The Winners Circle - DIS Photo Contest Winners Explain Their Shots

[tiggr33]

After discussing this topic with some other photographers here and off the DIS, I thought I would start a new thread as a learning tool for all of us -

Welcome to the Winners Circle.​

What I would like this thread to accomplish is to have winners of DIS photo contests (1st, 2nd, and 3rd place finishers in final polls) step into this Winners Circle and re-post their winning photo or a link to it, and share some info about their winning shot, along with a general hint, tip, or other info to help new photographers, and experienced alike.

By doing so, we can use this as a learning tool to help all of us shoot better at the places we love so well. Secondly, it can serve as a Q&A (question and answer). By that I mean ask questions about the photos that aren’t answered or aren’t clear to you based on the information provided.

I’ll start, as I was the 2007 winner for Fronteirland.

Camera: Canon XT
Exposure 1/20”
Aperture: F/5
Program Mode: Aperture Priority
ISO: 1600
Flash: No
Metering Mode: Pattern(matrix)
Focal Length: 66mm
White Balance: Manual
Tripod: No – hand held
Park: Disneyland
Location: Rancho del Zocalo
When Taken: July 2007
Time: After Fantasmic

Story behind the picture:
A month before this trip to DL, I broke a bone in my foot while in France, on the inaugural DCL Med Cruise. On the second day of this trip to DL, I could barely stand let alone walk the parks, so I ended up in a wheelchair and was forced to slow my normal park pace. We had gotten to the lagoon (sorry if I mis-named the location, I’m a WDW Vet) early to be able to set up tripods near the fence for Fantasmic. This night, there were fireworks after Fantasmic. I didn’t want to get caught in the rush (as I had become the default carrier for everything we were carrying), so we waited until the area cleared out before heading slowly towards the castle. Anyway, one of us needed to use a restroom and after consulting our guide map we found the closest to be by Rancho del Zocalo.

Well I had only been in this area during daylight hours previously. What a surprise!! I found the lighting to be mesmerizing. Also, I am a stained glass artisan, so the stained glass lamps caught my eye. Long story short, a quick bathroom break turned into a photo stop focusing on the patio and other outdoor areas in this part of the now deserted Frontierland.

I have entered a variation of this photo in a camera club competition in NJ. It that competition it placed and was awarded. In fact in my regular competitive club, I enter at least one Disney (or Disney related) print or slide into every competition. I have won the top award in one division with a photo I took at EPCOT, and have won Merit Awards and Honorable Mentions with photos from WDW, DL, DCL, and an ABD trip.

Advice to new photographers entering the dSLR arena: Take a moment and make sure the image you want to take is in focus. Do not fully rely on the auto focus function, and if you do, learn to control the focus sensors. There are times when I turn off the AF function; a perfect example would be when I am shooting fireworks. Learning photography can be confusing. If you find that true, step away from the books and guides. Take an hour and set up a shot, something as simple as an apple sitting on your kitchen counter. Play with your settings, then look at the images and see how the images changed as you changed the settings.

The only thing I ask, of this thread is that it stay on topic. I'd like this thread to deal with the winning photos of the DIS contests, and questions/comments directly related to them. We can start another thread for general Q&A or critiques.

May you enjoy seeing some of your favorite photos again and may you learn some tips and tricks along the way.

 

[Ducky4Disney]

Great thread Stacey!

What a great shot - and hand held too! I'm new to the dSLR arena and taking pics at night without a flash is a new concept for me. ISO is my friend and enemy, depending on the shot.

Did you run that through any niose reduction filters?

Why manual white balance?

My photo placed second to yours in that contest!

Canon Powershot G2
F:2.5
1/200"
Focal Length: 18.81mm
Metering Mode: Pattern
No Flash
No tripod

I never took photography in high school or college so the concept of "depth of field" was foreign to me. I had a hard time wrapping my mind around what it meant let alone how to control it. This shot repersents my attempt at controling DOF. I think I took 5 shots all together of that sign. Different F-stops and shutter speeds, with a flash, and from a different distance. The biggest downfall to this pic is the stupid sky. It was a cloudy, overcast, very gray day at MK and the sky is totally blown out. I fixed it the best I could by just cropping the sky out as much as possible and hoping it wouldn't detract from the photo too much.

The G2 was the first camera with major freatures for me, but I learned to use that camera blindfolded with one hand tied behind my back. That's my advice to all photogs - know your camera! Get comfortable with all the buttons and features and know how to change them on the fly.

D4D

 

[tiggr33]

Great thread Stacey!

What a great shot - and hand held too! I'm new to the dSLR arena and taking pics at night without a flash is a new concept for me. ISO is my friend and enemy, depending on the shot.

Did you run that through any niose reduction filters?

Why manual white balance?

I hand hold alot when in the parks, just for convienience. I did not use any noise filters. I basically cropped the photo, and that was all the editing I did. Thank you for bringing that up, I forgot to mention that in my initial post. I opted for manual white balance because of there being so many light sources, of different temperatures(sp?) and brightness levels. I wanted to preserve the view as I saw it, not how the camera WANTED to capture it.

