want to carry more and a smaller Crumpler when I want to travel lighter.

[klmall]

I have a Canon XSi with the lenses listed below (somewhat like yours) and I am an active hiker and tourist when I travel. In addition, I throw in my wallet, headache pills, light jacket, snacks and carry water bottles etc. No shoulder camera bag would carry these and allow me super fast camera access without taking the pack off.

And while I do own a Lowepro Slingshot 200 All Weather Backpack which I like, it was hard on my shoulder and didn't carry enough. I also own several other smaller camera bags.

So I looked for months and hunted until I went back to the design that always worked for me before I moved to a DSLR - a fanny pack! I know, I know! That sounds horrible but I don't care! I'm past caring what I look like! I go for comfort and functionality.

I read reviews and bought a Mountainsmith Day (Recycled) Lumbar Pack which also can be fitted with Mountainsmith strapettes to move the support to your back. Because this was not designed as a camera bag I took the padded velcro inserts from my Lowepro Slingshot and a Disney Video camera bag and arranged them carefully in my Mountainsmith bag to pad my camera and lenses.

The Mountainsmith bag comes with an inner zippered pocket and an outer zippered pocket but the entire bag is not waterproof. You solve this problem by either buying a Mountainsmith pack cover (under $20) or as I did, using one of my backpack covers which folds small and travels in a pocket.

Now I can carry all my camera gear for my DSLR and a Canon G5, battery charger, extra gear including poncho, snacks, wallet etc., 2 water bottles, tripod, and still with releasing one shoulder strap have the capability to slide/move the whole pack to my front to get my camera or switch lenses etc. It gets a bit heavy but the weight is carried well by the strapettes.

Here's a link (http://www.ebags.com/product/mountainsmith/day-recycled-lumbar-pack/89034?productid=1167932) to the Mountainsmith bag on ebags.

[littlekidagain]

I just got the Lowepro Magnum 200 AW Shoulder Bag a few weeks ago.
So far I love this bag! I can’t find anything negative about it!

[tlcmommyx4]

I was wondering if you can get rid of Baby acne with Lightroom only? I am trying so hard to get rid of this acne and I am so confused. If anyone could help me I would appreciate it!

[disneyboy2003]

Baby acne is only a temporary condition, and it usually goes away on its own--if not in a few weeks, then in a few months. :)

However, if you still want to use Lightroom to fix baby acne, go into the Develop Module and use the Spot Removal tool (the circle with the small arrow).

Under the Spot Removal tool, I would select "Heal" rather than "Clone". This helps to smoothly blend in any corrections, rather than directly copying over the spot.

Adjust the size of the brush so that it's just slightly larger than the acne (you can use the [ and ] keys to make the brush smaller and larger, respectively).

Click on the spot of acne and hold your mouse down. Then move your mouse to a nearby area of clear skin. This will blend the clear area of skin onto the spot of acne, thereby removing the baby acne.

Repeat as necessary for each spot of baby acne.

If the above steps don't work, consult your pediatrician. :confused:

[mom2rtk]

Baby acne is only a temporary condition, and it usually goes away on its own--if not in a few weeks, then in a few months. :)


If the above steps don't work, consult your pediatrician. :confused:

:rotfl::rotfl2::lmao:

[tlcmommyx4]

Thank you so much, you all are so funny!!!!!!! I did try that spot heal and it worked. I'm sure that I had not taken 100 shots of this little beauty, it would not have taken me 5 hours to get it all cleaned up. I'm also sure their is a preset that I could have done, but I am still learning :). Thanks again for making me laugh.

[Shutterbug]

I already have a large bag(Lowepro Fastpack 350) that will hold all of my gear for long trips.

I now want something smaller that would fit a 70-200 lens mounted on a 40D or 7D (in the future) plus also room for a wide angle lens.

[Steve's Girl]

shoulder bag or backpack style?

I have a Think Tank UD35 for this purpose. It is a shoulder bag. However, for travel, I rely on my Kata 3n1 30 which is similar to the Lowepro you already have.

[Shutterbug]

shoulder bag or backpack style?

I have a Think Tank UD35 for this purpose. It is a shoulder bag. However, for travel, I rely on my Kata 3n1 30 which is similar to the Lowepro you already have.

Yeah am looking for a shoulder style. Thanks I will look at that one.

[spinetnglr]

Here's a link to the Adobe support website that has a ton of tutorials for Lightroom. I know there are other sites as well that offer free tutorials if you look for them. I found these tutorials helpful and although most right now are for LR2, they are adding LR3 tutorials as well.

http://www.adobe.com/support/tutorials/?product=lightroom

[tlcmommyx4]

Thank you so mcuh. I was on youtube for hours trying to see how to make my eyes pop. Their is one out there but no sound! I just though learning how to use my camera would be hard :rotfl2:.

[disneyboy2003]

Thank you so mcuh. I was on youtube for hours trying to see how to make my eyes pop. Their is one out there but no sound! I just though learning how to use my camera would be hard :rotfl2:.

There's sooooo much Photoshop & Lightroom learning you can do just from YouTube alone. It's amazing!

I'm embarrassed to say, but I also learned how to use Photoshop to make myself a little thinner. DO NOT search "Photoshop Virtual Weight Loss" on YouTube. The video that's shown has like 5.3 MILLION views!!! :eek: Using Photoshop, I lost 10 pounds.

You can even watch YouTube videos on how to use Photoshop to "enhance" certain parts of other people's bodies, too. :sad2:

[tlcmommyx4]

There's sooooo much Photoshop & Lightroom learning you can do just from YouTube alone. It's amazing!

