Dark ride pictures?

[lana772]

A couple other threads here got me wondering, how do people (yes, a lot of you) get pictures from dark rides?

There are threads on here that go on (and on and on) about people being rude and taking flash pictures or using their phones on dark rides, but yet there are other threads where people show some amazing pictures from dark rides.

I have none of said pictures mainly because I am afraid of being rude and making someone angry on a dark ride (also a little because I suck at taking motion shots).

So what, are you on the ride all by yourself so you don't upset anyone? Do you have some fancy camera that does not need flash? Do you just ignore the "no flash photography" rules and snap away?

Tell me your magic. I would love to have some of these photos.

Lana

 

[CheshireGato]

A couple other threads here got me wondering, how do people (yes, a lot of you) get pictures from dark rides?

There are threads on here that go on (and on and on) about people being rude and taking flash pictures or using their phones on dark rides, but yet there are other threads where people show some amazing pictures from dark rides.

I have none of said pictures mainly because I am afraid of being rude and making someone angry on a dark ride (also a little because I suck at taking motion shots).

So what, are you on the ride all by yourself so you don't upset anyone? Do you have some fancy camera that does not need flash? Do you just ignore the "no flash photography" rules and snap away?

Tell me your magic. I would love to have some of these photos.

Lana

I don't use flash when I take ride pictures, but as a result they aren't very good hahha

 

[lisachrystine]

I don't take many inside rides, but when I do, I don't use flash. You just have to have a camera designed to be fast enough without it.

This was taken with a Nikon Coolpix P300 on auto, no flash

 

[larina]

I don't use flash when I take ride pictures, but as a result they aren't very good hahha

That's me. My camera isn't high quality enough maybe. I just look at pics and video on-line because I can't get good pics myself. My oldest daughter can take pics of their phone and they come out great

 

[PinkBudgie]

I've had some decent pics with my little Cannon set to night setting, no flash. However, I have to hold the camera extra still to do this. Not easy on a ride.

 

[Mel522]

A DSLR with a fast lens is the best for taking dark ride pictures. Most of my dark ride pictures come from my DSLR, but I have gotten a few good ones with a point and shoot.

If you wish to try and get a picture on a dark ride or in low light with a point and shoot here are some tips:
*Set the highest ISO possible for your camera. Don’t just do auto ISO on your camera, actually go into the menu and change it.
*If your camera has exposure compensation, (the button/symbol will look like +/-) adjust it to at least -1 to speed up the shutter and create less blur.
*Brace yourself as much as possible. Lean against the edge, squish into the back of your vehicle, or whatever you can. Brace your elbows into your side. Try to make yourself as still as possible.
*Keep your finger on the shutter release while the shot is being taken. Don’t remove it as the motion of your finger moving will create more camera shake then just leaving it there.
*Breath normal. Don’t hold your breath. Shoot on an exhale as the body tends to relax during an exhale.
*Try to shoot while heading directly towards the object, not to the side of an object. Blur on an object you’re headed towards will cause the edges to appear soft, but blur on an object you are travel by will appear smeared.
*Ask to sit in the front so you don’t have to shoot over other people’s heads. All of the CM I’ve encounter have been very accommodating.
*Don’t use a flash. Imagineers have gone through great trouble to design lighting to enhance your ride experience. A flash will wash all that away with a harsh, flat light. Not to mention potentially annoying those around you.
*Turn off your display image after shot function if you can so you don't annoy others.
*Avoid using the LCD screen as that light can disrupt other’s experience. If you need the screen to shoot, try covering it with a cloth that is thin enough that you can still see enough to take the shot, but thick enough that it doesn’t annoy others.
*Hope for lots and lots of pixie dust. Dark ride photos can be hard to get with a point and shoot. Some rides like Peter Pan are hard even with a DSLR and a fast lens and nearly impossible with a point and shoot. Sometimes it all comes down to luck.

That’s all I can think of right now.

 

[lana772]

Wow. Thank you.

