Handicap18's 2009 Photo Trip Report (full report done) [Archive] - The DIS Discussion Forums

handicap18

06-21-2009, 07:15 PM

Last week DW and I spent 4 days and 3 nights at the World. Our home base was Port Orleans: Riverside. That is our 2nd time at that hotel and we really love it, especially DW. After all she's gone through over the few years and especially the last 4-6 months this hotel was exactly what she wanted. Its very peaceful and a great place just to walk around and enjoy the moment.

Disney housekeeping stepped up BIG TIME for us. Because of DW's PTSD all her alergies have gotten worse over the last 6 months. Her big alergy is dust mites. The first night she ended up sleeping in a mask and still woke up with her eye's puffy and had trouble breathing. We talked to the housekeeping manager, told him what we needed and what the issues were and they did EVERYTHING we asked. They gave us a new mattress still in the plastic, washed all our sheets seperately, took out the appoulstred chairs and gave us plain plastic chairs, steam cleaned the rug and took the curtain down that was around the bed. The 2nd night DW slept like a dream. It was PERFECT. But then again, thats not really surprising when it comes to Disney and their service.

Even the counter service chefs went out of their way to cook her chicken sperately and make rice pasta.

As for the parks, they were pretty crowded. It was probably the most crowded I've experienced in my now 5 trips. Even with that and the heat I still enjoyed myself.

If you've started reading Mark Barbieri's trip report, I'll agree with him in that the heat definitley cuts down on your willingness to concentrate on taking photos. Seeing as how we didn't have the kids, I still managed to do what I could with the photography part of my trip (which was most of it... :) ). I had hits and misses. I've gotten all the images (1,754) uploaded to the computer and now I need to start going through them. I only used 3 8GB CF cards and 2 of them I didn't fill completely (shooting in RAW on the D300).

Some of the things I did.... (some photography geared, some not).... I did a few things I haven't done before... At EPCOT I saw Honey I Shruk the Audience for the first time (Its got A/C... lol) and saw Off Kilter for the first time. They were a lot of fun. I got cought in Morocco during a WICKED thunderstorm, had to hang out in that little store next to where Mo-Rockin plays. Was there for at least 40 minutes watching it down pour like crazy.

At DHS I went to the Indiana Jones show for the first time since our first trip, did Muphets 3D for the first time and saw Beauty and the Beast (missed it on our last 2 trips). I also walked through the Walt Disney a Man with a Vision attraction (it had A/C!!). Never did that one before. We rode GMR, but that was at the end of the night and I was to tired to take pictures in there, though I did manage I think 2 with the 10-20 (didn't even want to change lenses at that point... lol). RnRC and ToT were both over 60 minute waits the whole day and by the time we got to the park, fast pass wasn't even available.

Magic Kingdome I did in 2 stages. Got there for the rope drop and pre opening show (first time for me on that one) and stayed till about 1:30 before going back to the hotel for a little rest. In the AM I rode BTMR twice and SM once, all back to back to back with little wait. That was cool. Pirates had a 10 minute wait so I did that in that am, though I'm not really pleased with my photos from the ride. Space Mtn was closed for renovation so couldn't do that.

Around 5:30 DW and I went back and I ended up meeting up with Gdad for the rest of the evening. Jeff, it was great meeting you and hanging out for a few hours. Thanks for making the drive in. We did PotC and HM, wandered around with the camera's. Looked for a spot for Spectro and Wishes, but my usual spot was all taken up before 8pm for the 9pm parade. So we made our way in front of the partners statue and hung out for a few hours for the parade and fireworks. After that was some badly needed food at Cosmic Rays, then some night shots around Tomorrowland and around the Castle. We packed it up around midnight. DW had a great time wandering by herself. She did Philharmagic 3 times and did a lot of shopping. She was very happy.

The last day was Animal Kingdom. I wanted to get there for the 8am EMH, but not getting back to the hotel till around 1am that made it difficult especially since I had to get my stuff packed up because it was our last day. I got to the park around 9am and made a b-line for the safari. Not a good showing for the animals as the heat probably kills them more so than me... lol. Walked the forest trial and Mahraja (sp) trail while in between saw FotLK. Didn't want to do to much more as my feet at this point were killing me and there's not as much a/c around AK so after about 4 1/2 hours I headed back to get ready to go home.

Not sure how long it will take to get pictures up and running. I'll do a little each day and post them here.

I had a lot of fun using the Sigma 10-20mm. My 18-135mm probably still isn't as bad as I may have though it was, but I still think I'll be needing to get an f/2.8 standard zoom as my next lens. Luckily this trip there were no camera accidents. Also about a week before the trip I broke down and bought the BlackRapid strap. WOW. Works like a charm. NO issues at all carring the camera around all day in the heat. I like it better than the Op-Tech strap. If the BlackRapid had the neoprane strap like the Op-Tech it would be the absolute most perfect camera strap ever made (IMO).

Anyway, time to wrap up this inital post up so I can get to bed than unfortunately back to work tomorrow.

annnewjerz

06-21-2009, 07:25 PM

Welcome back! Glad to hear that you guys didn't let the heat or crowds get to you. I totally agree that Disney's customer service (IMO) usually can't be beat. It's great that they took your DW's issues into consideration and did their best to accomodate her and make her feel comfortable.

Can't wait to see some pics! :thumbsup2

Todd_H

06-21-2009, 07:33 PM

Also about a week before the trip I broke down and bought the BlackRapid strap. WOW. Works like a charm. NO issues at all carring the camera around all day in the heat. I like it better than the Op-Tech strap. If the BlackRapid had the neoprane strap like the Op-Tech it would be the absolute most perfect camera strap ever made (IMO).

Welcome home, Kyle! I bought the BR strap a couple of months ago and can't wait to take it down to WDW in September.

Can't wait to see some shots!

oogieboogieman

06-21-2009, 07:41 PM

Kyle,

Glad you and the DW had a good time. It sounds like this was the perfect way to relax (you and I know what our type of work can do to the body).

Looking forward to some great pics. I'm also want to hear more about the Black Rapids strap. I watched the video and it gives me stress even with my cheapo camera setup. I couldn't imagine that with your D300.

Jody

KCmike

06-21-2009, 08:05 PM

Looking forward to your report.

Gdad

06-21-2009, 08:11 PM

Around 5:30 DW and I went back and I ended up meeting up with Gdad for the rest of the evening. Jeff, it was great meeting you and hanging out for a few hours. Thanks for making the drive in. We did PotC and HM, wandered around with the camera's. Looked for a spot for Spectro and Wishes, but my usual spot was all taken up before 8pm for the 9pm parade. So we made our way in front of the partners statue and hung out for a few hours for the parade and fireworks. After that was some badly needed food at Cosmic Rays, then some night shots around Tomorrowland and around the Castle. We packed it up around midnight.