I'm embarrassed to say, but I also learned how to use Photoshop to make myself a little thinner. DO NOT search "Photoshop Virtual Weight Loss" on YouTube. The video that's shown has like 5.3 MILLION views!!! :eek: Using Photoshop, I lost 10 pounds.

You can even watch YouTube videos on how to use Photoshop to "enhance" certain parts of other people's bodies, too. :sad2:

I love it! I need to find that viedo:rotfl2:.

[JanieLou]

Does anyone know if I will be able to get these back? I had it in my head that they expired today. So, I went to log in, and they expired the 2nd and are gone! I am so incredibly bummed! I paid for a couple extensions on the pics and would have paid for another one had I realized the date. Ugh! I'm sick to my stomach about this! Of course, the photopass phones aren't open now, so, I thought I'd give this a shot. Anyone??
Thanks,
Jane:sick:

[ukcatfan]

Your best bet is to call. I have heard that once they are gone that they really are gone, but maybe someone working at WDW with them might have a trick up their sleeve.

[JanieLou]

I heard back from the photo people today. They reinstated my pics!!!!!! Woohooo! The key, I think, is that I paid for another extension already (for right now) before realizing that the pics were already expired. I forgot to mention that before. Thanks for your help!

[ukcatfan]

Good news!!! I am glad it worked out for you.

[RadioNate]

Can any Mac users offer some insight.

I love the basic functionality of iPhoto. I don't keyword and I find things like 'faces' and 'places' hokey but for the most part I like it's management. I like the whole 'event' thing and the 1 step click to publish online.

I don't like their basic editing tools. I've been using Photoshop Elements for basic editing but even that isn't really doing it for me. I used to have the full version of Photoshop but right now that is too spendy and frankly overkill for my ability and interest in editing.

Which obviously brings me to the Aperture v. Lightroom question.

I'm looking for better RAW tools, improved editing function yet with the management simplicity of iPhoto.

This is a horrible question and I probably need to formulate my thoughts better but maybe a Mac user will understand and have some thoughts on the subject. I've googled and like the great Canon/Nikon debate it seems to boil down to a lot of personal preference things.

So maybe tell me why you prefer one to the other?

[Spaceace5150]

I have never used either program, so I can't comment. However, there was a review by the Wall Street Journal technology person this week of both programs. Here is the link:

http://ptech.allthingsd.com/20100908/tackling-54000-photos-with-two-programs/

Good luck!

[handicap18]

I used Lightroom for a little while when I had a PC. I tried the Aperture trial after I got my iMac. In the end I've still stuck with Nikon Capture NX2. It doesn't do everything, but it does what I need and does it well.

Both Lightroom and Aperture have free trials. I say try them both and see what you like.

[photo_chick]

I second the free trials suggestion. We all have different tastes.

[Chikabowa]

Love Lightroom. It is so versatile and powerful.

For personal use... I love the fact that it's a one step upload to my zenfolio account and then I and my mother can go in and order pictures from there.

[RadioNate]

Ugh, this is going to be a personal preference thing. I hate choosing, lol. I wish one far outweighed the other.

guess I'm off to download....

[pgowder]

Love LR! Great tool! Get the free trial.

[Mockingjay12]

I've used Lightroom ever since I got my Macbook a year ago and I really love it. It's simple to use and straight to the point with simple photo adjustments.

[bostran1]

I'm a huge Aperture fan myself. But I haven't used Lightroom so for all I know I'm missing out something there... ;)

One thing to keep in mind with Aperture is that many Apple Stores offer training on it and there is a pretty sizable learning curve from iPhoto to Aperture. Apple also does a good job of putting instructional videos online (http://www.apple.com/aperture/how-to/) to help too.

At any rate, download the free trials and go from there.

[disneyboy2003]

Ugh, this is going to be a personal preference thing. I hate choosing, lol. I wish one far outweighed the other.

The good thing about consumers is that we DO have a choice in what we use. Our lives are FULL of choices:

Nikon vs. Canon vs. etc.
Apple vs. PC
Coke vs. Pepsi
Aperture vs. Lightroom


In terms of Aperture vs. Lightroom, if you're looking for some metric where one "far outweighs" the other, here's a survey from InfoTrends that shows that Lightroom is WAY ahead of Aperture, among use by professional photographers:

2007 2008 2009
Camera Raw 66.5% 62.2% 57.9%
Lightroom 23.6% 35.9% 37.0%
Aperture 5.5% 7.5% 6.3%

On the Mac platform only:
Lightroom 26.6% 40.4% 44.4%
Aperture 14.3% 14.6% 12.5%

According to these numbers, among professional photographers who use Macs in 2009, 44.4% of them use Lightroom, while only 12.5% use Aperture. And apparently, Lightroom's market share has grown each year since 2007.

I couldn't find the InfoTrends Web site itself, but here are some folks who are quoting these stats:

John Nack (http://blogs.adobe.com/jnack/2009/09/lightroom_vs_aperture_09.html), from Adobe
Scott Kelby (http://www.scottkelby.com/blog/2010/archives/11870), Photoshop guru and President of NAPP


Should this convince you to go with Lightroom? I guess it's a matter of personal preference. ;)

[RadioNate]

I've got both the trials. So far I think Aperture is easier to use but I think that is just because it has a more iPhoto feel than Lightroom.

I need to import more photos into Lightroom and play with the RAW conversions a bit more. So far I've only put RAW files into Lightroom and haven't imported any RAW into Aperture. I have more than 22k photos in iPhoto so I'm not messing with my entire library. I don't have the HD space for that!