Lana

 

[CamoMama]

Heh, this reminds me of our trip to Disney World. My daughters and I rode Ellen's Energy Adventure and I wanted pictures of the dinosaurs, they announced at the beginning of the ride no flash photography and no eating on the ride. My camera is pretty decent without flash sometimes, so I turned off the flash, lowered the light on the digital screen and proceeded to take some shots during the ride. An older man behind me leaned forward and growled in my ear "It's very annoying, what you're doing", there wasn't any extra light, but my camera does make a click/whir noise when it fires. I apologized, turned off my camera and put it away. The guy then proceeded to eat individually wrapped candies throughout the ride, crunching loudly and crinkling the wrappers right behind my head. THAT was annoying.

 

[lana772]

Heh, this reminds me of our trip to Disney World. My daughters and I rode Ellen's Energy Adventure and I wanted pictures of the dinosaurs, they announced at the beginning of the ride no flash photography and no eating on the ride. My camera is pretty decent without flash sometimes, so I turned off the flash, lowered the light on the digital screen and proceeded to take some shots during the ride. An older man behind me leaned forward and growled in my ear "It's very annoying, what you're doing", there wasn't any extra light, but my camera does make a click/whir noise when it fires. I apologized, turned off my camera and put it away. The guy then proceeded to eat individually wrapped candies throughout the ride, crunching loudly and crinkling the wrappers right behind my head. THAT was annoying.

You should have turned around and whispered to him "It's very annoying, what your doing".

Lana

 

[lana772]

Mel522, thank you for the tips. I played around with my camera today. I can do a lot with it I wasn't even aware of. Now if I can remember to use it instead of my phone.

Lana

 

[CamoMama]

You should have turned around and whispered to him "It's very annoying, what your doing".

Lana

Heh, I know. My daughter leaned over and in a loud whisper aid "Didn't they say no food on this ride?" I replied that they had, then she mentioned something about photography being okay, just not flash, right? I assured her that I had been acting within the rules, but sometimes even when you're right it's better to just stop if it's bothering someone else. I'm pretty sure he heard the conversation, but didn't stop. Some people are just rude, it's better to ignore them than make your own enjoyment suffer.

 

[lana772]

Heh, I know. My daughter leaned over and in a loud whisper aid "Didn't they say no food on this ride?" I replied that they had, then she mentioned something about photography being okay, just not flash, right? I assured her that I had been acting within the rules, but sometimes even when you're right it's better to just stop if it's bothering someone else. I'm pretty sure he heard the conversation, but didn't stop. Some people are just rude, it's better to ignore them than make your own enjoyment suffer.

So very true.

We had 4 drunk teenage girls on POTC behind us one time. My DH asked them to quiet down and they started yelling at him and saying that he wasn't a man, using some very un-lady-like vocabulary. I was so proud of him. He just sat there fuming. When we got off the ride he told the CM about it and the CM called security. If he would have confronted them further it could have turned into a very ugly scene.

 

[Mel522]

Mel522, thank you for the tips. I played around with my camera today. I can do a lot with it I wasn't even aware of. Now if I can remember to use it instead of my phone.

Lana

Glad I could help.

 

[I'm mikey]

A couple other threads here got me wondering, how do people (yes, a lot of you) get pictures from dark rides?

There are threads on here that go on (and on and on) about people being rude and taking flash pictures or using their phones on dark rides, but yet there are other threads where people show some amazing pictures from dark rides.

I have none of said pictures mainly because I am afraid of being rude and making someone angry on a dark ride (also a little because I suck at taking motion shots).

So what, are you on the ride all by yourself so you don't upset anyone? Do you have some fancy camera that does not need flash? Do you just ignore the "no flash photography" rules and snap away?

Tell me your magic. I would love to have some of these photos.

Lana

I use a Canon 60d DSLR. when attempting to take pictures on a dark ride, i usually set my camera to Aperture priority and set the camera to take pictures at the largest Aperture value of whatever lense i may be using.

