DON'T Read This TRIP REPORT If You're a Princess Hater!

[babynala]

I'm glad your busy with other things because I'm finally caught up on your Trip Report. I love seeing the beautiful Belle Holiday dress is action. I'm glad Katie decided to keep it on. The Jasmine dress is gorgeous, I will not show that to my DD. I'm trying to figure out if she wants to go to BBB when we go back in October. She wants to do the Pirate League and I might cry if she doesn't want to do BBB. I love the picture of Belle admiring Katie's dress. It is priceless.

Your pictures are great (the Disney and non-Disney ones).

Looking forward to your Epcot day and more firework pictures.

 

[OllieDannyandMe]

It really was awesome, and yes, much needed. I had a DVR full of Law & Order and just scrapped away. Then I took a deep breath before jumping right back in to the work this morning. I have some deadlines this week, then Friday is the school carnival, Saturday is the district track meet and Sunday is Robbie's scholar bowl banquet. Then next week the graduation stuff starts. OK....... I'm tired again.

Just whistle while you work.... and yes, dream of that annual Disney trip! Here's hoping the work goes smoothly and the upcoming weekend is filled with fun!

 

[clearskies]

Hi Janet,

I got hopelessly behind in your TR. This is because your TR is so fabulous that the pages grew faster than I was able to keep up. I managed to get caught up now (though it may not last). I am not going to rehash old posts but you are continuing to amaze me with your costumes. The pictures you have posted continue to be awesome as well! You created a truly magical experience for Katie.

I also have appreciated the posts in between on photography but I want to provide some input on a prior comment. For those of you not interested in photography READ NO FURTHER (unless you are having trouble sleeping).

Ok, you're still reading? Don't say I did not give you fair warning.....

I am by no means a flash expert (I am still learning) and please don't take this as me trying to discredit anyone since I see a lot of valuable inputs being shared in these threads. I just want to correct what I think may be a possible misperception.

Here are the original comments with your reply in red.....

The higher ISOs won’t have a major affect on your background. Light “falls off” or is absorbed by surrounding elements very quickly.

In low light situations, the camera is exposed for the light on the subject. Anything other than the star of the photo won’t catch as much light, it “falls off”. Therefore, by increasing you ISO, you are solely affecting the amount of light on your subject. The background will get bumped up a bit, but not enough to get it to where you want to be. Decreasing the shutter speed will allow the remaining ambient light to illuminate your backdrop.


OK......... THIS was a moment for me. What you're saying makes complete sense unlike anything I've read yet. I can't wait to have a few moments to play around with the settings and try it out!


Changing your aperture will ONLY affect the amount of light on your subject as well as the distance between you and said subject. Your shutter speed will ONLY affect the background.

The way I understand TTL flash is that the flash power is automatically adjusted by the camera to give the same (to a degree) exposure to the subject no matter what you dial in for the the aperture, ISO and shutter (within boundaries). This is the beauty of TTL flash.

Thus when you want to balance ambient light with TTL flash, changing the aperture, ISO and shutter will ALL effect the ambient background light when using TTL flash and it will affect the ambient light by the same relationships as if you did not have any flash. These adjustments won't typically affect the subject's exposure though since the camera will automatically adjust the flash power the other way to compensate (if ISO or aperture is changed).

For example, bumping up the ISO from 400 to 800 will affect the ambient light (not subject) by 1 stop just as changing the shutter from 1/100 to 1/25.
*****Edited 5/10 1:12 PM*****
This example should state changing shutter from 1/100 to 1/50
**************************

In the example of bumping up the ISO, the flash power will automatically adjust to be a bit less powerful so that the subject is still exposed the same. The end result will be the same exposure for the subject but a relatively brighter background. You can also open the aperture as well by the same stop. As with non-flash photography the tradeoffs of changing one setting vs another are the same (motion blur - shutter, depth of field - aperture, noise - ISO)

In a lot of cases when I want to bring up the light in the background I feel that I am better off bumping up the ISO vs a slower shutter so that I can prevent blur (too slow a shutter). I also may be reluctant to open the aperture if I am worried about too shallow a depth of field for the subjects. It is all situational.

Note that if you use manual flash however it is a completely different story and dragging the shutter is the usual strategy to adjust the background (at a constant flash level).