This is going to be a tough decision. I know I need "more" than iPhoto and my Photoshop Elements has some issues. But I'm in no way a professional. I don't have professional skills. I don't even have advanced hobbiest skills. I just need a little more editing help to save the photos I totally botch!

[disneyboy2003]

I need to import more photos into Lightroom and play with the RAW conversions a bit more. So far I've only put RAW files into Lightroom and haven't imported any RAW into Aperture. I have more than 22k photos in iPhoto so I'm not messing with my entire library. I don't have the HD space for that!

Regarding Lightroom, Lightroom doesn't actually do anything with your RAW or JPEG photos, unless you want it to. Lightroom actually creates a "catalog" of data about your photos. Any importing or changes you make in Lightroom is stored inside the Lightroom catalog itself. Your actual RAW and JPEG photos are still in the same places, they're never moved, and they're not touched by Lightroom. So you are not importing 22,000 actual photos into Lightroom...you're only importing data and previews of 22,000 photos.

With over 22,000 photos in your library, Lightroom is actually the perfect program for organizing your photos. Lightroom was made specifically for photographers to help with their / our workflow.

I'm sure the same can probably be said about how Aperture works.

There are lots of great introductory books and tutorials about Lightroom. I'm sure you can find some on YouTube. Actually, Adobe has several excellent links to different places where you can learn Lightroom: link (http://www.adobe.com/products/photoshoplightroom/resources.html).

Don't be discouraged. All software take a little time and effort to get used to. But once you get used to it, you'll see that Lightroom is really made specifically for photography and that it's flexible enough for your digital photography workflow.

Hope that helps.

[MarkBarbieri]

John Nack (http://blogs.adobe.com/jnack/2009/09/lightroom_vs_aperture_09.html), from Adobe
Scott Kelby (http://www.scottkelby.com/blog/2010/archives/11870), Photoshop guru and President of NAPP
In the interest of full disclosure, both of these guys have a very strong interest in Lightroom - one working the company that sells it and the other owning the company that sells the most training for it. That said, the stats seem right based on my personal experience. I see a pretty even split between Aperture and Lightroom for casual and amateur photographers using Macs but virtually every pro I know that uses either uses Lightroom.

It is definitely a presonal preference issue. Neither locks you in and both are good. Well, I guess Aperture locks you into the Mac world.

[Rental01]

Lightroom is the first stop for any picture I plan on keeping. That's where I view the images and delete the bad shots, then make the good shots amazing. My workflow that used to just include CAmera RAW then Photoshop now centers around Lr preparing the photos and using Ps to finish them.

Lightroom has become an essential tool for me.

[RadioNate]

Regarding Lightroom, Lightroom doesn't actually do anything with your RAW or JPEG photos, unless you want it to. Lightroom actually creates a "catalog" of data about your photos. Any importing or changes you make in Lightroom is stored inside the Lightroom catalog itself. Your actual RAW and JPEG photos are still in the same places, they're never moved, and they're not touched by Lightroom. So you are not importing 22,000 actual photos into Lightroom...you're only importing data and previews of 22,000 photos.

With over 22,000 photos in your library, Lightroom is actually the perfect program for organizing your photos. Lightroom was made specifically for photographers to help with their / our workflow.

I'm sure the same can probably be said about how Aperture works.

There are lots of great introductory books and tutorials about Lightroom. I'm sure you can find some on YouTube. Actually, Adobe has several excellent links to different places where you can learn Lightroom: link (http://www.adobe.com/products/photoshoplightroom/resources.html).

Don't be discouraged. All software take a little time and effort to get used to. But once you get used to it, you'll see that Lightroom is really made specifically for photography and that it's flexible enough for your digital photography workflow.

Hope that helps.

I need to find more "play" time. The importing has to do with the way Apple stores files when you use iPhoto. I can't use my iPhoto library directly with Lightroom (or Aperture for that matter) it's just the stupid file system.

And I guess I should be more specific, I want to see what I can do with my RAW files in both programs. iPhoto is bad at handling RAW, in my opinion there isn't much flexibility and my PS Elements doesn't work at all, which I know is from a glitch in the software updates but I've given up messing with it.

[BorisMD]

Great question.

I've been using Aperture for several months, and am very happy with the way it works and how it allows me to post process files. It is a much better program for that type of work compared to iPhoto.

Having said that, last night I went to the first meeting of the year for a local camera club, and the speaker went through Lightroom 3. I was very impressed. One really neat feature is that it can automatically correct an image based on which lens was used to take the image (automatically correct for chromatic aberation and pincushion or barrel distortion, vignetting, etc). Also, little did I know, but the Adobe division that does Lightroom is right here in the Minneapolis/St. Paul area, and the local Lightroom/PS user group is attended by the engineers who write the software. So, if you go to the user group meetings, you can get some really good insights into how to use the software. I purchased a copy, and plan to work on getting to know it better.

The speaker last night is an instructor for a local photography school, and he was using a MacBook Pro, and said he does 90% of his work in Lightroom, and only minimal work in PS (mostly if he has to remove a powerline, etc, from an image) -- but he also demonstrated how Lightroom can now do some of this type of photoshop work too.

It does take some work to get to know a new program, but I'm going to give it a try.

Regards,

Boris

[zetachi]

Bumping this for some opinions. I'm in the same boat with my Oly E510 and biggest lens 70-300. I have the Flipside 400 which I've found is way to big to carry all day esp @ someplace like Disney. I've been looking at reviews of the LowePro Inverse AW series, just need to get to a store and try out some of these bags.

[zetachi]

Bump for more bag opinions.

[ssanders79]

I now use the Tamrac Adventure 9. It provides more room than I need with the addition of a laptop compartment that I can stuff a rain coat. The top is great for snacks and extras we bring to the parks. I no longer carry the tripod on the bottom since getting a benro travel angel. It is easier to put it on the top handle.

