I caved... September Trip Report! (more pics 11/3)

[KarenAylwood]

Ok, I caved and decided to do a trip report. I went with my mom Sept 12-20th and carried my photography equipment along for the first time! Last year I had just gotten my Canon XSi two weeks before so I only had that and the kit lens. This year, I went with:
Canon XSi
Canon 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6
Sigma 30mm f/1.4
Crumpler 4MDH
Gorillapod
Tripod

I also brought my kit lens and my 100mm f/2.8 macro lens along but didn't use either of them. I'm in love with my Sigma!! It was so fun- not only for dark rides but Spectro and merchandise pics.

Day 1... Arrived at POR and headed to MK (traditional first stop!)
Always love reading this sign as we enter :goodvibes
http://i841.photobucket.com/albums/zz339/dgcrystal3082/_MG_3906_e.jpg

First stop... Pirates! I failed in my first attempts at photographing the ride, so here's part of the queue area...
http://i841.photobucket.com/albums/zz339/dgcrystal3082/_MG_3918_e.jpg

One of my obsessions on the trip was photographing merchandise with my 30mm- here's the first:
http://i841.photobucket.com/albums/zz339/dgcrystal3082/_MG_3966_e.jpg

Next stop was Haunted Mansion. Seems like POTC and HM are always our first stops!
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Then to Small World (no line!). I don't even remember how I shot this. I'm guessing full manual- I was pretty unsure at first how to get the indoor rides.
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Headed over to Tomorrowland to ride TTA (I think we ride this about ten times each trip!)
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Very sad to see Space Mountain in shambles. It looks like we got destruction day- I have quite a few of the bulldozer and rubble (that was quickly cleaned up a few days later).
http://i841.photobucket.com/albums/zz339/dgcrystal3082/_MG_4151_e.jpg

On the way out we caught the end of the celebration thing at the hub (we just sort of happened upon it!)
http://i841.photobucket.com/albums/zz339/dgcrystal3082/_MG_4179_e.jpg

We hopped on the monorail over to Epcot for dinner at Coral Reef. Everyone seems to complain about this restaurant but we've had nothing but great food there the last two times.
My mom of course had to get a smoothie everytime it was offered as included in the dining plan!
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My dessert (chocolate mousse I think). This is the start of my obsession with photographing our dessert at every meal.
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Headed to our favorite ride, Soarin' before leaving the park.
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We arrived at our hotel for some much needed shuteye... up early to get flights, then two parks before bed!
http://i841.photobucket.com/albums/zz339/dgcrystal3082/_MG_4362_e.jpg

Day 2 is Animal Kingdom, MGM for Fantasmic and MK for EMH! (mark my words... we will never do three parks in one day again!)

[KarenAylwood]

Day 2 (part A!)

I'll start with the Safari Ride. This is the first time I actually got some good shots out of it. I was surprisingly happy with the results. I spent the whole time rattling off shots though!

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I'll post more AK pictures and the rest of day 2 later...

[ColleenG]

Great lion shots! We have never seen them that awake and up looking around! What time of day did you do the Safari?

[KarenAylwood]

Great lion shots! We have never seen them that awake and up looking around! What time of day did you do the Safari?


Thanks! It's the first time I remember catching them (my 200mm helped though).

Well, we're not early birds but we actually did get up earlier than normal that day! According to the date/time stamp, it was 10:05am. The safari is usually our first stop at AK.

[ColleenG]

Thanks Karen. This will be my first trip with my DSLR and I have a 250mm zoom so hopefully I can get some good shots. We always hit the safari first too.

[C&B Young]

Thanks for sharing! Those safari pictures are fantastic!! It sounds like we're in the same boat as you, doing our first trip with similar camera gear (wish I had the Sigma 30mm though!), we're even staying at Port Orleans too! I was trying to decide whether to take our 100mm macro lens, but ended up thinking that it wouldn't be worth lugging all the way there for the amount of use I'd get out of it.

[Pugrpooh]

Great shots! We leave in two days and, like you, last year when we went I had just gotten my DSLR and I really didn't get the best use out of it.

Did you use your gorillapod? I just bought one yesterday because I'm planning on getting a lot of nighttime shots and I'm also going to bracket some and try HDR when we get back. I really don't want to carry a big tripod around with me.

BTW, we've also only had great meals at Coral Reef too, both food and service, but we're trying some different restaurants this trip.

Hope you post the rest of your trip report before we leave!

[Frantasmic]

Thanks for the pictures. I enjoy seeing fellow XSi users post good pictures. I can aspire to their level some day.

I really like your Haunted Mansion pictures.

