The Winners Circle - DIS Photo Contest Winners Explain Their Shots

[TwoOldPoohs]

I think this photo won the World Showcase weekly contest in 2007:

Canon 20D, 24-105mm f/4L IS
1s f/10.0 at 24.0mm iso800

You may wonder -- where are all the people?
This photo was taken in October 2005, at 9:50 am. If I remember correctly, I believe I had forgotten to change the time in the camera for Daylight Savings Time, and it was really 10:50 am ... and we were nearing the end of the Hidden Treasures tour. It was a great tour, and I'm sorry it's no longer offered because I'd love to do it again.

Could somebody please post the link to the winners list for 2007? I can't seem to find it. Thanks!

 

[rtphokie]

Could somebody please post the link to the winners list for 2007? I can't seem to find it. Thanks!

Winners so far in 2008 are available in the sticky post at the top of all photo board pages. I'm working on adding the 2nd and 3rd place finishers on this page as well.

Scroll to the very bottom of that post for links to the 2006 and 2007 winners.

 

[TwoOldPoohs]

Winners so far in 2008 are available in the sticky post at the top of all photo board pages. I'm working on adding the 2nd and 3rd place finishers on this page as well.

Scroll to the very bottom of that post for links to the 2006 and 2007 winners.

Thanks! That was fast!

 

[NostalgicDad]

This shot won 1st place for the Hidden Mickeys contest back in October of 2007.

Nikon D80
Sigma 18-50mm EX f/2.8 @ 26mm
8.1 sec
f/11.0
ISO 100
Center-weighted metering
Manfrotto 3021N tripod with 488RC2 Ballhead


I was set up on this night with my tripod shooting the fireworks and apparently managed to time it just right to capture the explosions as they formed the Mickey ears. Although I was set up with a couple of small trees where I didn't want them, I think it adds to the fact that it's somewhat "hidden". No PP was done. When shooting fireworks, I typically use a method of listening for the thud of the launch and waiting 5 or so seconds before pressing the shutter while in bulb mode. However, when there is a rapid succession of fireworks such as this show, I just wing it and keep the shutter open until I feel as though the exposure has filled with the proper amount of explosion(s). As soon as I close the shutter, I usually open it right back up. Some exposures might only need to be for 1 second while others are a little longer like this one.

 

[tiggr33]

Thanks everyone. This is exactly, how I envisioned this thread going.
NostalgicDad, great shot! I'm glad you described your set-up. I think Bulb is one of the most under-rated features/modes out there. I just recently started playing with it, using the NYC skyline, NY harbor with fireworks and Cunard cruise ships as my subjects. I didn't get the results that wow me, but it was cold and windy, and I didn't bring a heavy enough tripod. But what I did get, gave me motivation to use bulb more.
Virgo10. Oh my, the good ole days. I fondly recall the AP lounge. Chip and Dale were always up to something. Reading, I usually found them with upside down reading material, or taking someones soda/coffee. I had forgotten how nice the lounge was.
CheshireVal/TwoOldPoohs. I like both your shots. I like seeing the same subject in different prespctives/styles.
TuffCookie/JR6ooo4. You both bring up a good point. Be prepared for the weather. I recently used a commercially made "rainsleeve" for the first time. I have to admit, I liked it. But you can make a down and dirty home version out of a 2 gallon ziploc bag.
Pea-N-Me. Wow!! Before realizing you shot off a garbage can, I couldn't figure out your set-up. I kept saying to myself, how'd they house down the street to get a straight line...DUHHH. I really thought it was a wet reflection at first.

For those I didn't metion, it's not a slight, I will get to you in a post later today. I'm hurrying out the door now.

 

[Ducky4Disney]

I'm learning what I all ready knew - I need to get a new tripod for my D200 and bring it with me! It's just hard with a toddler in tow too.

D4D

 

[juligrl]

No winners for me... yet! I'm enjoying this thread though. Keep 'em coming!

 

[klmall]

This photo tied for 3rd in the February 2007 Pooh and Friends contest.

Like a couple other posters I used my good 'ole PnS, a Canon PowerShot G5 to take this at our first ever visit to CP not expecting to get good shots given the bright sunlight flooding the scene. This shot is also one of my 'turn around and shoot' pictures. We were actually walking out the door to leave when I looked back and decided to take this picture; something I do alot nowadays (drives DH nuts though). I used the Auto setting which gets me decent photos most of the time.

Flash Used: No (auto)
Focal Length: 7.2mm (35mm equivalent: 54mm)
CCD Width: 4.76mm
Exposure Time: 0.020 s (1/50)
Aperture: f/3.5
Whitebalance: Auto
Metering Mode: matrix

 

[handicap18]

I'm learning what I all ready knew - I need to get a new tripod for my D200 and bring it with me! It's just hard with a toddler in tow too.
D4D

Not if you bring along a stroller. Thats a HUGE help. For both the kid and the tripod.

