Taking Photos vs. Rides, Shows, Etc.

[WVDisGeek]

Ok, I know this will sound odd on the Photo boards, but judging from some of the picture counts various people are putting up from trips, you must be spending ALOT of time taking pictures. I have a trip planned in December and these boards and my recent purchase of a new DSLR have me thinking of LOTS of pictures I want to take. How do I take all these pictures and still ride the rides, see the shows, take in the "magic"?

Should I plan just "picture days" or can I really do both?

My wife is worried I will just have my face buried in a viewfinder for the whole trip! How do I balance everything?

Any suggestions?

 

[MarkBarbieri]

When I go, it's almost always with my wife and kids and my primary focus is on having fun at Disney World with them. I take a lot of pictures, but I never let it get in the way of family fun. Does that hurt my pictures from a purely technical pespective? Probably. Does it improve my pictures because they show us having fun? I think so.

I think the key is understanding how to work your camera quickly and anticipating shots. Then you can take the shot without interrupting the flow of the action. If you look at my pictures, you'll see that most are taken at shows (where it is easy to watch and shoot at the same time) or while we are doing things (riding rides, clowning around, etc). Very rarely do I stop the action so that I can set up a shot or worse - make everyone stop and pose.

If you've got a Windows PC, go out to my Disney slideshow page and download the 2006 Summary slideshow. I can assure you that I was taking in the magic along with my wife and kids while all of those shots were being taken. The cool thing is that we now have something to watch so that we can relive the trip. The boys love watching the old slideshows.

There are limits to what you can do with a hit-and-run shooting style. Still, you can accomplish a lot that way and have a lot of fun. You'll be amazed at how many opportunities there are to shoot while watching a show, watching your kids play in a playground, waiting in line, or even enjoying a ride.

 

[aripantaloon]

I don't know anything about how many photos others took, but I took a bit over 2000 on our recent week-long trip. I don't think that I interrupted the magic by taking photos. My DH usually rolls his eyes when I want to stop everyone to take a photo, but he actually told me to get the camera out several times to take pictures of our 2 girls.

I have lots of pictures of shows, my DD4 at the BBB, both girls with characters, the baby waiting for a parent and DD4 to come off of a ride while doing the parent swap, and even some of us on the move like DH pushing the stroller with the baby in it and DD4 riding on the stand bar on the back.

We just wanted to have a visual record of everything we did on our trip and that's just what I accomplished.

I didn't have time to get the creative shots of beautiful tiles in Morocco at EP, lots of hidden Mickey's, or the castle from every angle, but those subjects weren't important to me at this point. Maybe in the future when the kids protest having their picture taken so much, I'll focus more on the details of Disney.

 

[wdwensel]

I second what Mark said. There are plenty of photo ops standing in line, waiting for parades, watching the shows or getting lunch that are easy to take and not ruin the flow of the day.

 

[Groucho]

Well... it's really hard to say. I think that any time you're really taking a lot of photos (I clocked just over 4,000 in a week last trip!), you're losing at least a little bit of the thrill of being there. I rode Haunted Mansion three times that trip, and easily had the best time when I put the camera down and sat back and enjoyed my all-time favorite ride without worrying about if I was going to get decent focus on floating Leota head, go to ISO 6400, shutter priority or aperture priority or shutter/aperture priority, 50mm or 31mm, etc, etc... and I love Illuminations but I was distracted by a camera issue (my homemade remote shutter release acting up - I fixed one end so it'll be solid forever then the other end had the ground wire come loose!) and ended up not enjoying the show nearly as much as I should have.

The upside to all this is, of course, the pleasure of looking at your photos later, and hopefully if all goes well, you have some that you're proud of or that show your family having a great time or are special in some other way.

This is the balance you have to strike... and everyone is different and everyone's situation is different (depending on the tolerance of your companions.)

One thing that is really nice about a DSLR is that it can be ready almost instantly. I left mine on all the time with no lens cap (always a lens hood on), it would go to sleep after 3 minutes so it wouldn't drain the battery, and I was able to pick it up and fire off some shots almost instantly if I saw something that caught my eye.

Now, if you do have time for a "photo day" or even a "photo evening", that is even better. That way you can concentrate on photography without the guilty feeling that maybe you're missing something by looking at things through a viewfinder. I did a photo evening one of the nights, starting a little before 9 at the Contemporary then to the Magic Kingdom until 2, and was able to get lots of night photos that I just wouldn't have been able to get easily with the whole family. I also stayed later at Epcot one night for similar reasons. If I had a whole day, I'd probably be trying some shots with my neutral density filter and a tripod during the day, or some other things that are not very family-friendly.

Another thing to remember is that this will probably not be your last trip to WDW. You'll have more chances later to get a shot that you missed this trip. You'll also be able to learn from any problems you had this trip on how to improve for the next trip.

