What do you want...

[Groucho]

I actually brought a list in April - I didn't accomplish everything on it so that's why I'm going back in January.

Daytime ND shots are on my list, too (though particularly tough when traveling with family!) I bought an ND8 filter before last trip but I was dumb at the time and bought a 49mm, which at the time I only had one lens that it'd work on (50mm F1.4); I should have bought a 52mm, since I have several lenses with that filter size, plus a 49-52mm adapter. Now I have several old manual lenses with 49mm size so maybe it'll be OK anyway.

Anyway, enough rambling - I never even put it on. I have yet to actually take a picture with it on, outside of maybe one or two test shots. Actually, tomorrow we leave for Watkins Glen for three days, that would be an excellent place to try some daytime ND shots... hmmmm!

Im trying to figure out the best way to capture those cool "jumping water" fountains around the Imagination pavilion in Epcot. I remember those from my first trip to disney when I was 8 (1987) as being so incredible. My goal is to make a photograph of those fountains that FEELS like the way I remember.

That's a tough one! I also loved them when I was a kid, and it's very difficult to get an interesting shot. I think the key is to not shoot just the water, but the water with a background. Last trip, I skipped the pavilion entirely, but the trip before, I got a few shots. Another trick I tried was turning on the flash to help "freeze" the water.

I have a few decent ones of my 9-month-old son from that trip but none of him and the water. This is probably the best overall shot. (No flash on this one.)

Now, if I could get a shot like that with my own kid in it, maybe play with the DoF a little more, maybe I could have one that I really liked.

Other things I'm after... I have been doing more "people" photos, which is a somewhat new challenge as I have traditionally shot "things" not "people". I also like the idea of doing a few crowd shots - like a shot of the crowd waiting for Illuminations or Wishes. I want to do more very-shallow DoF work. I'd also like to do some night tripod shots that have some DoF to them - traditionally, I throw it into Av and set it to F8 or F11 when doing night tripod shots. Last trip, I did a few with larger apertures to give a shallow DoF and liked the effect very much - I think I'm not the only one who tends to overlook DoF when using a tripod at night.

I also want to do more wireless flash work. I did a little last trip but not enough. In fact, I have a few shots in mind that will require the wireless flash to be held by someone else a little ways away.

I'd also like to do some "challenge" times - spend a day (or at least a chunk of one) without my primary lenses. Specifically, use just the fisheye for a while. Another day, use nothing but old manual-focus prime screw-mount lenses. Maybe spend some time with just my 105mm macro. (I did this a few times last trip and had a ball!)

It might be fun to try to do some somewhat interesting dark ride photos, rather than just technical exercises in high ISO performance. I doubt I'll have one by then, but it would be fun to use a fast 85mm lens, for example, and get some close-ups.

I have a few other very specific shots in mind, but I'm not going to say what they are until I actually get them.

Oh - and I'd like to finally get some shots that I am really happy with from the Safari ride! First step - sit on the left side instead of the right side!

 

[Gdad]

Oh - and I'd like to finally get some shots that I am really happy with from the Safari ride! First step - sit on the left side instead of the right side!

I started that recently- Not just the Safari- I noticed every ride we board seemed to be Wife/Kids/Me for 4-wide seating and Kid/Me for 2-wide seating so I was always shooting the same side of the ride.

 

[Karenj2]

What shots do you want to get on your next trip to a Disney Park? Trying to capture something similar to a picture you've seen here? Got some creative new ideas you want to experiment with? Trying to improve on a particular type of shot?

I'm betting that most regular readers here now have something they want to accomplish photographically next time they go to a Disney theme park. So what are you after?

I want to be able to TAKE more than point-n-shoot style pictures! I got my Canon S5 in July and practiced (a LOT according to hubby ) so I could get cool pictures - I also bought a mini tripod so I could take awesome pictures of the fireworks (or at least try).

