Please- No Flash Photography on Mine Train

[matt9112]

Yeah, dunno what was up with that. Got some crazy teeth whitening going on there! He was snapping fast as he could and kept chimping his pics. Very very annoying.

As for a cheap P&S being able to capture a dark ride or that recital environment, that's just not going to happen in the near future. You still need fast glass and larger less noisy sensors. I was shooting my 7D at ISO6400 (max native) with a 70-200 2.8 wide open and could barely get a shutter speed fast enough to stop action. Just don't want to get anyones hopes up that a cheap P&S will be able to capture the low light photos that proper DSLR or Mirrorless system will.


From last years recital, but same gear. 7D @ 6400, 2.8, 1/800. No flash of course.

IMG_6459 by smerrick, on Flickr

Oh, and something Disney related of course!!

IMG_6734 by smerrick, on Flickr

all based on expectations of course no cheap Point and shoot will but a decent higher end (but still a point and shoot) or more politely called a travel zoom i think now? its in its own "class" right below entry SLR. and of course were not talking perfection were talking enjoyable. two very different things.

admitting many of our photos taken by our cam were blurred due to motion and shutter speed....and i know it will never be as good as having a lens for that "specific" occasion. with that said i also did not play with shutter speed or ISO and only used auto the entire trip even though the 260HS has fully adjustable shutter speeds.

 

[rreading]

On the flipside, flash is a very good thing in the proper environment. Which is not dark rides!!! Just a few examples and I'll get off my soap box

Fill flash outdoors - If this was taken without flash, either her face way be way underexposed or the background would be way overexposed. If you look carefully, you'll see the sun is hitting her from the right. I was hand holding my flash to the left. See the shadow under her chin? Her entire left face would've been that dark without flash.

IMG_6966 by smerrick, on Flickr

Another fill, this one on camera. Has a very natural feel. You can tell there was a flash as it lit up the inside of her mouth, lol.

IMG_6767 by smerrick, on Flickr

Bounced flash, overriding ambient light. I had it pointed straight up with a card strapped to the back to give some catch lights to the eyes. Was actually a photopass card and hair band that the photopass photographer gave to me. He was a great guy to chat with. This entire exposure is lit by flash as ambient was about 3 stops underexposed.

IMG_7111 by smerrick, on Flickr

Last one... Same setup as above, bounced straight up with a card strapped to throw a little light forward. This looks sooo much better than the one the photopass photog took with the flash firing straight forward and harsh shadows everywhere.

IMG_7155 by smerrick, on Flickr

Hope I didn't de-rail the thread.. I'll leave my soapbox with one more tidbit... Have a nice SLR or Mirrorless camera and shooting in auto? Want to get the most out of it? Go here and start - http://canonoutsideofauto.ca. It's a Canon site, but the principles apply to all cameras. Off soap box now!!

I don't disagree with your post, and really think your photos are great; however apparently there's something about the physics of a small lens that can help in dark situations. The iPhone clearly has a tiny pinhole lens and yet an effective aperture of ~2.4. While I dragged my canon 7d with a 24-70 2.8l lens all over Disney recently (albeit without a tripod), I would stop occ to shoot an iPhone shot. I definitely have one with TOT in eh background that would have needed 1-2s exposure to illuminate the background that the iPhone was able to get.

 

[sporadic]

Man, Awesome photos and thanks for the link. I have a cannon DSLR and enjoy learning the 8 million things it can do. The link will help.

Thanks and welcome!

Just back from our trip. Not near as many tablet people on this trip. Only one flash incident on little mermaid where I just stated very loudly "No flash photography please". Unfortunately I don't believe they spoke English. The lady kept snapping pics of her husband and son in the clam shell next to her the whole ride. Missed my flashgun more than ever that ride... Kids got a kick out of it and later said "Would've been a better ride without the flash photography!"

 

[Spike-in-Berlin]

It bugs me when people take photos and video anything. First, I do not like being in peoples recordings or photos and second it ruins the experience.

How does VIDEOTAPING without any external lighting ruin your experience?

 

[iheartdisney91]

I agree that flash photos on dark rides suck.
And yes I've done it on accident before, so if it's on accident that's fine by me because
I know how embarrassing it is, I even get mad at myself when it happens.
But if I leave a ride blinded by camera flashes that's just not right.

This happened to my brother and I on Splash Mountain. The people sitting in the front 2 rows
Turned around and took pictures of the passing scenes. So I'm pretty sure they have photos of my brother And I
Looking disgusted.

 

[Bocabear]

How does VIDEOTAPING without any external lighting ruin your experience?

because they usually have their display panel lit up and hold it up in front of everyone... that is my experience...

 

[Goofnut1980]

Yeah, if the camera flashes once, I let it go, but no one can claim they didn't know on the second flash. This is one of the negative side effects of digital photography. Back in the day, film cost money, developing cost money, flash bulbs cost money, etc. If you had a nice camera it ran on some obscure battery you could only get at one store in town. Point being, people chose their picture moments carefully. Of course, it's great that with a digital camera you can take a hundred shots in search of one good one, but some people seem obsessed with creating a complete photographic journal of their lives, or at least their vacations. It's like it doesn't actually happen unless it passes through a lens.