If I am not explaining this clearly (a strong possibility) I have an article that I can point you to may help further clarify. Read both the section on manual flash as well as TTL to see the differences.

http://neilvn.com/tangents/flash-photography-techniques/3-dragging-the-shutter/


I really hope this is helpful instead of disruptive and confusing. It is not my intention to do either of the later.

 

[kwitcherkicken99]

I am by no means a flash expert (I am still learning) and please don't take this as me trying to discredit anyone since I see a lot of valuable inputs being shared in these threads. I just want to correct what I think may be a possible misperception.

The way I understand TTL flash is that the flash power is automatically adjusted by the camera to give the same (to a degree) exposure to the subject no matter what you dial in for the the aperture, ISO and shutter (within boundaries). This is the beauty of TTL flash.

For the most part that is correct. TTL does automatically fire the flash at a predetermined power that it is automatically set to the f/stop that your camera is set to. If you change your f/stop on the camera, the flash will adjust the TTL settings.

HOWEVER, you can additionally adjust the power of the TTL flash for additional modification. Therefore, the flash intensity is still dependent upon the f/stop and the distance to the subject. If you have the TTL on and you are not set up properly, you will still have over exposed subjects because the flash is too intense (either because you are too close to your subject or you have the ISO too high).

I keep my TTL settings between -0.3 and -0.7 because “normal” TTL power is too strong for what I’m shooting. You can also attempt to turn up the TTL power, but the system will override it and ignore what you tried to change.

Thus when you want to balance ambient light with TTL flash, changing the aperture, ISO and shutter will ALL effect the ambient background light when using TTL flash and it will affect the ambient light by the same relationships as if you did not have any flash.

Flash on the subject is wholly dependent on the f/stop and distance to the subject. (The ISO and shutter speed have little-to-no effect on that exposure unless they are drastically altered)

The shutter speed doesn’t really matter unless you have it turned up too fast (that’s when your sync can get off and you have a funky line on your image because the shutter wasn’t open long enough). Dialing down the shutter speed to slow speeds allows for extra light to be exposed, therefore bringing up the exposure on the background. Going too slow will cause your background to blur too much.

For example, bumping up the ISO from 400 to 800 will affect the ambient light (not subject) by 1 stop just as changing the shutter from 1/100 to 1/25.

That is incorrect. The ISO change from 400 to 800 is 1-stop. The shutter speed change from 1/25-1/100 is NOT 1-stop.

A 1-stop difference would be changing from 1/100 to 1/50. The change from 1/25 to 1/100 would actually be a 2-stop difference (hence you WOULD see a change in the background exposure, quite drastically). I have listed shutter speeds out below and color coded them by 1-stop increments. Each red is one stop. Blue is one stop difference. Green is one stop.

Shutter speed (in Thirds)
1/250, 1/200, 1/160, 1/125, 1/100, 1/80, 1/60, 1/50, 1/40, 1/30, 1/25, 1/20, 1/15

Some amateur or serious hobbyist cameras do not have 1/3 stop ranges. But regardless, that is the list of shutter speeds. It’s not the full range, but a sampling of commonly used shutter speeds.

 

[jenseib]

Hi Janet...Happy Belated Mothers Day!!

Jen and Janet...I got my diffuser the other day. I only played wit h it for about 2 seconds. But here's something I didn't know. My flash had one of thes little onbaord diffusers.(pull down things) But I am guessing it's not as good, as I took some pictures with both and the new one seems better.
I have A LOT to learn about flash though.
OK, you all keep talking about TTL...what is that? My flash is on ETTL..is that the same? I really have no clue what I am doing with it anymore. I need to go back and read that dang manual for the 5th time. I forgot everything I had read.

 

[kwitcherkicken99]

I have A LOT to learn about flash though.
OK, you all keep talking about TTL...what is that? My flash is on ETTL..is that the same? I really have no clue what I am doing with it anymore. I need to go back and read that dang manual for the 5th time. I forgot everything I had read.

Most likely, yes. TTL stands for Through The Lens. It is a beautiful invention to that helps take a lot of the guess work out of using a flash. The only time I go manual with my flash is if I'm shooting basketball indoors and I need the thing to go the distance! (Or doing indoor architecture-type stuff)

As for adding the diffuser, yes, it has quite the learning curve! The pull down diffusers won't cut as much light as the cap diffusers. The cap ones are much thicker and are made out of an opaque material, so you will just have to practice with it (making small adjustments to your exposure) until you are comfortable with using it!

They are a great tool to have in your arsenal!