Kyle- Great meeting you guys as well. As has been said it was way hot and way crowded even past midnight. (Reminded me why I usually avoid the place in the summer months. ;) ) But I had an excellent time. Looking forward to seeing some pictures.

kaffinito

06-21-2009, 08:49 PM

Glad you and your DW had a good trip - looking forward to the pics! :goodvibes

spinetnglr

06-21-2009, 09:34 PM

Great to hear you both enjoyed yourselves with some much needed and deserved down time ... no better place on earth to get it than the world. Can't wait to see what you did with the D300 while you were there. I am taking mine to Florida the end of the week but not to WDW. Heading down to Sanibel Island with some friends for a few days and am looking forward to giving my D300 a good workout.

MarkBarbieri

06-22-2009, 05:53 AM

Quicklabs

06-22-2009, 07:17 AM

Welcome back! And thanks for the trip report. Looking forward to seeing the pictures!

Pea-n-Me

06-22-2009, 11:21 AM

jann1033

06-22-2009, 11:31 AM

Glad to hear you and your wife had a good time. Glad the staff at POR came through for you, too. :thumbsup2 Looking forward to seeing your pictures.

PS my neighbors are leaving tomorrow for their first trip w/kids EVER. I'm worried about the heat and crowds for them after reading these "veteran" reports, but I'm sure they'll have a good time anyway.
our first trip ever was in July and even that didn't stop us from going back..course now that we have gone in winter we won't be doing july ever again:rotfl:

handicap18

06-22-2009, 07:12 PM

Glad you had a great trip. Sorry we didn't have a chance to meet. I had planned on sending my wife and kids back to the camp Thursday evening and heading over to Epcot to meet you, but the storms blew away that plan. I couldn't send the family back to the camp to face unknown storm issues without me.

Completely understandable. That storm was wicked. I haven't seen rain and wind combined like that in a long time.

I'm in the process of converting day 1 photos. I have about half done, but haven't uploaded any to smugmug yet. I'll hopefully get that done tomorrow. Then on Wednesday I'll have some time to get a day 2 and hopefully day 3 done.

My feet are feeling much better, but I'm still going to get myself fitted for a real good pair of sneakers. I've had this happen to may times to ignore it any further.

Groucho

06-22-2009, 11:36 PM

At EPCOT I saw Honey I Shruk the Audience for the first time
I think you meant that you saw it for the last time, too. :lmao: It's no Muppetvision.

Glad to hear that you had a pretty good trip. It's been so long since I've been in the summer that I can't even imagine. Our trip last April was already plenty hot and crowded for our tastes! Very little rain in April, too - I would have enjoyed more, I like excuses to shoot in the rain.

Glad to hear that you liked the BR strap, too. I almost picked one up before the last trip... maybe it'll have to be on the list for the next one!

Evad

06-23-2009, 06:00 AM

Welcome back Kyle!! Nice to hear that most things went well for you and your dw. Good to see mousekeeping came through for ya. Gotta love Disney!! Can't wait for the pics..... :thumbsup2

handicap18

06-23-2009, 06:39 PM

Ok, here we go... Day 1... Disney's Hollywood Studios.

After getting up super early for a 710am flight out of Manchester, NH we arrived in MCO about 10:15. Magical Express got us to the Port Orleans: Riverside Hotel before noon and luckily for us our room was ready! YAY. I unloaded my camera gear and took only what I thought I needed.... 18-135mm, 70-300mm and 10-20mm. I also brought the Sigma 30mm f/1.4, but didn't end up using it.

I went on to the park and DW stayed back and ended up taking a nap. She later met me for the 5:15 Beauty and the Beast show.

Arriving at the park at about 1:15pm certainly doesn't make for even close to good lighting for photos especially when it was so hazy hot and humid. I wandered around the park for a bit making my way to the Streets of America, then back up past Star Tours (and the Jedi Academy) before hitting the 2pm Indiana Jones show. After that I spent some time watching the street performers and the new Block Party Bash parade. After seeing the 90 minute Toy Story Mania wait time, I decided to take a break from the heat and check out Walt Disney: One Man's Dream attraction. I LOVE a/c!!!! I wandered around a little more in the heat (RnRC was a 90 minute wait too and no fass pass available). I then met up with DW for Beauty and The Beast. We then got some food and found more air conditioning in Muppets 3D. DW wanted to shop for a bit so I went hunting for more photo ops, but was starting to tire out. After meeting up we did GMV. That was a 40 minute wait and since it was getting late I didn't even bother switching lenses to take pics on that ride. The heat and being up early was getting to me. After the ride I got my gorillapod from the locker and took a few night shots before calling it quits for the night. I slept well that night, let me tell you... lol

Here are some highlight pics from Day 1

had to get a shot with new park name:
http://handicap18.smugmug.com/photos/572194179_whTE5-L.jpg

Jedi Academy:
http://handicap18.smugmug.com/photos/572195018_FdGLh-L.jpg

Indiana Jones.... It had been 8 years since the last time I saw this. I would have liked to get a seat on the other side of the theater... oh well:
http://handicap18.smugmug.com/photos/572196596_WMpgQ-L.jpg

http://handicap18.smugmug.com/photos/572198256_6fbsk-L.jpg

http://www.kylegendron.com/photos/572199193_7pGPF-L.jpg

Here are some of the street performers and the Block Party:
http://handicap18.smugmug.com/photos/572200008_45QTf-L.jpg

http://handicap18.smugmug.com/photos/572200744_e3AWR-L.jpg

http://handicap18.smugmug.com/photos/572201534_GK85f-L.jpg

http://handicap18.smugmug.com/photos/572205859_MxAdc-L.jpg

http://handicap18.smugmug.com/photos/572206231_fnJL5-L.jpg

handicap18

06-23-2009, 06:48 PM

Didn't want to put to many images in one post....

Here are a few playing around with the Sigma 10-20mm:
http://handicap18.smugmug.com/photos/572209343_V9JZD-L.jpg

http://handicap18.smugmug.com/photos/572209787_gQFM8-L.jpg

blown out crappy sky,,, but I took this from the top step under the hat at 10mm:
http://handicap18.smugmug.com/photos/572210171_RoUGA-L.jpg

http://handicap18.smugmug.com/photos/572211260_Q6KLn-L.jpg

A few more street performers and Beauty and the Beast:

This group was hysterical!
http://handicap18.smugmug.com/photos/572211724_wHqyd-L.jpg

I would have liked a faster lens to get more seperation between the performers and the audience behind them... oh well maybe next trip.
http://handicap18.smugmug.com/photos/572212262_bf4Ar-L.jpg

http://handicap18.smugmug.com/photos/572213794_6AmpM-L.jpg

http://handicap18.smugmug.com/photos/572215258_526me-L.jpg

http://handicap18.smugmug.com/photos/572217648_ESPYz-L.jpg

http://handicap18.smugmug.com/photos/572218095_RGYGW-L.jpg

annnewjerz

06-23-2009, 06:49 PM

Sounds like a busy day!

