Anyone Game? 2 Castles and a Road Trip TR! Last Day and TR Wrap Up! #2796; 10/01

[mvf-m11c]

Very interesting spot to watch "Celebrate the Magic" projection show on Cinderella Castle that night. It is so nice to see your pictures of that show and it reminds me of "The Magic, The Memories" & You" projection show on Cinderella Castle and IASW at DL.

The spot that you pick that night for taking pictures of the firework trails was very interesting. It is a little different spot in which I normally do firework trail pictures when in front of the castles. I am considering trying a different spot when I go back to DL next month and after seeing your pictures convinced me that it is nice to try a different spot once in a while. During your firework trail pictures, I also like how you got the people fading in the picture while they were walking.

Great update.

 

[franandaj]

OK, so this was a great post! I loved all the information, and everything that you did in this post. Your pictures of the projections and fireworks were awesome. I did listen to you photo advice and hopefully some day I will figure out how to use it on our cameras. For now, I'm just lucky to use the P&S to get what we do!

OH yeah, after seeing Bret's response about the "ghost folks" in your pictures. Were you adjusting the time in between shots or was that just random that some had the ghost trails of folks in your pictures and others were dark?

....and 5 singing busts, the 'Grim Grinning Ghosts', singing the theme song of the ride. These were accomplished by filming head-shots of the singers (with 16 mm film) and then projecting this film onto busts of their faces.

Do you mind if I "borrow" this picture. I have a thread where it would be perfect to illustrate a point.

 

[rentayenta]

There's always one in every crowd.

It's a very colourful parade, isn't it.

Yes. I told the girls it needs to be the opening song during my funeral video tribute.

 

[PrincessInOz]

So beautiful! I copied down your camera directions. I have an old one, so it only goes up to 1600. Was that the setting for the fireworks as well?

Thanks.

Fireworks?

I will put something up on this thread on Fireworks; but you'll have to wait till I get to the next point. In the meantime, this thread here might help. There are web references as well as other pictures for various photogs on their settings.

Awesome photos as usual. I never think about watching Wishes from behind the Castle...its an unique perspective.

And now you need another trip so you can shoot from the front!

Jill in CO

Shooting from the front? Wait and see.

But I totally agree. I can always do with another trip to WDW.

Great photos! May I ask what camera you have? If that's not rude.

We had projection mapping in London when we hosted the Olympics it was truly awesome. The effect is really spectacular on an old building like Houses of Parliament or Buckingham Palace. Thank you Disney for pioneering this technology. I might be mistaken but I recall reading Walt Disney and the artist pioneered a new kind of animation using a new form of print screening for Snow White I think it was. The company was bleeding edge from the get go!

My current camera is the Canon 7D. And no, not rude at all.

I think that the equipment used for Snow White is at the Walt Disney Family Museum in San Francisco. I remember reading about it when I was there and they certainly talked about the bleeding edge technology for Snow White there.

I have made a note of the photo settings, too. The photos are great. Some of my favourite Wishes photos I have seen were actually taken by the Little Mermaid ride with that ride in the background.

Corinna

Thanks.

Yes, I have seen some awesome pictures of the Wishes fireworks taken from around the Little Mermaid. We just didn't have time to get there. We literally managed to get the tripod firm on the ground, take a test shot and the fireworks started. Maybe I'll try and get there NEXT time.

Wonderful pics!

Thank you.

Very interesting spot to watch "Celebrate the Magic" projection show on Cinderella Castle that night. It is so nice to see your pictures of that show and it reminds me of "The Magic, The Memories" & You" projection show on Cinderella Castle and IASW at DL.

The spot that you pick that night for taking pictures of the firework trails was very interesting. It is a little different spot in which I normally do firework trail pictures when in front of the castles. I am considering trying a different spot when I go back to DL next month and after seeing your pictures convinced me that it is nice to try a different spot once in a while. During your firework trail pictures, I also like how you got the people fading in the picture while they were walking.

Great update.

Thanks Bret. I think that it's nice getting the shot bang-on in front of the castle, but if you've gotten that shot a number of times, it's nice to try something different. I'll look forward to seeing where you decide to shoot from when you're next at DLR.

OK, so this was a great post! I loved all the information, and everything that you did in this post. Your pictures of the projections and fireworks were awesome. I did listen to you photo advice and hopefully some day I will figure out how to use it on our cameras. For now, I'm just lucky to use the P&S to get what we do!