The "problem" is that I went with my family, and my 3yo niece wanted me to push her in her stroller most of the time (or I held hands with her or her 7yo brother) - so I didn't get a chance to take more than just the "stop here for a milisecond so I can get a shot" type photos. (AND we missed out on ALL of the nighttime firework events for various reasons. )

The good thing is that we're going to be going again next year, so I'm looking into lessons on how to use my camera, and practice some more so I'll be ready by then!

 

[orchjoe]

Those daytime slow shutter speed pics are pretty cool. Great job Justin.

I would like to see a whole series of slow shutter pics from WDW. Stuff that spans throughout the different parks. Those pictures really fascinate me for some reason.

The next time I go to Disney I want to get to more pictures of the World at Epcot. I don't really have any pictures from there.

 

[Experiment_626]

I want to do more shooting for HDR; I shot some for the first time on my last trip, back in July, and I found the results fascinating -- to heck with realism!

Actually, some of mine came out fairly realistic, and some didn't. I liked both.

Also, I've recently invested in a 50 mm f1.8 lens, so I want to try some on-ride photos this time. I'll have to remember to turn off the focus-assist light on dark rides ...

SSB

 

[momsavealot]

I'm buying a tripod before our next trip! I love Disney at night and I can't seem to get decent shots of Main Street and the castle unless I prop my camera on something! Other shots I missed last time are Electric Water Parade and more pool shots!

 

[orchjoe]

I was looking at your EXIF data and it shows that this picture was a five second shutter release. What kind of neutral density filter are you using?

I bought this one yesterday because I wanted to play around with slower shutter speeds. (It say's its X4 so it should be a 4 stop neutral density filter).

It was dark enough for the fountain that i was shooting to get a good effect. But I don't think it's dark enough to get a shot you the one you have above.
I could only get shutter speeds of 1/2 sec if I was lucky.

f/36 .6 sec ISO 100

f/22 .5 sec ISO 100

are you stacking filters or do you just have a really dark ND filter?

 

[barrie]

I love this thread! I'm going in a couple of weeks and these are great ideas. I've added a bunch of them to my list.

I haven't been to WDW since I got my D300 so I can't wait to try out some higher ISO shots in some of the shows like Lion King and Nemo (haven't even seen Nemo yet!).

I recently bought a nuetral density filter. I'd like to play with that and maybe finally get some shots without a blown out sky! Those long exposure daytime photos sound fun to try.

Can anyone tell me what settings to start at to get nice waterfall shots during the day with a CP filter? I haven't found the right combination yet that gives a nice exposure with that silky look to the water. I can get decent ones in the shade or dark, but not in daylight or sun.

I rented a 400mm zoom lens for this trip. I'm especially looking forward to using that at Animal Kingdom and to get some closeup face shots of people on the rides.

I've always done my best to get shots without lots of people in them. Now I'd like to try incorporating more people into my shots. Not posed shots of friends and family, but more that include random guests.

I'd like to get photos of spectromagic. I've only seen a few minutes of it once before and didn't get any photos.

I'm going to MNSSHP. Last year I went but my tripod broke right after I got into the park so all my shots were handheld. There are tons of photos I'd like to get from the party this year - all the ones that are a big blur from last year!

I'm still not very good at photographing the dark rides. I want to practice that.

I'd like to get more photos of the cast members, not the entertainers so much as the ones doing things like selling things, painting signs, landscaping, bartending, etc. Funny thing - all the photos I've taken of bartenders in the past are blurry - can't figure that one out!

 

[boBQuincy]

I was looking at your EXIF data and it shows that this picture was a five second shutter release. What kind of neutral density filter are you using?

I bought this one yesterday because I wanted to play around with slower shutter speeds. (It say's its X4 so it should be a 4 stop neutral density filter).

ND filters are often rated in how much light they attenuate. Just like f-stops it is a fraction, 2x is 1/2 the light, 4x is 1/4 and so on. 2x reduces the light by 1 stop, 4x by 2 stops, etc. ND filters can also be rated by their optical density, a logarithmic number where 2 = 1/100 light transmission.

