I'm actually very surprised dual card slots isnt becoming more and more "the standard"...at least for cameras that use SD cards (I'm willing to accept physical size restrictions as to why Compact Flash cameras wouldnt do this by default)
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General photo tips for shooting at the parks!
- Thread starter NowInc
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I'm actually very surprised dual card slots isnt becoming more and more "the standard"...at least for cameras that use SD cards (I'm willing to accept physical size restrictions as to why Compact Flash cameras wouldnt do this by default)
Not so much of a tip as it is something a lot of new DSLR users dont realize:
YES always shoot in raw..HOWEVER, do NOT trust the preview on your LCD as to how the shot will look in the end. The picture you see on the LCD is a PROCESSED (in camera) JPG. Raw files, as the name implies, are RAW image data. They will look very VERY different when you import them into your editing suite of choice then you remember them looking on your camera. This may discourage you from choosing to shoot raw in the future (as if you shoot JPG, What you see is what you get in regards to the LCD screen preview), but with VERY little practice (thanks to COUNTLESS online free tutorials available on youtube/vimeo), you can learn to get amazing final results using ANY photo suite..be it lightroom, aperture, photoshop elements, even gimp or the built in free photo editor on Flickr.
Many people have size concerns with Raw files...which I can understand. And this is where I will mention what could quite possibly be the hardest part of any editing process..which I call..."Let the children go". What I mean by this is, import everything you shot...go through your images.......and then be willing to delete 80% of what you shot. That may seem like a high number, but when you think about it..it isnt. MOST of us are in this because we enjoy it, and as such we take WAY TOO MANY photos on each outing. (On average I personally shoot about 1000 a day when I am at WDW). Some will be easy choices for deletion...bad framing, focus issues..etc...others...will be difficult. This is the part that takes me the longest...deciding which of my "acceptable" shots to get rid of.
With this, I do have another partial solution. There is nothing stopping you from processing (which is fast once you get the hang of it) ALL your pictures, saving the raws of the "Keepers", and then just saving jpg exports of the rest. Typically..unless you are saving HUGE sizes, JPGs are a fraction of the size of the original Raw. The JPGs will make the "sting" of deleting the originals less painful.
YES always shoot in raw..HOWEVER, do NOT trust the preview on your LCD as to how the shot will look in the end. The picture you see on the LCD is a PROCESSED (in camera) JPG. Raw files, as the name implies, are RAW image data. They will look very VERY different when you import them into your editing suite of choice then you remember them looking on your camera. This may discourage you from choosing to shoot raw in the future (as if you shoot JPG, What you see is what you get in regards to the LCD screen preview), but with VERY little practice (thanks to COUNTLESS online free tutorials available on youtube/vimeo), you can learn to get amazing final results using ANY photo suite..be it lightroom, aperture, photoshop elements, even gimp or the built in free photo editor on Flickr.
Many people have size concerns with Raw files...which I can understand. And this is where I will mention what could quite possibly be the hardest part of any editing process..which I call..."Let the children go". What I mean by this is, import everything you shot...go through your images.......and then be willing to delete 80% of what you shot. That may seem like a high number, but when you think about it..it isnt. MOST of us are in this because we enjoy it, and as such we take WAY TOO MANY photos on each outing. (On average I personally shoot about 1000 a day when I am at WDW). Some will be easy choices for deletion...bad framing, focus issues..etc...others...will be difficult. This is the part that takes me the longest...deciding which of my "acceptable" shots to get rid of.
With this, I do have another partial solution. There is nothing stopping you from processing (which is fast once you get the hang of it) ALL your pictures, saving the raws of the "Keepers", and then just saving jpg exports of the rest. Typically..unless you are saving HUGE sizes, JPGs are a fraction of the size of the original Raw. The JPGs will make the "sting" of deleting the originals less painful.
PhotoDave219
Well-Known Member
Some thoughts....
If the camera is in the bag, you're going to miss the moment. You're going to miss your child/wife/girlfriend/goldfish/"service animal" doing that horribly cute thing in front of you and by the time you get the camera out of the bag, its long gone. Keep it on your shoulder.
