I'm glad I took the Tripod

[Bstanley]

Fortunately I accepted the advice offered here that the only way to really take pictures of the fireworks at the MK was to use a full size tripod, set it to bulb and stake out a spot among the teeming throngs. I am glad that I did - and I have a bit of my own advice - I setup behind a family who had brought G'ma and G'Pa along in their ECVs - which gave me a fairly clear view of the castle!

I think the next time I'll setup a bit closer to Main Street since even at 18mm (1.6x crop camera) I missed the top of a couple of the blasts. Also - I tried 3 seconds to 7 seconds at f/11, ISO 100 and I think I'll be trying 2 - 3 seconds in the future. I'm hoping it will help with minimizing the reflections from the smoke? Also more pictures earlier seems to be in order since it seems that as the show goes on the smoke gets more in the way. OK enough chat, here are pictures:

Early in the show.

Midway through the show it is starting to get smokey.

And this is what happens when the photographer is so mesmerized at the BIG finale that he forgets to let go of the remote release for 9 seconds

 

[SrisonS]

Cool set of shots!!! I seriously need to get a tripod. I'm pretty picky, so it'll take some time to find something I really want. And with that Finale pic, you could probably crop it to a little above the clock and make it into a nice "wide angle" shot..... or even a cool banner. It has some nice leading lines to the Partners statue.

 

[AbbysFamily]

Oh, great! Now I need to haul a tripod along with my new SLR next june! Those are GREAT!

 

[Icemann]

Man those are some awesome shots nice job I'll have to remember those settings for next month

 

[WillowBelle]

Great job on the pics. Doesn't it just make you sigh with happy relief when you take the tripod and realize that it paid to lug it around a bit.

 

[mainstreet1997]

I kind of like the blown out finale shot since you can really see the crowd - and thats kind of what its like!

 

[Bstanley]

you could probably crop it to a little above the clock and make it into a nice "wide angle" shot..... or even a cool banner. It has some nice leading lines to the Partners statue.

I hadn't thought of that - good eye - thank you SrisonS!

when you take the tripod and realize that it paid to lug it around

I am glad I toted it, but next time I'm going to rig up some sort of backpack or shoulder strap so that I don't have to hold onto the blasted thing by hand.

 

[Coach K]

Great shots! I've been debating about bringing a tripod the next time I go down and these pics help me make up my mind.

 

[AKVTiger]

Great shots. It sucks to have to carry around a tripod but if you want great shots like these it is a must.

 

[mom2rtk]

Beautiful shots!

I have an older tripod I take along. It was inexpensive, and super glued back together in one spot. But it still works. I carry it in a fold up lawn chair bag and just leave it on the stroller all day. If it gets stolen, my greatest loss will be the loss of the photo op. I wouldn't care about the tripod itself.

 

[rcpromike]

Great shots! One thing I'm really looking forward to about my DCP is that I'll be able to just dedicate nights or entire days to taking pictures. Less stressful than worrying about getting time to shoot when you're trying to get rides in.

 

[manning]

Trouble maker

Now where did I put that tripod I hated to carry?

 

[Groucho]

Glad you enjoyed it! You just can't beat a tripod for night shots. Looks like you made good use of it.

I have a similar "blown out" fireworks shot and like it due to the bright crowd - nothing wrong with that!

I made my own tripod strap from an extra strap I had (actually was on my camera bag before putting on an Op/Tech SOS strap.) I put some pictures in a thread here a while ago; if you're interesting, I can dig up the link or put them here.

The main constructive criticism I'd have is the leveling - you can see the slant on the castle. What might work well for you next time is a little hot-shoe level - you can get them for dirt cheap and they don't take up much room in your camera bag. When using the tripod, just stick that in your hot shoe bracket and that'll help you get perfectly straight.

 

[Bstanley]

I made my own tripod strap from an extra strap I had

I was actually thinking about replacing the strap that came with the camera - it worked OK, but was a bit stiff - so I could use the Canon one for the tripod, thanks for the idea.

The main constructive criticism I'd have is the leveling

Ha - I managed to tote the tripod, a remote shutter release, find a spot to get setup with a clear field of fire, get the camera all setup, get some decent exposures and the guy wants them to be level?

Seriously - thats a good idea - I think I had things more level before the start but then just as bangs started a couple of little ones ran up and actually kicked the tripod on their way to G'ma and her scooter (fortunately I had the camera strap around my neck). All I did at that point was get the camera pointing back in the right direction. Having the level on top of the camera would have made re-leveling it a snap (I guess I'll virtually level these pictures in Elements).