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4056/4675423276_f96f03f53b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/ssanders79/4675423276/)
Tamrac Adventure 9 | Tripod (http://www.flickr.com/photos/ssanders79/4675423276/) by ssanders79 (http://www.flickr.com/people/ssanders79/), on Flickr

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4041/4674801547_ae5946b4a9.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/ssanders79/4674801547/)
Tamrac Adventure 9 | Inside (http://www.flickr.com/photos/ssanders79/4674801547/) by ssanders79 (http://www.flickr.com/people/ssanders79/), on Flickr

[gruZ]

Another vote for a Thinktank. While the link here (http://www.thinktankphoto.com/products/digital-holster-40-shoulder-bag.aspx) shows it as a "holster" bag, it also comes with a comfortable strap for use over the shoulder. The bottom unzips to hold a 70-200. Well made and happy with it.

I use it with a Nikon D700 and either a 70-200 or a 24-70 (with hood mounted). With either lens there is more than enough room.

[Aerorea]

Have you looked at the Crumpler bags? The 5 Million Dollar Home & up should work.

[Steve's Girl]

I have a Crumpler 5mil and 7mil. Neither of these bags will fit my 70-200 2.8 mounted. The 5mil won't even fit my 24-70 2.8 mounted. The 7mil will hold the 70-200 unmounted. If the OP has a 70-200 f4, the 7mil may be an option.

[DizzyV6P]

The 7MDH fits the 70-200 f4 mounted w/o any issues. The Crumpler 7MDH is now my daily bag while my Fastpack 300 is my travel bag now.

[Commando2319]

I am truly amazed at how much printing photos are with Disney's Photopass. They are exponentially more expensive that printing them at your local Target, Walmart, Walgreens, or other photo place.

The only reason I would ever consider print a photo from there is if the one photo is so incredible cute and I don't have one of it.

But with so many people having DSLRs or even point and shoots, who relies on the Photopass photographers for their Disney photos?

And if they lowered the price of printing to actually be competitive with other retailers, how many people would upload their own photos and print through Disney Photopass?

[Gianna'sPapa]

I only purchase the printed photo if it is something special (character meal, etc.) that I don't have or can't get. I do purchase the CD and this last time we did the book. I used some of theirs, but mostly mine for that. Because I am the sherpa and take most of our vacation pics (the DW does have her own DSLR, just doesn't like to carry it), I'm in very few, if any. The only way I am in any pics is with photopass. For my printing, I use Snapfish or we print it ourselves.

[Poohbear5]

On our 25th anniversary trip without kids, we used photopass so we could both be in our vacation photos. I was hesitant to be repeatedly handing over my DSLR (which was brandnew for our trip) to photopass photographers.

We did have over 200 photos on our CD (many of them very similar photos), prepurchased for $99. For that trip, it was well worth it to us for the CD because we had less than a dozen photos of us over a 25 year marriage!

[My2Girls66]

I have also bought a few so I could have at least a photo or 2 with myself in it. They are expensive compared to my own photos but worth it to me. I have one of my 2 kids and I in front of the Tree of Life and another of myself, my kids, my parents, my niece and nephew on Main St:goodvibes that I wouldn't have ordinarily have gotten myself, as I am also the family photographer and rarely in any pictures. On more than 1 occasion I have been asked if I was sure I was even on the trip!

[PhotoQueen]

I Pre-purchased the CD For My Trip 2 weeks ago. Since I prepurchsed it we Stalked Photopass Photographers and wound up with 298 Photos for the CD. For me it's Great Because I'm a Crazy Scrapbooker and wind up cutting the photos wrong the first time, I can just reprint them with the CD. It's also pretty nice to acctually be in some of the Vacation Photos :rotfl2: I'll also be able to cheap out and use one of them on my Christmas card this year with out having to Purchse through Photopass.

[PrincessInOz]

I've pre-purchased a CD at $99 as well for my trip in May. We came back and by the time we were done with edits, there was well over 500 pictures on the CD. I found it beneficial because we now have so many pictures of the entire family during that vacation; rather than having one member of the family out of the picture being the photographer.

One of the side benefits I found about using the Photopass Photographer was that SOME of them VOLUNTEERED to take photos from my camera after they had taken their shots. I rarely asked a PP to take a shot from my camera and only handed it over when they initiated the discussion. So, in my cases, I had a very similar shot in my collection to that taken by them.

[MarkBarbieri]

Think Tank (http://www.thinktankphoto.com/) has introduced an interesting new line of sling bags - Sling-O-Matic 20 (http://www.disboards.com/Sling-O-Matic%2020). I haven't personally used any Think Tank bags or gear, but I know several people that have and they all love it. I was always interested in the Lowepro sling bags, but none seemed large enough. The Sling-O-Matic 30 might be just the ticket. One of you should buy it and tell me how you like it. ;)

[wkrider]

I need to carry two bodies, 4-5 lenses, hot shoe flash, laptop, plus the usual accessories.

What do you use?

I am looking at this one....

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/614823-REG/Naneu_Pro_217FGR.html

opinions?

[MarkBarbieri]

If it weren't for the laptop requirement, I'd have several suggestions. With that, the only ones I'm familiar with that are well liked are the Think Tank models like this one (http://www.thinktankphoto.com/products/streetwalker-harddrive-backpack.aspx). While I don't own any of their bags, I have friends that do and they love the stuff.