[KarenAylwood]

Great shots! We leave in two days and, like you, last year when we went I had just gotten my DSLR and I really didn't get the best use out of it.

Did you use your gorillapod? I just bought one yesterday because I'm planning on getting a lot of nighttime shots and I'm also going to bracket some and try HDR when we get back. I really don't want to carry a big tripod around with me.

BTW, we've also only had great meals at Coral Reef too, both food and service, but we're trying some different restaurants this trip.

Hope you post the rest of your trip report before we leave!

Yes, I used the gorillapod but quickly found out that wrapping the legs around things wasn't the way to go. I got a few shots of fireworks from Cali Grill with it, but all in all I wasn't very successful with that strategy. It worked the best when I let it just stand on all three legs like a table top tripod (used trashcans). I got some good shots at night at Epcot and DTD using it. It was helpful and I'll continue to bring it, but my camera is just too heavy to get it to hold right on a railing most of the time!

I used my regular tripod for night shots at AK, fireworks at MK (and a few night shots since I lugged it all the way there) and night shots at POR. I'll definitely keep bringing that too. I've been leaving it for free at Guest Services since it won't fit in any of the lockers.

I do regret that I didn't do any HDR shots while I was there. Oh well, something for next time!! Have fun and take lots of pictures!!! :goodvibes

[boBQuincy]

Both lions! Wow! It's rare when I ever get a decent photo of one of them.
Really good photos, you must have a very good camera! ;) (see Alain Briot's essay "just say yes")

Now aren't you glad you decided to post a trip report and share these photos with us? We didn't get to AK last week and it's good to see your photos.

[Todd_H]

Nice shots, Karen! Thanks for sharing them with us.

I really like the one of the shot glasses... great DOF.

[KAT4DISNEY]

Thanks for the trip report and sharing the pictures! And great lion shots!!!!

I have the same problem with the Gorillapod. It's convenient to carry around for unexpected pics but I only had to try it once for night shots to realize that lugging the full tripod is best if long exposure shots are my main plan. Or maybe duck tape with the Gorillapod! :laughing:

[KarenAylwood]

Thanks for the replies everyone! KAT4DISNEY- great idea. I really do need to bring some duct tape with me next time :rotfl2: I was about to lose it a few times when I was trying to use it at Epcot around the world showcase!!

Yes Bob, I have an awesome camera. Your glass might beat mine but my camera is definitely better. ;)

Here's part B of day 2!! Rest of Animal Kingdom...

This was the first time in years I don't remember melting at AK from the heat! Every sweltering day we went to the parks we ended up at MK :confused3

We swung through to get some FP's at Everest, then walked over to see Finding Nemo.
http://i841.photobucket.com/albums/zz339/dgcrystal3082/_MG_5155_e.jpg

I wasn't thrilled with most of my shots here but this is one of the very few I liked.
http://i841.photobucket.com/albums/zz339/dgcrystal3082/_MG_4582.jpg

Headed over to conservation station (oh wait, isn't it called something else now?) and a CM had a baby alligator out for us! Aw!

http://i841.photobucket.com/albums/zz339/dgcrystal3082/_MG_4973_e.jpg

Pretty waterfall- the short cloudy moment gave me a chance to use a little longer shutter speed.
http://i841.photobucket.com/albums/zz339/dgcrystal3082/_MG_4948_e.jpg

Meercats are always a fav! So cute.
http://i841.photobucket.com/albums/zz339/dgcrystal3082/_MG_4894_e.jpg

I think this could go under the "why did you take this shot?" category. I don't know really!
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One of the tigers was awake but they weren't moving around much.
http://i841.photobucket.com/albums/zz339/dgcrystal3082/_MG_4814_e.jpg

The monkeys were pretty active (I'm sure there's a more technical name than monkey for them but I have no clue what it is).
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We did the fastpass for Everest even though I think the standby line was shorter!!
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My mom couldn't believe that I took my camera on the ride. She was so afraid I'd lose it! :laughing:
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More Everest pics:
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http://i841.photobucket.com/albums/zz339/dgcrystal3082/_MG_5154_e.jpg

Had some lunch at Flame Tree (tradition). The ducks were especially eager that day.
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A few random details- I had a lot of fun photographing merchandise this trip!
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We ran into the parade so we stood and watched it for a little while. I've never seen the AK parade before- it was much better than I expected (we don't "do" day parades usually).
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Last stop of the day was Bug's Life- we got to the entrance right as it started to downpour!!
Here's a shot from the inside waiting area I just thought was kind of neat.
http://i841.photobucket.com/albums/zz339/dgcrystal3082/_MG_5169.jpg


Day 2 part C will be Fantasmic and MK EMH! This was our longest day... we were nuts to think we could do so much!!