I agree! We were watching "Wishes/Celebrate the Magic" and this lady behind me kept using her phone to take a picture... with the LED on... Uh honey.. your tiny a$$ LED on your cell phone isn't going to enhance your picture. If anything it will look terrible.. So I purposely kept raising my hand each time in the air to block her picture taking until she stopped. I could only giggle a little on the inside! lol

 

[DoctorDisney]

Being in a place such as Disney World...you're not going to be able to stop people from taking pictures or video and you're going to be in them at some point or another. It's just going to happen.

Flash photography is something that is always spoken against by Cast Members, guests, and more on particular attractions, but they're still going to do it. If it's done in the same boat (Pirates) or car that I'm in or something, I'll advise them not to do it. If they continue, that's when the childish side of me kicks in and I'll put my hand in front of every picture or throw my arms up when they're about to take another and another flash pic.

Sure, I can't physically do anything to stop them, but then, they can't do anything to physically stop me from putting my hands and arms where I please.

But as for any and ALL photography and video, it's going to happen at WDW and you're going to be in those of others.

 

[Cesar R M]

How does VIDEOTAPING without any external lighting ruin your experience?

if they are doing it with a huge tablet.. yeah it will ruin anyone's experience.

 

[Goofnut1980]

if they are doing it with a huge tablet.. yeah it will ruin anyone's experience.

Yea.. this one erks me! I mean seriously.. Its a freaking tablet, not a camera! And do you know how stupid you look! lol

 

[Lord_Vader]

How does VIDEOTAPING without any external lighting ruin your experience?

I guess that would depend on what you are using to videotape. PADs and smartphones are terrible because their screens are so bright in a very dark environment, the light up the area around them and many users hold them up which blocks views for everyone behind them.

 

[Goofnut1980]

New Disney TOS Rule: This just in, Disney World BANS cameras, videocameras and any cell phone with a camera. If you want pictures, you can buy our Memory Maker with exclusive DVD filled with over 400+ pictures from around the World!

 

[Cesar R M]

New Disney TOS Rule: This just in, Disney World BANS cameras, videocameras and any cell phone with a camera. If you want pictures, you can buy our Memory Maker with exclusive DVD filled with over 400+ pictures from around the World!

a pretty bad idea imho.
as most Disney photos are not always of good quality.
and its expensive..
plus with your own camera you can take photos on most things you're interested.. and not over-specific things Disney wants YOU to take.

 

[Goofnut1980]

a pretty bad idea imho.
as most Disney photos are not always of good quality.
and its expensive..
plus with your own camera you can take photos on most things you're interested.. and not over-specific things Disney wants YOU to take.

I have that photo cd.. and yes.. the pictures are TERRIBLE. I think at age 6 I took better photos than what are on that CD... lol

 

[disney4life2008]

How does VIDEOTAPING without any external lighting ruin your experience?

If I do not see it I do not care. But I do not like being in peoples photos or videos period

 

[pug]

This is what happens when you use flash photography in the mountain portion of Seven Dwarfs Mine Train- please don't do this!

I hate doing this with someone else image but I'm certainly never going to create one like this on my own. The photographer claims to have taken this shot during the media preview vs. with guests riding. This image came from
http://www.hypeorlando.com/in-the-s...-fulfills-its-promise-as-amazing-family-ride/ which I think is part of the Orlando Sentinel.

That's funny looking

 

[Spike-in-Berlin]

I guess that would depend on what you are using to videotape. PADs and smartphones are terrible because their screens are so bright in a very dark environment, the light up the area around them and many users hold them up which blocks views for everyone behind them.

I am using a normal camcorder with a HD (no camera sound) and in dark environments I never use the screen but the optical viewfinder. I find the using of screens, ipads etc. in a dark ride or show nothing less than disgusting, even worse than flash photography, because it's lighted permanently.
If someone however generally has a problem with being in others pictures or movies, well then don't go to a crowded theme park, it's inevitable.

 

[Spike-in-Berlin]

New Disney TOS Rule: This just in, Disney World BANS cameras, videocameras and any cell phone with a camera. If you want pictures, you can buy our Memory Maker with exclusive DVD filled with over 400+ pictures from around the World!

If they would really do this, well then Universal would have the largest growth of visitor numbers in it's history and WDW would have the largest drop ever. So they will never do it.

 

[alissafalco]

I just saw some photos posted on another website where the photographer used a flash inside the mountain on Seven Dwarfs Mine Train. No matter your desire to record your experience, please don't do this, your photos will look terrible with no facial imagery at all on the animatronics and you'll compromise the experience for everyone else on your train.

Because of the way the faces of the animatronics are created, using a flash will completely wipe out all of the facial features and turn them into a solid color surface with no imagery at all. The effect is too wonderful for it to be okay for folks to use flash in the mountain.

Update: See post #21 for yet another example of someone using a flash on the animatronics to see how horrible it looks when they do.

You're preaching to the choir.

 

[Lord_Vader]

I am using a normal camcorder with a HD (no camera sound) and in dark environments I never use the screen but the optical viewfinder. I find the using of screens, ipads etc. in a dark ride or show nothing less than disgusting, even worse than flash photography, because it's lighted permanently.
If someone however generally has a problem with being in others pictures or movies, well then don't go to a crowded theme park, it's inevitable.

As far as being in photos or video, guests are in public so they should expect they are always getting their photo taken or in someone's video.