[wkrider]

If it weren't for the laptop requirement, I'd have several suggestions. With that, the only ones I'm familiar with that are well liked are the Think Tank models like this one (http://www.thinktankphoto.com/products/streetwalker-harddrive-backpack.aspx). While I don't own any of their bags, I have friends that do and they love the stuff.


Thanks for the link Mark...another one to think about.

[AlbertZeroK]

I have the biggest loewpro stealth reporter. I like it, except I've out grown it and I don't know it will keep all your lenses.

Personally, I like Petrol Bags, especially the PCAB3R which is my goto onsite bag, but they are EXPENSIVE and are BIG!!! They have smaller bags too. Now petrol makes some of the best video camera bags and they are not photography but rather video-ography bags, but I LOVE mine!

[littlekidagain]

I don't know if you like shoulder bags but check out Lowepro Magnum.
I have the 200 and it comes in a 400 and 650. The 650 is made to hold a laptop.

[MICKEY88]

I highly recommend the NAneu pro u220 it will hold more and also has wheels, when hauling that much gear a rolling bag is a great thing to have,

I can verify naneu pros lifetime warranty and customer service, I had an older model naneu pro bag, one of the wheels broke, I contacted them to see if they could replace the wheel or if it was something I could do my self, they reminded me of the lifetime warranty, and told me all I had to do was send the bag to them and they would send me a new one,, then they realized the model I had was discontinued so they asked for my phone number, called me and explained they had a newer model and asked if that would be Ok, they sent me pictures of the new and much improved bag, { because it wasn't even listed on their web page yet, I have the first one available to the public}so I sent my bag and in a few days I had the new bag in my possession.

It is awesome, the wheels are now inline skate.skateboard wheels and from the looks of it could easily be changed if needed..

B& h has photos or www.naneupro.com

or I have a series of photos of my bag and gear located here..

http://public.fotki.com/Mickey88/disboards-2/disboards/dscn0111.html

[zackiedawg]

If interested in a backpack style bag, take a look at some of the Kata bags. I've got the R102 which can handle all the camera equipment (1 body, 7 lenses, flash, all accessories and chargers, etc) plus my netbook...the R103 version is a wee bit larger as it adds the laptop section with the same interior volume for camera equipment (I just wedge my little netbook right on top of the camera dividers - probably wouldn't want to do that with a laptop). Incredibly well armored and protective of all inside.

[wkrider]

Thanks for all the suggestions. I think I am going to go with the Naneu Pro 217F. Seem like it will carry all my gear and has multiple configurations. Plus I like the lifetime warranty as attested to by MICKEY88. Thanks all.:thumbsup2

[MICKEY88]

Thanks for all the suggestions. I think I am going to go with the Naneu Pro 217F. Seem like it will carry all my gear and has multiple configurations. Plus I like the lifetime warranty as attested to by MICKEY88. Thanks all.:thumbsup2

reading the specs on that bag, they only mention one body and several lenses..

[giantstu]

http://products.lowepro.com/product/Vertex-300-AW,2074,16.htm

I use the Vertex 300, i can get all my lenses including a 300 2.8 and a couple of bodies and a 17" laptop.

The lifetime warranty is also excellent, the stitching went on one of the straps so the bag was replaced .

[wkrider]

reading the specs on that bag, they only mention one body and several lenses..

This shows how an extra body can be carried.

http://www.naturescapes.net/store/images/D/sahara-217f-equipped-2.jpg

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/images/multiple_images/item_images/IMG_178328.jpg

[wkrider]

http://products.lowepro.com/product/Vertex-300-AW,2074,16.htm

I use the Vertex 300, i can get all my lenses including a 300 2.8 and a couple of bodies and a 17" laptop.

The lifetime warranty is also excellent, the stitching went on one of the straps so the bag was replaced .

EEwww....I like that one too. I currently have a lowpro so I know i like there stuff...thanks for the link.

[crz4mm2]

I bought a LowePro Runner 200. It is a great bag and can hold my "other" stuff (wallet, keys etc).
I carried it last weekend quite a bit and it is very comfortable.

[Shutterbug]

The 7MDH fits the 70-200 f4 mounted w/o any issues. The Crumpler 7MDH is now my daily bag while my Fastpack 300 is my travel bag now.

OP, here finally getting back to this thread. I still havent found a daily bag yet.

I had looked at the 7MDH and liked though I read in several places is that the 7MDH would not even properly fit an F4 70-200 mounted. It would go in but you couldnt properly close it. Though you say it will?

I also looked at the Tamrac Velocity X9. It will hold a mounted 70-200.
I just dont like how it looks though, too much like a round hump.

[littlekidagain]

Take a look a the Lowepro Magnum 200 AW Shoulder Bag. I have this bag and love it. I can put my Pentax K10D w/grip and Sigma 70-200 f/2.8 mounted. I also have 4 other lenses, flash and eveything I need to carry.It also has tripod straps on top. The shoulder strap is very comforable.I have nothing bad to say about thing bag.

[cheesekate2005]

If anyone can help me I would be thrilled! The last time I ordered a photopass cd, I ordered my 4x6 prints from walmart. Almost all of the ones I ordered the borders I added cut off. Does anyone know a good place to order the prints from where this won't happen? Thanks!

[ssanders79]

If anyone can help me I would be thrilled! The last time I ordered a photopass cd, I ordered my 4x6 prints from walmart. Almost all of the ones I ordered the borders I added cut off. Does anyone know a good place to order the prints from where this won't happen? Thanks!


When ordering a prints online check the crop preview avaliable on most printing websites. You should be able to override the website defaults which most time will leave you with some sort of white border to correct for a different aspect ratio.

[Snappy in OK]

I agree with PP, check the image preview before submitting the order. If they have the digital sizes available, selecting that size (4 x 5.3) should take care of the borders being cut off.

