Handicap18's 2009 Photo Trip Report (full report done)

[boBQuincy]

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:

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

 

[DisneySuiteFreak]

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]

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:

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

Nice job with the HDR on this one Bob.

Yeah, that is definitely the same spot. GMTA!!!!

 

[MarkBarbieri]

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 babies. That an a really "upset stomach" look will clear a crowd in a hurry.

 

[MarkBarbieri]

Not the best shot, especially with the pole and that tree, but...

In his new book, 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]

...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!!

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]

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...
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!

 

[WDWFigment]

I know I'm a bit late to the party, but...

Some really great shots here, I especially like the ones from World Showcase at night, and I really really like the ones of SSE with the UWA. I cannot wait to take my 11-16 to WDW for the first time. Seeing all of your UWA shots has me really excited!

 

[DebºoºS]

Really enjoyed reading your trip report and seeing your your beautiful shots. The macaws are brilliant. I'm leaving soon for a 5 day trip with my youngest DS. Hopefully I'll get some decent shots in before we succumb to the heat. Last June between the rain (monsoon) and the Africa hot temps I went minimalist. Left most of my gear in the room. The Nikkor 18-200 VR during the day and the Sigma 30mm at night. I couldn't carry anymore of anything in the heat. You gave me so many helpful hints and new ideas, thanks. IMHO, One Mans Dream is the best in entertaining and ac in DHS.

 

[Cory_D]

Very nice TR. I really enjoyed the wide angle shots. It's really neat to see the shots of The Chinese Theater at the Studios in a wide landscape, and almost imagine that the hat isn't there anymore!

 

[DisBride2009]

Great photos. I love the Tomorrowland pictures they came out great. I mostly love when people take pictures of MK and EPCOT. They are my two favorite parks, with their detailing and stuff they make it so magical and realistic. Hope to see more photo's soon.