Love the shots of the parade, especially that of the second street performer. I've never seen this guy, I'll have to keep an eye out for him in December.

Edited to add: Just saw the second set of pictures after I posted. Really like the first wide angle shot of the hat and the front of the boat at (I believe) the Dockside Diner. :thumbsup2

handicap18

06-23-2009, 06:55 PM

and I'll finish the rest of the day at DHS....

a few more with the 10-20mm:

http://handicap18.smugmug.com/photos/572224867_HRYWU-L.jpg

http://handicap18.smugmug.com/photos/572226474_DBS3M-L.jpg

2 shots I took on GMR... both with the 10-20mm...
in the lobby:
http://handicap18.smugmug.com/photos/572227850_JrpeF-L.jpg

and on the ride at 20mm:
http://handicap18.smugmug.com/photos/572227837_hvAZw-L.jpg

and of course the night shots.... I was limited as to where I could take the pics from because I only had my gorillapod, so I had to set up on top of a trash can:
I kind of rushed this one:
http://handicap18.smugmug.com/photos/572228288_mVDb2-L.jpg

I see I need to fix the horizion on this one:
http://handicap18.smugmug.com/photos/572228994_i3RmK-L.jpg

Quicklabs

06-23-2009, 07:06 PM

Great work, Kyle. Especially with that Siggy 10-20. Never thought of trying to use it on the GMR. What an interesting shot in the lobby! Thanks for sharing.

Merrywheather

06-23-2009, 07:19 PM

I'm enjoying your report! I really like what you did with the 10-20mm. I rented the Canon version for my trip, but I just couldn't get in the groove with it! The hat and the GMR lobby are my favorites - but they are all great. Waiting patiently for Day 2....popcorn::

Evad

06-23-2009, 08:36 PM

Very nice Kyle!! Great work so far, please keep them coming. :thumbsup2

Gdad

06-24-2009, 05:12 AM

Very nice- love these 10-20mm shots. :thumbsup2

handicap18

06-24-2009, 02:32 PM

On to day 2... EPCOT.

Knowing that there was going to be evening EMH we slept in late and took out time getting up in the morning. It was nice to be a little lazy. The only problem with this is that I lost out on some decent morning light.

We got to the park early afternoon and once again the temps were wicked. We didn't have a game plan so we went to see what Soarin was like... 105 minutes and no fast pass available. So we went to Honey I shrunk the Audience for the a/c. We ended up spending the majority of our time after this in World Showcase. Cought some street performers, Off-Kilter, Mo-Rockin, Illuminations, got stranded in Morocco for 45 minutes during a bad storm and just plain wandered around.

Nothing to exciting, though I really do enjoy taking night shots around the World Showcase and thats what I pretty much concentrated on...

Here are some pics of the days events:

The only decent Monorail shot I got. I had thoughts various shots with the monorail around the park, but there was little in the way of colorful flowers, it was a bad time of day and it was hot.
http://handicap18.smugmug.com/photos/572389523_xsCeK-L.jpg

These guys were pretty funny in the UK pavilion:
http://handicap18.smugmug.com/photos/572390646_cnJVu-L.jpg

This guy was haning out by a cart in Canada:
http://handicap18.smugmug.com/photos/572391864_ER6TN-L.jpg

First time seeing Off-Kilter. We'll be sure to catch them on future trips. They're very good and we enjoy that Celtic Rock style:
http://handicap18.smugmug.com/photos/572392651_oteRi-L.jpg

http://handicap18.smugmug.com/photos/572392921_at4eB-L.jpg

http://handicap18.smugmug.com/photos/572393467_xQD2b-L.jpg

Then the storm started brewin:
http://handicap18.smugmug.com/photos/572394542_jvdgK-L.jpg

and the sky started pourin:
http://handicap18.smugmug.com/photos/572395457_W6HD9-L.jpg

Inside Mexico with the 10-20mm at 13mm:
http://handicap18.smugmug.com/photos/572398354_dS4fQ-L.jpg

The China Pavilion store is quite large and has a/c... :)
http://handicap18.smugmug.com/photos/572401174_EZBki-L.jpg

Looking up inside that rotunda building in China @ 10mm:
http://handicap18.smugmug.com/photos/572404137_r8GrR-L.jpg

I love it when they notice the camera:
http://handicap18.smugmug.com/photos/572406823_6s3NH-L.jpg

continued.....

handicap18

06-24-2009, 02:49 PM

I was surprised I was able to get a good spot in this area for Illuminations. I got there just after 8:30 and it was pratically empty. Many of the other area's around the lagoon were already taken.

I did ok with the fireworks here... my timing wasn't very good.
http://handicap18.smugmug.com/photos/572695946_UC4qn-L.jpg

http://handicap18.smugmug.com/photos/572406966_WRK5c-L.jpg

There also wasn't much wind so it took a long while for the smoke to clear:
http://handicap18.smugmug.com/photos/572696036_RiUeD-L.jpg

The rest of the night I spend wandering around taking night shots at most of the pavillions around World Showcase:
http://handicap18.smugmug.com/photos/572696073_Jmmkj-L.jpg

http://handicap18.smugmug.com/photos/572407525_2Ad5g-L.jpg

http://handicap18.smugmug.com/photos/572407482_2yJSj-L.jpg

Super Wide 10mm:
http://handicap18.smugmug.com/photos/572409209_z6HGV-L.jpg

http://handicap18.smugmug.com/photos/572410091_j6REJ-L.jpg

http://handicap18.smugmug.com/photos/572410220_JYYkA-L.jpg

I had to wait 15 minutes to take this shot. There was one family of about 10 people just hanging out and not moving. There also was a woman who kept walking around and around and around the pool sticking her hand in every 5 or 6 feet. It was very weird. I may have to try and clean up the lens flair under the lights from the pool:
http://handicap18.smugmug.com/photos/572410965_DtEeV-L.jpg

I love this view, but I think maybe a longer exposure might have been needed. This one is 8 seconds. Seems like it still might be a little to dark:
http://handicap18.smugmug.com/photos/572411478_GRbfX-L.jpg

Used the 10-20mm for this one at 13mm. Just at the top of the stairs and lucked out with no foot traffic at 11pm:
http://handicap18.smugmug.com/photos/572412099_eZ9WV-L.jpg

On the way out I took a few more night shots in Future World:
http://handicap18.smugmug.com/photos/572412473_f4Pt3-L.jpg

http://handicap18.smugmug.com/photos/572412807_88EaF-L.jpg

I liked the electric blue trees in this one. 10-20mm at 11.5mm:
http://handicap18.smugmug.com/photos/572413412_XAeVg-L.jpg

Up close and personal at 10mm:
http://handicap18.smugmug.com/photos/572413634_84qSc-L.jpg

Todd_H

06-24-2009, 02:53 PM

and the sky started pourin:
http://handicap18.smugmug.com/photos/572395457_W6HD9-L.jpg

:scared1::scared1::scared1:

Great shots, Kyle! I especially like the shot of the rotunda in China. You don't see many shots that are wide enough to capture the entire thing. Very nicely done.