I ordered mine online, and they had a special on the regular 4 x 6 prints that did not apply to the digital size. There was an option available that printed the picture in the digital size on the 4 x 6 picture and left a white border at the top & bottom, and it didn't cut off any of the image. I just cut off the white at the top & bottom and the pictures looked great. And I got to save the difference on the 4 x 6 size.

Good luck!

[suemom2kay]

I use a rapid strap only. I only keep one 18-55 f/2.8 lens on my camera in the parks which works well for amusement park photos. DH carries a small backpack and we keep ziplocs in it for water rides and a few other non-photog essentials. I keep it light in the heat. If I were going a cooler time of the year, I might bring more gear, but I doubt it.

[saturndb]

I have found on our many trips to Disney, it does not matter which camera bag I use. As long as it holds all my stuff and my wife carries it. I always say "behind every great photographer, there is a great assistant"

[poplover777]

I use my lowpro flipside 300 for on the airplane and pack a small shoulder bag just big enough for an extra lens and my flash. I have taken the lowpro to the parks and rented a locker. As you park hop you can locker hop also on the same day.

[MarkBarbieri]

I usually don't carry a bag. I usually keep my camera and one lens on a strap. I wear a belt system (LowePro S&F, wish I had the Think Tank version instead) and carry an extra lens in that. I also stash a few other odds and ends in my wife's purse. When I bring a flash, I just keep that on the camera.

[littlekidagain]

Well I guess since I stated this post I should due an update. I have sold my Kata bag. It was a great bag but I realized that I like shoulder bags more than backpacks. I have bought a Lowepro Magnum 200 aw to hold all my gear. I also bought a Crumpler 6 Million Dollar Home. So far I am very happy with both bags.

[MOmousefan]

This bag was custom made for me. They presented it to me upon leaving our local establishment. It has many advantages:
- at bag check security can see through it eliminating the need to open it.
- it conforms to odd shapes.
- you can carry it, thread the handles through your belt, or tie it around your neck.
- it's design rocks!


http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a146/mtsanders/IMG_2825600x400.jpg
Seriously, I need a travel bag and you guys have given me many ideas.
Thanks!

[zetachi]

ROFL:lmao::lmao::lmao: Love it

This bag was custom made for me. They presented it to me upon leaving our local establishment. It has many advantages:
- at bag check security can see through it eliminating the need to open it.
- it conforms to odd shapes.
- you can carry it, thread the handles through your belt, or tie it around your neck.
- it's design rocks!


http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a146/mtsanders/IMG_2825600x400.jpg
Seriously, I need a travel bag and you guys have given me many ideas.
Thanks!

[laliwalden]

Hi!! I am researching a camera bag and was hoping you experts could help me!!

I am getting a DSLR next month, just in time for our December trip!! I will need a bag. It needs to function as a camera bag and a regular bag as it will be the only bag I carry. I am hoping to get one that is not too terribly bulky but one that I can house other items. (wipes, wallet, p&s camera, etc) Also, I don't want an ugly camera bag!! ;)

I think I have it narrowed down to these 4, any thoughts? Or another bag you would recommend?

1. http://www.etsy.com/listing/58499091/pre-order-leather-pro-camera-bag-dslr?ref=sr_gallery_33&ga_search_query=the+dslr+camera+bags&ga_search_type=handmade&ga_page=5&order=&includes%5B0%5D=tags&includes%5B1%5D=title

2. http://www.etsy.com/listing/58118852/custom-cute-digital-slr-hobo-camera-bag?ref=sr_gallery_19&ga_search_query=the+dslr+camera+bags&ga_search_type=handmade&ga_page=4&order=&includes%5B0%5D=tags&includes%5B1%5D=title

3. http://www.etsy.com/listing/57201584/xcessrize-designs-x-camera-bag-dslr3?ref=sr_gallery_1&ga_search_query=the+dslr+camera+bags&ga_search_type=handmade&ga_page=3&order=&includes%5B0%5D=tags&includes%5B1%5D=title

4.http://www.verabradley.com/product/Collection/Frill/Messenger/1001083/defaultColor/Barcelona/pc/640/c/0/sc/717/p/1001083.uts

I am actually leaning towards 2, but wanted to get some feedback from others who have experience carrying bags in the parks before I decided!!

[photo_chick]

If I were spending that kind of cash, and not buying a traditional camera bag, I'd make it myself so that I know it's got the right kind of foam....there is a difference. And you'll see that difference in the foam the first time you set your bag down on cement and break a lens. I'd also want to make sure that the overall design is comfortable for me which is really hard to do when you can't hold it in your hands and try it out.

[ukcatfan]

Those all look uncomfortable for Disney parks use. I suggest a backpack type of bag. It looks like fashion is important to you, but functionality should be the key for Disney. Remember that you are likely going to be wearing it for 10+ hours a day for multiple days. Your call, but you might regret putting looks above comfort around day two or three.

[Snappy in OK]

I have to agree with both PPs. You want something to protect your gear, and that will be comfortable to carry around for the entire stay at WDW. I have had a backpack style bag for several years, and it has protected my gear & is very comfortable. DH will even carry it for me from time to time.

I have the Tamrac Adventure 7. The bottom section is for camera gear, and the top section holds the other stuff we took each day for us, DD3 & DS5.

Good luck!

[ssanders79]

I use the Tamrac Adventure 9. It offers a great deal of space for the family stuff along with ample rool for my gear. I use the laptop compartment to store my rain gear.

[laliwalden]

I will not be making my own bag. LOL, I don't have the time and am in no way that crafty!!