Learn How to Use your Camera. If you don't know how to use your camera at home, there's no way you're going to learn exactly how it works in a 5 day vacation at Disney/Universal/Sea World/Jamaica/San Quention.
*When all else fails, Green Box. If you didn't take the last bit of advice, just stick your fancy camera on the green box mode (AKA Idiot Mode) and use that. It will produce a usable image without you having put any thought into what you're doing.
Learn how the Flash Works! The pop up flash on your camera will likely go 10 feet. Its great for fill flash in bright sunlight to fill in the shadows in someone's face. Great on MSUSA as the light is either overhead or coming from the west/left. Your flash will be rather useless during the Electrical Parade; instead boost the ISO and photograph the parade how the designers intended it.
Make your Subject Big in the frame. So you want to pose your family in front of Cinderellas Castle/SSE/Haunted Mansion/Godzilla. Instead of having them stand directly underneath or immediately in front of the background element, have them stand about 5 feet from the camera. This serves two purposes: 1 - Your loved one is not some tiny dot in the background. 2 - you're not waiting forever for a clear shot of 50 feet to try and shoot in with a theme park of 47,000 other people.
Its okay to cut off their feet! Waist up composition is fine, we dont always need to see head to toe. Faces are whats important, not whats two feet off the ground. (Unless you are traveling with Peter Dinkledge)
Get down on your kids level! Don't look down at your children. Get down on your knees at ground level when youre photographing them. (*Advil not included)
Anticipate! Look, you know your kids/wife/pets better than anyone. By now you probably can predict what cute thing theyre going to do. Anticipate what they're going to do and be ready for that moment.
Forget Haunted Mansion. Look, There's a handful of people who can get anything usable off that ride. We either have spent way too much money on very high end lenses (24/1.4) & dSLRs (5dMk3) or had the ride E-stop in a very fortuitous place (like in front of the cemetery guy & his dog). If you havent made a sizable investment, just come back at night and make a photo outside. You will frustrate yourself.
Disney has people in them, Your Photos should too. An empty Disney World is just creepy. People give Disney the magic that makes this place, waiting to photograph a building with no one in front of it seems rather pointless IMO.
Be Original! If you're with a group of you and your friends & everyone is shooting, Get something different from them. No one wants the exact same photo as the person next to you. Which leads us to....
Shoot Wide! Give me Context! Just because you have a 70-200 or a telephoto lens doesnt mean you should always use it. WDW is a beautiful place, full of flowers and interesting design features. Find ways to incorporate them in the photos. Dont just automatically zoom in and shoot a tight face shot. However that leads us to.....
Use what you've got on the camera! Trying to change a lens to capture a moment is very hard to do. Unless you see whats likely to happen, be able to reach into a bag, change a lens and get into position with 5-10 seconds, stick with whatever lens you have on the camera. Capturing the moment with an imperfect lens beats missing it entirely.
Dont be gimicky! Stop using that fisheye. Stop tilting the horizon. Stop oversaturating. Stop shooting for HDR. These are all gimmicks. None of them are good. You will be made fun of accordingly.... as I am here. Learn good composition and recognizing good light instead.
Your iPad is not a Camera! Stop. Just stop it. You look ridiculous holding up your cookie sheet and you're blocking people behind you. They will yell at you. They will heckle you. They will just take your photo & put it online. You will be made fun of accordingly... as I am here. Leading into....
Social Media? You want to be able to Instagram/facebook/twitter it moments afterwards? Shoot with an eye-fi card & upload them to your tablet/iPhone/Android device. Much more cost effective, plus you spent a lot of money on that fancy camera, use it! I love my iPhone's camera as much as the next person but trying to get the same image on your camera and your phone is insanely difficult. I did this throughout SWW with great results.
Film Still Exists! So you completely forgot your camera. You dont have a camera phone. Disney still sells disposable film cameras, go buy one and get creative with it. You'll be surprised with how good you end up doing.
