WDWFigment's August 2009 Photo Trip Novel

[WDWFigment]

A few photography thoughts since this is the photo board...

First, you asked about a compact ballhead... I have and can recommend the Bogen / Manfrotto 486RC2 compact ballhead at $75, though there might be cheaper acceptable options. I'm not sure there is a way to marry "compact" and "joystick" when it comes to ballheads, but I could be wrong.

Second, you should consider getting some CTO (change to orange) gels for your flash. They change the color temperature of your flash to match the tungsten light that is everywhere in the parks. Without, you have the choice of either correct foreground and too-yellow background, or correct background and too-blue foreground. You can get 1/4, 1/2, 3/4 and full CTO gels so you can correct as much or little as you want (I know many people prefer warmth in their park shots, esp. Main Street)

Lastly, wow you spent a lot of time in MK

Thanks for the advice on the ballhead. I suppose $75 isn't too much. I know it's going to cost a fair amount, but I'm hoping to keep it down as much as I can.

Also thanks for the gel information. I really struggled with processing the portrait shots (to be honest, it was quick and sloppy, I'm not pleased with what I did in a lot of them). Portrait shots are definitely my biggest weakness. I need to learn more about them before October. Some of these just look downright bad. Maybe I also need to upgrade to the SB-600 or 800 (it's always something new, isn't it?!)

We definitely spent too much time in the MK. I would never do that again.

 

[Code]

Also, great job with the UWA, I love seeing UWA park shots and look forward to seeing what else you did with it. My Sigma 10-20 was my favorite lens by far last trip (and the 1mm and 4mm do matter ) but I was still new to UWA and could have done so much better so I can't wait for our next trip (whenever that is!)

 

[annnewjerz]

Just read through your whole report and just wanted to give you

Glad to see you had a good time and enjoyed the D90. A little disappointed to hear your camera bag was so uncomfortable---but hopefully you can get that taken care of before the next trip. When will that be? You got APs so I'm guessing soon!

Lastly, I love your EPCOT camera strap and I love the fact that you change them (what seems to be) each day. It seems like something fun to do---right now I just have a couple photography related pins for my OpTech strap, but I just might have to peek into MouseGears on my next trip to see if I can find a fancy strap like yours.

 

[WDWFigment]

Just read through your whole report and just wanted to give you

Glad to see you had a good time and enjoyed the D90. A little disappointed to hear your camera bag was so uncomfortable---but hopefully you can get that taken care of before the next trip. When will that be? You got APs so I'm guessing soon!

Lastly, I love your EPCOT camera strap and I love the fact that you change them (what seems to be) each day. It seems like something fun to do---right now I just have a couple photography related pins for my OpTech strap, but I just might have to peek into MouseGears on my next trip to see if I can find a fancy strap like yours.

Thanks. The bag wasn't a huge deal, but I wasn't overwhelmed by it, either. Next trip is October, I will probably just use it again for that (or maybe the North Face bag seen on Sarah in the pictures). The priority is a new ball head. I am scouring eBay for them now.

As for the camera straps, I do change it out each day (although the EPCOT one got two days because I just got it, and I really really like it). Here is a picture of my collection. Only the very top one is currently available in the parks. You'll have to hit eBay for the rest.

 

[annnewjerz]

Thanks. The bag wasn't a huge deal, but I wasn't overwhelmed by it, either. Next trip is October, I will probably just use it again for that (or maybe the North Face bag seen on Sarah in the pictures). The priority is a new ball head. I am scouring eBay for them now.

As for the camera straps, I do change it out each day (although the EPCOT one got two days because I just got it, and I really really like it). Here is a picture of my collection. Only the very top one is currently available in the parks. You'll have to hit eBay for the rest.

Ah, we'll be in the world for MNSSHP on October 18th. Hope you have your tripod/ballhead problems figured out by then. I can only imagine how frustrating that must have been.