Is it the messenger style that you all dont care for?

I really don't like the backpack style at all.

Sooo, I am not really sure what to do.

[alexi120]

When I was looking for a "fashionable" bag, I went to Etsy as well. I liked the prints and design the seller of bag #2 offered, but I was worried something could easily spill into the bag. I ended up with a Jill-E leather bag that I love.

http://i1217.photobucket.com/albums/dd389/alexi120/651116.jpg

Either way, neither of them are convenient for carrying gear around a park all day. I would highly reccommend a backpack.

[gokenin]

I am one of those weird people that only carry a few lens at a time so I use a holster style bag but you may want to look at the crumpler line of camera bags if you are not intrested in a backpack style bag

http://www.crumpler.com/us/Camera-Bags/Camera-Bags.html?LanguageCode=EN

[wahmtexas]

Okay I just spent 30 min and still cannot figure out how to get the 15 days extension for my photopass pictures...
Can someone please let me know where on the site this is???
Thanks so much!

[MarkBarbieri]

I just ordered a strange new toy. I ordered an audio fader (http://www.behringer.com/EN/Products/BCF2000.aspx) to use with Lightroom. While I love Lightroom, I've been frustrated for years with the slider panel. I often wondered if I could rig up something better using a dedicated hardware device for controlling the settings. I final started to research ideas and found that someone had already solved my problem.

There is a software package called PADDY for Lightroom (http://sites.google.com/site/dorfl68/) that lets you assign keys to sliders in lightroom. Even better, they've worked out integration with MIDI controllers. So, in theory, I can hook up the device pictured below and use the sliders and knobs to adjust settings in Lightroom.

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/images/images345x345/497327.jpg

Here is a YouTube video (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JQXXQbRlU4I&feature=player_embedded)showing the process in action.

I'll let you know how it works when I get it all hooked up this weekend. The software is free and the mixer is available at B&H (http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/497327-REG/Behringer_BCF2000_WH_B_CONTROL_FADER_BCF2000.html) for $160. I watched them on eBay for a while, but they all seemed to be selling for $120 or so there.

[annnewjerz]

This looks awesome.

I just ordered LR3 and have been using it with a wireless mouse and hate the fact that the signal is weak sometimes, causing the sliders to jump around when I move them. I would love to have something with dedicated sliders to use for making adjustments. Definitely looking forward to hearing a review...maybe this will be something I add to my Christmas list. :)

[go cowboys]

Why can't we have access to those pics forever? We missed our deadline and now they are gone...:confused3

[saturndb]

Space..... Disney takes alot of pictures and the cost to store them would not be cost effective. Also overtime I am sure the likely hood of someone buying goes down....

[KAT4DISNEY]

Did you try calling just to see if they might still be retrieved? I've read of that being able to be done a couple of times when other's missed the deadline.

[AlbertZeroK]

I just ordered a strange new toy. I ordered an audio fader (http://www.behringer.com/EN/Products/BCF2000.aspx) to use with Lightroom. While I love Lightroom, I've been frustrated for years with the slider panel. I often wondered if I could rig up something better using a dedicated hardware device for controlling the settings. I final started to research ideas and found that someone had already solved my problem.

There is a software package called PADDY for Lightroom (http://sites.google.com/site/dorfl68/) that lets you assign keys to sliders in lightroom. Even better, they've worked out integration with MIDI controllers. So, in theory, I can hook up the device pictured below and use the sliders and knobs to adjust settings in Lightroom.

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/images/images345x345/497327.jpg

Here is a YouTube video (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JQXXQbRlU4I&feature=player_embedded)showing the process in action.

I'll let you know how it works when I get it all hooked up this weekend. The software is free and the mixer is available at B&H (http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/497327-REG/Behringer_BCF2000_WH_B_CONTROL_FADER_BCF2000.html) for $160. I watched them on eBay for a while, but they all seemed to be selling for $120 or so there.

This will the BEST money I've ever spent. I've already ordered one! AMAZING and will do so much for productivity.

[tink,too]

I've just checked on my account - after logging into the site it's on the "My Albums" page. I have an offer to purchase either a 7 or 15 day extension on the side of the page - but you will need to scroll down a bit to see it.

Hope that helps.

[GrillMouster]

Something like Logitech's NuLOOQ (or other similar products) might also work at a lower price and a smaller footprint. It's essentially a knob you plug into your usb device. Use it to adjust brush/feather size on the fly. I imagine you could also use it to move sliders.

For the sliders I use the "scrubby slider" functions. Rather than trying to click and drag the little slider itself I click the name next to the slider and drag left or right (you'll notice a double-arrow icon when you hover over the name). It gives me finer control of the slider strength.

[MarkBarbieri]

Got it. It was a bit of a pain to get working, but it looks good now. I set up the main row of sliders to do temperature, tint, exposure, recovery, fill light, black level, clarity, and vibrance. So far, it seems pretty cool as a toy. Time will tell whether it is really a productivity aid or just another nerdy plaything.

[AlbertZeroK]

Got mine Friday, setting it up this morning, I was reminded, I have no speakers on this computer as I changed monitors and these new ones have no speakers.

Oh, the you tube video changed location:

http://www.youtube.com/user/PaddyforLightroom#p/a/u/2/BqniCD3CqbE

[jfinke]

Sounds interesting Mark. Will be interested to hear what your thoughts are after you have used it for a while.

I do not process enough to make it worth the investment. I should probably upgrade to LR3 before that.

[MarkBarbieri]

So far, I have mixed feelings. It is pretty cool when it works, but I haven't found the trick to making it work consistently. Every time I start Lightroom I have to spend 15 minutes getting it working again. Even if it was totally stable, I'm not convinced that it will really save me significant time in post processing. Time will tell.