Be Subtle. Dont be obvious, instead blend in. Other guests came to WDW and theyre not here to watch you take photos. This means not carrying around a billion pounds of camera gear. It means not lining up six tripods with you and your friends across MSUSA. If you have a 300/2.8, it means not bringing in into the park. (Security & Managers will have a talk with you if you do that) Your photos are not worth ruining someone else's experience. Which leads us to the most important thing.....
Have Fun. At the end of the day, its about capturing memories and having fun with your families/friends/gerbils. Dont sweat the little stuff, have fun making photos.
If the camera is in the bag, you're going to miss the moment. You're going to miss your child/wife/girlfriend/goldfish/"service animal" doing that horribly cute thing in front of you and by the time you get the camera out of the bag, its long gone. Keep it on your shoulder.
Learn How to Use your Camera. If you don't know how to use your camera at home, there's no way you're going to learn exactly how it works in a 5 day vacation at Disney/Universal/Sea World/Jamaica/San Quention.
*When all else fails, Green Box. If you didn't take the last bit of advice, just stick your fancy camera on the green box mode (AKA Idiot Mode) and use that. It will produce a usable image without you having put any thought into what you're doing.
Learn how the Flash Works! The pop up flash on your camera will likely go 10 feet. Its great for fill flash in bright sunlight to fill in the shadows in someone's face. Great on MSUSA as the light is either overhead or coming from the west/left. Your flash will be rather useless during the Electrical Parade; instead boost the ISO and photograph the parade how the designers intended it.
Make your Subject Big in the frame. So you want to pose your family in front of Cinderellas Castle/SSE/Haunted Mansion/Godzilla. Instead of having them stand directly underneath or immediately in front of the background element, have them stand about 5 feet from the camera. This serves two purposes: 1 - Your loved one is not some tiny dot in the background. 2 - you're not waiting forever for a clear shot of 50 feet to try and shoot in with a theme park of 47,000 other people.
Its okay to cut off their feet! Waist up composition is fine, we dont always need to see head to toe. Faces are whats important, not whats two feet off the ground. (Unless you are traveling with Peter Dinkledge)
Get down on your kids level! Don't look down at your children. Get down on your knees at ground level when youre photographing them. (*Advil not included)
Anticipate! Look, you know your kids/wife/pets better than anyone. By now you probably can predict what cute thing theyre going to do. Anticipate what they're going to do and be ready for that moment.
Forget Haunted Mansion. Look, There's a handful of people who can get anything usable off that ride. We either have spent way too much money on very high end lenses (24/1.4) & dSLRs (5dMk3) or had the ride E-stop in a very fortuitous place (like in front of the cemetery guy & his dog). If you havent made a sizable investment, just come back at night and make a photo outside. You will frustrate yourself.
Disney has people in them, Your Photos should too. An empty Disney World is just creepy. People give Disney the magic that makes this place, waiting to photograph a building with no one in front of it seems rather pointless IMO.
Be Original! If you're with a group of you and your friends & everyone is shooting, Get something different from them. No one wants the exact same photo as the person next to you. Which leads us to....
Shoot Wide! Give me Context! Just because you have a 70-200 or a telephoto lens doesnt mean you should always use it. WDW is a beautiful place, full of flowers and interesting design features. Find ways to incorporate them in the photos. Dont just automatically zoom in and shoot a tight face shot. However that leads us to.....
Use what you've got on the camera! Trying to change a lens to capture a moment is very hard to do. Unless you see whats likely to happen, be able to reach into a bag, change a lens and get into position with 5-10 seconds, stick with whatever lens you have on the camera. Capturing the moment with an imperfect lens beats missing it entirely.
Dont be gimicky! Stop using that fisheye. Stop tilting the horizon. Stop oversaturating. Stop shooting for HDR. These are all gimmicks. None of them are good. You will be made fun of accordingly.... as I am here. Learn good composition and recognizing good light instead.
Your iPad is not a Camera! Stop. Just stop it. You look ridiculous holding up your cookie sheet and you're blocking people behind you. They will yell at you. They will heckle you. They will just take your photo & put it online. You will be made fun of accordingly... as I am here. Leading into....