 

[Todd_H]

I have and can recommend the Bogen / Manfrotto 486RC2 compact ballhead at $75, though there might be cheaper acceptable options.

Here's a second vote for the Bogen 486RC2.

That's a great TR, Tom! Very entertaining and very well written (as is everything I have read by you). You guys grabbed some fantastic shots and it looks like you had a wonderful time. Thanks for taking the time to share all of this with us.

 

[WDWFigment]

Here's a second vote for the Bogen 486RC2.

That's a great TR, Tom! Very entertaining and very well written (as is everything I have read by you). You guys grabbed some fantastic shots and it looks like you had a wonderful time. Thanks for taking the time to share all of this with us.

Thanks. Hopefully it's coherent. It's the first trip report that I haven't done any proofreading on at all before posting it. Sarah has pointed out a couple typos she caught already, but I probably won't fix them. I'm sure there are plenty, and if I fixed everything, I would be editing for the next two weeks. I am better off just not looking at again, otherwise the perfectionist in me will be revising.

 

[boBQuincy]

WOW!!!

I read the whole thing and looked at every photo! Along the way I commiserated with you on losing your tripod head parts and saving McDonald's for road trips only!

A great report in every way!

As for ballheads, I have been spoiled by ReallyRightStuff, it's a shame their stuff is so expensive. So what did your two children do while you and Sarah were running around WDW?

 

[WDWFigment]

WOW!!!

I read the whole thing and looked at every photo! Along the way I commiserated with you on losing your tripod head parts and saving McDonald's for road trips only!

A great report in every way!

As for ballheads, I have been spoiled by ReallyRightStuff, it's a shame their stuff is so expensive. So what did your two children do while you and Sarah were running around WDW?

Thanks for reading!

The tripod head thing really killed me. It was a terrible feeling, really. It's my own fault, though. I should have thought to put those pieces inside the bag.

Yossarian and Walter stayed with their grandmother while we were on vacation. Walter suggested that they should go along to check out Animal Kingdom, but I don't think that would've worked so well.

 

[Pea-n-Me]

Read the whole thing and really enjoyed your Trip Report. (Hey, you made mine seem downright short!)

LOL'd at the candids Sarah took of you, especially the one fiddling with your camera.

Reading, I could relate to all the "little things" that go wrong on a trip. So frustrating! The screwdriver thing would have made me crazy. I like having a car for that reason - one trip I forgot all my shoes, and on our last trip I had to hit a photo shop myself for a lens cap that I lost on the plane (not to mention that, due to a miscommunication between me and DH, I had no tripod at all, just a Gorillapod, and it wasn't great to use in most situations).

This summer my tripod broke on a trip to Buffalo/Niagara Falls and I had to get a new one there myself. It's always something... (Remember Handicap18/Kyle dropped his lens on the floor at check in? Someone else dropped a piece of her camera off her balcony into a bush and the camera wouldn't operate without it? Others have posted in panic asking how they could fix something quickly on their cameras. LOL. Hey, that would make a good thread, what went wrong photographically on your trip? )

You got a lot of really nice pictures and it looked like you had a great time despite Sarah's illness and your photography disappointments. That's really what it's all about, isn't it?

 

[WDWFigment]

Read the whole thing and really enjoyed your Trip Report. (Hey, you made mine seem downright short!)

LOL'd at the candids Sarah took of you, especially the one fiddling with your camera.

Reading, I could relate to all the "little things" that go wrong on a trip. So frustrating! The screwdriver thing would have made me crazy. I like having a car for that reason - one trip I forgot all my shoes, and on our last trip I had to hit a photo shop myself for a lens cap that I lost on the plane (not to mention that, due to a miscommunication between me and DH, I had no tripod at all, just a Gorillapod, and it wasn't great to use in most situations).