OH yeah, after seeing Bret's response about the "ghost folks" in your pictures. Were you adjusting the time in between shots or was that just random that some had the ghost trails of folks in your pictures and others were dark?

Thanks. Glad you loved the information. Always nice to know that the little bit of research didn't go astray.

For the majority of the shots, I was adjusting the time. I checked my exif data and the time seems to vary from 8 - 13 seconds. ISO for these were 100.

There are a couple of shots where I did play with the ISO. From the exif data, it looks like the ones where the turrets are brighter were shot at ISO 320. There seem to be the ones where we can see the people more clearly.

Do you mind if I "borrow" this picture. I have a thread where it would be perfect to illustrate a point.

Borrow away.

Yes. I told the girls it needs to be the opening song during my funeral video tribute.

That's the way to do it.

 

[Paula Sedley-Burke]

Sweet re Canon 7D

Just about to buy a point and shoot with wifi. I am not a good photographer but I am so interested in photography and want to learn. Right now I like the idea of being able to upload photos from the camera itself. I thought I would start with a basic camera that does it all for me and go from there. There is a nice canon wifi and samsung so knowing a Canon is a good make is worth knowing. Thank you.

 

[eandesmom]

love love LOVE the fireworks shots. What a unique vantage point and the shots are gorgeous!

 

[Leshaface]

Thank you so much PIO for those settings! And i'll definitely be looking out for your post about the settings for the fireworks

I agree, seeing the fireworks from behind the castle is a great spot with not too many people.

 

[mvf-m11c]

Thanks Bret. I think that it's nice getting the shot bang-on in front of the castle, but if you've gotten that shot a number of times, it's nice to try something different. I'll look forward to seeing where you decide to shoot from when you're next at DLR.

It was nice to try a different spot when we watched RDCT back in September from the MS RR station with Alison. It has got me to think of trying different spots to take pictures instead in front of SB or Cinderella Castle. If you have read my two previous TR's at DL that I wanted to try a different spot for the fireworks during the last two trips but wasn't able to watch it from that area since the fireworks were canceled those night. So I am hoping that it won't be windy during the trip next month.

 

[WanderlustNZ]

Weird! I am about 99% positive I wrote a comment about your Electrical Parade posts and yet my comment seems to have disappeared.

Oh well. It wasn't that important.

Great pics as per usual. I loved that parade - my favourite of the trip. This was helped a bit by the prime spot we got with Fastpass +. One of the things I really did love about the new Fastpass system.

 

[PrincessInOz]

Sweet re Canon 7D

Just about to buy a point and shoot with wifi. I am not a good photographer but I am so interested in photography and want to learn. Right now I like the idea of being able to upload photos from the camera itself. I thought I would start with a basic camera that does it all for me and go from there. There is a nice canon wifi and samsung so knowing a Canon is a good make is worth knowing. Thank you.

Congrats on the new camera. I hope you enjoy it. I'll be looking forward to seeing your pictures from it on your next TR.

It's interesting to see wifi capable cameras coming out. It's a sign of the instagram and FB age.

love love LOVE the fireworks shots. What a unique vantage point and the shots are gorgeous!

Thank you. I thought it was a great spot for pictures. If I'm lucky enough to get back to WDW, I might actually shoot from there again.

Thank you so much PIO for those settings! And i'll definitely be looking out for your post about the settings for the fireworks

I agree, seeing the fireworks from behind the castle is a great spot with not too many people.

I think there will be at least two versions of firework settings to come; before this TR is finished.

It was nice to try a different spot when we watched RDCT back in September from the MS RR station with Alison. It has got me to think of trying different spots to take pictures instead in front of SB or Cinderella Castle. If you have read my two previous TR's at DL that I wanted to try a different spot for the fireworks during the last two trips but wasn't able to watch it from that area since the fireworks were canceled those night. So I am hoping that it won't be windy during the trip next month.

Looking forward to seeing where you decide to shoot from.

Weird! I am about 99% positive I wrote a comment about your Electrical Parade posts and yet my comment seems to have disappeared.

Oh well. It wasn't that important.

Great pics as per usual. I loved that parade - my favourite of the trip. This was helped a bit by the prime spot we got with Fastpass +. One of the things I really did love about the new Fastpass system.