[AlbertZeroK]

So far, I have mixed feelings. It is pretty cool when it works, but I haven't found the trick to making it work consistently. Every time I start Lightroom I have to spend 15 minutes getting it working again. Even if it was totally stable, I'm not convinced that it will really save me significant time in post processing. Time will tell.

specifically, what issues are you seeing? I haven't had time today to set mine up.

[jfinke]

That is too bad. It sounds like a great idea in theory, but if you have to waste 15 mins every time, there goes your efficiency.

[MarkBarbieri]

Every year I get more comfortable with adjusting the tone sliders in Lightroom. Here is my current take on them and how I like to use them:

1) Exposure - I think of this as the maximum brightness level setter. I increase it until the brightest stuff in the picture is as bright as I want it. Usually, that is right on the edge of blowing out. If the picture doesn't have anything that ought to be really bright, sometimes I don't go that far with it. The main thing is that I focus on how bright the bright stuff is when I adjust this.

2) Recovery - If I had to make some things blow out (too bright) in order to get the picture to look right with the exposure setting, I bring them back with the recovery slider. This is often useful for bringing detail back in snow or clouds or other really white stuff.

3) Blacks - I usually do this before fill light, so I'm listing them out of order. I usually drag this until just before the blacks start to clip. The exception is when I don't have anything that I want to be too dark.

4) Fill light - If, after adjusting my blacks, I have areas that look too dark or too shadowed, I'll give it a dose of fill light. It sounds stupid to up my blacks levels and then fill them back in, but it really does look better.

5) Brightness - This control mostly leaves the extremes alone and adjusts the middle tones of the picture. So if the picture looks too bright or too dark after I've set my exposure and black levels, I come here to correct that. My goal is to use the exposure and black levels controls to stretch the dynamic range as much as possible and then use this to correct general appearance of the picture.

6) Contrast - I don't use this too often. I'm more likely to go into the Tone Curve control if I need to mess with contrast.

That's my current way of thinking. It's not "right". It's the way I do things.

[wenrob]

Well if it's not right then I'm doing it wrong too. I do almost exactly what you do except I do blacks last.

[photo_chick]

I slide the desaturation slider down first because I can see the tonal values better in black and white. Then I follow a similar path, ending by moving down to the curves to adjust before I bring the color back and move on to it.

[spinetnglr]

Mark ... I thought you were looking over my shoulder when you typed that. Its almost exactly what I do to photos right after my initial crop and composition adjustment if there is any needed.

[mabas9395]

I like to hold down my "Alt" button as I adjust my Exposure slider. It sets the screen completely black, then as you increase the exposure the areas that are blown out will turn white. That lets me increase the exposure as far as I can before I have blown highlights. Then I use the Recovery and Brightness to fine tune my exposure to get it where I want it.

[Raindown]

Absolute most practical book on Lightroom: The Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 3 book for digital photographers.

Has really saved me a lot of time and jumping to PS. Reading it you fly through the 450+ page book. Amazing.

[ajwomic]

Hi! I have photoshop and currently use picasa for organization. I have thought about Lightroom especially for raw. can you tell me the pros/cons of lightroom and how you use it differently than photoshop. Thanks!
Alicia

[MarkBarbieri]

I would definitely get Lightroom to go with Photoshop. I still remember when I started using Lightroom 1.0. The time it took me to process a batch of pictures dropped by about 70%. Of course, that was before Bridge, so ymmv.

Basically, Lightroom streamlines your workflow. You can apply a present of basic processing at the point you import a picture. Then you can quickly go through a set of pictures flagging which ones you want to keep and applying keywords. Then you can step through picture by picture making adjustments very efficiently. It handles lots of basic functionality like cropping, white balance, tone adjustments, color adjustments, dust removal and spot healing, noise reduction, lens corrections, and capture sharpening. You can also make target adjustments such as gradiant or painted adjustments to exposure, contrast, saturation, and sharpness. The best thing is that all of these adjustments are parametric, which is to say that they are all saved as instructions rather than actual changes to the picture. That means that you can have multiple sets of instructions for one picture processing it in different ways (B&W and color versions, different crops, etc).

In my work, I generally only go into Photoshop for a handful of purposes. I use it when I need something special that I can do as well in Lightroom, like extreme noise reduction or adding or removing elements. I also jump into Photoshop when I really want to work on a picture in gory detail.

In summary, I think Lightroom will give you the following benefits:

1) Better organization than Picasa (except the lack of face recognition)
2) More efficient workflow
3) Parametric editing

It will not completely replace Photoshop.

[photo_chick]

Lightroom and Photoshop compliment each other nicely.

[mrcricket]

Yes! Get Lightroom. It really increases your productivity and makes managing your photos much easier.

[MarkBarbieri]

The easy way to tell is download the 30 day free trial and try it.

[WDWFigment]

I never quite gotten all the hub-bub surrounding Light Room. I downloaded the LR3B2 Beta earlier this year (March?) and while I could see the appeal, for me it didn't offer enough as compared to Bridge to justify buying it.

I guess it's a nice compromise between Bridge and Photoshop, but if you already have PS and Bridge, I don't see it doing much for workflow. At least not based on the way I process.

[ssanders79]

Try the 30 day trial. If you like it find a way to purchase it with student pricing.

If you shoot RAW then LR will be a dream. Yes you can do it all in ACR in PS, but LR brings it together. In LR3 the performance is the biggest feature over past versions.

I really like the new publish feature in LR3 making it easy to upload images to Flickr and other photosharing sites.