Todd_H

06-24-2009, 02:58 PM

http://handicap18.smugmug.com/photos/572407482_2yJSj-L.jpg

I liked the electric blue trees in this one. 10-20mm at 11.5mm:
http://handicap18.smugmug.com/photos/572413412_XAeVg-L.jpg

Up close and personal at 10mm:
http://handicap18.smugmug.com/photos/572413634_84qSc-L.jpg

Very nice night shooting. I especially like the composition of these.

YEKCIM

06-24-2009, 03:39 PM

Some really, really nice images, there, Kyle. I particularly like the ultrawide shots - makes me wonder if I made a really big boo-boo when I sold my 10-20mm earlier this year.

Thanks for sharing; glad you had a good trip despite the weather extremes.

~Ed

Gdad

06-24-2009, 03:53 PM

Wow! That is one intense rainstorm!

I love all the night shots- very very nice. How late were you able to hang around after closing to take pictures? Did they eventually come and chase you out? I have stayed there probably 90 minutes after Illuminations ended and no one has ever seemed to care- unlike some of the other parks where they try to herd you out.

oregondaddyof2

06-24-2009, 04:49 PM

Awesome pics!!! This is getting me really excited for my trip coming up in September...

Pea-n-Me

06-24-2009, 07:10 PM

I had to wait 15 minutes to take this shot. There was one family of about 10 people just hanging out and not moving.
Dontcha hate when that happens? :rolleyes1

http://handicap18.smugmug.com/photos/572412807_88EaF-L.jpg

Love this shot! :thumbsup2

oogieboogieman

06-24-2009, 07:29 PM

Kyle,

Outstanding shots!!! :worship: One word, "WOW!" I love the photos with the Sigma 10-20 and the photos of Spaceship Earth. I can't wait for vacation!!!

MarkBarbieri

06-24-2009, 08:21 PM

Great pics. I'm really disappointed that I wasn't able to meet you at Epcot. The only park I did any real night shooting in was the MK and it was packed even at midnight.

handicap18

06-25-2009, 04:13 PM

Thanks for the kind words everyone. :)

Wow! That is one intense rainstorm!

I love all the night shots- very very nice. How late were you able to hang around after closing to take pictures? Did they eventually come and chase you out? I have stayed there probably 90 minutes after Illuminations ended and no one has ever seemed to care- unlike some of the other parks where they try to herd you out.

EPCOT had EMH Evening hours on this night. Park closing was IIRC, 9pm so with EMH it was open till midnight. I eventually left the park a little before midnight.

Great pics. I'm really disappointed that I wasn't able to meet you at Epcot. The only park I did any real night shooting in was the MK and it was packed even at midnight.

I'm sorry we couldn't meet up as well, but you certainly had your hands full. It was a good night for night shots. I initially hit a lot of people traffic in Mexico, but as I made my way around WS it was much less crowded.

handicap18

06-25-2009, 04:38 PM

On to part 1 of day 3..... The Magic Kingdom:

On my previous 4 trips I've never made it to a rope drop at MK. Even though I didn't get back to the hotel till just past midnight the night before I got myself up early to catch the bus to MK for the 9am opening. I got there with plenty of time and it was already getting hot. But I figured I go in early for about 3-4 hours, then head back to the hotel for a nap before meeting up with Jeff for 6pm. Things worked out as planned.

Even with the intial crowd rush it wasn't bad at all. I took advantage of some decent light for a change and took few shots of Main St and the hub, then headed over to Frontierland and was able to ride BTMR twice with about 10 minute wait each time, then waited for about 20 minutes at Splash Mountain. After that I wandered a bit before the 11:20 Jack Sparrow Pirate Turotial (which I enjoyed). Afterwards there was only a 10 minute wait for PotC, so I cought some a/c on that ride. Now its getting past high noon and I started to make my way out of the park via Fantasyland and then cought some sort of parade. Kind of a block party. It came up Main St. Stopped at the hub, then many of the characters got off the floats and danced in the streets with kids. I can't find anything about on the official Disney World web site, but it was fun and a good photo op for characters up close and personal. After that I was done. I got a well deserved nap at the hotel.

here are some photo's from part 1 of day 3:

http://handicap18.smugmug.com/photos/573003277_ogGCQ-L.jpg

http://handicap18.smugmug.com/photos/573004273_knpF6-L.jpg

http://handicap18.smugmug.com/photos/573005004_vmwAe-L.jpg

Not the best shot, especially with the pole and that tree, but...
http://handicap18.smugmug.com/photos/573005380_pVqZ7-L.jpg

http://handicap18.smugmug.com/photos/573006823_tuWm7-L.jpg

http://handicap18.smugmug.com/photos/573012035_SrdAa-L.jpg

Ride shot with the 10-20mm
http://handicap18.smugmug.com/photos/573013379_CcokP-L.jpg

http://handicap18.smugmug.com/photos/573017493_NdyuH-L.jpg

Looking for Captain Jack:
http://handicap18.smugmug.com/photos/573018695_89PWK-L.jpg

Cptn Jack liked my camera.... lol
http://handicap18.smugmug.com/photos/573019359_Jivh2-L.jpg

A few decent ones from PotC. I didn't do as well as I would have liked. Some good some bad. These were with the Sigma 30mm f/1.4
http://handicap18.smugmug.com/photos/573020794_fM8XN-L.jpg

http://handicap18.smugmug.com/photos/573021619_tx2m3-L.jpg

http://handicap18.smugmug.com/photos/573022181_VsdoB-L.jpg

And of course, we have people who JUST DON'T LISTEN!!!!
http://handicap18.smugmug.com/photos/573022672_EwFS4-L.jpg

and then the mini parade/street dance:
http://handicap18.smugmug.com/photos/573024094_VtnEn-L.jpg

http://handicap18.smugmug.com/photos/573026644_JwaLj-L.jpg

http://handicap18.smugmug.com/photos/573026952_4S3Xq-L.jpg

http://handicap18.smugmug.com/photos/573027746_HEq96-L.jpg

I'll have another post with shots of part 2 of day 3 a little later on.

oregondaddyof2

06-25-2009, 06:22 PM

http://handicap18.smugmug.com/photos/573005380_pVqZ7-L.jpg

At least the park wasn't very busy! Tons of room to walk around! :lmao::lmao::rotfl2::rotfl2::rotfl::rotfl:

http://handicap18.smugmug.com/photos/573019359_Jivh2-L.jpg

This is amazing... I am going to try to get the CM's attention more when I take pics... I try to get candid shots, but this is awesome!!

handicap18

06-26-2009, 03:43 PM

.....

after a nice nap I got my 2nd wind. DW and I headed back to MK and got in around 5:30. Shortly after that Jeff (Gdad) called me from Main St. After figuring out what to do with my tripod we headed around the park for some photographing. FYI, the lockers at MK are not big at all. My tripod wouldn't fit. About an inch and a half to long. I'll measure it later for future reference.