Oooh! You chose the MSEP FP+ option. What was it like? Was it crowded and did you manage to snag a spot in the front?

 

[PrincessInOz]

Be Very Afraid....We're Singing in the Valley of the Dolls



Be afraid. Be very afraid.








I MADE everyone go into the Valley of the Dolls and SING!








"Oh, Zazu, do lighten up. Sing something with a little.... bounce in it."
"It's a small world after all...."
"NO! NO! Anything but that!"
-Scar and Zazu




It's a world of laughter, a world of tears






It's a world of hope, and a world of fears






There's so much that we share







That it's time we're aware






It's a Small World afterall







There is just one moon and one golden sun







And a smile means friendship to everyone







Though the mountains divide








And the oceans are wide







It's a small world afterall







It's a small world afterall







It's a small world afterall








It's a small world afterall








It's a small small world










Uh....guys.....you're supposed to be singing. S-I-N-G-I-N-G.









It’s okay. I had the song in my heart and I probably sang enough off-key to cover everyone. It was so much fun to go on this ride with everyone.










Time for more photog speak. For those with a dSLR and a kit lens. There is enough light in IaSW that you could get away with your camera and kit lens combination. The pictures taken here were taken with a lens that has similar aperture capabilities to a kit lens. Most of these were taken with an f-stop setting of f/3.5; which is the lowest aperture setting will go to on any kit lens.

For those that don't want to shoot in manual mode, try using the Aperture setting on your camera. On the Canons, this is Av mode. On the Nikons, I think this might be S.

Move your lens to the widest focal length it will go i.e., for most kit lenses, this will be 18 mm.

Set the ISO to 3200; although in some of the brighter areas in IaSW, I was using ISO 1600.

Set the aperture for f/3.5. Remember that on your kit lens, you will probably only be able to set this aperture setting if your lens is set to the 18 mm focal length. If you decide to set a closer focal length, this aperture setting will change.

On the Av/S mode, the camera will calculate the appropriate time to achieve exposure.

After you take the first shot, check the image. If it is too dark and your camera is already set to ISO 3200, wait until you get to a brighter section in IaSW and try again.
If the image is too bright, you could adjust the ISO to 1600 or change the aperture to a higher number (f/4 of f/4.5).


One other thing that occurred to me yesterday. I should mention that my Canon lenses come with image stabilization capability. This allows me the ability to get a clear shot at slower shutter speeds.


Happy shooting.




(Continued in Next Post)

 

[PrincessInOz]

(Continued from Previous Post)


If you were Afraid Before.....It's Hauntingly Scary Time Now



Be afraid. Be scary afraid. Guess where the WitW crowd hit next???



When hinges creak in doorless chambers, and strange and frightening sounds echo through the halls; whenever candlelights flicker where the air is deathly still - that is the time when ghosts are present, practicing their terror with ghoulish delight!






Welcome, foolish mortals, to the Haunted Mansion. I am your host....







....your....ghost host. Kindly step all the way in please and make room for everyone. There's no turning back now.








Our tour begins here in this gallery where you see paintings of some of our guests as they appeared in their corruptible, mortal state.







Your cadaverous pallor betrays an aura of foreboding, almost as though you sense a disquieting metamorphosis. Is this haunted room actually stretching? Or is it your imagination, hmm?







All our ghosts have been dying to meet you! Unfortunately, they all seem to have trouble getting through. Perhaps Madame Leota can establish contact.







She has a remarkable head for materializing the disembodied.






The happy haunts have received your sympathetic vibrations and are beginning to materialize.







They're assembling for a swinging wake.....







When the crypt doors creak and the tombstones quake,
Spooks come out for a swinging wake!
Happy haunts materialize, and begin to vocalize.
Grim Grinning Ghosts come out to socialize!







As the moon climbs high o'er the dead oak tree,
Spooks arrive for the midnight spree.
Creepy creeps with eerie eyes start to shriek and harmonize.
Grim Grinning Ghosts come out to socialize!







When you hear the knell of a requiem bell,
weird glows gleam where spirits dwell.
Restless bones etherealize, rise as spooks of every size








Beware of hitchhiking ghosts! They have selected you to fill our quota, and they'll haunt you until you return!