If we go by the "f/16" rule a nominal exposure for daylight and ISO 100 would be 1/100 @ f/16. To get a 4 second exposure would take 9 stops of light attenuation, a 512x ND filter! (Someone please check my math). I found such a filter:
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/155266-REG/Hoya_018120_77_mm_Neutral_Density.html
and as expected, it is not inexpensive.

The next question is, with such a dark filter is the focus ability affected? It's an interesting effect, one which I would like to try someday.

 

[MarkBarbieri]

ND filters are often rated in how much light they attenuate. Just like f-stops it is a fraction, 2x is 1/2 the light, 4x is 1/4 and so on. 2x reduces the light by 1 stop, 4x by 2 stops, etc. ND filters can also be rated by their optical density, a logarithmic number where 2 = 1/100 light transmission.

If we go by the "f/16" rule a nominal exposure for daylight and ISO 100 would be 1/100 @ f/16. To get a 4 second exposure would take 9 stops of light attenuation, a 512x ND filter! (Someone please check my math). I found such a filter:
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/155266-REG/Hoya_018120_77_mm_Neutral_Density.html
and as expected, it is not inexpensive.

The next question is, with such a dark filter is the focus ability affected? It's an interesting effect, one which I would like to try someday.

Looks right to me. If you changed your ISO to 50 and stopped down to f/22, you'd only need 7 stops. You could get by with two 8x filters and a polarizer.

One word of caution about using lot's of ND filters. They block visible light. They don't necessarily block UV light. If you stack them on a telephoto and aim it at the sun, you are asking for trouble. You could hurt your eye looking through the viewfinder or your sensor.

 

[Dznefreek]

I saw this effect a while ago and recreated it yesterday . . . . .

 

[DueyDooDah]

... Funny thing - all the photos I've taken of bartenders in the past are blurry - can't figure that one out!

Clearly you had not had enough time to consume the correct amount of spirits! Try waiting until later in the evening, when your focus matches the camera's.

 

[AbsolutLaney]

I want to take more photos during the travel.

 

[maitlynn]

That pic of main street with the slow shutter is fantastic!

I'm honestly just excited to be going back. I do want to had over the camera more to my DH to have more of me in photos.

A few visits back I did a series on "Window's of the World" it was a lot of fun.

 

[zackiedawg]

I was looking at your EXIF data and it shows that this picture was a five second shutter release. What kind of neutral density filter are you using?

Mine was an ND400, which is a roughly 8-9 stop filter. It is basically pure black to look through it with your eye!

are you stacking filters or do you just have a really dark ND filter?

I have also stacked an ND8 with it on occasion, on really bright days, to try to get as long a shutter as possible but without having to stop the camera down to too small an aperture to avoid diffraction.

If we go by the "f/16" rule a nominal exposure for daylight and ISO 100 would be 1/100 @ f/16. To get a 4 second exposure would take 9 stops of light attenuation, a 512x ND filter! (Someone please check my math). I found such a filter: and as expected, it is not inexpensive.

The next question is, with such a dark filter is the focus ability affected? It's an interesting effect, one which I would like to try someday.

You got it - my ND400 was around $50 or so...not exactly cheap for a thin piece of glass. But it's alot of fun, both for daytime slow shutters as well as for IR photography.

Focus has not been a problem for me so far - I've used the ND400 on three different cameras, and all three have been able to even use autofocus through the ND400 filter. Occasionally, I've had to aim at a brighter source to lock focus, then recompose the shot...but surprisingly, most cameras seem capable of discerning just enough detail to grab focus, whether using phase-detect or contrast-based autofocus. I was worried about it working with my DSLR, since the advanced P&S cameras I had were able to gain up significantly in live view to get focus...but even in standard OVF mode, my DSLR was able to focus with the ND400.

That pic of main street with the slow shutter is fantastic!

