Magic, Memories & You Photography

[mom2rtk]

So I'd like to do 2 things here:

1) I'd love to see your shots of the Magic, Memories and You show. I'd love to see the original, but I'm really looking forward to seeing shots of the new holiday version.

2) I'm looking for input on the best approach to photographing the show. I'm assuming I need a faster shutter speed here, but would love to hear some input.

Thanks! Can't wait to see it for myself in December!

 

[zackiedawg]

I've only done the 'original' version, for the first time in July...as far as spots to shoot from, I found directly in front of the castle, just in front of the Partners statue, to be excellent. I was there on a not terribly crowded night, and for the late showing, so I walked up with 5 minutes to go before the show, and was front-and-center with no heads in front of me.

There are two ways you can shoot it - though I recommend method 2. Method 1 would be all handheld, cranking up the ISO - you'd likely need ISo1600 with a decently fast lens like F2 or so. Method 2 is to use a moderately fast shutter speed, but on a tripod - this will let you bring the ISo down a bit, close the aperture a bit, and you generally want shutter speeds of 1/2 to 5 seconds, which is just about the right length to capture the transitions, but slow enough to pull in nice, richer colors and less noise.

I shot it with a slowish kit lens (F3.5) - I chose ISO800 and Aperture Priority at F5, which usually gave me a nice 1/2 second to 1 second shutter speed, btu allowed for a longer exposure if one of the scenes happened to be a bit darker - some went as long as 5 seconds. Tripod mounted throughout, and remote shutter release would be best if you have one (though you can get by without too). Then, it's just a matter of hitting the shutter with each transition of the light show, take your exposure, and hit the shutter again at the next scene. Here's a bunch of the lightshow sequence taken this way:

 

[mom2rtk]

Those are amazing Justin! And the recommendations are just what I'm looking for. I'll probably only get to see it on MVMCP nights, so I expect to have to scout out my spot early. But it really looks to be worth that effort.

I'm thinking I'll probably use my 17-55 f/2.8. What sort of metering mode did you use? The castle is pretty bright, but it does fill most of the frame.

Since I'll be shooting Holiday Wishes right after, tripod + remote release won't be a problem.

 

[Daisy14'sDH]

I have 102 shots of the show! I started off shooting to fast and ended up using ISO 1600, f4, 1/10s. Taken with my Kr using a remote, with the DA 12-24mm lens. I didn't want to switch to a faster lens because of the 40th Anniversary Wishes show that was 2 minutes behind it. The photos moved very quickly on the castle, which is why I selected a faster shutter, higher ISO. In hindsight I would of used a faster lens and a lower ISO... but heres some cleaned up samples, the only 2 that I processed anyway. If I was better with PP I am sure these would look better!

 

[mom2rtk]

Those are great too. That mosaic effect is incredible! I'm looking forward to the holiday version but am sorry I won't get to see the incredible effects I'm seeing here.

Do you think a 2.8 lens is fast enough?

 

[zackiedawg]

Thank you. I was using center weighted metering - as you mentioned, the castle pretty well filled the frame, so how much light was on the castle dictated how much shutter the camera chose. By keeping the ISO at 800, I found it was a nice balance between low noise but high enough sensitivity to keep the shutter speeds reasonably shorter.

I don't think an F2.8 lens would be any problem. At ISO800, even F5 was exposing beautifully with shutters as short as 1/2 second for the brighter displays. I didn't have my DSLR with me on that trip, so I was using my NEX3 with 18-55mm kit lens. It was more than enough for the job.

 

[theduck619]

I have a canon T3. I am going to be using my kit lens which is like f4.6 I think. What should I set my shutter to?

 

[HPS3]

Zackiedawg, what do you use to release the shutter on your Nex 3? Is ther a cable for the Nex?

 

[krb2g]

Wow. These pictures make me really excited for this show. It looks much cooler through pictures than it sounded when it was first introduced....

 

[KCmike]

Hope you have a great trip Janet!

 

[Daisy14'sDH]

Processed another one...

 

[JimbobJimbo]

Here are a few taken from a different angle. This was back in June, taken from the walkway to Liberty Square before the bridge.