 

[clearskies]

kwitcherkicken99,
Thank you for your valuable inputs. You certainly appear to have a lot of knowledge and experience and it is great that you are sharing info with people who are interested. I do have some comments below.

Note: I do think that the Link I provided in my prior post it explains a lot of what I was trying to convey and more.

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For the most part that is correct. TTL does automatically fire the flash at a predetermined power that it is automatically set to the f/stop that your camera is set to. If you change your f/stop on the camera, the flash will adjust the TTL settings.

Yes, I believe the same is true for ISO in addition to Aperture (f/stop).

HOWEVER, you can additionally adjust the power of the TTL flash for additional modification.

I believe you are referring to FEC (Flash Exposure Compensation)?

Therefore, the flash intensity is still dependent upon the f/stop and the distance to the subject.

I believe that the flash intensity is dependent on the ISO as well. When using TTL Flash my understanding is that the Aperture, Distance and ISO are all factored into the camera's determination of flash power.

If you have the TTL on and you are not set up properly, you will still have over exposed subjects because the flash is too intense (either because you are too close to your subject or you have the ISO too high).

Certainly, or you may have your aperture open too much.

I keep my TTL settings between -0.3 and -0.7 because “normal” TTL power is too strong for what I’m shooting. You can also attempt to turn up the TTL power, but the system will override it and ignore what you tried to change.

I have set FEC both in negative as well as positive adjustments. I am not aware of the system overriding and ignoring a positive FEC adjustment but I am certain that I don't have as much experience as you. Perhaps different equipment has different behaviors. I only have used Canon. Or perhaps it is when you are exceeding the max output of the flash?

Flash on the subject is wholly dependent on the f/stop and distance to the subject. (The ISO and shutter speed have little-to-no effect on that exposure unless they are drastically altered)

I have to disagree with this statement regarding TTL flash. The flash power is dependent on the Distance, Aperture and ISO. When using TTL flash the camera and flash will take into consideration the chosen Aperture and ISO setting as well as the Distance to the subject and will adjust the power of the flash to give what it thinks is correct exposure. What the camera thinks is the correct exposure is not always correct though just as when you don't use flash the camera meter does not always determine correct exposure. This is why one may use FEC to additionally adjust the flash (somewhat similar to using standard Exposure compensation for non-flash).

Just adding though that I was talking about the ambient background light when stating that adjusting aperture, ISO and shutter affect the ambient background light. This is completely different than the subject light which the flash controls.

The shutter speed doesn’t really matter unless you have it turned up too fast (that’s when your sync can get off and you have a funky line on your image because the shutter wasn’t open long enough). Dialing down the shutter speed to slow speeds allows for extra light to be exposed, therefore bringing up the exposure on the background. Going too slow will cause your background to blur too much.

Yes, I agree on the subject lighting. On the background light though shutter speed matters.

That is incorrect. The ISO change from 400 to 800 is 1-stop. The shutter speed change from 1/25-1/100 is NOT 1-stop.

A 1-stop difference would be changing from 1/100 to 1/50. The change from 1/25 to 1/100 would actually be a 2-stop difference (hence you WOULD see a change in the background exposure, quite drastically). I have listed shutter speeds out below and color coded them by 1-stop increments. Each red is one stop. Blue is one stop difference. Green is one stop.

Shutter speed (in Thirds)
1/250, 1/200, 1/160, 1/125, 1/100, 1/80, 1/60, 1/50, 1/40, 1/30, 1/25, 1/20, 1/15

Some amateur or serious hobbyist cameras do not have 1/3 stop ranges. But regardless, that is the list of shutter speeds. It’s not the full range, but a sampling of commonly used shutter speeds.

Oh, I apologize, I meant to post 1/50. I should probably not post so late when my brain is less functional. I was playing around with a few shots using 2 stop increments and my shutter speed settings were at 1/25 but for the example I was writing I should have said 1/50. I will update my prior post to avoid confusion. thank you.

 

[llaxton]

So far that has been a bit of a challenge. I know a lot of Mom's use the stalls in the restrooms but in places that usually have a line and just a couple of stalls I feel bad using one to change clothes. At the GF before the 1900 PF dinner I used a corner of the restroom away from the sinks etc but still felt like we were in the way. Where are some of the places you change her clothes that has some space and not so many people?

