How to Shoot: Parades

[MarkBarbieri]

This is another in a series of threads focused on how to shoot different shows, attractions, rides, and events at Disney Theme Parks. The purpose is to help people learn how to shoot those things with their camera and what they can reasonably expect from their camera.

On this forum, we run the gamut from cell phone cameras to high end DSLRs with rediculously large lenses. I'm hoping that we'll get a variety of posts from people with cameras in all ranges. Even if you feel that your photos don't measure up to what others have posted, please post some samples anyway. We're all at different levels of gear and skill and we can all learn from each other. A typical S3 user will probably learn more from your S3 shot than they will from Mickey88's latest masterpiece.

Other posts in this series include:
How To Shoot: Fireworks
How To Shoot: The Safari Ride
How To Shoot: Indoor Shows
How To Shoot: Cinderella's Castle
How To Shoot: SpectroMagic
How To Shoot: Dark Rides


How do you shoot the different parades at the Disney parks? Favorite locations? Tips for shooting over the crowds? Any parades that work really well or others that work really badly?

I like to shoot parades from a curve so that I can shoot them coming and so that I can shoot them as they go past. One of my favorite places is in the island just inside the entrance to the Magic Kingdom. You can get the castle in the background when you shoot the parades coming down Main Street. Then each float turns in front of you giving you a clear shot of the side.

I love the Jammin' Jungle Parade for shooting. The colors are brilliant. The hardest thing about shooting it is that the music infects you making it hard to stand still enough to take a good shot.

Unquestionably, the light parades are the hardest to shoot. Let's save the light parades for their own thread because the techniques are so very different.

 

[Amy]

Another good spot to shoot a parade is at the hub where the bridge goes off to Tomorrowland; you'll also get the castle in the background:

 

[cwnhokie]

I also love the AK Jamin Jungle Parade, for the bright colors and the music. Here's one from that parade.

 

[deletedpenguin]

Electrical Light Parade: There's a bend near the Wharf area that's great because you can shoot down the parade route and brace yourself either against the railing or just sit down and no one will sit in front of you, as there's not a LOT of room. And remember, use a high ISO for night shots, you can always degrain later.

Here's a few examples:

 

[LPZ_Stitch!]

"Wait for it." -- I've found that if you wait for the right moment, you can sometimes get better shots. It seems to me that many of the characters, especially the ones of the floats, keep an eye out for people aiming their cameras directly at them or "tracking" them.

I waited for him to turn in my direction and got this great pic of Jafar is looking directly at me. I remember him holding the pose for a little bit, too.

It also helps if you wave at the characters as they're passing (if you can shoot one-handed) ... it always seems to me that they'll hold a pose just a few seconds longer so you can get a nice picture.

 

[05MM08MM]

As for shooting over crowds, I like the Canon models with the open-twist LCD screens. You can hold the camera over everyone's heads nad tilt the screen down so you know what you are taking a picture of. I know it's not the steadiest of shots, especially for those with very shaking hands, but it's one of my favorite things on my Canon S2 IS.

 

[matthew_hull]

My advice is to consider the sun before you pick your spot (if you have the luxury of staking out a spot beforehand [I didn't]). You want the sun behind you, but not directly behind you. Light clouds are better than direct sun, but you have little control over that ;-) Photograph the characters before they reach your position, down the road so to speak, so that you have a better chance of capturing their faces. Pick an angle and then stick with it; if a character passes by without you getting a good shot, let it go. Move on to the next that comes down the road. If your angle isn't working out, then certainly change it, but don't try to cover a full 180 degrees. Even a 90 degree approach is too much; stick to a 45 degree area. With the sun behind you.

"Wait for it." -- I've found that if you wait for the right moment, you can sometimes get better shots. It seems to me that many of the characters, especially the ones of the floats, keep an eye out for people aiming their cameras directly at them or "tracking" them.

My advice is the opposite. Don't wait, shoot! Shoot A LOT of frames, and clean up during the post-processing at home on the computer. This assumes you have adequate camera memory to support this style. A fraction of a second can make a huge difference in the facial expression of your subject (those which have facial expressions, that is). So, if you have seven frames to choose from, that is a lot better than having one or two frames. Your style may differ.

Here are a few shots from the Magic Kindom parade in October. I'm not particularly thrilled with how they came out (partly cloudy, with harsh sun next to deep shade) but I'm not complaining since I basically stumbled upon the parade just as it was about to start with no preparation, no choosing of spots, and several people in front of me. My style includes close crops of faces; that's what I like. These were all cropped and otherwise adjusted with Photoshop.

Cinderella and Prince:

Fairy Godmother:

Donald:

 

[Master Mason]

See if you can change your angle, I had never watched a parade from anything other than street level. It gives you a different perspective, these were taken from the platform of the mainstreet train station

 

[dpuck1998]

See if you can change your angle, I had never watched a parade from anything other than street level. It gives you a different perspective, these were taken from the platform of the mainstreet train station

I took some great shots from there also during MNSSHP Parade.

 

[JR6ooo4]

"Wait for it." -- I've found that if you wait for the right moment, you can sometimes get better shots. It seems to me that many of the characters, especially the ones of the floats, keep an eye out for people aiming their cameras directly at them or "tracking" them.

While this is not a parade it helps prove your point. We were sitting and enjoying "Off-Kilter". I stood up and walked to the center to get some shots. Obviously the guitar player wanted to be in them, hehehehheeee.

Mikeeee

 

[LPZ_Stitch!]

While this is not a parade it helps prove your point. We were sitting and enjoying "Off-Kilter". I stood up and walked to the center to get some shots. Obviously the guitar player wanted to be in them, hehehehheeee.

Yes, that is what I meant.

I don't mean waiting for "the shot" and only taking one -- by all means, if your camera's got a continuous mode, make use of it! -- but, instead, to give the characters a chance to recognize that you are taking a picture specifically of *them* and, hopefully, getting a more dynamic, engaging or funny picture than just "character X on a float"....

The same goes for meeting characters. I've got 10x more pictures of my DS11 actually *meeting* the character, approaching and reaching out for a handshake or a hug, than I do of him just posed with them.

 

[MassJester]

Ok Mark, so when does your book come out?

Heck, I'd buy it--I'd even give some away as gifts.

 

[Mrs.viv07]

can i just say you huys are all heaven sent for doing this! i am thinking of taking photog classes and these tips are really helping!

 

[MarkBarbieri]

Ok Mark, so when does your book come out?

Heck, I'd buy it--I'd even give some away as gifts.

My book? I'm just posting the topics and a handful of pointers. The good stuff is coming from a lot of different people here. My hope is that together, we can assemble a lot of really good tips to help people on their trips.

 

[Master Mason]

AZJeff,

Perhaps you could make a sticky that links to these threads.

So you could do fireworks and link to the fireworks thread, parades with a link to this thread.... that way there is an easy central repository for folks to look at, and you don't have to search when the threads go to the back pages..