This summer my tripod broke on a trip to Buffalo/Niagara Falls and I had to get a new one there myself. It's always something... (Remember Handicap18/Kyle dropped his lens on the floor at check in? Someone else dropped a piece of her camera off her balcony into a bush and the camera wouldn't operate without it? Others have posted in panic asking how they could fix something quickly on their cameras. LOL. Hey, that would make a good thread, what went wrong photographically on your trip? )

You got a lot of really nice pictures and it looked like you had a great time despite Sarah's illness and your photography disappointments. That's really what it's all about, isn't it?

Thanks for reading! It seems things never go perfect photographically. Wonder why that is. I already have 'nightmares' before our trip about forgetting to take my camera, forgetting to take pictures, etc., now I guess those will only get worse!

In the end, you're right, all that matters is that you have fun. We did have fun!

 

[Todd_H]

Yep, it seems that something always happens. The worst thing that has happened to me (knock on wood) happened in May 2008. I checked my tripod in my luggage and Southwest lost my bag on the way down to FL . I was going to be down there all week on business (so I had some business attire in there as well). I gave my bag until 8:30pm that night to show up before I had to leave the MK and head out to do some clothes shopping so I would have something to wear the next day. It caused me to miss EMH at MK that night.

That put a huge damper on my photographic enthusiasm for the rest of the week. In hindsight, I should have just gone out and bought another tripod, but I was expecting my bag to show up (it never did, btw). To add insult to injury, airlines won't compensate you for photographic or electronic gear in checked baggage.

 

[roselark]

WOW!!! That was one heck of a trip report...an awesome trip report! I am so much more anxious for my October trip now!

I LOVE your colection of Disney neck straps. LOL, as soon as I saw the one in the first picture with you wearing the blue Mickey one, I immediately opened a new browser and did some searching. Put a couple of things on watch on Ebay. Silly me hadn't even thought about Disney neck straps yet (I have been obsessing over deciding what to get as a new walk-around lens...it seems to be all I can think about right now). I must have one of these for my next trip! Not a whole lot out there right now, but I plan on looking daily

I have to ask...what lens did you use for your dark ride shots? Forgive me if I missed it somehwere. Was it the 11-16mm you mentioned?

 

[Pea-n-Me]

I LOVE your colection of Disney neck straps. LOL, as soon as I saw the one in the first picture with you wearing the blue micket one, I immediately opened a new browser and did some searching. Put a couple of things on watch on Ebay. Silly me hadn't even thought about Disney neck straps yet

That reminds me...

I was wondering if those Disney neck straps are comfortable? I tried on the one that's currently for sale in WDW and it was hard on my neck, not at all comfortable. Couldn't bring myself to buy it. I have a neoprene one now and it's awesome.

 

[WDWFigment]

WOW!!! That was one heck of a trip report...an awesome trip report! I am so much more anxious for my October trip now!

I LOVE your colection of Disney neck straps. LOL, as soon as I saw the one in the first picture with you wearing the blue Mickey one, I immediately opened a new browser and did some searching. Put a couple of things on watch on Ebay. Silly me hadn't even thought about Disney neck straps yet (I have been obsessing over deciding what to get as a new walk-around lens...it seems to be all I can think about right now). I must have one of these for my next trip! Not a whole lot out there right now, but I plan on looking daily

I have to ask...what lens did you use for your dark ride shots? Forgive me if I missed it somehwere. Was it the 11-16mm you mentioned?

Thanks for reading. I use the Sigma 30mm f/1.4 for dark rides, although I did use the Tokina 11-16 for Buzz, SpaceShip Earth, and a couple other attractions. The Tokina is not ideal for dark rides, but it is workable if you can go to 3200 or 6400 ISO.

That reminds me...

I was wondering if those Disney neck straps are comfortable? I tried on the one that's currently for sale in WDW and it was hard on my neck, not at all comfortable. Couldn't bring myself to buy it. I have a neoprene one now and it's awesome.