Most of the really good dark ride pictures you've seen posted on the dis, are taken by people who have been enjoying photography as a hobby for many many years. We all have spent countless hours reading our camera manuals, books about photography, studying the EXIF info of other photographers images that made us go WOW!! and last but not least going out and using the camera.

A good book to read for learning more about photography is Understanding Exposure: How to Shoot Great Photographs with Any Camera by Brian Peterson.

A DSLR with a fast lens is the best for taking dark ride pictures. Most of my dark ride pictures come from my DSLR, but I have gotten a few good ones with a point and shoot.

If you wish to try and get a picture on a dark ride or in low light with a point and shoot here are some tips:
*Set the highest ISO possible for your camera. Don’t just do auto ISO on your camera, actually go into the menu and change it.
*If your camera has exposure compensation, (the button/symbol will look like +/-) adjust it to at least -1 to speed up the shutter and create less blur.
*Brace yourself as much as possible. Lean against the edge, squish into the back of your vehicle, or whatever you can. Brace your elbows into your side. Try to make yourself as still as possible.
*Keep your finger on the shutter release while the shot is being taken. Don’t remove it as the motion of your finger moving will create more camera shake then just leaving it there.
*Breath normal. Don’t hold your breath. Shoot on an exhale as the body tends to relax during an exhale.
*Try to shoot while heading directly towards the object, not to the side of an object. Blur on an object you’re headed towards will cause the edges to appear soft, but blur on an object you are travel by will appear smeared.
*Ask to sit in the front so you don’t have to shoot over other people’s heads. All of the CM I’ve encounter have been very accommodating.
*Don’t use a flash. Imagineers have gone through great trouble to design lighting to enhance your ride experience. A flash will wash all that away with a harsh, flat light. Not to mention potentially annoying those around you.
*Turn off your display image after shot function if you can so you don't annoy others.
*Avoid using the LCD screen as that light can disrupt other’s experience. If you need the screen to shoot, try covering it with a cloth that is thin enough that you can still see enough to take the shot, but thick enough that it doesn’t annoy others.
*Hope for lots and lots of pixie dust. Dark ride photos can be hard to get with a point and shoot. Some rides like Peter Pan are hard even with a DSLR and a fast lens and nearly impossible with a point and shoot. Sometimes it all comes down to luck.

That’s all I can think of right now.

All very good tips.

As Mel has already said, increase your ISO setting to 1600 or even 3200 if your camera will allow it. ISO measures the light sensitivity of the image sensor on your camera.

Use the largest aperture setting available for your camera. Aperture is the variable opening by which light enters a camera, the larger the opening, the smaller the F/ number. heres an example....F/1.8 will be a large opening allowing more light into the camera and a faster shutter speed and F/11 will be a smaller opening meaning less light and a slower shutter speed.

If your camera has a burst mode, try taking multiple shots (4 or 5)of the same thing, theres a good chance that one of the pictures will come out much better than the others.

Use the center focus point on your camera if you are able to choose the focus point.

 

[lana772]

I never put much thought into it until I saw the pictures that DISers like Mel and Mikey post. You all make me want to be a better photographer.

Mikey- thank you. I am reading the manual and practicing around the house with my camera. It does do the burst of shots. I will have to try that. I can always delete the bad ones.

About 3 years ago my DH bought me a Canon Powershot SX30 Is. Not real fancy, but better than anything I have had before. I can't believe it has taken me this long to get excited about using it. I always just take pictures with my phone, because it's handy and easy to share. Now I'm wanting to capture some of the art that all of you have done. Our next trip to DL is in 3 weeks. I'm probably going to drive my family nuts taking pictures of everything.

Lana

 

[Elk Grove Chris]

What Mikey said. Practice, practice, practice. These types of shots are where the quality of the camera/lens really do come into play. Of course you need to know the basics of taking these shots, wide open aperture, fast shutter speed to fight blur, and a camera that can bump ISO to at least 1600.

 

[mamaseidl]

Great thread! I've often wondered this myself and also do not want to be rude. Although one year we did get stuck on Pirates of the Caribbean for 3 hours, so I snapped away!