Handheld, 17mm, F2.8, ISO 3200

 

[zackiedawg]

Zackiedawg, what do you use to release the shutter on your Nex 3? Is ther a cable for the Nex?

Nope - just good old finger on the shutter button. I just did it very gently - I fixed the focus by switching to manual so nothing could get out of adjustment in between shots. I was on a business trip and in Disney for just one night, so I was only traveling with the NEX and had left the DSLR home...but at the last minute I threw the tripod in my car with the sole intent of getting some night shots with the NEX.

 

[HPS3]

Well Justin, your shots look great. Do you find the quality on your Nex photos the same as your DSLR? I just got the 5n adapter for my Nikkor 35/1.8 and find this combo as sharp as the lens on my D5100.

 

[mom2rtk]

Thank you. I was using center weighted metering - as you mentioned, the castle pretty well filled the frame, so how much light was on the castle dictated how much shutter the camera chose. By keeping the ISO at 800, I found it was a nice balance between low noise but high enough sensitivity to keep the shutter speeds reasonably shorter.

I don't think an F2.8 lens would be any problem. At ISO800, even F5 was exposing beautifully with shutters as short as 1/2 second for the brighter displays. I didn't have my DSLR with me on that trip, so I was using my NEX3 with 18-55mm kit lens. It was more than enough for the job.

Awesome shots for a business trip! But of course I'm not surprised. Sounds like a great call to throw in the tripod!

Center weighted metering sounds like the way to go. And I'll try aperture priority and see how it goes.

I have a canon T3. I am going to be using my kit lens which is like f4.6 I think. What should I set my shutter to?

Are you bringing a tripod? That will make a huge difference on what you can do. I do know the T3 has the higher ISO's, but I'd still try to keep as low as you can to avoid too much noise.

Wow. These pictures make me really excited for this show. It looks much cooler through pictures than it sounded when it was first introduced....

I absolutely agree. I'm almost as excited to see this as I am to see the castle lighting again, and I LOVE that! I'm trying to arrange our schedule so we can maybe see this twice. It's going to be hard since I think we're only doing the MK in the evening on party days. But my brain is working overtime.......

Hope you have a great trip Janet!

Many thanks Mike! Four weeks from today we'll be doing MVMCP!

 

[mom2rtk]

DAISY14'sDH: That is a gorgeous shot! I don't think I've seen that effect before and now it's one of my favorites. Now you have me sad I won't get to see the original show!

JIMBO: I actually love that perspective from the bridge. Great shots!

 

[zackiedawg]

HPS3 - I do love the fact that the NEX's quality is a match for a DSLR, in a smaller body...precisely why I got it as a second cam. The NEX3 has the same sensor as my previous camera, A550...and it was actually even slightly better at the highest ISOs because of the newer processing on the JPGs. I upgraded my DSLR to the A580, with that excellent 16MP sensor which the NEX-5N uses (as well as the D5100, D7000, K5, etc)...and I'm already looking at the idea of upgrading my NEX3 to the 5N to get at the improvements as well as the optional EVF.

The only thing that keeps me with DSLRs is that the NEX cannot replicate the long-lens ergonomics and handling, or the focus speed and buffer size - but it is definitely an excellent second body, or lightweight travel replacement!

 

[wbeem]

I've done a lot of shots, but have only posted this one (I think). I use a tripod and a 4-5 second exposure.


Light Painting a Castle by wbeem, on Flickr

 

[theduck619]

I've done a lot of shots, but have only posted this one (I think). I use a tripod and a 4-5 second exposure.


Light Painting a Castle by wbeem, on Flickr

That is beautiful

 

[wbeem]

Those are great too. That mosaic effect is incredible! I'm looking forward to the holiday version but am sorry I won't get to see the incredible effects I'm seeing here.

Do you think a 2.8 lens is fast enough?

Bring a tripod and you can stop down. I had an f/2.8 lens, but was shooting around f/8 to f/11 with 4 second exposures at ISO 200.

That longer shutter speed works well for some shots and eliminates noise from your images. However, there are scenes with animation where a longer shutter speed may not work for what you want.