allie5
<font color=blue>WARNING! DHL men should be cautio
- Joined
- Apr 12, 2002
- Messages
- 1,572
We have not long returned from a 3 week trip to WDW - well, kinda. Being a large family these days, onsite wasnt practical so we had a house only a few minutes away. If you hadnt guessed, we are from England and make the trip over to WDW once a year.
Apart from DH, my Mom (along for baby sitting
) , and my 3 kids (7, 5 & 20 months), my most important travel companion was my Canon 30D which Id been itching to test out in "the World" for the first time. Also in my bag was my walkabout lens, 17-85IS, my "Animal Kingdom" lens 
70-300IS and my secret Spectromagic weapon, the 50mm f/1.8 . I diligently packed my tripod (lucky that Virgin Atlantic have a generous luggage allowance and they didnt check the baby bag had a Manfrotto in it rather than 42 Pampers
). I took 2 hi speed CF cards - 1x4gb, 1x2gb plus my Jobo Giga Vu Pro storage device.
I had also packed, in a "just in case" kinda way, a Gorillapod, Circular Polarizer, spare battery (although the Canon battery goes on forever and I knew Id never run it down in a day!). My daily kit was carried round in a Tamrac Velocity 9 bag - bit of a squeeze to get the body and all 3 lenses in, but it was rare I ever took all 3 lenses out at the same time, so it worked out OK.
My one disappointment, was the remote shutter release I had ordered weeks before I travelled never arrived - despite assurances it was "in the post". This cost me dear as none of the local stores in Orlando had one it to fit the 30D. In turn, my night shots were not as great as I had hoped they might be
.
My brief photographic resume Age -0-10 never had a camera. Age 11 - got a Kodak instamatic for my birthday - enthusiastically tried it out at the zoo, imagining myself to be the front runner in the BBC's Young Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition 1977. Was most disgruntled when the snaps came back and I had 24 pin sharp pictures of wire fences with a blurry animal someway in the distance. Camera was not then picked up again till I started college in the 80s. I really got into photography then as it was part of my graphic design course and we did loads of interesting stuff in the darkroom (including even developing some film -
). Had a few basic film SLRs, finally splashing out on a Canon EOS 1000FN and a couple of lenses.
Then had to join the real world and work for a living so photography took a back seat. The digital age fell upon us and as a family we had the usual mix of naff 1 megapixel cameras but my interest was sparked again. After making a stepping stone leap of a bridge camera a few years back, this year I felt ready to take on a DSLR and purchased a Canon 30D back in March. I consider myself to be an enthusiastic beginner, maybe bordering on intermediate now I know DOF means "Depth of Field" and what all the numbers in the viewfinder actually mean!
So, I am kitted out, ready to shoot the world! How did it go?
Well, there were ups and downs. First, the kids grew to hate my camera and I hate myself for letting that happen. Id see a shot, stop, set up the camera, shoot, check the picture, adjust & shoot again - kids, DH and Mom are then miles away lined up for Peter Pan and Im faffing around with pictures. This wasnt good.
After a few days, I realised this couldnt continue and although it killed me to do it, I set the camera on the little green oblong, and the friend we call "Auto". To compensate, Mom babysat the kids every couple of nights and DH took me into the parks with only one thing in mind (apart from a Mickey Bar)- photography!
However, even on these nights, I let myself down a bit by never taking the tripod! My new friend was the Walt Disney World Trash Can. I lost count of the times I had the remains of someone's coke or dole whip sloshed in my face as I was bent over my trusty (but kinda whiffy) brown support! Without the remote, results were inconsistant and difficult but perseverence paid off with a few decent shots!
The challenge of the holiday was to capture the essence of Spectromagic - something Ive failed to do on every single one of our 13 trips. I knew it wasnt going to be easy, and it wasnt! The nifty fifty did pretty well, but it was HARD to get the focusing spot on with such a large aperture. A lot of trial, and huge amount of error I can tell you
. Cant say I was bowled over by any of my shots and told DH I need another trip to hone my technique .
Fireworks - Did OK with these I think. found it best on Tv mode set to 1.3 or 1.6 sec (trashcan supported ).
Disaster always shadows me closely when Im near expensive electrical equipment. DH had already checked our travel insurance policy covered my 30D "going Titanic" in the 7 Seas Lagoon, or being smashed into a gazillion pieces, dropped from the TTA). Naturally enough, by day 8, disaster happened.
DH and I were walking from the bridge at the Boardwalk to Epcot when I noticed the lovely (but rapidly fading) light over the Beach Club. "Oooh, I need to change lenses quick" says I, fumbling into my bag for my fifty.
My fifty was obviously as keen as mustard to get the shot as it leapt out of my bag, bounced 3 times on the concrete, then rolled majestically down the bridge, landing, (somewhat ironically I thought) at the feet of a trashcan.
DH retrieves it and examines it closely. Miraculously, it appears undamaged! I stick it on the body and fire off a few shots - the auto foucs is still working, the shots appear sharp as they ever did! Im very smug at this point, telling DH "no harm done" and continuing on my merry way.