[Pugrpooh]

Your pictures are getting me more excited! We leave in about a half hour to pick DD up from school and then head to the airport! We'll be at AK on Saturday.

At the last minute, I threw in my 50/1.8mm lens thinking I could use it with the gorillapod at night. It's a manual focus only so I don't use it very much, but I'll try it out for the large aperture and depth of field and see what I come up with!

[KarenAylwood]

Your pictures are getting me more excited! We leave in about a half hour to pick DD up from school and then head to the airport! We'll be at AK on Saturday.

At the last minute, I threw in my 50/1.8mm lens thinking I could use it with the gorillapod at night. It's a manual focus only so I don't use it very much, but I'll try it out for the large aperture and depth of field and see what I come up with!


Make sure to use it in natural light indoors too, and during the day. It's funny- everyone always talks about using a long telephoto at AK but in the last thread I posted 25 pictures and I think over half were taken with my 30mm! :rotfl:

Have fun!!! :woohoo:

[KarenAylwood]

End of Day 2... final part ;)

We headed back to the resort for a quick bite to eat at the food court, and then back to the room to freshen up a bit.

Our room was in Magnolia Bend as always :goodvibes
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The token "this is me in the mirror taking a picture of myself" shot
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We were off to DHS to catch Fantasmic! It had looked like rain but we were hoping it'd hold off (and it did!).
I thought the sky was really pretty here:
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Entering DHS...
I brightened this picture up in post processing and I just didnt like the feel of it so I left it the way it was for the most part.
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A few shots from Fantasmic. I used my Canon 18-200mm lens for this and actually got a few shots I liked.
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After Fantasmic we made our way out of the park to catch a bus to MK for EMH.
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At MK we caught Splash Mountain and Haunted Mansion. We only had an hour once we got there. I really don't know what we were thinking and we were exhausted at the end of the night!
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On the way out I talked to DBF and made my mom stop so I could get a few pictures with my 30mm stopped down. So I took these with my camera resting on top of a piling with my remote shutter release, while talking to DBF on the phone and CM's telling us to make our way out :rotfl: They were crooked so I fixed the horizon in post processing.
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Day 3 will be Epcot (I think ;))

For some reason all the pictures I link to here from photobucket look darker and more underexposed than the actual files do on my computer. I haven't had any printed yet, but I'm wondering what the issue is here??

[scoot241]

Karen, you have some wonderful shots here!

Those shots of the riverboat came out incredibly clear for having the camera sitting on a piling!

[boBQuincy]

End of Day 2... final part ;)



http://i841.photobucket.com/albums/zz339/dgcrystal3082/_MG_5219_e.jpg

Very nice photo! Interesting, there is something missing in mine that was taken 19 September, the Hollywood Studios sign!


On the way out I talked to DBF and made my mom stop so I could get a few pictures with my 30mm stopped down. So I took these with my camera resting on top of a piling with my remote shutter release, while talking to DBF on the phone and CM's telling us to make our way out :rotfl: They were crooked so I fixed the horizon in post processing.

The CM's were crooked? Shame on them! ;) It is a nice photo and taken from a piling-pod, that may be a new type of pod for this group!

[KarenAylwood]

Very nice photo! Interesting, there is something missing in mine that was taken 19 September, the Hollywood Studios sign!




The CM's were crooked? Shame on them! ;) It is a nice photo and taken from a piling-pod, that may be a new type of pod for this group!

I wonder why they'd take the Studios sign down?! Hahaha. Yeah you know those crooked CM's!

[KarenAylwood]

Ok so I sort of have abandoned the idea of the trip report (why did I know that I'd do that?). So I figured I'd just post some favs.

Today is Lights Motor Action Stuntshow- this was our first time seeing it and I didn't realy know what to expect. About 15 minutes in I decided to try some panning. I haven't done panning in a year- since we had an assignment to capture motion in one of my photography classes. I hated it and never could get it right so I just kind of gave it up (also finding places where it'd come in useful isn't the easiest!).

First few are panning (obviously) and last two are just shots from the end of the show. I was pretty proud of myself. These were taken with my 18-200mm lens, and I think most were at or close to 200mm. I also didnt' do any post processing on them- the last one could probably use it.

My favorites are the jet skiing shots because of the smooth effect the slow shutter speed has on the water. :)

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[scoot241]

Those panning shots are great! I haven't tried a whole lot, but the panning shots I've tried didn't come out very well at all.

[Todd_H]

Karen, your panning shots are great! I love the fact that you were able to blur the car rims. That, IMO, is a key element of panning on a moving car. Nicely done!