We hit PotC (I did a little better this time), roamed around Fantasyland, road HM, then headed back down Main St to get Jeff's tripod in the locker (his fit.... grrrr hehe). We scouted out a few spots around Main St and the hub for a spot to set up for Wishes. It was VERY crowded. My usual spot near Casey's Corner was jammed packed before 8pm for the 9pm Spectro and 10pm Wishes. We finally settled in the hub just in front of the partners statue near the Dumbo statue. It was VERY crowded, but we were able to make enough room for ourselves and our tripods. We were to far away to get some good shots of Spectro, especially with the 30mm f/1.4. So instead I just used my 18-135mm and did what I could and things turned out not to bad.

After Wishes we got a bite to eat at Cosmic Rays (oh man do bacon double cheesburgers taste real good when your starving at 11:00 at night!! LOL). Tomorrowland was our next hit. Since Space Mountain was closed it was pretty easy to get some shots around that area with no crowds. We then headed back to the hub for some wide angle Castle shots and a few others around that area. It was still really hot and somewhat croweded. After about 6 hours of high heat Jeff and I said goodnight. It was a lot of fun hanging out, talking photography, family and other stuff. I had a great time despite the high heat. Its a lot of fun hanging with another photog and seeing how they do things. Jeff, thanks for taking the time to head in.

I'm definitely a fan of night photography. I didn't have my big tripod, but it was a decent sized box store $30-40 type. It did the job, though I do have to get some sort of strap for it if I use it again on any future Disney trips. My 3rd party wired remote shutter once again worked flawlessly.

any way....... pictures...........

a few more from Pirates:
http://handicap18.smugmug.com/photos/573031638_gMgpg-L.jpg

http://handicap18.smugmug.com/photos/573031922_xWGQB-L.jpg

http://handicap18.smugmug.com/photos/573032625_oqqhA-L.jpg

a little reverse photo-cology.... lol
http://handicap18.smugmug.com/photos/573034662_Wn3DF-L.jpg

backside:
http://handicap18.smugmug.com/photos/573035493_LNgS8-L.jpg

Haunted Mansion:

wall detail:
http://handicap18.smugmug.com/photos/573036626_tjxF9-L.jpg

didn't get a lot decent shots, but this one is ok:
http://handicap18.smugmug.com/photos/573036923_JCeAa-L.jpg

Some lamps are pretty cool:
http://handicap18.smugmug.com/photos/573037468_ZTBsu-L-1.jpg

http://handicap18.smugmug.com/photos/573038551_dwuro-L.jpg

8:30pm crowd:
http://handicap18.smugmug.com/photos/573039639_kpa6V-L.jpg

A few castle shots:
http://handicap18.smugmug.com/photos/573041264_dfFDk-L.jpg

http://handicap18.smugmug.com/photos/573042066_ga57B-L.jpg

Suburbanmom

06-26-2009, 04:14 PM

I'm enjoying myself so much. These are great!
I see a few character pics that are going to be impossible to beat in upcoming contests.

handicap18

06-26-2009, 06:32 PM

....

for Spectro I bumped up my ISO to 1600 and set my aperture to the smallest it could go which was f/4.2 based on the focal length I was at with my 18-135mm lens. I put the camera on the tripod and only extended 1 leg basically using it as a monopod and hoped for the best. Not to bad all things considered:

http://handicap18.smugmug.com/photos/573042914_DptoX-L.jpg

http://handicap18.smugmug.com/photos/573043752_2YZaf-L.jpg

http://handicap18.smugmug.com/photos/573044288_MKHSv-L.jpg

Then came Wishes. Only thing I didn't like about this spot is that it is to close and I missed a bunch of the smaller fireworks that go off directly behind the castle and not to high... for these shots I used the Sigma 10-20 because of how close we were....

http://handicap18.smugmug.com/photos/573044695_odCaB-L.jpg

This one I cropped it down
http://handicap18.smugmug.com/photos/573044647_vJEt6-L.jpg

http://handicap18.smugmug.com/photos/573045082_988sV-L.jpg

Then it was off to Tomorrowland:
more with the 10-20mm lens
http://handicap18.smugmug.com/photos/573045576_E4B3v-L.jpg

http://handicap18.smugmug.com/photos/573046341_MdRN6-L.jpg

Up close and personal with the Castle and the 10-20mm lens:
http://handicap18.smugmug.com/photos/573047307_a4HGJ-L.jpg

It was still really crowded at 11:45pm (EMH hours had the park open till 3am):
http://handicap18.smugmug.com/photos/573047361_VXuH3-L.jpg

a little experiment with rear curtain sync flash and a 6 second exposure. IIRC I dialed down the flash to -3:
http://handicap18.smugmug.com/photos/573048964_ifMam-L.jpg

http://handicap18.smugmug.com/photos/573048089_xQMDv-L.jpg

and one last shot before leaving the park:
http://handicap18.smugmug.com/photos/573049309_xQKUc-L.jpg

After that I was definitely wiped out... I'm guessing it was still in the low 90's at 12:30am when I left. This was definitely a very hot day, but it was also fun. I love being at The Magic Kingdom.

Todd_H

06-27-2009, 05:41 AM

http://handicap18.smugmug.com/photos/573020794_fM8XN-L.jpg

Great minds think alike. We composed this one almost exactly the same.
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3594/3625025134_a5d8b6091a.jpg

Todd_H

06-27-2009, 05:45 AM

....
a little experiment with rear curtain sync flash and a 6 second exposure. IIRC I dialed down the flash to -3:
http://handicap18.smugmug.com/photos/573048964_ifMam-L.jpg

I would say your experiment worked nicely :thumbsup2. Great night shots!

Quicklabs

06-27-2009, 07:37 AM

Wow Kyle! What a great series of photos. I am so enjoying them! Your work has truly inspired me to get my 10-20 out of the bag more.

Gdad

06-27-2009, 07:38 AM

Excellent series Kyle- I am enjoying your trip report.

And of course, we have people who JUST DON'T LISTEN!!!!
http://handicap18.smugmug.com/photos/573022672_EwFS4-L.jpg

I was not me I swear- or this guy either. ;)

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3664/3644765240_3e04998c9a.jpg?v=0

handicap18

07-01-2009, 02:27 PM

Excellent series Kyle- I am enjoying your trip report.

I was not me I swear- or this guy either. ;)

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3664/3644765240_3e04998c9a.jpg?v=0

Great shot Jeff. I'll have to remember this spot when we do PotC again on our next trip.

handicap18

07-01-2009, 02:47 PM

Ok, time to finish up. Day 4 Animal Kingdom.

