Photography Tips

[firkat]

Hello. I would like to compile a list of photography tips for our upcoming trip. We have a nice digital camera so we will be able to take lots of photos. Do y'all have any suggestions for making the most of them?

I know I have made mistakes in the past. I went to Europe as a teenager and took lots and lots of pictures of buildings - with no people in them. Boring. My husband always, always, seems to get his finger in the picture.

I have read that some folks have a special place where they get their picture made again and again . . . like a growth chart. I am going to try to dig up old photos from when I was a child and see where those photos were made, so I can reproduce them with my children. That is one tip. Now y'all . . .

 

[wewantmore]

Great Idea, subscribing.

 

[Tnkrbelle565]

In general...try taking pics from different angles. If you scrapbook, make sure to take pics of signs, etc that you could cut up for the scrapbook. I like the idea of taking pics in certain spots or with certain characters. I have a picture of Alice in Wonderland holding me from my very first Disney trip (I was an infant) and now I have another one 30 years later! (which means that Alice in the original pic is probably like 50 by now!). I think pics of buildings can be interesting but if you don't enjoy them- try having a family member stand with the building. The beauty of digital is that you can take tons of pics and then delete out all but your favorites.

 

[SnoopyDancer]

Don't drop your camera. I dropped mine the second day, but it still worked. Thank goodness I bought the warranty covering dropped cameras.

On a more serious note, if you want to take pictures at night of the fireworks, try to use something like a rail to support your camera to prevent it from shaking. Your firework pictures will turn out much better.

If you are taking pictures through glass and you have your flash on, try to stand at an angle to prevent the flash from bouncing back into your picture.

If you see the Disney photographers, try to take a picture from where they are because it will be of a good view.

Have fun!

 

[loopner67]

Don't be shy - ask a passerby or even a castmember to take a picture so that you are also in it. Switch off the camera with another family member so that you are also in the pictures. Definitely try to take pictures with people in them and where you can see "scenery" stuff behind the people.

Around the parks, there are "KODAK picture taking signs". They are optimum places to take good pictures. Since you are using a digital camera, I would suggest taking more than one picture of any given thing, then you can edit or delete out the extra pictures later on. Better safe than sorry.

Have fun with your picture taking!

 

[MousekaMaddi]

Hi, Im a prof. photog, and own a wedding/portrait studio in NY, Here are a few tips that Im hoping will be useful.(thanx 4 all of your zillion tips in here!)
1)Get on the exact level of your subject...if your kids are 3, crouch/squat and photograph them at THEIR eye level, NOT from above.
2)always take one step closer to your subject b4 u take the pix.
3)always take 4 or 5 quick consecutive shots t o minimize blinks..and give u better choices (especially in the digital age)then delete while u wait in lines and have PLENTY of spare time,LOL)...but warn your family to stay put and to please keep smiling -youre going to take a few shots(quickly)otherwise u will get shots of your family just walking away from photo shoot.

(secret for shooting kids, ...*after taking photo,excitedly praise one child..(wow, Freddy -that was a great smile !!!!!).the next time u want photos, the other kids will smile really nicely, in hopes of getting praise too!*) works great!
4) Rather than saying Cheese(altho we are visiting THE MOUSE) have them say underwear...it always makes kids smile to say that!

Dont have people stand in one long line,have a few of the taller people squat/crouch down in front of the group (making certain, of course that u can see everyones face!)-it makes different levels in the photo and adds interest.Plus it hides tummies of some of us *Pooh sized* people

5)When taking pix of your family in front of castle, photograph them from their waists UP ! U DO NOT need to see legs and feet, but DO WANT TO SEE waist up and tippy top of castle since this is so pretty!

6) when taking the *digital card* that has your pix on it OUT of a camera u should ALWAYS turn camera off! Some photos are sometimes lost if u dont have camera off when putting *card* in and out.

...dont let camera straps dangle off dinner table while u eat this is the easiest way they get knocked off tables...flip straps up ont tabletops.

...IF camera gets splashed or damp or wet, IMMEDIATELY take *card*out, or rewind and remove film and allow to dry out (when back at hotel leave camera card holder door open to alow air to dry out every nook and cranny overnight, then put card in again the next day.
Happy shooting my friends!

 

[PocahontasLookALike]

If you are going digital, always take more photos than what you really need. You can always delete.

One amateur mistake that is commonly made is 'cutting off feet'. When you are photographing someone from a full body mode, be sure to get the feet in the photos. If your full body photos have seemed 'off', this could be the reason why...NO FEET! When I have others take our photos, I always say "Be sure to get our feet in!"

Pay attention to what you see in your viewfinder. Do you really want someones butt as they are leaning over a drinking fountain in the background of your photo?

I always make sure that I take just as many photos WITH people that I do of 'landmark stuff' (castle, tree of life, signs, etc.).

Get creative, you don't always have to have your camera straight forward. Angle it slightly for a cool, artsy feel.

Don't forget to TURN your camera. Don't get stuck with 300 photos all in landscape mode!