Social Media? You want to be able to Instagram/facebook/twitter it moments afterwards? Shoot with an eye-fi card & upload them to your tablet/iPhone/Android device. Much more cost effective, plus you spent a lot of money on that fancy camera, use it! I love my iPhone's camera as much as the next person but trying to get the same image on your camera and your phone is insanely difficult. I did this throughout SWW with great results.
Film Still Exists! So you completely forgot your camera. You dont have a camera phone. Disney still sells disposable film cameras, go buy one and get creative with it. You'll be surprised with how good you end up doing.
Be Subtle. Dont be obvious, instead blend in. Other guests came to WDW and theyre not here to watch you take photos. This means not carrying around a billion pounds of camera gear. It means not lining up six tripods with you and your friends across MSUSA. If you have a 300/2.8, it means not bringing in into the park. (Security & Managers will have a talk with you if you do that) Your photos are not worth ruining someone else's experience. Which leads us to the most important thing.....
Have Fun. At the end of the day, its about capturing memories and having fun with your families/friends/gerbils. Dont sweat the little stuff, have fun making photos.
englanddg
One Little Spark...
PhotoDave219
Well-Known Member
Nemo14
Well-Known Member
I'm pretty sure she wouldn't "get" it...
englanddg
One Little Spark...
You could always shove a 300/2.8 in her...ear.
ddbowdoin
Well-Known Member
PhotoDave219
Well-Known Member
ddbowdoin
Well-Known Member
Gee... I could think of one
M. T. Tomb
New Member
I disagree. Disney is a place of fantasy, magic, whimsy, fun, and adventure. There is so much color and detail that it's the perfect place to be gimicky. Use that fisheye, do your HDR, tilt your horizons, and saturate your colors! Do whatever you want to capture the magic!
If you want flat tones and subdued colors then Disney may not be the place for you.
Just my opinion.
ddbowdoin
Well-Known Member
I disagree. Disney is a place of fantasy, magic, whimsy, fun, and adventure. There is so much color and detail that it's the perfect place to be gimicky. Use that fisheye, do your HDR, tilt your horizons, and saturate your colors! Do whatever you want to capture the magic!
If you want flat tones and subdued colors then Disney may not be the place for you.
Just my opinion.
It's one thing to maybe bump some saturation... But HDR toning sucks.
May just be me (and because I come from a designer background as opposed to being a photographer), but the camera is just a tool. The final image is..in my opinion at least..art. A reflection of he or she who created it in order to match their vision. Be it HDR, Fisheye, Oversaturation..etc. the final output is what they decided on for a particular reason. Sure HDR and Fisheye can be seen as "cheap tricks" in order to achieve a certain look, but when done correctly can also be very pleasing to many.
Then again...I never ever call myself a photographer. I am not one, I do this as a hobby for pure personal enjoyment...and thats it. If this was a more serious path for me, I would most likely see things differently I am sure.
Then again...I never ever call myself a photographer. I am not one, I do this as a hobby for pure personal enjoyment...and thats it. If this was a more serious path for me, I would most likely see things differently I am sure.
I do however agree with 99.9% of Dave's suggestions..ESPECIALLY that about learning your camera. I remember my first disney DSLR trip and I spent too much time trying to figure out how to change settings....now its all muscle memory and can be done without thinking.
PhotoDave219
Well-Known Member
ddbowdoin
Well-Known Member
At the end of the day people can do what they like, be it HDR etc etc etc
BUT, just because it can be done doesn't mean it should be.
That's the difference between an art sale at a local flea market and work at the Whitney in New York.
PhotoDave219
Well-Known Member
I disagree. Disney is a place of fantasy, magic, whimsy, fun, and adventure. There is so much color and detail that it's the perfect place to be gimicky. Use that fisheye, do your HDR, tilt your horizons, and saturate your colors! Do whatever you want to capture the magic!
If you want flat tones and subdued colors then Disney may not be the place for you.
Just my opinion.
Well, I'm judging you nonetheless.
M. T. Tomb
New Member
Here's my photo tip:
Ignore those who do photography for a living. Their standards are much much higher than us mere mortals. Trying to live up to their standards will just keep you from enjoying taking pictures at Disney.
If it looks good to you then that's all that matters.
