show me your firework photos from Disney

[2Tiggies]

Coloneldebugger, your timing on those shots you posted was incredible!

Great photos!

 

[coloneldebugger]

Coloneldebugger, your timing on those shots you posted was incredible!

Great photos!

Much appreciated, but shooting in burst mode helps a little there.

 

[Pixel Dust]

Hope you don't mind me butting in, but we're planning our trip for Oct and I would love to know, Franklin, if can you tell me where you were for all the fireworks? I read Missy's trip report (so fun!) and want dh to capture pics like yours. We've got an old D80 and are waiting for the new 300s or might just get the 800. Not sure. It's our first trip as a family and I have absolutely no idea where to position ourselves for all the fireworks.

TIA!

Thanks for reading our trip report! I actually went from a D70s to the D7000 and I love it.

For Wishes I would usually set up between the Hub and Casey's Corner. Most of my shots were back from the Hub, on the bridge. About the second light post. I was at 16mm. I had set it to the widest, then crop later if I needed to. Most kit lenses are at 18mm so for that I would be closer to Casey's corner.

One of our trips we stayed at the Contemporary. This is from the balcony of our room! Another great spot there would be the balcony at California Grill. Or the bridge between the Contemporary and Bay Lake Towers.

I've only done Illuminations once. We got a tip from someone here on the Dis and they mentioned to try the balcony at the restaurant in Japan. We were running a little late so we didn't get the corner spot. That meant we couldn't see the globe well.

 

[SrisonS]

Shooting a fireworks show is a great way to get some pretty unique shots that don't necessarily focus on the fireworks, per se. So be on the lookout for those opportunities.

Here are a few examples:


A part of Illuminations where are basically just flames everywhere...


Lake Of Fire by Scott Smith (SRisonS), on Flickr



A moment of darkness during Wishes. The smoke actually helps to make a lighter background; therefore showcasing the cool silhouette of Cinderella's Castle.....


Running Out Of Wishes by Scott Smith (SRisonS), on Flickr


A crazy exposure that made for a nice surprise....


Wishes!!!!! by Scott Smith (SRisonS), on Flickr

 

[coloneldebugger]

Shooting a fireworks show is a great way to get some pretty unique shots that don't necessarily focus on the fireworks, per se. So be on the lookout for those opportunities.

Here are a few examples:


A part of Illuminations where are basically just flames everywhere...


Lake Of Fire by Scott Smith (SRisonS), on Flickr



A moment of darkness during Wishes. The smoke actually helps to make a lighter background; therefore showcasing the cool silhouette of Cinderella's Castle.....


Running Out Of Wishes by Scott Smith (SRisonS), on Flickr


A crazy exposure that made for a nice surprise....


Wishes!!!!! by Scott Smith (SRisonS), on Flickr

As old Bob Ross used to say, happy accidents

 

[lisapeteres]

Wow, really a stunning photo!!! It looks so professional! I tried to shot fireworks pictures but with my shoot'n'point camera it seemed to be impossible.

 

[Hockeyman]

This was my first ever attempt at firework photography and what a learning experience that was lol. First thing I learned was getting to the back of World Showcase 40min before showtime was still not ealry enough lol. Ended up wedged in a corner with people all to my left at stage center and smushed up next to a large flower pot. Had to balance my tripod on the edge of the pot while trying to take the pictures. Also check your remote battery before you leave on you trip(learned that one the hard way lol). Also may need to invest in a taller tripod. Still had fun thought and look forward to getting back out there and giving it another try

[/url] Illuminations by MIke Sperduto (Sperduto Photos), on Flickr[/IMG]

[/url] Illuminations by MIke Sperduto (Sperduto Photos), on Flickr[/IMG]

[/url] Illuminations by MIke Sperduto (Sperduto Photos), on Flickr[/IMG]

 

[wbeem]

When Pirates Attack by wbeem, on Flickr

 

[kgreen]

When Pirates Attack by wbeem, on Flickr

I love it! Really helps to set the mood!

 

[2Tiggies]

Much appreciated, but shooting in burst mode helps a little there.

I would never have thought of using burst mode for fireworks! The results are amazing!

 

[BirdsOfPreyDave]

I tried some of my first-ever tripod shots at WDW on a recent trip. Most of my fireworks shots were throw-aways, but I managed to get a few that I liked.


