Disneyland Picture of the Day

[MyManGoofy!]

 

[Master Mason]

 

[NostalgicDad]

Nice shot there Greg! It looks like you had almost the same vantage point as my previous shot.

Hey Danny! Great firework shot. Would you mind telling me where you think the best place to stand is to get such great shots. Also, what do you find to be the most effective settings? I'm sure it varies based on a variety of conditions but just as a general guideline. I have yet to get a good shot of fireworks anywhere - not just at Disneyland.
Thanks for sharing all your fabulous photos.
~mm

I was wondering the same thing. I really want to get a GOOD fireworks shot, and none of mine have turned out as well as yours! Are you using a tripod? I have a digital Rebel SLR, but am pretty inexperienced with it still, particularly in night shots. The previous two I just posted are my first ones that were worth sharing, lol.

Thanks. This particular location wasn't my most preferred location as you can probably tell by the tree that covers the base of the castle. For this one, I was standing right between the hub and the entrance to TL. I was up against an iron railing and had my tripod positioned with one leg over the railing so I didn't require a lot of space or have to worry about people tripping over or bumping into it. During our visit last December, I staked out a spot right in front of the castle and inside the hub almost directly in front of the partners statue. I thought it was pretty good but nearly too close to the castle for comfort. I had a pretty wide angle lens so it wasn't too bad.

I basically shoot full manual, setting the aperture at f/11 or so and use the bulb setting for the shutter. I'll try to time some of the shots since I can usually judge by the music what's coming next. But others I'll just do some 3-8 second exposures and capture whatever happens. ISO is set to 100 and I'm also using a wireless remote for the shutter release. There are a lot of non-keepers as you can imagine but I typically shoot between 150 and 200 shots and come away with ~100 keepers. Hope this helps!

 

[Robert TG]

 

[DangerMouse]

Everyone all together now . . . .

oooooooooooohhhhh . . . aaaaaahhhhhhhhhhh. . .

Very nice Robert TG!

 

[trodrigue]

That is a great picture!

 

[Master Mason]

Nice shot there Greg! It looks like you had almost the same vantage point as my previous shot.

thank you, Yea I think pretty close, I was inbetween the in and out sides of the rock going to fantasy land. It wasn't my first choice, but it was the first place I was comfortable setting up with the tripod that someone wouldn't take it out.


One other big thing to add to your fireworks tutorial is it is all about the anchor on the ground, be it the castle, space mountain, a tree whatever it is, lights in the sky are very unintersting photos, fireworks framing the castle are stupendous photos.

 

[mikayla73]

 

[mikayla73]

One more

 

[trodrigue]

I don't know what all the hoopla about that Cinderella monstrosity is all about.
Clearly the elegance and grace of Sleeping Beauty Castle is the timeless classic.

 

[MaiynaMouse]

I basically shoot full manual, setting the aperture at f/11 or so and use the bulb setting for the shutter. I'll try to time some of the shots since I can usually judge by the music what's coming next. But others I'll just do some 3-8 second exposures and capture whatever happens. ISO is set to 100 and I'm also using a wireless remote for the shutter release. There are a lot of non-keepers as you can imagine but I typically shoot between 150 and 200 shots and come away with ~100 keepers. Hope this helps!

Thanks, Danny. I'll have to watch my f-stops on my trip in may and see what I come up with. I always try to shoot at 100 for fireworks (any night shots that might come up a bit grainy, period) but sometimes end up with 200 which works but definitely isn't preferred. Our trip in May is longer than normal and we will have more adults available (we are traveling with our best friends...another family of 5, like us) so I just might (fingers crossed) be able to sneak away for some photos. I'm stuck to this thread because I just love seeing your pictures every day! Thanks for sharing!
~mm

 

[NostalgicDad]

Thanks, Danny. I'll have to watch my f-stops on my trip in may and see what I come up with. I always try to shoot at 100 for fireworks (any night shots that might come up a bit grainy, period) but sometimes end up with 200 which works but definitely isn't preferred. Our trip in May is longer than normal and we will have more adults available (we are traveling with our best friends...another family of 5, like us) so I just might (fingers crossed) be able to sneak away for some photos. I'm stuck to this thread because I just love seeing your pictures every day! Thanks for sharing!
~mm

Thanks MM!

 

[prettyprincessbelle]

Thanks MM!

Oh my goodness, I love this!! Wonderful photo!

 

[MyManGoofy!]

 

[Pirate-Emery]

 

[DearDaisyinDurham]

He stole the show!! Great picture.

 

[Silly Little Pixie]

Thanks, Danny. I'll have to watch my f-stops on my trip in may and see what I come up with. I always try to shoot at 100 for fireworks (any night shots that might come up a bit grainy, period) but sometimes end up with 200 which works but definitely isn't preferred. Our trip in May is longer than normal and we will have more adults available (we are traveling with our best friends...another family of 5, like us) so I just might (fingers crossed) be able to sneak away for some photos. I'm stuck to this thread because I just love seeing your pictures every day! Thanks for sharing!
~mm

Great information, NostalgicDad and MM!! I'll try that next time.

And do you carry your tripod around all day in your backpack? I don't have one yet and am looking into one definitely by our WDW trip in November. I've been making do with setting the camera on a railing, rock, etc to get shots, but I need a tripod! Anything I should look for in one I plan to use on my trip?

TIA! I hope to have some really great pictures. I love looking at this thread!

 

[PryncessChrysty]

I hope everyone had a Happy Easter!

 

[NostalgicDad]

And do you carry your tripod around all day in your backpack? I don't have one yet and am looking into one definitely by our WDW trip in November. I've been making do with setting the camera on a railing, rock, etc to get shots, but I need a tripod! Anything I should look for in one I plan to use on my trip?

TIA! I hope to have some really great pictures. I love looking at this thread!

My tripod is a Manfrotto 1021N and won't fit in my camera bag so I usually leave it in the hotel until darkness falls at which time I'll go and retrieve it. However, my last trip, I tried one of the large lockers to see if it would fit. It couldn't have been any tighter. I had to break it down into 2 pieces and the door still bulged just a bit when shut.

There are lots of options in the smaller size tripods but I'm not too familiar with what's the best ones. I like the larger ones for stability but that does come with more weight to tote around. Of course the carbon fiber ones are lighter but much more bank is required.

Look forward to your pictures!

 

[NostalgicDad]