Photographer Needs Tips From Photographers

[imaginos]

Hello, I'm an amateur photographer going to Disney World for the first time in May 2007, and I will be bringing along some of my equipment and hoping to get some good shots with my Nikon D80 SLR. I plan on bringing a speedlight and a monopod, although my 70-300 mm lens is VR, so I may not need the mono.

I'm looking for some advice from experienced photographers who have gone before me. Not necessarily on good places to take photos (I'm sure there are plenty of those - but if you have a couple good places I'll take those tips too!), but what I'm really after are things like
- when should I leave the camera in the hotel (in the safe of course) and when I should bring it along?
- can I take my equipment (speedlight, camera and lenses on the rides with me as long as they are secured in a camera bag? Are camera bags about the size of a women's medium purse allowed on rides, and If not on all, which ones prohibit it? And if not specifically prohibited, are there any really rough ones I'd be better off not going on with the camera bag? Are monopods allowed?

Pretty much any tips/info on topics like above is what I'm interested in.

Any photographers wish to help another out?

Thanks!

imaginos

[Bringonthemouse!]

I too am a photo-aholic. My only advice to you is be careful you don't see your entire vacation through a camera lense. That is what I did last year and when we got home, I regretted it terribly. I feel I missed out on a lot of the little details Disney has to offer.
Enjoy, and have a fantastic vacation!
:mickey:

[Bringonthemouse!]

Oh, and :welcome: to intercot!

[c4jc04]

Hello! I am also an amateur photographer and I have a Nikon D50. I haven't had my camera to take with me to Disney, but I recently got back from a month long trip to Greece and Italy. While there I carried a LowePro backpack and it was the best decision I made.

The bag I have also holds my laptop, but you probably won't need that. I would definitely look into a bag like that. They can protect the camera, various lenses and such things. I was able to carry my camera, my telephoto lens, all of my filters, extra battery, various other accessories in addition to a coat, snacks, water, etc.

Sorry I can't answer your other questions!

[sleepingbooty]

How long will you be there? To add to what Bringonthemouse said, I would recommend that if you are able to spend more than one day at each park, that you don't bring all your equipment on your first outing. Bring the camera to get a photos of a few "firsts", but if you are really focused on getting great shots you'll miss the whole of it. But make a mental not of things shots you'd like to get when you return later in the week.

As far as bringing your camera bag on rides/attractions, for the most part you won't have a problem. The rides that have restraints or harnesses that would prevent you from keeping the bag on you usually have a cargo net for your things - the only exception I can think of is Rock n Roller Coaster at MGM. All of the parks have lockers near the entrance if you get tired of carrying it all around.

You might want to bring a large ziploc bag for the wet rides.

Hope you get some good photos, and :welcome: to Intercot!

[Jasper]

With the kind of investment you have in your equipment I would certainly make sure you have a good bag that is reasonably waterproof and crush proof. Of course, make sure you pack as small a bag as possible so you don't end up feeling like a pack mule all trip long.

As one of the other posters also said, be sure you don't live your entire vacation through the view finder. You may be the greatest photographer in the world but you are still there to have fun.

Finally, be sure to follow the rules for places where photography is and is not allowed! Be especially sensitive about using any kind of flash. Flash is generally prohibited inside of any attraction. Out door attractions are a little different but be sure to look for any signs.

[wendy*darling]

Welcome to INTERCOT!!

I am sure you are excited about your first WDW vacation! There are so many wonderful places to take photographs. Don't miss the out of the way, small details that each park has in plentiful quantity!

My husband is an amateur photographer and he carries his equipment in a medium size camera backpack type bag. You can easily take this on almost every ride. I can't think of any where it would be a problem, except Kali River Rapids (everything gets soaked there!). He usually places the bag at his feet and hooks one of the straps around his leg. The bag will not be going anywhere like that.

The in-room safes in the Disney resorts are great for small, thin items. Most can handle a laptop and a wallet or jewelry roll. But I do not think they are deep enough for an SLR style camera body, plus lenses, etc.
You may be better off planning to have it with you everyday.

My husband used to lug around all his equipment in the pre-digital days. Since we went digital, he has chosen not to take his digital SLR. He says it's just too much to carry all vacation. We just go with our smaller digitals (I have the Nikon S7c and he has several- I am not sure what he uses most often). But then, we go 2-3 times a year and have more WDW photos than anyone needs!

Another tip. All of the parks have "official" photographers right as you enter, and throughout the park. They use the PhotoPass system. They will take your group photo and you can view them later with an option to purchase (or not). They aren't all very good photographers, and the photos are not too terrific. They are fine for what they are. BUT... you can also ask them to use your camera for an extra photo or 2. They will gladly take a picture with your camera. If you have kids who will be on lines for the characters, you can use your own camera for those shots too.