We have 999 happy haunts here, but there's room for 1000. Any volunteers, hmmm? If you should decide to join us, final arrangements may be made at the end of the tour....





Tempting offer. But before I do, I think I’d like to capture all 999 happy haunts beforehand. Yeah. I wonder how long that’ll take me?




Hmmm. Wonder if I could try this argument on DH for a return trip???





More photog speak. I used the 50 mm f/1.8 lens for my dark rides. As lenses go, this is a relatively inexpensive lens to acquire. Both Nikon and Canon have a version of this running around $100 - $120 price point. It isn't my first choice lens to shoot inside dark rides as I personally find it too tight and you don't see the wider perspective of the interiors. But I didn't have a choice for this trip and I'm so thankful I decided to throw this lens back in the camera bag at the very last minute!


(Continued in Next Post)

 

[PrincessInOz]

(Continued from Previous Post)


I'm Afraid....Now It's Time to Say Goodbye



Sadly, I'm afraid that after we finished riding the HM it was time to say goodbye.






SunDial needed to head back home and still had over a 2 hour drive ahead of him; and it was dhorner and her DisCuz's last night. Goopysolelady also wanted to head back to the resort to get some rest.
So, we said our goodbyes and parted company with them. I had a great time meeting everyone and I really hope we get to play Where in the World in 3D again sometime.



We stopped for one last Photopass picture. I think this one is my favourite from this day.







We did have EMH on this night but when I checked with the boys, they confirmed that they were turning into pumpkin heads as well.







You may be wondering why we didn't head back to my castle home. Much as I would have loved to sleep there tonight, I forgot to bring my keys with me and was locked out.






Me? I have to admit.






At this hour of night, I was also having a minor focus issue.






Sadly, I'm afraid I have to admit that I was stuffed.







So, it was unanimous. Even though there was still more park time to enjoy, we started to head out.







It was a case of grin and bear it.







I said goodbye to some of the locals in the Main Street entry.







Although, contrary to appearances, I'm pretty sure this isn't the Mayor!







DH did ask me about whether I wanted to do any last minute shopping. The Emporium was right there.






DS put a stop to that discussion and it was a bust. I didn't blame him.







And for once, I knew this parting message was true!









It had been a great first day at the World. And tomorrow IS another day!

 

[ejud]

Uh....guys.....you're supposed to be singing. S-I-N-G-I-N-G.

I was, I was!

Thanks for the words! Never knew them!

Nice shots!



Jud

 

[dgbg100106]

Beautiful photos! Thanks so much for sharing them!

 

[mvf-m11c]

Very nice night at the MK. The IASW and HM pictures are very nice.

 

[dolphingirl47]

I enjoyed all the photos. Unfortunately when I was at Walt Disney World, It's A Small World was closed. So it was nice to relieve it through your photos.

Corinna

 

[Luvchefmic]

Nope sorry I was NOT singing along with you on IASW In fact I am holding my head to the side and smacking my ear to shake it out of my head Just can NOT get into that ride and that song is the song that haunts me
First heard it at the NY Worlds Fair when I was 10 didn't like it then almost 50 yrs later still don't like it...but YOU sounded great

WOW WOW WOW spectacular HM photos as we have all come to expect

 

[franandaj]

Wow! That was all one day! No wonder I can't keep up with you!

By then we were tucked in our bed with visions of Mickey plums dancing in our heads! Well we were probably close, with an 8:30 dinner reservation we might have been still heading back to the resort.

Now that I see your pictures of IASW, I'm not sure I've ever been on WDW's version. I can't imagine indoor loading of the boats, so I must have missed it. My list of "to do's" for the next trip is getting big!

Your HM pictures are GREAT! I'm not going to steal any more, but you have reminded me of more figures that we have for the room!

Looking forward to hearing about your next day. I don't think I know anything about what you did that day!

 

[WanderlustNZ]

Oooh! You chose the MSEP FP+ option. What was it like? Was it crowded and did you manage to snag a spot in the front?

It was fantastic. We were directly in front of the castle, were sitting at the front of viewing area, and we had heaps of space. It was my best use of Fastpass + the whole trip. I'll look through my pics to see if there's one that gives of a good perception of where we were sitting.

Meanwhile, the Wishes viewing spot in the Rose Gardens was my worst use of the Fastpass +. I really wish we had just stayed at our MSEP spot and watched the fireworks from there.