Wishes Fireworks by BirdsOfPreyDave, on Flickr

Ok, I'll come clean on that first one. I wasn't real thrilled with how the castle looked so I photoshopped it to replace it with a picture of the castle that was a little more detailed. Oops. If you're going to fake a picture, don't make it so easy to get caught. These lights are never on at the castle during the fireworks show, so this shot couldn't have existed in real life. That didn't occur to me until after I'd done all the work.

The rest of these are as shot with just a few Lightroom adjustments. Really. I promise.


Wishes Fireworks by BirdsOfPreyDave, on Flickr


Wishes Fireworks by BirdsOfPreyDave, on Flickr


Wishes Fireworks by BirdsOfPreyDave, on Flickr

(That last one is one my list for Photoshop to see if I can remove a little of the smoke.)


Wishes Fireworks by BirdsOfPreyDave, on Flickr

 

[2Tiggies]

I'm by no means an expert, but for #2, I'd think your 18-105 would actually be better. Wider is good as the fireworks do spread out from the Castle (or globe, depending on which show) quite a bit. You also don't have to worry about shooting at max aperture, since you're going to be stopping down a bit for longer exposures and more DOF. And zoom + lights can be fun

I've discovered a small challenge with the 18-105 .... It has no markers on the manual focus ring. Do you not set the focus to infinity? Or is there another way to do this? And if not, what do you focus on?

Can I use autofocus when setting up and then switch to manual and lock that focus setting in (it seems to maintain whatever it was focused on if you switch to manual and recompose). Apologies for all the questions. I can't even have a trial run of this since fireworks tend not to happen round here very often but these are settings I haven't really experimented with before so the best I can do is make sure that I know where to find everything and can 'feel my way' around the controls I need in the dark, without wasting precious second looking for things that I should have done beforehand.

Urgh, brain is tired, lol

 

[Experiment_626]

I've discovered a small challenge with the 18-105 .... It has no markers on the manual focus ring. Do you not set the focus to infinity?

Some lenses focus past infinity at their furthest point. You can focus on something far away before the show begins and then switch to manual focus. Whether this is ideal depends on what else is in the frame and how close you are to it (such as the castle, for example).

Generally, you're going to be shooting at something like f/11 or f/16; in those cases, if you're shooting from Main Street at around Casey's Corner, getting close to the infinity setting should be good enough to get everything relevant within your depth of field. To be honest, that's where I've usually been to shoot Wishes, and it has worked for me to just set my focus on the castle itself from that point. When I've shot IllumiNations, I set focus either manually on infinity or on the globe on the water and then switch to manual focus. You won't want to use autofocus because you'll likely miss some bursts waiting for the camera to decide it has achieved proper focus.

SSB

 

[Cafeen]

When I attempted (you'll see why it was just "attempted" in a minute) last year, I just focused on either the castle or whatever I could and set a nice narrow aperture. (Pretty much what ^^ that guy says above me.

However, do scout out your area in the daytime... or you'll end up with something like these...

Darn trees.

(Don't sit in the smoking area in front of the plaza, and don't use the France end of the bridge in front of Chefs )

 

[2Tiggies]

Whether this is ideal depends on what else is in the frame and how close you are to it (such as the castle, for example).

You won't want to use autofocus because you'll likely miss some bursts waiting for the camera to decide it has achieved proper focus.

SSB

Thank you. I think I might need to condense and print out all the advice on this thread and take it with me!

Darn trees.

(Don't sit in the smoking area in front of the plaza, and don't use the France end of the bridge in front of Chefs )

I know exactly where you were standing when you took those pics. Ask me how I know ...... We watched one night from the seating area down at the bottom (it's roped off during the fireworks) and I was watching a guy there trying to set up his tripod ANYWHERE to try and avoid the trees, but I suspect his efforts were in vain! It was worse the year before. Believe it or not, they have actually pruned those trees since 2010 I may not know all the places I should stand for a good picture, but I have been steadily adding to a list of places NOT to be over the years!

All I want is to come back this year with at least one, just one, photo that is worthy of being posted on the Photography board. I have yet to produce any such image!

 

[leeshiebean]

Hallowishes Redux by alicia bruce, on Flickr

Mine doesn't hold a candle to the shots by Tom Bricker and Corey Disbrow on flickr... but I do like it.

 

[pgowder]

Here is my most recent fireworks shot:

Wishes - Magic Kingdom - Walt Disney World by Paul Gowder, on Flickr

 

[pgowder]

Amazing! Beautiful pictures!

Thanks!

 

[South Carolina]

Here is one from the top of the Contemporary.

 

[kgreen]

Beautiful shots! Nice work!!