Next week won't be so bad I think I will just have to change her clothes after Akershus and I recall there being a little room going into the restroom where I have changed her clothes before. It would be nice to find a place at the GF before dinner and the castle after dinner.

 

[kwitcherkicken99]

Where are some of the places you change her clothes that has some space and not so many people?

Please keep me posted if you find any good places to change!

We won't be doing a family trip for a few more years, but DD will be 6/7 and I know changes of clothes will be in order! I'd love to start making a list!!

 

[mom2rtk]

OK......... I'm going to try and do some catching up today!

Amazing trip report! I can't wait to read more!!!

By the way I have to say you are so talented!

Thanks so much and to my trip report!

I love the Jasmine dress, Janet! It is beautiful. Jasmine is Eve's favorite princess!

I won't have time to learn how to use a camera before my trip this summer. Does anyone have a suggestion for a good point and shoot that I could purchase for my upcoming trip? I am looking in the $300-$500 range.

Thanks Amy! I've always wanted to do a Jasmine gown for Katie and loved finally doing it!

Ollie - I personally like the Canon line of point and shoot digitals (if I had to pick one!).

The folks on the photography board seem to consistently pick Canon for P&S. I have a small Kodak but don't like it for many reasons. Katie loves taking pictures with it, but I wouldn't recommend it to anyone.

Amy, did you find a camera yet?

 

[mom2rtk]

So, I'm ready to start taking you up on your MVMCP expertise... I'll start small:

1) How do you tour the party?

For MNSSHP I took a friend's advice and went clockwise - but we never made it to Tomorrowland.

and

2) What are your favorite "stops" at the party?

and finally,

3) Where do we find the hot chocolate and cookies??? Are they dabbled around like the candy stops at MNSSHP or are they at specific locations?

Well, high time I actually answered some questions for YOU, don't you think????

First off, did you buy your tickets yet? If so, which party are you going to?

We have always done 2 parties, so I'm afraid that sort of affects how we tour. The key is to understand that you really can't do it all in one night.

Here are my random thoughts:

1) If you want to see the dwarfs, be in line no later than 6 or 6:15. You'll be in the Magic Kingdom on other days for rides (I'm assuming) so it's worth giving up that park time. What you don't want to do is give up PARTY time. 5 hours seems like a long time, but it's not. Your goal here is to be done with the dwarfs by 7:05 or so.

If we had another adult with us, I would have had them take Katie off for a couple of rides. I honestly don't have trouble with someone doing that.

2) Watch the DISboards after the parties start to get the story on any changes for this year's party. With Toontown now closed, and the Fairies moving into the character area in Adventureland, there certainly will be changes over last year.

The princesses have always had their princes with them during the parties. I think that will continue this year in their new location in Expo Hall. I would assume Snow White and Belle will still trade off, but there's no way to know for sure. I think you saw enough in my trip report so far to know finding them both is hard to do. Thankfully, most are not as driven to see them both as we were. So set up expectations with your little princess and you'll save some hassle.

The princess lines have typically been very long at parties. At that last Pirate & Princess party we attended, I was disappointed that we never got to see them at all. The line was just long and stayed long all night. And there's no way of knowing at this point how the new location will affect this. Will people not know where they are and skip them making the line shorter? I think this has been the case so far during regular park hours, as the reports have all said short lines. And they now have fastpass during regular park hours. No way of knowing if they'll use that during the party.

They will cut off character lines by 11:30 or so. If a character is important to you, keep that in mind. They could cut them off even sooner if the line is really long. Plus, pictures of sleepy kids with characters are not that great.

3) We never had a plan for touring like your friend suggested (like going clockwise). Since you can't do it all, you are bound to miss something. We always approached by starting with our top priorities and moving on from there.

4) Main Street is a huge bottleneck on any party night. Most people pay the extra for party tickets because they want to see the special party stuff. So everyone is on Main Street at the same time. If your position for fireworks is important, you'll have to be there early. And that requires giving up party time. It's all a tradeoff.

5) Yes, do see the second parade instead of the first. But in most cases, it's not nearly as "deserted" as many would have you believe. Whatever you do though........ DO NOT miss the parade. It's one of the best Disney does. The marching toy soldiers......the marching reindeer....... the marching gingergread men with their flat butts straight off the cookie sheet.......... Ahhh........ it's all magical!

6) The cookie stops are well marked on the map. I know there was one at the Crystal Palace, one at Pinocchio Haus, one at Cosmic Ray's.

