Time is getting close. Leave in two days. Pulling out late Tuesday or early Wednesday so should be under the WDW arch before lunch time. Got a pretty aggressive agenda for most days we are there but also a lot of fill in the blank time also. I would like to do one of my mini (live) trip reports if you guys are willing to listen. A little tease -- have CP dinner package, Lecellier and MMVMCP booked.
Also taking my new camera and feel like this will be a great time for us to get to know each other and bond a little
. Still kinda intimidating. Many settings. Many knobs/dials.
Anyway we are soo ready to go. If you need any questions answered just let me know. Might not be able to answer but Ill try and find someone that can. Just let me know if you need anything .
YOUR MAN ON THE SCENE--
-MickeyT--
--
If you have a
remote release for your shutter and you are using a
tripod these tips will work for you!
~ Marlton Mom's FIREWORKS photography tips ~
Check to see that there are no obstructions like trees and light poles in your way; Check the wind (for the direction of the fireworks smoke) One thing to take into consideration is wind direction. If there is a steady breeze blowing toward you it could be smart to pick a totally unconventional spot maybe in frontier land if it keeps the smoke blowing away from your position.
Set tripod and LOCK all adjusters **Watch your horizon, keep camera level!
DO not use noise reduction (slows shutter interval due to in camera image processing?)
For a good exposure on the foreground object take a photo of it without any fireworks
Set Camera to MANUAL Mode, set the Meter on Matrix and NOT SPOT!
SET your lowest ISO,
Shoot on the very wide side and crop post production. Fireworks are shot off on both sides of the castle as well as in the back.
Set your focus: First auto focus on castle (or foreground object). . Now Set the FOCUS to MANUAL and leave it there, otherwise it will continually try to auto focus in the dark unsuccessfully again and again. Since the castle isn't moving, once you focus on it you are good. Turn off Autofocus on lens itself. Nikon says turn VR (vibration reduction) OFF when using a tripod.
Use a Remote, Set camera to using a remote shutter release setting.
Set shutter to
BULB, Bulb is the shutter setting that keeps the shutter open as long as you determine.
PRACTICE USING THE REMOTE SHUTTER RELEASE WITH THE BULB SETTING. Some releases require you to keep the button depressed, others require you to click once to open the shutter and click once to shut it. See which type you have.
Set Aperture using Aperture button by on/off switch. Rotate dial to change Aperture. Apertures of f/8 to f/16 are typically the best if shooting ISO 100. One thing to remember is that as the aperture goes up, the castle will be darker in the same-length photo The advantage is that the fireworks trails aren't as blown out. Avoid the effects of diffraction that occur with smaller apertures, therefore do not go higher that F16 or lower than F8. (F11 or F16 is recommended)
Overly long exposures blow out your highlights and the fireworks won't be crisp. If using bulb mode, open the shutter before the burst to get some light on the subject (before the fireworks start take a meter reading off Cindy's castle for example to find out how long to keep it open for good light on it) and then keep the shutter open long enough for one or more bursts. If using manual mode, experiment with exposures of 1 to 4 seconds.
Go for the fireworks in the beginning of the show - toward the end, you will mostly get smoke. Keep Shooting anyway and ditch the smoky ones in post production.
If there are many fireworks going off at once or bright white fireworks, you take a shorter picture... and if it's a quieter moment, you can hold the shutter open longer.
Another trick for a good exposure on the foreground object is to take a photo of it without any fireworks. Then, in photoshop you can blend in that good exposure with your fireworks exposure if you foreground subject is too dark in the fireworks shot.
WHEN FINISHED SHOOTING, REVERSE CHECK LIST AND RETURN CAMERA TO DAYLIGHT SETTINGS
NIGHT PHOTOGRAPHY
~USE TRIPOD~
Use aperture priority,the camera will determine the shutter speed for these shots using the Aperture priority mode. Use an aperture of f/8-f/14 Use ISO 100
Use an aperture of f/8-f/14 at night Those are the apertures at which the lens is sharpest, and because they allow long shutter speeds that will 'ghost' any people out of the shot. Do not leave your camera on spot metering unless you are trying to meter for one specific object (i.e. a fountain, SSE, etc.) If you are trying to capture a picture of an entire scene, make sure you switch back to your normal metering mode.
DO not use noise reduction.
Finally, remember, have fun and there is always the next trip if your photography efforts for the fireworks don't pan out.
Good luck, much energy and great weather!
~Joanie
PS
Charge your camera battery while you are sleeping and be sure to
take a picture of your room before you leave for the parks to make sure all the parts are back in the camera.