The following morning at the house, I go to change lenses to my walkabout, ready for a day at Epcot. There is a snag. The fifty is stuck fast to the body. Its stuck tighter than DHs hand on his wallet in the DVC open house.
A close inspection sees a speck of black plastic rolling around behind the optics - looks like the thread was damaged in the fall.
At this point Im at Defcon 3, wading through seven yellow pages the size of small cars to find camera repair shops. There appears to be one at Formosa Gardens, only a stone's throw away, but Im wary of these cowboy outfits along the 192 that try to hawk faded boxes of outdated equipment at vastly over inflated prices. The thought of handing over my precious 30D to one of these guys was like hiring the Child Catcher to baby sit my kids.
A full 30 minutes later, with kids wailing "We wanna do Soarin Mummy, NOW" every 3 seconds, DH gives a shout of triumph, as a bit of careful twisting and one hard yank, has finally removed the offending lens. I tentatively check for thread damage on the camera and even more tentatively, try the 17-85IS to see if that will attatch OK. Pleased to report, apart from the now terminal nifty fifty (easily replaced at Ritz camera the following day) no other damage was sustained. Didnt do my blood pressure any good though!
So, a little summary. Taking a DSLR to WDW in the hope of capturing, creative, wonderful shots (like our hotshots on the Photography board seem to do with annoying ease), doesnt mix well with 3 small children
. One day I shall return, old, wrinkled, but with no kids (just an equally old and wrinkly husband) and JUST take pictures. No rides, no stopping for ice cream, character autographs, parades or restrooms (oh OK maybe those, the bladder will be old and wrinkly too ). But for now Im a Mom, and the kids have to come first, so lessons learnt for next time include:
A.Leave the kids at home. We have great educational TV....OK - joking.
B.Dont be too ambitious - a family holiday is to be treasured. WDW will be there next year and the artsy photos can wait. Capture the moment - it doesnt matter if its on auto!
C.You NEED a shutter release for night scenes.
D.Trashcans smell, take and use a tripod if it doesnt infringe on rule B. If not, take a peg for your nose.
E. Spectromagic is hard to shoot. Book at least 3 more trips solely to "get the right shot"
Well, I suppose you wanna see some pictures now? Difficult to choose a handful, but here are some I like - not just the technically Ok ones, but some that sum up the feel of the holiday.
So -here ya go. Feel free to comment or critisise (Im 4000 miles away from most of you, so I wont be knockin on your door
).
First up, that pesky, hard to shoot, Spectromagic (& Boo Too You) Parade:
Next, the kids:
More Below:
Apart from DH, my Mom (along for baby sitting
) , and my 3 kids (7, 5 & 20 months), my most important travel companion was my Canon 30D which Id been itching to test out in "the World" for the first time. Also in my bag was my walkabout lens, 17-85IS, my "Animal Kingdom" lens 70-300IS and my secret Spectromagic weapon, the 50mm f/1.8 . I diligently packed my tripod (lucky that Virgin Atlantic have a generous luggage allowance and they didnt check the baby bag had a Manfrotto in it rather than 42 Pampers ). I took 2 hi speed CF cards - 1x4gb, 1x2gb plus my Jobo Giga Vu Pro storage device. I had also packed, in a "just in case" kinda way, a Gorillapod, Circular Polarizer, spare battery (although the Canon battery goes on forever and I knew Id never run it down in a day!). My daily kit was carried round in a Tamrac Velocity 9 bag - bit of a squeeze to get the body and all 3 lenses in, but it was rare I ever took all 3 lenses out at the same time, so it worked out OK.
My one disappointment, was the remote shutter release I had ordered weeks before I travelled never arrived - despite assurances it was "in the post". This cost me dear as none of the local stores in Orlando had one it to fit the 30D. In turn, my night shots were not as great as I had hoped they might be
.My brief photographic resume Age -0-10 never had a camera. Age 11 - got a Kodak instamatic for my birthday - enthusiastically tried it out at the zoo, imagining myself to be the front runner in the BBC's Young Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition 1977. Was most disgruntled when the snaps came back and I had 24 pin sharp pictures of wire fences with a blurry animal someway in the distance. Camera was not then picked up again till I started college in the 80s. I really got into photography then as it was part of my graphic design course and we did loads of interesting stuff in the darkroom (including even developing some film -
). Had a few basic film SLRs, finally splashing out on a Canon EOS 1000FN and a couple of lenses. Then had to join the real world and work for a living so photography took a back seat. The digital age fell upon us and as a family we had the usual mix of naff 1 megapixel cameras but my interest was sparked again. After making a stepping stone leap of a bridge camera a few years back, this year I felt ready to take on a DSLR and purchased a Canon 30D back in March. I consider myself to be an enthusiastic beginner, maybe bordering on intermediate now I know DOF means "Depth of Field" and what all the numbers in the viewfinder actually mean!
So, I am kitted out, ready to shoot the world! How did it go?