Thank you. Sorry it took me a while to respond - I've been at Disney this past week!

 

[loopner67]

Well I just spent a lot of time looking at all the Castle pictures on this board and then the "things you wouldn't normally see" pictures, so my list has gotten more specific.

~~~ I want different angled pictures. Not just straight on, especially with the park icons.

~~~ I want to take pictures of details. Things on buildings, inside buildings, ceilings, etc...

~~~ I want to take pictures of things I've photographed in the past from a different angle - maybe from behind, maybe from the left or the right. Maybe with something else framing the picture.

~~~ I want to spend more time in each country in Epcot taking architectural pics.

~~~ I want to look around me... take in the imagineering and photograph things I've never photographed before.

~~~ I agree with what's been said about more pictures of my family. Definitely more pictures with *me* in them.

 

[pixiedustforever]

Last month I took pix of the ladies' restrooms in the parks, resorts and DTD. Being a scrapbooker, then made books "Potties Fit for a Disney Princess", "Jambo Johns", "Where the Stars Go" and "Potties 'round the World." I included mousekeeping CM pix (they loved it!) Best part was the Dream Squad created a certificate for me as the "Best Bathroom Ambassador" And I was allowed into CRT to take pix of that one! Then was dubbed the "pottie "

One of the castle CMs said he was so inspired that he wants to do a book on the MK water fountains. They do have their own personalities, he said. The fountain by first aid is always coldest.

Y'all keep the ideas coming for next year! phones ... child's perspective ...
LOVE IT!!!

 

[Lancer]

Mark,

Just wanted to let you know that I hold you personally responsible, for me recently having to upgrade my Canon 70-200 f/4 to a 70-200 IS f/2.8 lens. LOL. After seeing the photos in your album I can see why sometimes you just have to bite the bullitt and shell out the big bucks.

In that vein, my upcoming October trip will be focusing(no pun intended) on low light, indoor shows, fireworks, MNSSHP,fantasmic etc. photos. Also, Like many others, I am always looking for that unusual angle, close ups, unique photo op etc. For example, I have that same exact night shot of the monorail half way across spaceship earth. Were you the one standing next to me?

Do you have a file on closeup shots? I always wanted a good macro lens. I just need a little incentive!

Thanks for all your contributions on the boards, I enjoy reading your posts!

 

[mouselovenfamily]

We leave next month and I'll get my new camera next week , so I'm hoing to be able to use it well enough to get a few decent shots. I would love to get some great night shots. I doubt I'll be ready for some action shots but it would be nice. Capturing my kids is the most important though. I'll be a wreck when the new camera get's here. I'll be shooting everything!

 

[monicastanner]

Last month I took pix of the ladies' restrooms in the parks, resorts and DTD. Being a scrapbooker, then made books "Potties Fit for a Disney Princess", "Jambo Johns", "Where the Stars Go" and "Potties 'round the World." I included mousekeeping CM pix (they loved it!) Best part was the Dream Squad created a certificate for me as the "Best Bathroom Ambassador" And I was allowed into CRT to take pix of that one! Then was dubbed the "pottie "

We have a ton of me coming out of the potty shots, from tons of trips to the World. Seems I'm always visiting and leaving the camera with the hubby. I have 'em from resorts, parks, you name it. It became habit and they're funny.

I have a collection of animal butts to, he he he.... From zoos mostly, some at AK too.

I want to take more night shots and lug my tripod out there. I just told hubby tonight if we get APs again next year I am going in the evening some WITHOUT HIM or I'm sending him off to play so I can really practice with it more.

I also want to try more angles like I've been seeing on here, so much inspiration for my favorite place.

Some people mentioned taking shots of random people. Here's my dream job... Ready?? I want to go to small town festivals, parades, etc... even theme parks and take totally random candid photos for those people who are missing priceless moments. I want to hand 'em a card and say "hey..I just snapped a picture of your family doing..... If you want to see it and purchase it, go to this website...."