 

[tiggr33]

I have to admit, I thought more winners would have jumped into this thread. Maybe this thread idea wasn’t a good one It’s getting views, but not a lot of posts. In an attempt to keep it alive, I will post another of my top 3 finishes. I tied for 3rd place in the 2007 Food contest.

Camera: Canon XTi
Exposure 1/8”
Aperture: F/5
Program Mode: Aperture Priority
ISO: 400
Flash: No
Metering Mode: Pattern(matrix)
Focal Length: 41mm
White Balance: Auto
Tripod: No – hand held
Park: WDW
Location: American Adventure Rotunda – 2006 New England Brewers Dinner (F&W event)
When Taken: November 2006


I attended the New England Brewers Dinner as part of the 2006 Food and Wine Festival. The dinner was held in the Rotunda of the America Adventure in EPCOT. The dinner was FANTASTC!!! I cannot praise it enough. The food was great, the beers were great, Jim Koch was a hoot. During our dessert course, and as a surprise, Jim had brought Utopia for us all to enjoy . Pure nirvana!!!! Especially as 2006 was not a production year for Utopia.

The glass is that of my Utopia. The Cherry Wheat six pack in the background was part of the centerpiece on our table. The glass is backlight by the candle on the table.

I just love this photo. To me it conveys a mood, and is a reminder of fantastic evening.

 

[Steve's Girl]

I've got lots of photos, but no "winners". So, I'll just read everyone else's info.

 

[CheshireVal]

I won 2nd place in the 2007 Epcot contest with this photo. Honestly, I don't even think it's that great, but maybe it's such a tricky subject to capture and so many people like the pavilion that it got votes just for being what it is!

I don't have the Exif info for this because the original is on my home computer. Honestly, I'm not very technical with my photography. I don't really understand ISO or shutter speed or focal length or any of that stuff. I think I have a good eye for pictures, though, so my strategy is to just take a bunch and eventually I'll end up with a nice one.

This particular photo was taken with a Canon S3IS-- it was our first trip to Disney with a nice camera (we had old little point and shoots previously), and I was dying to try it out inside the Mexico pavilion. Every picture I had ever taken inside had turned out bad. BAD!

I got this one by setting it on a ledge and putting it in night mode, if I remember correctly.

I've won other contests here, and with better pictures, but I'm probably most proud of this one because I got a shot I've always wanted!

 

[handicap18]

Cool idea. I had 4 photos place in the top 3 last year. YAY ME!!

Here's the first one:

This one tied for 3rd in the Animal Kingdom contest back in Feb of '07.

EXIF:
Nikon D50 with 18-70mm f/3.5-4.5 ED-IF AF-S DX lens.
ISO: 200
Shutter: 1/3 of a second
Aperture: f/22
Focal Length: 18mm
Shutter Priority
White Balance: Auto
Meter: Matrix (IIRC, its not in the exif)

When Taken: June 2006
Where: Pangani Forest Exploration Trail

This trip it was just DW and I. I wanted to go because 6 months earlier I bought my Nikon D50 and really wanted to put it to the test and was able to talk DW into it (wasn't really all that hard as she's been a lot more than me and is just as hooked as I am). I brought my travel tripod with me and after taking a bunch of pictures of the Gorilla's I set up to get a flowing waterfall shot. My tripod BARELY was tall enough with the camera on to see over the fence. I took 3 different shots, the other 2 were at 1/30th and 1/6th. This one I liked best as I think it gives the best water blurr. This was my first successful attempt at blurring running water from a water fall.

 

[disneyfav4ever]

Cool thread idea. Unfortunatly I haven't won anything, so have no pictures to post.

 

[JR6ooo4]

Wooo hooo! I am in.
This shot was inspired by finding a dry spot to shoot. It rained the whole week.

1/500 shutter
f5.6
ISO 100

Mikeeee

 

[cpbjgc]

I was lucky enough to have 2 in the 2006 contests and one last year. All those pics were taken with my old Canon Powershot S1 IS. I am now anxiously awaiting our next trip when I can try out my Rebel XTi down there !

Oddly enough, two of the pics are of Expedition Everest. This one was first place back in February 2006:

This was taken from the balcony of room 5030 at AKL (which I don't think exists anymore - I believe it was part of the DVC conversion) early one morning using my monopod. My only thought was, there I was on the balcony, I was the only one awake and drinking a coffee and thought "Wow, Exepdition Everst looks cool all lit up like that, and that sky looks gorgeous". So I hauled out the gear and got this shot. This was done before I learned much about program modes, so it was taken in "green box"/automatic mode.

The EXIF for the technically minded:
Aperture: f/3.5
Metering Mode: matrix
Focal Length: 58.0mm
Exposure Time: 0.81 s
Whitebalance: Auto

 

[Ducky4Disney]

CheshireVal:
I love that photo! The Mexico pavilion is probably my favorite because it's so unique. You walk inside and it's night time at the market; not Florida in the middle of the day. I can't seem to capture that feeling when I shoot in that pavilion. Your picture makes me feel like I'm there!