7) If you want party specific merchandise, you'll probably have to use precious early party time to get what you want. I have had TERRIBLE luck ever getting what I wanted. I think they only put out a limited amount each night, and when it's gone, it's gone. I've just never wanted to spend our limited time looking all over for a pin or t-shirt. I usually have had decent luck picking up a pin on ebay later. I might pay a few dollars more, but it's worth it not to waste party time on it.

We went to a party in 08 where I tried to buy something. I literally could barely fit in the door, and the line was all the way to the back of the store to check out. It wasn't worth it so we bailed. Of course, I found out later that night was a sell-out. But ANY party in December can sell out or be heavily attended. If you want a low-attendance Christmas party, you'll have to go in early November.

8) Our favorite stops at the party? Pretty much everything I've listed already, as we tend to work in order of priority. I loved the dwarfs, wouldn't miss the princesses, and the fireworks were great. But our hands down favorite? Sitting on Main Street (with 20 or 30 thousand of our closest friends...........) watching the parade.

The best SPOT to watch the parade? They say it's less busy over in Frontierland, but there's no snow there. Not to mention....... it's not Main Street! Anyway....... I digress. At the end of Main Street, right under the Christmas tree........ on the curb .......... with the parade coming straight at you. THAT's the best spot. You'll see photos from that vantage point very soon.................

So for the down side of that favorite spot. It's the world's worst spot for viewing or photographing the fireworks. The garlands over Main Street will block much of the view (unless you're there during parade taping and the garlands are down).

But the view is worth it!

9) There are 2 "shows". Neither of them compares with the old "Twas the Night" show they used to do. We have seen "Celebrate the Season" on the castle steps, and it was good, with dancing unicorns and such. Still not as good as "Twas the Night". So I'm biased by still being ticked off that's gone. There's also a Stitch show in Tomorrowland. We totally skipped it and are not sorry. The reports were less than stellar. And we're sort of "over" Stitch.

So my priorities for the show stuff would be: Parade...... then fireworks..... then Celebrate the season....... and Stitch only if you happened upon it with time available.

9) If I missed anything, let me know. Can you tell I enjoy chatting about the party?

 

[mom2rtk]

Janet, are you still deciding between September/October and December?

Well, I'm back to thinking December again. I really want to do October, but there's just too much going on then for me to enjoy getting away. I don't want the trip to be just one more item on my "to do" list. So we're now aiming for that same week in December. But even that's not set yet. Heck, I'm not even sure what I'm having for lunch today...... let alone when we're heading for Disney!

I am newly addicted to reading trip reports, and yours is my favorite so far. Your daughters clothes are stunning. Beyond stunning. I could look at pictures of her all day! Thank you!

Many thanks and

Busy lives, it seems to catch us all!

Happy Mother's Day to you!

Belated thanks Carey! I hope you enjoyed Mother's Day!

I sold my old 4x5 camera (poor thing hadn't seen the light in about 8 years...) and some other miscellaneous things that I was no longer using.

I picked up a portable flash unit, two 10'x24' backdrops, a new camera bag (bye-bye fanny pack!), and a beauty dish attachement for my little flash. The beauty dish spreads the light more and looks great on faces. If I can aim it right, I may be able to use it for sports!

It sounds like you got a bunch of nice new toys! But the real gift would be TIME to use them...... Have you had the chance yet???????

 

[mom2rtk]

I'd be glad to help, but it would be one heckuva drive!!!

I didn't get [much] more than what I traded in for... I went slightly over, but not by a whole lot. I received a combination Valentine's/Mother's Day gift in the form of Harry Potter Legos, so the camera bag was my gift to myself. Even better that it was on sale. I really needed an all weather bag - and the bag I picked up, I'm quickly falling in with. It's the Lowepro Rezzie 180AW. They had a smaller version, but that one pulled me in!

Yeah! for enjoying your new camera bag! I completely gave up and bought another general purpose backpack. I'm pretty sure I'll just never find the perfect bag. The ones big enough to hold all my stuff are....... well....... too big!

One foot in front of the other!!!

Or to quote my all-time favorite Disney philosopher.............. Dory.....

"JUST KEEP SWIMMING!"

Don't laugh........ it gets me through sometimes...........