 

[handicap18]

This one placed 3rd in the Frontierland contest in '07

Nikon D50 18-70mm f/3.5-4.5 ED-IF AF-S DX lens
Date: June 2007, Frontierland, Magic Kingdom, Orlando.

ISO 200
Aperture: f/5.6
Shutter: 1/125
Auto White Balance
Matrix Metering

This was a quick shot. We were walking from Adventureland to Frontierland and I saw this on the porch and thought of the Dis Photo board. This would make a great detail shot, one most people don't take. It looked good on my LCD so I kept going with the day. After looking on the computer it really stood out to me. I liked the sharpness and the lighting with no shadows and the fact that its just one of those Disney prop things that make Disney what it is. IIRC, this is on the Pecos Bill porch or very close to it. On this 4 day trip with DW I took over 1300 pics. This one stands out to me as one of the better ones. I'm glad that the Dis'ers thought so too.

 

[mikamah]

Thanks to all you winners here for sharing your tips. I am so excited to go to wdw in 2 months with my xti, and am eating up all the info I can. Your pictures are beautiful, and I remember most of them from the contests.

 

[Ducky4Disney]

Not if you bring along a stroller. Thats a HUGE help. For both the kid and the tripod.

We do bring a stroller and it is a huge help. It still seems like a lot of stuff to haul around. Besides, I'm not sure Allen will allow us the time to stop, set the stuff up, and take shots. We're there for his enjoyment too now.

What am I saying? It's not that hard, I'm just making excuses. Ok, I don't have a tripod and I need to get one. A strong yet compact one. And I need to go back - which my DH says he doesn't want to do this year .

D4D

 

[mouselovenfamily]

I'll jump in. This was my first photo contest I entered in January of '08. I won 1st place for Christmas at the Resorts. Photo taken on our first night of the vacation at about midnight. We had come back to the hotel and I just thought it was very peaceful. No one was around so I just snapped the moment. First stay at POFQ. They did a nice job of the decorations.

I'm one of those that just enjoy taking the photos so I don't really know all the details.
Camera~Pentax istD
Lense:75-200
No Flash
No Tripod~Hand Held

 

[DebºoºS]

This shot placed #1 in Celebrate America 2007
On the boat from the GF heading toward the Poly looking at the flag frame the GF waving in the breeze, the boat powering through the water
I thought it would be a good patriotic shot for DS. We were there celebrating his just becoming a US citizen.

My 35mm Nikon FE was in the bag but I wanted to save film for family shots on the cruise so I grabbed the 3100.

Camera: NIKON E3100
Focal Length: 5.8mm (35mm equivalent: 38mm)
Exposure Time: 0.0025 s (1/399)
Aperture: f/5.6
ISO equiv: 100
Metering Mode: Matri

 

[DisneySuiteFreak]

I'm learning what I all ready knew - I need to get a new tripod for my D200 and bring it with me! It's just hard with a toddler in tow too.

D4D

Ditto! At least you have a toddler in tow -- I can't use that as an excuse! I have 2 tripods though, so really no excuses except that I have to remember to lug them with me wherever I go. That can be difficult. (The remembering and the lugging!)

 

[DisneySuiteFreak]

Not if you bring along a stroller. Thats a HUGE help. For both the kid and the tripod.

Maybe I should invest in another toddler so I can get a stroller to roll my stuff around??? I'm sure my DH would love that!

This is a great thread. Thanks to the OP and to all you winners for posting your pics & exif info.

 

[DisneySuiteFreak]

I think this photo won the World Showcase weekly contest in 2007:

Canon 20D, 24-105mm f/4L IS
1s f/10.0 at 24.0mm iso800

Very nice, clear picture! was this handheld or w/ tripod?

 

[DebºoºS]

Ditto! At least you have a toddler in tow -- I can't use that as an excuse! I have 2 tripods though, so really no excuses except that I have to remember to lug them with me wherever I go. That can be difficult. (The remembering and the lugging!)

Double Dittos2 tripods and no excuse. The next set of wheels I'll need in the parks will be a wheelchair

 

[AndrewWG]

Maybe I should invest in another toddler so I can get a stroller to roll my stuff around??? I'm sure my DH would love that!

This is a great thread. Thanks to the OP and to all you winners for posting your pics & exif info.

I'm absolutely certain that you could walk around the park with a stroller with no kid whatsoever and noone would look at you strangely.

Well, at least you would look more normal than Mark in that picture of him in his "Halloween Costume".

 

[AndrewWG]

I'll add to the thread as my DD8 just won 3rd place in the Disney is in the Details contest. This was taken the first day I let her use the S2IS. She had been taking pics with the Canon A85 prior to that but it was acting up so I gave in and gave her the "big" camera. I held tight to my 30D though for fear that she would want that next!

As far as composition and lighting and all that, her motto is "point and shoot" and I must say that it works just fine for her. In fact, I could probably learn a thing or two about not obsessing with each and every shot.

Here is her pic and info:

Canon S2IS
f3.5
1/60 sec
in full program mode