[alan]

Lovely photos... really enjoyed looking at them - thanks for posting

regards,
/alan

[WDWFigment]

You have a really good eye. Very nice shots here! I especially like the DAK stuff!

[KarenAylwood]

Thanks everyone! Here are a few more... I definitely underestimated how long it'd take for me to get through all of these pictures.

Here are some shots from Wishes... it was an incredibly stressful show as I was trying to keep people from tripping over my tripod, and stay to the side of a very tall guy with a camera. Halfway through his wife switched with him- her camera screen is in the third pic. I was lucky I got a few I liked!


http://i841.photobucket.com/albums/zz339/dgcrystal3082/_MG_7815.jpg

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And my favorite:
http://i841.photobucket.com/albums/zz339/dgcrystal3082/_MG_7783.jpg

[SendLessRain]

I have to say that lost one is great. Well worth the stres...

[WillowBelle]

I like the second duck picture in your AK part B set. He's looking at you with such a funny slant to his head.

I agree - trying to shoot Wishes in the center of Main St with a tripod can definately be a stress creator! The results were worth your stress. Great pics!

[KarenAylwood]

I have to say that lost one is great. Well worth the stres...

Thanks! That was the one shot I really wanted so I was thrilled to get it.

I like the second duck picture in your AK part B set. He's looking at you with such a funny slant to his head.

I agree - trying to shoot Wishes in the center of Main St with a tripod can definately be a stress creator! The results were worth your stress. Great pics!

Thanks so much WillowBelle, yeah I love that duck one! I snapped a ton trying to get them looking at me and that one worked out well. The fireworks were definitely a stress- we had little time to stake out a spot so I ended up on the edge of a walkway with a CM directing people right near us! :scared1:

I'll post some of Spectromagic hopefully tonight. I got some really great shots with my Sigma 30mm f/1.4!

[WillowBelle]

I'll post some of Spectromagic hopefully tonight. I got some really great shots with my Sigma 30mm f/1.4!

Looking forward to seeing those. They will help my "argument" as to why I NEED a 30mm. :lmao:

[scoot241]

Looking forward to seeing those. They will help my "argument" as to why I NEED a 30mm. :lmao:

Maybe some of these will help your cause... I keep my 30mm on my camera almost all of the time:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/scottoliver/sets/72157619895575946/

[scoot241]

Really great Wishes and LMA shots Karen! You did an excellent job of panning during LMA.

[kbheap]

I just found your trip report. Your photos are great! I am thinking of getting additional lenses for my camera and looking at your photos tell me that I definitely need to.

[ILuvCrush]

Great shots!! Thanks so much for sharing them. I'm really impressed with the panning shots.... I am having no luck at all with those. Motion shots are my current assignment too.

Paula

[KarenAylwood]

Thanks so much for all the great replies and comments!

ILuvCrush~ thanks, the panning idea was last minute. I wasn't all that excited about taking pictures of the show so the panning was kind of a challenge. I'm happy with the way they turned out.

Here are the ones of Spectro, shot with my Sigma 30mm f/1.4 (no post processing).

http://i841.photobucket.com/albums/zz339/dgcrystal3082/_MG_7689.jpg

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[WillowBelle]

Maybe some of these will help your cause... I keep my 30mm on my camera almost all of the time:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/scottoliver/sets/72157619895575946/

Thanks for the link :thumbsup2. DH Always askes 'why do you need/want' this lens. What does it do that your other ones (which I only have 2 extras) do? Now I can point at those and say...THIS!

Karen, I think my fav. spectro one is with the back of Alice. I like how you can see (somewhat) the crowd looking at her. Nice different angle.

[Jess6001]

WOW! I just found your thread...those are some beautiful pics of Disney!! The firework shots are amazing. I love all the unique angles you got on the signs and such, too. Great job!!

[DisneyDorkORama]

I LOOOOVE the Mt. Everest pictures!!:thumbsup2

[KarenAylwood]

WOW! I just found your thread...those are some beautiful pics of Disney!! The firework shots are amazing. I love all the unique angles you got on the signs and such, too. Great job!!

I LOOOOVE the Mt. Everest pictures!!:thumbsup2

Aw thanks guys :goodvibes I was suprised/excited to see my thread bumped :)

This year I'm going back with a wide angle lens so I'm hoping to get some good shots with that one!! This September will be my last long trip for a while so I'm hoping to get in all the photography I can!

[nat1234]

I just found your thread. I love your pictures. I just got my first DSLR a week and a half ago, and am now the proud owner of a Canon Rebel XS. Looking at your pictures just confirms why I wanted to upgrade my camera. It also makes me realize that I have so much to learn.:)