I'm glad your busy with other things because I'm finally caught up on your Trip Report. I love seeing the beautiful Belle Holiday dress is action. I'm glad Katie decided to keep it on. The Jasmine dress is gorgeous, I will not show that to my DD. I'm trying to figure out if she wants to go to BBB when we go back in October. She wants to do the Pirate League and I might cry if she doesn't want to do BBB. I love the picture of Belle admiring Katie's dress. It is priceless.

Your pictures are great (the Disney and non-Disney ones).

Looking forward to your Epcot day and more firework pictures.

Awww....... thanks! And hey..... more than happy to slow things down so you could catch up! It had absolutely nothing to do with me not staying on top of it!

I can see Katie swapping over to the "dark side" and swapping BBB for PL real soon........ it will be her call. But that doesn't mean I won't be sad when it happens!

And I finally got the rest of this day's pictures processed, so I'll have those fireworks pictures up soon!

Just whistle while you work.... and yes, dream of that annual Disney trip! Here's hoping the work goes smoothly and the upcoming weekend is filled with fun!

Thanks Amy!

And yes........ I'm whistling now. Thanks..........

 

[mom2rtk]

12/16/10: Continued

Well...... sorry this has turned into the neverending day........... It really WAS a long day, but I had no idea it would take longer to retell than it took in real life! But it was also a great day, so I really don't mind.

When last we met......... we had just finally gotten to meet Prince Ali and his lovely princess Jasmine. It was already after 9:00 and I knew I wanted one more shot at photographing Holiday Wishes. But I also had gotten an idea of how INSANE the crowds were. I wasn't sure what I'd find once we made it over to Main Street.

It was every bit as packed as I thought it would be. But it helped IMMENSELY that we were just a party of 2. Well....... 2 plus a tripod, but it's really pretty skinny......

This time I wanted to move a little farther back on Main Street. Not so far that we'd be viewing the fireworks from beneath the garlands over Main Street, but far enough back that I could capture as much of the full effect of the show as possible. The folks over on the Photography Forum all seem to love shooting from out in front of Caseys. We didn't find a spot there, but did find a tiny little spot right across the street on the opposite side. I'm so glad we did, as it turned out to be my favorite spot yet. We stood right on the edge of the curb, and that gave my tripod just that tiny extra bit of height to get over everyone's heads! Without that extra 6", I would have gone home with a card full of the back of some really tall dude's head!

We stood there packed like sardines, but the show was even better from this vantage point, and it was worth the effort getting a spot.

We had been to a sold out Christmas party in 08, but this was even worse. I don't know if that's because they sell more tickets now, or because they let people trade tickets from Tuesday night, or just because......... but it was worse. Standing still watching fireworks was one thing, but I also really wanted to see the "Celebrate the Season" show on the castle steps. We were right up there on Tuesday night with a great spot, only to find out they canceled the show because of the cold. Now if we wanted to see it we were going to have to sprout wings and fly over several thousand people.

Once again, being a party of 2 helped a lot, and we eventually wiggled our way toward the castle. Once we got through the masses, we found the people pretty well spread out in front. So we found a small spot and sat down. Not the best of seats, since the stage itself blocks part of the view when sitting that close, but at least we finally saw the show!

 

[Catira]

Awesome pics of the castle and fireworks! MVMCP is one of my favorite things to do during the xmas holidays. We went in November for my son's bday and it was not very crowded. Most rides were ride on!!

 

[basketkat]

Those pictures are amazing! I almost feel like I'm right there with you!!!!

 

[mom2rtk]

12/16/10: Continued

I honestly thought that as we went down Main Street we'd find a spot to squeeze in along the sides. HAH! That's what I get for thinking!

Think solid mass of humanity...........

Think

So we just kept going. And believe it or not, in spite of record crowds on a sell-out night............ there were some spots down on the hub. Whew! I was starting to worry that we'd just have to keep walking right on out of the park to find an open spot of real estate! There were people standing in front of the Christmas tree in the hub, but there was a small spot open in front of them. It was only open because they were leaning on the wall back there. So I asked if we could squeeze in front if we promised to stay down, which was fine with them. Katie sat on the curb and I kneeled behind her. OK, so kneeling on concrete isn't the BEST plan after a long day, but I wanted a little better angle for photographing and standing was out. I folded up our blanket and some stuff and did just fine.

Honestly, this is the BEST spot for viewing the parade. You get to watch it approach then turn in front of you without a million people leaning around you. The only reason we didn't plan on this spot all along is that I photographed it from this same spot in 08 and I was hoping for something slightly different. Still, we had some breathing room. And I'm so glad Katie got to sit and enjoy the moment, soaking it all in without people practically on top of her.