The Disney camera straps are incredibly uncomfortable. The EPCOT one is fine, but for the most part they are pretty bad. Most of the time I hold my camera in one hand (otherwise it bounces around), so they aren't contacting my neck too much.

 

[MarkBarbieri]

Great report. Very thorough. I'm amazed at how many pictures of yourself you got in there. Most photogs rarely show themselves.

 

[oregondaddyof2]

I absolutely loved this TR... You got a lot of amazing pictures... I like how you got so many pictures of you two without anyone in the pic... That is awesome... You can claim you rented to park all for yourselves That shot you got on Pg 1 in the rear view mirror of the safari bus is great... very creative, you need a thumbs up for that one I am hopes to get a tea cup picture like you have of Sarah on pg 2... I have never ridden those cause they make me ill, but I am going to brave it this year and try to get the shots I want... I also like the shot that is right below that one, the one with Main Street all Blurry, but Sarah is in focus at the bottom... That is a great idea... Shows the street as busy really busy, and life stops around her... Good choice of shot!

I could keep going, but I will stop now.. All in all, great TR!

 

[WDWFigment]

Great report. Very thorough. I'm amazed at how many pictures of yourself you got in there. Most photogs rarely show themselves.

Maybe I shouldn't have included so many, as those shots are my worse shots. However, I tend to try to process the static shots without us a bit more than the shots of us, so it was easier this way. Besides, I figure the vacation is more about us than a bunch of static scenes that anyone could have taken.

I absolutely loved this TR... You got a lot of amazing pictures... I like how you got so many pictures of you two without anyone in the pic... That is awesome... You can claim you rented to park all for yourselves That shot you got on Pg 1 in the rear view mirror of the safari bus is great... very creative, you need a thumbs up for that one I am hopes to get a tea cup picture like you have of Sarah on pg 2... I have never ridden those cause they make me ill, but I am going to brave it this year and try to get the shots I want... I also like the shot that is right below that one, the one with Main Street all Blurry, but Sarah is in focus at the bottom... That is a great idea... Shows the street as busy really busy, and life stops around her... Good choice of shot!

I could keep going, but I will stop now.. All in all, great TR!

Thanks for reading! The funny thing is that safari shot I actually didn't intent to post. There is another where you can see both our faces that is better. However, this trip report has already eaten up 7 GB of my monthly 10 GB of bandwidth on photobucket, so I'm not going to go back and edit now.

Something tells me that the remaining 3 GB will soon be gone...

 

[oregondaddyof2]

Thanks for reading! The funny thing is that safari shot I actually didn't intent to post. There is another where you can see both our faces that is better. However, this trip report has already eaten up 7 GB of my monthly 10 GB of bandwidth on photobucket, so I'm not going to go back and edit now.

Something tells me that the remaining 3 GB will soon be gone...

That sucks.... I want to see more... That is the primary reason why I decided a $30 yearly subscription to Flickr was worth it... I have unlimited space cause I take a lot of Disney photos when i go, and I want to be able to post them all....

 

[MarkBarbieri]

Maybe I shouldn't have included so many, as those shots are my worse shots. However, I tend to try to process the static shots without us a bit more than the shots of us, so it was easier this way. Besides, I figure the vacation is more about us than a bunch of static scenes that anyone could have taken.

I agree. If you look at my slideshow, you'll notice that it is mostly shots of the kids. I also included several lame shots that were meaningful to us even if they weren't particularly good shots. I will say, though, that your wife is much better looking than you are, so you should include more shots of her rather than you.

Thanks for reading! The funny thing is that safari shot I actually didn't intent to post. There is another where you can see both our faces that is better. However, this trip report has already eaten up 7 GB of my monthly 10 GB of bandwidth on photobucket, so I'm not going to go back and edit now.

Something tells me that the remaining 3 GB will soon be gone...

That's why you need a Smugmug account. Unlimited bandwidth. As a Disboard photography celebrity, you owe it to your fans.