Night time/show photography

[spgoad]

3 days left till the start of our trip! Leaving Friday night, so I'm going through last minute things in my head as we prepare to pack.

Random question I thought of for anyone out there who likes taking pictures in the parks at night. Do you have any favorite spots? I love night time shots of the parks, so I'll be taking my small tripod (fits in a backpack per their rules) and my DSLR.

I'm specifically curious about the night time shows, such as the castle fireworks. Are there good spots where you can get a clear view for pictures? I know if I was at MK in WDW, I would park myself in the little path that goes off main street down by the old Swan boat dock. Up against the railing there you have a great clear shot to the castle for a camera on a tripod. Looking at DL maps though, I can't figure out if there is a spot like that. Any suggestions?

 

[cmwade77]

During the summer, the Main Street Train Station works, butplease note that the benches in the center are generally reserved for VIPs. In the winter when the larger, more expensive Rember dreams come true runs, the train station is the best for pictures, but the show is more fun around the hub as fireworks go off all around you. Same is true for the Halloween fireworks. I am only mentioning the other ones for others that might see this thread that are going for one of them.

Also please note that they put a walkway in front of the castle and make from the castle to the hub standing only, so there are no good spots for tripod use. (Note the walkway and standing are relatively new). You also cannot stand or sit in the front half of the hub.

That being said, it's a small world is also a good spot, they do different projections on it. But you do miss the fireworks from the castle, Dumbo and Tinkerbell.

 

[tazlikesrobots]

What kind of tripod did you buy? I've been looking for a tripod that I can stow in my camera bag.

 

[cmwade77]

I actually do not use a DSLR, I find it too bulky and my high end P&S works great, as a result, I use a Magnetic Gorilla Pod, they work great all around the parks.

They do make a SLR version of a Gorilla Pod, definitely can fit within a backpack that way and can be used in various situations that a traditional tripod cannot, i.e. on rides like it's a small world, I attach it to the hand railing. (I will also do Pirates, because my camera is water proof).

 

[Peanut Giggleface]

I can second the Gorilla flexible tripod. I have a DSLR and got the big Gorilla that will support it. We took it to WDW and set it up on top of garbage cans tripod style as well as wrapping it around railings and even up high around posts. It worked very well.

 

[spgoad]

What kind of tripod did you buy? I've been looking for a tripod that I can stow in my camera bag.

I have a 50 inch Targus tripod that I got at Target actually. It definitely isn't a high end piece of work, but it gets the job done and is small enough to fit in a backpack easily (10 inches I think). I've also got a beast of a tripod, 80inch extremely solid Targus, but it only folds down to about two feet long. So, it doesn't fit their requirements for DLR.

Also, like the other couple of posters have mentioned, I've got a SLR Gorilla Pod that I like as well. But I didn't wanted to be locked in to using a rail or trash can. It may be I can find one everywhere I want a picture, but I'm not confident in that.

Thanks for the thoughts all.

 

[tazlikesrobots]

I have a 50 inch Targus tripod that I got at Target actually. It definitely isn't a high end piece of work, but it gets the job done and is small enough to fit in a backpack easily (10 inches I think). I've also got a beast of a tripod, 80inch extremely solid Targus, but it only folds down to about two feet long. So, it doesn't fit their requirements for DLR.

Also, like the other couple of posters have mentioned, I've got a SLR Gorilla Pod that I like as well. But I didn't wanted to be locked in to using a rail or trash can. It may be I can find one everywhere I want a picture, but I'm not confident in that.

Thanks for the thoughts all.

Thanks for the information. I've been looking for a decent tripod that I can fit in my camera backpack!