I had planned to get up early for the EMH's opening at 8am, but staying out till after midnight the night before kind of put a dent in that thinking.

I didn't spend a lot of time at Animal Kingdom. I got there a little after 9am and was out of the park by 1:30pm. We were scheduled to take Magical Express back to the airport at 3pm so I couldn't stay long to begin with, plus it was still real hot (I overheard 2 guys on the bus talking about the heat and saying that it had gotten to 102ºF the day before, and this day wasn't much different) and on top of that I was tired and my feet were killing me (I've since bought a new pair of sneakers!)

When I got there I made a B line to Kilimanjaro. Only a 20 minute wait, kewl. Animal sighting wasn't to good so I didn't get a lot of good pics (3rd trip in a row I haven't had a real good ride, I guess I need to get down there more often! :teeth:). After the safari I walked through Pangani Forest then went to Festival of the Lion King. After that I wandered a bit towards Maharaja Jungle Trek and called it quits after that. All in all I didn't get a whole lot of pictures. It was nice to see FotLK again. I hadn't seen it since out 2005 trip.

So without further adooooooooo..........

http://www.kylegendron.com/photos/575950771_xLySi-L.jpg

Used the 70-300mm VR lens on the safari with the VR on active mode:
http://www.kylegendron.com/photos/575951175_YzKdn-L.jpg

http://www.kylegendron.com/photos/575951584_KBHcY-L.jpg

Got a lot of animals sitting down or with the backs to us.
http://www.kylegendron.com/photos/575952241_v7wFo-L.jpg

http://www.kylegendron.com/photos/575952235_Pv2Pw-L.jpg

Even the gorilla's were hiding in the shade. Not many out at all. I only saw 2. Saw a bunch of branches in the brush moving,,, then this guy finds a quiet spot for some breakfast:
http://www.kylegendron.com/photos/575952655_yEyyV-L.jpg

This bird was moving around a lot. Finally got a decent shot. I like the yellow color
http://www.kylegendron.com/photos/575953028_s3tsQ-L.jpg

Lots of meerkats out, but lighting wasn't very good... oh well.
http://www.kylegendron.com/photos/575953045_Fy8V9-L.jpg

http://www.kylegendron.com/photos/575953462_h6rnV-L.jpg

http://www.kylegendron.com/photos/575953920_MEqTR-L.jpg

I liked the contrast in colors with the building against the deep blue sky on this one...
http://www.kylegendron.com/photos/575954015_o48Qd-L.jpg

continued.....

annnewjerz

07-01-2009, 03:02 PM

a little reverse photo-cology.... lol

http://handicap18.smugmug.com/photos/573034662_Wn3DF-L.jpg

LOVE this one. I saw a similar shot of Jeff's and had peeked at your SmugMug and saw this one. If I can get still enough water, I'll have to try this on our trip! Very cool. :thumbsup2

....

http://handicap18.smugmug.com/photos/573043752_2YZaf-L.jpg

Funnily enough, I really like this perspective on Spectro. It's not a view that you see photographed very often (at least not on these boards) and it just goes to show that even if you don't stake out a spot 3 hours in advance, when WDW hands you lemons, make lemonade!

http://www.kylegendron.com/photos/575953462_h6rnV-L.jpg

Especially like this one. Nice and clear, bright colors and even though it's a very weird looking deer/antelope/whatever---it's kind of cute. :)

Great job, really enjoying all of the photos so far and you're getting me excited about doing a mini photo-TR for our trip in October. I'd like to get some constructive criticism so when we go back in December for our long trip, I can fix whatever I did wrong. :headache:

handicap18

07-01-2009, 03:05 PM

... continued

http://www.kylegendron.com/photos/575954331_s2UHv-L.jpg

http://www.kylegendron.com/photos/575954673_8JmQR-L.jpg

For FotLK I used my Tamron 90mm f/2.8 lens. IIRC, I used ISO 1600 with f/2.8 in aperture priority. I had a decent seat about 4 rows back so I wasn't to far away. White Balance was fun with these...

http://www.kylegendron.com/photos/575955576_WXqb9-L.jpg

http://www.kylegendron.com/photos/575955913_NFt3x-L.jpg

http://www.kylegendron.com/photos/575956193_nFxtF-L.jpg

http://www.kylegendron.com/photos/575956349_jrT2t-L.jpg

I think I'm going to crop this one down a bit:
http://www.kylegendron.com/photos/575956515_SZWDu-L.jpg

I love the tigers, but shooting through glass is not fun, plus they weren't in a good spot to get decent shots...
http://www.kylegendron.com/photos/575957753_vb7gT-L.jpg

http://www.kylegendron.com/photos/575958529_SwUsk-L.jpg

http://www.kylegendron.com/photos/575958759_mAz9r-L.jpg

http://www.kylegendron.com/photos/575959369_SgMgP-L.jpg

On my way out I took a few shots of my favorite birds.... Macaws

Scarlet Macaws:
http://www.kylegendron.com/photos/575959737_hEYkK-L.jpg

http://www.kylegendron.com/photos/575959927_cW3Gk-L.jpg

http://www.kylegendron.com/photos/575960292_VMfRQ-L.jpg

http://www.kylegendron.com/photos/575960592_qAJkS-L.jpg

and Military Macaws:
http://www.kylegendron.com/photos/575960667_yahyX-L.jpg

emmabelle

07-01-2009, 03:11 PM

Awesome shots! :thumbsup2

I'll be there in 23 days, not looking forward to the heat though, since my last visit was in December when it was in the low 70's! ;)

handicap18

07-01-2009, 03:13 PM

LOVE this one. I saw a similar shot of Jeff's and had peeked at your SmugMug and saw this one. If I can get still enough water, I'll have to try this on our trip! Very cool. :thumbsup2

I got this idea from Jeff. We were walking around and walked past this area and I saw him shooting down towards the water and I thought COOL. I like the effect too.

Funnily enough, I really like this perspective on Spectro. It's not a view that you see photographed very often (at least not on these boards) and it just goes to show that even if you don't stake out a spot 3 hours in advance, when WDW hands you lemons, make lemonade!

I was kinda surprised at how good they came out. my shutter speeds were around 1/15th and 1/20th, but because I was so far away I didn't get a lot of excess motion blur.

Especially like this one. Nice and clear, bright colors and even though it's a very weird looking deer/antelope/whatever---it's kind of cute. :)

Great job, really enjoying all of the photos so far and you're getting me excited about doing a mini photo-TR for our trip in October. I'd like to get some constructive criticism so when we go back in December for our long trip, I can fix whatever I did wrong. :headache:

I've gotten some nice clear shots of that animal in the past too. I guess they just photograph well. :lmao:

Thanks for the compliments. :)

Gdad

07-01-2009, 03:18 PM

I was kinda surprised at how good they came out. my shutter speeds were around 1/15th and 1/20th, but because I was so far away I didn't get a lot of excess motion blur.