And if all else fails and the wife is pressuring you to put that **** camera down right now, just remember that you can always find other people's photos and pass them off as your own - I understand that this technique works very well for Mark.

 

[Quicklabs]

I do a "photoday" when my husband is out golfing. Works great for us. Is there somewhere you can send your wife? Perhaps she needs a spa day!

 

[WVDisGeek]

Thanks for the suggestions everyone. This will be our first trip with the DSLR. In the past we have averaged about a 1,000 shots a trip w/ the P&S. I hope to exceed that this trip and I think the idea of a photo morning/evening will work. I also realize that this will positively NOT be our last trip (we're hooked! ) so I will try to strike a balance.
Now, if I can just get my photo list a little shorter, find some $$ to buy some more glass, spend a few more hours with the manual....should be fine!

 

[tripodjw]

I just got back from WDW with my new DSLR. I'm a regular at DLR Paris and more infrequent visitor to DLR/WDW. 2 or 3 trips a year of at least a couple of days across the different Disney parks.

With our old Canon S3 IS bridge camera I probably averaged 150-200 pictures a day in Disney.

This trip i took approx 250-300 pics a day. Now some was i was learning what the DSLR could do and took duplicates of the same shot with different settings but most were proper shots.

My DH doesn't seem to mind the picture taking. We've got a reasonable system where if i spot a shot i want to take i will stop, line it up and take it while he carries on walking. A hurried walk catches me up to him, being a bit out of breath is small payment for the picture i wanted to take.

Other times, he'll go off and get a FP, or go to the bathroom, or buy snacks/drinks while i take pictures.

I guess the only times the day revolves around the pictures is for parades and fireworks, when scoping out a decent position and fetching/carrying tripod takes up some time. But we generally coincide any waits with getting some food/having a rest. And lets face it most other people wait a long while before parades and fireworks.

If the pictures were getting in the way of having fun then i'm sure i'd be told by DH. And taking the pictures is also part of the fun.

I've got a 3 day solo trip to DLR while on business in SoCal in 4 weeks time so no doubt I will spend more time taking pictures but will still be stopping to smell the roses (as it were). (Can't wait for this trip other than the business part, i'm being sent BA business class from London-LA and get to tag on 3 days at DLR once the conference is finished. Bonus!)

 

[Pea-n-Me]

I shoot as I go. I don't hold up the crew too often, just once in a while - but they know to keep going and I'll catch up with them later (at home or at Disney). It helps that they all like to take pictures, too, so sometimes it's me waiting for them. Also, we all really enjoy our photo albums and scrapbooks, so even if they get a little antsy, they know the end result will be worth it.

I think it's true that keeping the camera out and ready, and knowing how to use it are big factors in getting good pictures. One of my most frustrating trips was when my camera's batteries kept dying on me; the final straw being when my DD was picked for a show and I missed many good shots. After that my camera habits changed dramatically.

I deliberately waited to get a dSLR until after our last trip because I wanted to really know how to use it when we're there. Hopefully that will be the case. If I have the feeling the first trip with my camera will be in large part a learning experience, but the trip after that will be better. Good luck.

PS I'm good for at least a couple of thousand pics per trip, too.

 

[MICKEY88]

Thanks for the suggestions everyone. This will be our first trip with the DSLR. In the past we have averaged about a 1,000 shots a trip w/ the P&S. I hope to exceed that this trip and I think the idea of a photo morning/evening will work. I also realize that this will positively NOT be our last trip (we're hooked! ) so I will try to strike a balance.
Now, if I can just get my photo list a little shorter, find some $$ to buy some more glass, spend a few more hours with the manual....should be fine!

make sure you have plenty of memory cards...

 

[WVDisGeek]

Thanks again for the suggestions!

I bought my K200 now so I would have 6 months + to learn it. I had film SLRs, but I need to get back in the swing of things with a more advanced camera. I have stocked up on cards and plenty of batteries for the trip.
Now, a few thousand more test shots and I will be on my way!

 

[handicap18]

If your staying at a Disney hotel take advantage of the EMH. Let DW take some time alone to do something for her and you can take a different EMH (I preferred the evening ones and my DW preferred to get up early for the morning ones).

Try to split up at times. You don't have to do everything together. If you have kids, tell her you'll take them for their think for an hour or so. Then switch off. I would gladly take my DD (3) with me while she was sleeping in the stroller. I'd go and take pictures for an hour or 2 and DW took the boys to do other stuff.

I also planned in some night photo time for myself and told DW this. I also planned in some extra time for her to do what ever she wanted.

 

[SanFranciscan]

I do take a camera with me on vacations, but I don't go for volume while taking pictures on vacations. I photograph the scenes that are really yanking on the heartstrings because those are one of a kind. I don't go for those that everybody supposedly needs to get. Many of those are available on postcards anyway.