Well, there were ups and downs. First, the kids grew to hate my camera and I hate myself for letting that happen. Id see a shot, stop, set up the camera, shoot, check the picture, adjust & shoot again - kids, DH and Mom are then miles away lined up for Peter Pan and Im faffing around with pictures. This wasnt good.
After a few days, I realised this couldnt continue and although it killed me to do it, I set the camera on the little green oblong, and the friend we call "Auto". To compensate, Mom babysat the kids every couple of nights and DH took me into the parks with only one thing in mind (apart from a Mickey Bar)- photography!
However, even on these nights, I let myself down a bit by never taking the tripod! My new friend was the Walt Disney World Trash Can. I lost count of the times I had the remains of someone's coke or dole whip sloshed in my face as I was bent over my trusty (but kinda whiffy) brown support! Without the remote, results were inconsistant and difficult but perseverence paid off with a few decent shots!
The challenge of the holiday was to capture the essence of Spectromagic - something Ive failed to do on every single one of our 13 trips. I knew it wasnt going to be easy, and it wasnt! The nifty fifty did pretty well, but it was HARD to get the focusing spot on with such a large aperture. A lot of trial, and huge amount of error I can tell you
. Cant say I was bowled over by any of my shots and told DH I need another trip to hone my technique .Fireworks - Did OK with these I think. found it best on Tv mode set to 1.3 or 1.6 sec (trashcan supported
).Disaster always shadows me closely when Im near expensive electrical equipment. DH had already checked our travel insurance policy covered my 30D "going Titanic" in the 7 Seas Lagoon, or being smashed into a gazillion pieces, dropped from the TTA). Naturally enough, by day 8, disaster happened.
DH and I were walking from the bridge at the Boardwalk to Epcot when I noticed the lovely (but rapidly fading) light over the Beach Club. "Oooh, I need to change lenses quick" says I, fumbling into my bag for my fifty.
My fifty was obviously as keen as mustard to get the shot as it leapt out of my bag, bounced 3 times on the concrete, then rolled majestically down the bridge, landing, (somewhat ironically I thought) at the feet of a trashcan.
DH retrieves it and examines it closely. Miraculously, it appears undamaged! I stick it on the body and fire off a few shots - the auto foucs is still working, the shots appear sharp as they ever did! Im very smug at this point, telling DH "no harm done" and continuing on my merry way.
The following morning at the house, I go to change lenses to my walkabout, ready for a day at Epcot. There is a snag. The fifty is stuck fast to the body. Its stuck tighter than DHs hand on his wallet in the DVC open house.
A close inspection sees a speck of black plastic rolling around behind the optics - looks like the thread was damaged in the fall.
At this point Im at Defcon 3, wading through seven yellow pages the size of small cars to find camera repair shops. There appears to be one at Formosa Gardens, only a stone's throw away, but Im wary of these cowboy outfits along the 192 that try to hawk faded boxes of outdated equipment at vastly over inflated prices. The thought of handing over my precious 30D to one of these guys was like hiring the Child Catcher to baby sit my kids.
A full 30 minutes later, with kids wailing "We wanna do Soarin Mummy, NOW" every 3 seconds, DH gives a shout of triumph, as a bit of careful twisting and one hard yank, has finally removed the offending lens. I tentatively check for thread damage on the camera and even more tentatively, try the 17-85IS to see if that will attatch OK. Pleased to report, apart from the now terminal nifty fifty (easily replaced at Ritz camera the following day) no other damage was sustained. Didnt do my blood pressure any good though!
So, a little summary. Taking a DSLR to WDW in the hope of capturing, creative, wonderful shots (like our hotshots on the Photography board seem to do with annoying ease), doesnt mix well with 3 small children
. One day I shall return, old, wrinkled, but with no kids (just an equally old and wrinkly husband) and JUST take pictures. No rides, no stopping for ice cream, character autographs, parades or restrooms (oh OK maybe those, the bladder will be old and wrinkly too ). But for now Im a Mom, and the kids have to come first, so lessons learnt for next time include:A.Leave the kids at home. We have great educational TV....OK - joking.
B.Dont be too ambitious - a family holiday is to be treasured. WDW will be there next year and the artsy photos can wait. Capture the moment - it doesnt matter if its on auto!
C.You NEED a shutter release for night scenes.
D.Trashcans smell, take and use a tripod if it doesnt infringe on rule B. If not, take a peg for your nose.
E. Spectromagic is hard to shoot. Book at least 3 more trips solely to "get the right shot"
Well, I suppose you wanna see some pictures now? Difficult to choose a handful, but here are some I like - not just the technically Ok ones, but some that sum up the feel of the holiday.
So -here ya go. Feel free to comment or critisise (Im 4000 miles away from most of you, so I wont be knockin on your door
). First up, that pesky, hard to shoot, Spectromagic (& Boo Too You) Parade:
Next, the kids:
More Below:
I hope I can get half as good results. I am bringing my 14-55, 40-150 and 70-300, tripod is packed, remote is packed as well. I plan to carry tripod and use lockers to store it in during the day. 
your pics.
Next time it might be worth it for me to invite my mother to babysit so I can get the shots I want. Great report and your pictures are fabulous!