Very nice. Mine came out kind of blurry...:confused3

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3358/3644763858_a4e776d701.jpg?v=0

annnewjerz

07-01-2009, 03:29 PM

Very nice. Mine came out kind of blurry...:confused3

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3358/3644763858_a4e776d701.jpg?v=0

I'm definitely nowhere near as experienced as you, Jeff---but something tells me that a 26 second exposure is probably just a littttttttle to long to stop the action of the moving parade vehicles :rolleyes1 :rotfl2:

Very neat shot, btw. :thumbsup2 I saw this on your Flickr the other night and had no clue what it was that was lit up and moving through your shot. Thank you for enlightening me. :)

Edited to add: If I was smart, I would have just looked at what you named the shot on your Flickr and answered my own stoopid question. The name "Spectromagic" should have given it away. :rolleyes:

handicap18

07-01-2009, 03:33 PM

Some overall thoughts on this trip. First off it was hot. I know I mentioned it a lot in my posts, but man was it hot. Like I said in one post I heard a few guys talking about it being 102ºF at least one day. I think the minimum temp while we were there was 96º. I love the warm weather, but that was just to much. Especially for someone like me who is warm blooded. I wear shorts to work year round, even when it gets in the single digits. The heat really made it hard to concentrate on getting a lot of good shots. I didn't really want to stand around composing a shot and when I did I was dripping with sweat (yeah I know, not a visual you need... lol). I have a wide foot and apparently its wider than I thought. I normally wear a EE width, but in the heat down there it killed me feet. My feet swelled to much for my shoes and well... ouch. I have since gone to a running store and got fitted. I bought a new pair that are a EEEE width and a 1/2 size bigger than I normall wear and oh man are they comfortable. They also have a lot more support in the arch which I didn't know that I needed. I'm now ready to go back armed with a new pair of real good shoes!! :teeth:

I mostly used my 18-135mm, but got some real good work out of the 10-20mm. I really enjoyed using that lens for a different perspective. I only used the 90mm f/2.8 macro at the FotLK show at AK. I thought about doing some MACRO shots, but never got into the mood to do that at different parks.

I LOVED LOVED LOVED using the Black Rapids strap. Even though it is pricy at $60, I would buy it all over again. It was that good. I had ZERO issues with carring around my D300 with the battery grip and lens attached. It was well worth the $60.

My tripod fit in the large locker at EPCOT, but not in the lockers at MK. My tripod is about 22" long when folded up and it was about 2" to long for the lockers at MK. At DHS I only used the gorillapod and that fit with no problem at the lockers there... lol. Next time for MK I may just bring my travel tripod which when folded up is only 13 1/2". Its not the best in the world, but it does the job.

Overall I think I did ok. One think I realized is that I now want to get much better glass. I'm going to be saving for an f/2.8 series of lenses. Since I don't think I'll ever be able to afford all the Nikon one's I'm going to start with the either the Sigma 18-50mm f/2.8 and 50-150mm f/2.8, or the 24-70mm f/2.8 and hope to one day get the Nikon 70-200mm f/2.8. I'm not sure which way. I like the idea of the 18-150 range in 2 f/2.8 lenses and its quite a bit less $$ for those 2 than for JUST the 70-200mm f/2.8 or about the same price at the 80-200mm f/2.8. The 18-150 range is were most of my pictures fall. I like the way my 70-300mm VR lens handles the sports stuff I'm doing now. Who knows. I have time before I'll be able to get any of these mentioned lenses. I might be able to start at the beginning of next year.

I'm still hoping that our next trip will be in October of 2010. I'd like to do MNSCHP and hopefully it wont be unseasonably hot, AGAIN.

Miller1412

07-01-2009, 04:15 PM

Great Photos! I've been longing for a WDW trip and your photos *almost* give me the fix I need!!

Miller1412

07-01-2009, 04:21 PM

Great Photos! I've been longing for a WDW trip and your photos *almost* give me the fix I need!!

Gdad

07-01-2009, 05:14 PM

I'm definitely nowhere near as experienced as you, Jeff---but something tells me that a 26 second exposure is probably just a littttttttle to long to stop the action of the moving parade vehicles :rolleyes1 :rotfl2:

I have to credit Mark for the idea- he wrote it on here somewhere quite a while back. I think it would be really cool from the train station but I never feel like waiting up there long enough to get a spot.

Groucho

07-01-2009, 09:35 PM

I LOVED LOVED LOVED using the Black Rapids strap. Even though it is pricy at $60, I would buy it all over again. It was that good. I had ZERO issues with carring around my D300 with the battery grip and lens attached. It was well worth the $60.
How is it when you're actually sitting down, on a ride or whatnot? That is the main thing that has kept me from buying one of those yet. (Well, that and being incredibly cheap! :teeth: )

All the talk about heat reminds me on my last CA trip - we landed in Burbank, where you disembark right into the tarmac, and it was, IIRC, about 105-106'. WOW. That was pretty ghastly. Probably not as humid as Florida, though. Fortunately it dropped into the mid-'90s by the time we hit DL (and I don't really it being all that miserable once we were there, so the lower humidity had to have helped.)

I have to credit Mark for the idea- he wrote it on here somewhere quite a while back. I think it would be really cool from the train station but I never feel like waiting up there long enough to get a spot.
Ditto on the train station, I think I got one quick Spectro shot last time as we were disembarking but we were quickly shooed along. To get a usable spot requires more time than I'm willing to invest (I've never been much a parade guy.)

FWIW, I had taken a long-exposure Spectro shot before Mark mentioned it but mine is not so good, what with being taken "handheld" (well, resting on the handrail of a bridge that was wobbing as people walked by) and being taken after I'd spent the last 18 hours vomiting almost non-stop. :(

http://www.groucho.org/pics/gallery/42329-6/WDW2009-525.jpg

http://www.groucho.org/pics/gallery/42337-6/WDW2009-527.jpg

I'm sure there have been better long-exposure Spectro shots before and there definitely will be (and have been) better ones after mine.

...actually, now that I think of it, I tried doing long-exposure shots on my first DSLR trip - I just dug them up and they were done with a monopod which I wobbled all over the place and are just a big mess. :)

handicap18

07-02-2009, 03:06 PM

How is it when you're actually sitting down, on a ride or whatnot? That is the main thing that has kept me from buying one of those yet. (Well, that and being incredibly cheap! :teeth: )

On the rides I would just hold the camera in my hands or take pictures so that wasn't an issue. On rides where I wasn't taking pictures or when I was sitting on the bus I would just rest it in my lap. Never found it to be a big deal at all.

Walking around Disney for 4 days in extreme heat, carrying the camera was never an issue for me. I had the battery grip on every day except for the last day, so it was a decent amount of weight.