 

[firkat]

Oh my gosh! I cannot believe what great tips these are! I would never have thought of some of this stuff! I always thought ya put the tall people behind the short people . . . but crouching down makes great sense! I have never balanced my camera before. I always end up coming back from vacation with photos of everyone else, but me. While I now know to put people in front of the interesting buildings, taking photos of signs and stuff is a great idea for scrapbooking!

We will have an 18 month old with us. Any suggestions specifically for the littlest ones in the group would also be appreciated!

 

[Grumpylittlesis]

I say just try to be creative. Don't be afraid to set up a shot or pose a person you're shooting. This pic isn't the best because it's too dark, but it's one of my favorites because it's a little different.

 

[firkat]

I will definitely remember to get the feet now! Love that photo,Grumpylilsis. Very creative. I will have to look for those types of opportunities!

 

[Not so Dumbo]

I learned this one from one of the photo taker inthe Magic Kingdom... If it's sunny out have everyone close their eyes and count to three and then open them. This way it helps to prevent squinting.

 

[TheGirlin14G]

Take funny pictures! My sister and I took a picture in front of the Walt/Mickey statue in front of the castle - and my sister is taller than me, so we did the same pose they're in, her as Walt, me as Mickey Turned out great

If you take a picture that doesn't turn out right, try different settings.. for shows I had to put my camera on the "museum" setting for the pictures to come out right x_X My camera also has a special thing for fireworks, but I found just the regular flashless setting or night setting worked best.

 

[Samantha/NC]

When we would go in with the characters--everyone was taking pictures--3 different camera's in our family and the photopass card-ANYWAY we would say look here, look at uncle steve and the result was lots of pictures with the kids looking everyway which way!! WE have already decided next time to slow down and let one persoon at a time take pic w/ their camera

 

[SnoopyDancer]

I say just try to be creative. Don't be afraid to set up a shot or pose a person you're shooting. This pic isn't the best because it's too dark, but it's one of my favorites because it's a little different.

Wow, what a great pic! I've never been to WDW at Christmas. Are all the buildings lit up like this one?

 

[goofinoff]

Awesome tips! I'm a scrapbooker so have learned a lot about taking pics. I love the one about taking pictures of signs. I do that all the time and my husband thinks i'm nuts! But it will help you remember what you are taking a picture of one you have them.
When I have gone on trips I have kept a journal by day. At the end of the day when we get back to the hotel, I jot down what we have done and seen and if the kids said or did anything funny, silly, brillant, etc. That way when I got home and had them developed it helped me to remember exactly what we did and when. It's a great help when you are doing a scrapbook.

 

[Dizneydaz]

Awesome tips!
When I have gone on trips I have kept a journal by day. At the end of the day when we get back to the hotel, I jot down what we have done and seen and if the kids said or did anything funny, silly, brillant, etc. That way when I got home and had them developed it helped me to remember exactly what we did and when. It's a great help when you are doing a scrapbook.

Great tip! I usually forget when we get back what my DD said, etc.

My best tip, as the photographer in our bunch who's in very few pictures, is this: When the CM asks if they can take your picture, say sure, if you'll take some of us with my camera. Even if you don't buy the ones they sell, you'll get some great group shots. Some of the best pictures we have are the ones taken by Disney staffers. They know how to pose you just right and the seem to always get the picture in focus. Unfortunately, if I have my mom take pictures of me and my DD6 half of them are out of focus. I'm not sure how she does it, it's an automatic focus camera! Anyway, by having CM take our pix, I know I'll be in some, and be in focus. Also, now that I exclusively take my Kodak digital, I take alot of pictures. I take pictures of everything (I am a scrapbooker ). I recently bought a 1 GB card so I won't fill up my card (my other is a 512-filled it up 3 times on last trip!) and I am buying another battery for my camera next week so I won't run ouf of power.

Have fun, and take alot of pictures!

 

[Perditamarie]

I am thinking of going all digital for our trip later this month-- is it better to use multiple memory cards instead of one card w/more memory in case the one big memory card gets corrupted? Like using 2-3 256 mb cards instead of 1g card. For some reason I am paranoid about a card becoming corrupted. Maybe I am not ready for all digital! What's the best advice for juggling memory cards? Great thread, by the way.

 

[writersblock42]

My biggest tip would be to get a large memory stick. If you are spending a lot of money on a vacation why not spend a little more and buy a large memory stick to remember it all.
The character keepers (I don't know what they are actually called) will gladly volunteer to take a picture of you and your family. These pictures tend to turn out nicely. Also don't always get people to pose-sometimes the most memorable pictures are suprise pictures.

 

[writersblock42]

In response to the two vs. one memory cards, I would say to buy a memory stick before your trip and try it out before going on the trip to make sure it is a good stick. Also you might want to bring along a smaller one just in case. But my understanding is that a memory card is either bad to begin with or good. If you have access to a computer, you can go ahead and download them as well.

 

[annie1995]

Great tips!