 

[pxlbarrel]

I usually throw the tripod into a locker (mine will fit) until it's time to set up for the night shots.

I didn't take any fireworks photos this most recent trip. I was only able to get to Epcot but decided that I would just watch and enjoy it instead of worrying about getting that perfect shot. LOL I sort of wish I had taken photos but...it was kind of nice to just enjoy them.

Great shots by the way!!

 

[Groucho]

I was actually thinking about replacing the strap that came with the camera - it worked OK, but was a bit stiff - so I could use the Canon one for the tripod, thanks for the idea.

Here is the thread with some pics of the strap I put together. It's not perfect, but as far as I can tell, no tripod strap is!

Ha - I managed to tote the tripod, a remote shutter release, find a spot to get setup with a clear field of fire, get the camera all setup, get some decent exposures and the guy wants them to be level?

Seriously - thats a good idea - I think I had things more level before the start but then just as bangs started a couple of little ones ran up and actually kicked the tripod on their way to G'ma and her scooter (fortunately I had the camera strap around my neck). All I did at that point was get the camera pointing back in the right direction. Having the level on top of the camera would have made re-leveling it a snap (I guess I'll virtually level these pictures in Elements).

Yeah, it's a war zone getting the tripod set up and safe before the fireworks and protecting it from interference. For $2-3 or whatever they cost, they're worth having in the camera bag even if rarely used.

BTW, interesting Fred Allen quote - I'm more of a Jack Benny fan myself but theirs feuds were always fun!

 

[Bstanley]

I'm more of a Jack Benny fan myself but their feuds were always fun!

I got into Old Time Radio (OTR) when my mother gave me a tape of a Fred Allen show more than 30 years ago. That show has Fred starting a new game show and Benny sneaking onto the show - there's a surprise ending where it sounds like Benny literally loses his pants, ageless and priceless.

Benny fans have it easier than Allen fans - Benny was fanatic about keeping a recording of each of his shows. When he passed it was all donated to UCLA. Fred Allen hated his voice and made no attempt to keep recordings.

There are lots of really active OTR fans - I've downloaded thousands of comedy shows people posted to the Usenet 'oldtime' board including 700 Benny shows from 1936 through 1954.

My favorite Fred Allen quote about Benny - "Benny is so cheap he squeezes a nickle so hard the E Pluribus laps over the Unum".

 

[Groucho]

You're right about Benny fans having it fairly easy - like you, I've got a zillion Benny shows in MP3s (usenet is incredible for that kind of thing!) and a bookshelf full of books about Benny (and other classic comedians like the Marx Bros, Buster Keaton, WC Fields, Burns & Allen, etc)... and nothing about Allen. I've never even actually heard Allen's Alley, I don't think! It never makes it on the old-time radio channel on Sirius, either, as far as I know. Plus I've got a bunch of VHS tapes of Benny's show from back when it aired in the middle of the night on Comedy Central, and a few DVDs. Love that b/w comedy!

Oh, I do know that show you mention, about Jack on the game show, where he went on as "Proudfoot" (don't remember the first name), and I think the closing line was "you haven't seen the end of me!" and Allen says, "it won't be long now!"

I think my favorite OTR moment is when Gracie gets Jack to pretend to woo her to make George jealous, and they both end up on one knee in an attempt to outdo the other and they end up swapping tips with each other for dealing with their rheumatism instead!

 

[PhotographyDR]

Tripod at WDW

I got to take mine this year during our Christmas trip. A couple of pointers that I noticed might help.

1) Buy the lightest tripod that can support the weight of your camera and lenses. While mine can support quite of bit of weight, it also weighs a lot. 5.5 lbs seems light but not really.

2) You can check a locker or leave at guest survives (HS held mine for free) until you need it. Carrying around one, even light weight, all day is a drag.

3) Save and spend the money on a good one. Unlike cameras a tripod will last a life time. You should get a good quality one. It will prevent that shake.

These are great shots and it is really the only way to go when trying to do night photography.

 

[Bstanley]

Jack on the game show, where he went on as "Proudfoot"

That's the show - Myron Proudfoot. Funniest 'ending' ever.

Usenet is handy for videos as well.

Save and spend the money on a good one.

My tripod is a 20 year old no name special so this is very appropriate advice. While it is not particularly heavy or awkward, it isn't particularly easy to get into action and the head is not helpful at all.