The parade was over a bit after 11. And man we were worn OUT! The other up side of watching the parade from the hub is that you're already RIGHT BY the exit! So we headed for our locker to get the rest of our stuff and head back to the room.

But not so fast.............

Even though there was 45 minutes of party time left, the line just to return the locker key was insanely long. It would have taken 20 minutes easily just to get through that line to get our $5 deposit back. So I did what I had to........ I let Katie just drop it on the counter (sans refund) so we could make a quick getaway.

Yes, our feet hurt.

Yes, it took a long time for the bus to come and get us back to our room.

Yes, it was a long day.

Yes, we squeezed a lot into that day.

Yes, you can still find magic at a sold out Christmas party.

Yes, I enjoy photographing fireworks (especially when there's a castle involved!)

And yes, I'd do it all over again. In a heartbeat.

 

[AprilRenee]

Those were some BEAUTIFUL Wishes/Parade pics!! Just magical!!

I wonder if you can find good parade spots under the Partner's statue for a normal parade...we might need to try that out next time!

 

[mom2rtk]

Clearskies:

I'm glad you're caught up and still reading along. Thanks for the kind comments! I have to admit I'm hopelessly behind on your TR too, but am looking forward to catching up very soon!

Jen (kwitcherkicken99) and Clearskies.......... Many thanks to both of you for your insight. As long as neither of you wants to chastise me for trying to be Family of the Day at the Magic Kingdom, I'd game to hear what both of you have to say. Some of it's going over my head, but maybe I should try again in the morning with fresh brain cells again!

I do have a book on flash photography, but I'm having trouble wading through that too. Honestly, I have only used the flash on TTL, as I wouldn't have a clue how to do it any other way. I did figure out what the flash exposure compensation was this year, and that in itself was a huge improvement for me. I really think it made the difference in getting some MVMCP parade photos I was finally happy with.

Many thanks again to both of you, and please keep the advice and lessons coming!

 

[mom2rtk]

So far that has been a bit of a challenge. I know a lot of Mom's use the stalls in the restrooms but in places that usually have a line and just a couple of stalls I feel bad using one to change clothes. At the GF before the 1900 PF dinner I used a corner of the restroom away from the sinks etc but still felt like we were in the way. Where are some of the places you change her clothes that has some space and not so many people?

Next week won't be so bad I think I will just have to change her clothes after Akershus and I recall there being a little room going into the restroom where I have changed her clothes before. It would be nice to find a place at the GF before dinner and the castle after dinner.

Please keep me posted if you find any good places to change!

We won't be doing a family trip for a few more years, but DD will be 6/7 and I know changes of clothes will be in order! I'd love to start making a list!!

We actually don't use the restrooms all that often. Well, we did this trip because it was so COLD out. Did I mention it was cold?

Normally Katie just wears shorts, or jeans, or whatever, and a camisole, so we just swap the costumes out over that while we're in line. Easy... and efficient!

At the GF, if you're concerned about taking up space in that VERY busy bathroom, just ask where the other restroom is. Since it's not near the restaurant, it's probably not as busy.

Awesome pics of the castle and fireworks! MVMCP is one of my favorite things to do during the xmas holidays. We went in November for my son's bday and it was not very crowded. Most rides were ride on!!

Thank you!

And here's your official to our trip!

We actually went to Disney the week before Thanksgiving a number of years ago and LOVED it! That's probably one of the few true slow times left. And the weather....... just perfect! Not to much of a chance of record heat or cold. I seriously considered it for this year, but it's just easier for me to get away in December. And honestly, if you want a slow Christmas party.... then November it is. ALL the parties in December are busy.

Those pictures are amazing! I almost feel like I'm right there with you!!!!

That's very high praise! So thank you!

Those were some BEAUTIFUL Wishes/Parade pics!! Just magical!!

I wonder if you can find good parade spots under the Partner's statue for a normal parade...we might need to try that out next time!

Thank you!

Do you mean from the side of the partner's statue farthest away from the castle? I have no idea, but it's worth considering, if the parade comes from the front of the park and would be coming straight at you. The only problem then would be if the parade ended up coming from the other direction, like it did on this trip for us. It came out of Frontierland and really caught me off guard. I thought it went the other way. At least it did in 09. Maybe it had something to do with the cold......... who knows.........