D4D

 

[Tuffcookie]

My very first 1st place! (Characters)

Taken: July 25th, 2007 with my S2 IS (I have since gotten the S5)

f4
1/125
72 mm focal length
metering mode: pattern

I almost didn't get this picture because as soon as the parade at MK started there was a downpour!!! I decided I had waited so long to see the parade I would protect my camera as well as I could, under my rain poncho, and continue taking pictures! What did Mary care? She had her umbrella!

Moral of the story??? Be prepared, no matter what Mother Nature throws at ya!

TC

 

[Tuffcookie]

cpbjgc wrote: My only thought was, there I was on the balcony, I was the only one awake and drinking a coffee and thought "Wow, Exepdition Everst looks cool all lit up like that, and that sky looks gorgeous". So I hauled out the gear and got this shot

When I read statements like this it makes me glad to know I'm not the only one looking for the next great shot!

TC

 

[boBQuincy]

I always wanted a good photo of the wicked witch but there is always a lot of glare in the window. A new 10-22 lens allowed me to hold the camera right up to the window blocking almost all reflections and still get almost all of the witch in the photo. A Disney/MGM Studios park map took care of the one last reflection!

Shutter speed: 1/30 sec
Aperture: 3.5
Exposure mode: Program
Exposure compensation: -1/3
Flash: Off
Metering mode: Evaluative
Drive mode: Continuous (low): frame 1
ISO: 200
Lens: 10 to 22mm
Focal length: 10mm
AF mode: One-shot AF
Image size: 2336 x 3504
Image quality: Raw
White balance: Auto
Color space: AdobeRGB

 

[Ducky4Disney]

I always wanted a good photo of the wicked witch but there is always a lot of glare in the window. A new 10-22 lens allowed me to hold the camera right up to the window blocking almost all reflections and still get almost all of the witch in the photo. A Disney/MGM Studios park map took care of the one last reflection!

That's how you did that? Great job! I recently tried some through-the-glass shots with a polarizer which helped, but it didn't take the glare off 100% like I wanted. I guess a nice 10-22 lens might do the trick!

I see that picture and I can smell the candy... mmmm!

D4D

 

[funhouse8]

Well I placed first in November with Comic Relief. This was taken with my Kodak EasyShot and all i can say is my son is our Comic Relief. I had such a hard time trying to pick just one of his silliness. He was in the school play and at least four different people said to me "Oh he is so funny. He must be so much fun to live with." Enough said.

 

[Pea-n-Me]

This picture won 1st place in the August MGM contest and also placed 3rd in the Favorite Photos of 2007. A huge thrill for me!

What is really amazing about it is that it was taken 3 years ago with my first digital camera - a 3.1MP HP Photosmart. I hope this inspires people who may be intimidated to post their pictures here. You don't have to be a professional or use a dSLR to win, necessarily - just understand some basic rules of photography and put your good eye to good use.

I love MGM, it's my favorite park and I enjoy hanging around the shops on the way out. This particular night evening EMH hours had just begun that month and also it was very chilly so there weren't too many people around at closing time. I set the camera on a trashcan (a tip I'd just learned on the CB and whose reflection really made the shot) and waited until the street was clear to take the picture. I've tried to reproduce it but I've never been able to get another as good as this one.

 

[handicap18]

Here is another one of mine. 1st place in the Tomorrowland Contest from '07.

I got the idea from someone else here on the Dis Photo board a few years ago. I setup my tripod near the hub facing Tomorrowland. It was late at night so there weren't a lot of people. At least alot walking around near me. I took 2 shots. This was the 2nd.

Nikon D50 w/Nikkor 18-70mm f/3.5-4.5 ED-IF AF-S DX lens
June 2006. Some time around midnight.

ISO 200
f/4.5
1/3 second
35mm focal length
Manual
Auto White Balance
Matrix metering.

Looking back now, I would take the shot again using a smaller aperture and longer shutter. Though even with the f/4.5 its pretty sharp.

 

[Suburbanmom]

I won the Walter E. Disney contest for 2007

Nikon D50
ISO 200; 1/60; f/1.8; 50mm Nikkor lens

We had only one day at Disneyland last September. We opened and closed the park even though with the jetlag, I was exhausted. I already had the traditional view of the front of the statue with the castle in the background and it struck me just how bright and pretty it is to look down Mainstreet in the evening. So I set up my tripod (DH..."what are you doing???) and snapped this one. I wish I had been a little more to the right, so Walt's arm isn't severed at the elbow.

 

[Virgo10]

I'll play. This is the only picture I've entered that's ever come in in the top three... I think it took 2nd or 3rd quite a while ago.

It was taken with my old Sony Mavica using only available light. I was an annual passholder when I took this and went to the AP Lounge to relax for a spell. Why they ever discontinued that place is a mystery to me. It was great fun.

There enjoying their free time were Chip and Dale. Who knew they could read?