Groucho

07-02-2009, 06:30 PM

Thanks for that information... sounds like one of those is in my future. My wife'll love that after I came home the other day with an LL Bean/Krist photo vest. :) There's always something else to buy...

KAT4DISNEY

07-03-2009, 12:55 AM

I really enjoyed the trip report and nice pictures as always Kyle - thanks for sharing!

I especially liked seeing all the shots with the Sigma 10-20. I'm hoping to use mine a lot more on our next trip. You also gave me food for thought with the shots from the 90mm. I have the Tamron 90mm macro and while I've thought about carrying it to get some macro shots I haven't wanted to give up a longer lens, fast lens. I'm sad to admit it but that's been a complete duh moment for me since it doesn't have to be used just for macros! :rolleyes1 I love my 135mm so much but my back will appreciate the 90mm now and then as a replacement rather than an additional.

mom2rtk

07-08-2009, 08:27 PM

Great trip report and photos! I was looking for inspiration for my upcoming trip, and this certainly helped!

I feel for you trying to figure out what to do with the tripod. I tried to find some sort of bag with a strap, then one day saw my daughter's fold-up lawn chair bag laying on the floor. It was perfect..... I can trow it over my shoulder and I hardly know it's there. And when we get a stroller, it hangs over the handle!

boBQuincy

07-08-2009, 08:47 PM

I love the wide angle photos and night photos! :) Every time I get lazy and think about leaving my tripod in the room I also think "not gonna get the good night photos without it".

Bald sky is a problem that is almost impossible to solve with one exposure. My answer is HDR:

http://www.suzieandbob.com/wdw/hs_hdr_8396_4_5.jpg

Were we standing next to each other with the same lens for this one or what? ;)

DisneySuiteFreak

07-10-2009, 11:17 PM

Hi Kyle,
Thanks for posting your great photos! I hope you and your wife had a great time!
I feel you about the heat in Orlando, though! We last went to WDW over 4th of July week in 2001, and OMG was it miserably hot, hot hot! It's the humidity that kills you, imo. I went to Vegas after that 2001 trip and even though the temps were higher in Vegas, it was easier to get cool because of near zero humidity. We bought those spritzer fan things they sell in the park and it really had little to no cooling effect in Orlando. But in Vegas, it was awesome! It cooled us down instantly because of the evaporative effect thanks to no humidity.

handicap18

07-12-2009, 11:56 AM

MarkBarbieri

07-12-2009, 04:53 PM

I had to wait 15 minutes to take this shot. There was one family of about 10 people just hanging out and not moving. There also was a woman who kept walking around and around and around the pool sticking her hand in every 5 or 6 feet. It was very weird.

I never go anywhere crowded without one of these (http://www.thefartmachine.com/) babies. That an a really "upset stomach" look will clear a crowd in a hurry.

MarkBarbieri

07-12-2009, 04:56 PM

[quote=handicap18;32436561]Not the best shot, especially with the pole and that tree, but...
http://handicap18.smugmug.com/photos/573005380_pVqZ7-L.jpg

In his new book (http://www.amazon.com/Adobe-Photoshop-CS4-Photographers-Ultimate/dp/0240811186/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1247435741&sr=8-1), Jeff Schewe has a good suggestion for shots with obstructions. Take the shot, move over a bit and take the shot again. Then clone over the pole, line, or whatever with stuff from the second shot. It might not work too well with a moving crowd, but it could be really useful for similar situations that are more static.

MarkBarbieri

07-12-2009, 05:09 PM

...First off it was hot. I know I mentioned it a lot in my posts, but man was it hot. Like I said in one post I heard a few guys talking about it being 102ºF at least one day. I think the minimum temp while we were there was 96º. I love the warm weather, but that was just to much. Especially for someone like me who is warm blooded. I wear shorts to work year round, even when it gets in the single digits. The heat really made it hard to concentrate on getting a lot of good shots.

Sounds like a lame excuse to me. Too hot for good shots. Yeah right.

I didn't really want to stand around composing a shot and when I did I was dripping with sweat (yeah I know, not a visual you need... lol). I have a wide foot and apparently its wider than I thought. I normally wear a EE width, but in the heat down there it killed me feet. My feet swelled to much for my shoes and well... ouch. I have since gone to a running store and got fitted. I bought a new pair that are a EEEE width and a 1/2 size bigger than I normall wear and oh man are they comfortable. They also have a lot more support in the arch which I didn't know that I needed. I'm now ready to go back armed with a new pair of real good shoes!! :teeth:

Size EEEE? Those would be handy if you needed to walk across the lagoon. When they are that wide, how do you keep them from bumping into each other when you step?

I LOVED LOVED LOVED using the Black Rapids strap. Even though it is pricy at $60, I would buy it all over again. It was that good. I had ZERO issues with carring around my D300 with the battery grip and lens attached. It was well worth the $60.

That's because yours never dropped your camera. There have been reports about people having theirs fail. I'm not sure if that is with the old or the new design.

Overall I think I did ok. One think I realized is that I now want to get much better glass. I'm going to be saving for an f/2.8 series of lenses. Since I don't think I'll ever be able to afford all the Nikon one's I'm going to start with the either the Sigma 18-50mm f/2.8 and 50-150mm f/2.8, or the 24-70mm f/2.8 and hope to one day get the Nikon 70-200mm f/2.8. I'm not sure which way. I like the idea of the 18-150 range in 2 f/2.8 lenses and its quite a bit less $$ for those 2 than for JUST the 70-200mm f/2.8 or about the same price at the 80-200mm f/2.8. The 18-150 range is were most of my pictures fall. I like the way my 70-300mm VR lens handles the sports stuff I'm doing now. Who knows. I have time before I'll be able to get any of these mentioned lenses. I might be able to start at the beginning of next year.

Sure you want the f/2.8 zooms and not a sack full of primes?

Furgus

07-12-2009, 06:48 PM

On the rides I would just hold the camera in my hands or take pictures so that wasn't an issue. On rides where I wasn't taking pictures or when I was sitting on the bus I would just rest it in my lap. Never found it to be a big deal at all.

Walking around Disney for 4 days in extreme heat, carrying the camera was never an issue for me. I had the battery grip on every day except for the last day, so it was a decent amount of weight.

Great Trip report, I enjoyed reading it and seeing the pictures.
I just picked up BR RS-1 strap last week. I have been using a regular strap and warping it around my wrist, but that got annoying when trying to chase around a little one. I also got it for a Scott Kelby Photo Walk this coming Saturday. I am glad you gave it a good report, makes me feel better :) Indecently I picked up the RS-1 cause I had an memory card holder from my other strap, and it wraps around this, that and it was cheaper (http://www.ephotocraft.com/itemdesc.asp?ic=BlackRapidRS-1)...
I live in NC, and this place is in VA. It took 2 days from when I ordered it, till it was at my front door, and that was standard shipping!