I compare it to wedding pictures that I have seen. How easy is it to feel as though if we have seen one wedding album we have seen them all? Yet it is while looking at the predictable pictures just to be polite that we see the one that grabs us because it depicts something not shown over and over and over in other similar albums.

I really don't think that you need your camera focused continually to get the Disney pictures that you will treasure as opposed to those that you will stick in some shoe box in the back of the closet. The scenes that have everybody saying "Ahhhh," even if they don't say it verbally, are the ones that need to be photographed. Everyone recognizes a Norman Rockwell moment while it is in progress.

 

[DueyDooDah]

I don't go for volume but I end up with it. I take photos a WDW and DL for the memories they will contain. I can look at any of the 5708 Disney photos we have, whether they be objects, CMs, family, or one of those "need to get" photos everyone has, and they bring a smile to my face evey time. Just a quick glance and I remember the situation, the feeling I had, what we we were doing, the anticipation we felt and the happiness my wife and I shared. As I look, I also get the dream of returning and the love I share with my wife. I can't wait to take more postcard photos. Disney photos are about memories, not art.

I say take as many as you feel you have time for. You will be paid back when you see them years down the road.

 

[Pea-n-Me]

I don't go for volume but I end up with it. I take photos a WDW and DL for the memories they will contain. I can look at any of the 5708 Disney photos we have, whether they be objects, CMs, family, or one of those "need to get" photos everyone has, and they bring a smile to my face evey time. Just a quick glance and I remember the situation, the feeling I had, what we we were doing, the anticipation we felt and the happiness my wife and I shared. As I look, I also get the dream of returning and the love I share with my wife. I can't wait to take more postcard photos. Disney photos are about memories, not art.

ITA, Duey. And don't forget, we need a good variety for the Weekly Contests.

 

[Craig E Hood]

Just curious how many leave their camera's on AUTO exposure for just "walking around" catching snapshots and how many actually use the manual/aperture/shutter modes?

Craig

 

[brack]

While I don't go for quantity I have been coming home with over a 1,000 photos each trip. I usually have a "theme" that I am shooting for each trip and try to take some time to only concentrate on the photos. I never want to ruin the time for my family though.

The family has become used to my taking their photo and even have some fun with it.

 

[brack]

Just curious how many leave their camera's on AUTO exposure for just "walking around" catching snapshots and how many actually use the manual/aperture/shutter modes?

Craig

I do both

 

[SanFranciscan]

Follow your heart while taking family pictures no matter where you are. I do wish that I had more photographs from over the years. I have been making extra copies of my pictures for safekeeping in a safe deposit box, in the event that the ones at home are destroyed by flood or fire, so I know their value in preserving memories.

Yet I do understand the wife's concerns that taking pictures that are supposed to preserve the memories might take precedence over creating the memories. I work as a photographer for a baseball team. Management has commented a number of times that I take fewer pictures than other photographers on the same site but typically sell more. I am not a know-it-all when it comes to photography. As a matter of fact, I am a know-very-little about that subject. The only reason fans, who may be very skilled photographers and who come to the games with very expensive cameras and stalker lenses, buy my pictures is because while they were watching the entertainment that they paid for I was watching them and saw that once in a lifetime shot. Would I be willing to spend my vacation looking through a view-finder the whole time? No.

 

[annnewjerz]

Bumping this up. I know it's an old thread and may not be helpful to all, but I find myself being really worried about this for the upcoming trip as well.

It will only be myself and DH with no other couples or family members. Our vacation are about spending quality time together, having fun, relaxing and getting away from the stresses of our everyday lives. The last thing I want to do is spend a whole vacation paying more attention to getting pictures than my own DH.

That being said, I think after this past weekend taking my dSLR out for it's first spin around the neighborhood I probably have the complete opposite view of most people. I am the type of person who RUSHES around with everything, eating...walking, shopping, etc. I find it really hard to take the time to "smell the roses" or really enjoy the interesting things I pass by every day. Walking around our town this past weekend and seeing it through my camera really helped me to slow down, pay attention to the details I had overlooked before and enjoy something in a completely different way than I ever had. DH walked around with me and agreed...taking our time, taking everything in was fun for him, even though I was paying more attention to getting to know my camera.

Now that I know this, I think our upcoming visit to The World will be a great success because I know that while I'm snapping away my DH isn't just standing there bored, he is interested in what I am shooting and is also interested in finding things to experience at a particular place on his own. I may still take an evening when I promised him an early night and go out on my own to get some night-time shots, but at least I won't feel like my whole vacation was spent dragging a loved one around by the ear while I'm yelling things like "GET OUT OF MY PICTURE!" or "YOU'RE BLOCKING MY LIGHT!!!"