So, a padded medium sized backpack or camera bag would be fine. Don't count on fitting it into the room safe. And don't forget to come out from behind the lens and enjoy your trip!

[Tick-Tock]

....
- can I take my equipment (speedlight, camera and lenses on the rides with me as long as they are secured in a camera bag? Are camera bags about the size of a women's medium purse allowed on rides, and If not on all, which ones prohibit it? And if not specifically prohibited, are there any really rough ones I'd be better off not going on with the camera bag? Are monopods allowed?
....


I have been to DIsney World and DIsneyLand a number of times with my DSLR (a Sigma).

First of all, you can bring any bags you like into the park - they will need to search them before entering so it can slow you down entering in comparison to having no bags. It doesn't take much time though.

Also, a monopod is really no problem - I have brought in a full tripod (Bogen 3021) a number of times and that has never been an issue. What I do sometimes is stash the camera and/or tripod in lockers at the front of the park if I don't want it the whole day. You need to be careful about relying on that for holding monpods or tripods though, as the lockers can be smallish.

One thing I would say is that if you want fireworks pictures there's really no substitute for a real tripod. You are looking at 1-3 second exposures, really hard to handhold and get good shots (even with a VR lens). But you need kind of a tall tripod if you end up in the middle of the crowd. If you do bring a tripod, don't extend the legs to the side fully and keep it close to your body at all times so people to not trip on it in the dark.

As for when to take it, that is tough. I find it very hard to bring camera bags on anything like a roller coaster, except the Rockin Rollercoaster (where you can wedge a bag at your feet) or Big Thunder (which is mellow enough you can try to take shots while in motion).

As someone else noted, please don't use flash inside of any rides! It's really distracting to everyone. I have a friend with a D70 that has brought a flash to the park for night work and gotten some interesting shots, but a lot of the park is all lit up anyway and so it's nice to take a lot of non-flash shots there as well.

You can see some of the shots I have taken at Tick-Tock's homepage.

If you have further questions, feel free to ask!

--Tick-Tock's fiance [Tick-Tock freely admits she doesn't know much about digital photography]

[Tick-Tock]

I almost forgot my best tip - bring a trash compactor bag or two. You can line the inside of your camera bag with it if it rains, or place it over a camera on the monopod to keep it dry in rain but still out and accessible.

Trash compactor bags are much better than other bags because they are really tough. A ziplock bag does seal better, but don't rely on it for anywhere a camera might get super wet (like Kali).

[DizneyRox]

Instead of a tripod, I would recommend a bean bag. They are MUCH smaller than a tripod, and there's no shortage of places to just plop down the bag on.

Be careful taking a ton of pictures. As others have said, it stinks vacationing through a viewfinder. I would suspect that anything worth taking a picture of has already been photographed. I used to bring a video camera, SLR, compact camera, etc. Last trip it was just me and my wallet, it was so much more enjoyable...

[zeller]

First - I second the poster that said be careful of taking a trip through your viewfinder. Even though I go regularly, I still find days/trips where I forgot to be a kid again.

As for bags, we find that using a daypack camera bag (I think we have a Tamrac Adventure 8) works well. The upper portion is for general storage, while the bottom is for camera and lenses. We prefered this model because the zipper section for the camera did NOT flip down across the front (the opening is between the top and bottom sections). We are afraid of losing equipment when opening the bag on the go with the open front style. By the way, with this bag, I can grab the camera out while we are moving - maybe not smart, but convenient, especially for sudden photo opportunities.

I would also limit the lenses you bring. You mentioned the 70-300. I think you will find that a wider lens will serve you well - there are a lot of vistas and groupings of buildings and such that are a big part of the park experience. I did a day with a 10-22 one time and it was fun, but you'd be best with something like a 18-200. In fact, you could probably do the whole trip with such a lens. Other than at Animal Kingdom, you won't be using the tele end very much (unless of course your style of photography calls for abstract, a lot of close crops, etc).

As for a monopod, I never use a 'pod for anything other than fireworks. I just got a Gorilla Pod for Christmas, which I look forward to bringing to the parks. As for a full tripod, I seldom see them at the parks, and I have heard of people being told to fold them up if they are among any type of crowd or near a parade (safety and courtesy, I presume). I have even used a tiny tabletop tripod for the fireworks (sitting on the ground or setting it on top of a concrete bridge rail). Be careful about using a trash can or similar non-solid place as a foundation -- they vibrate a lot with the loud noises (fireworks, parade music) and can get kicked easily - and take a while to calm down again.

One more thing about bags -- I waterproofed mine. It won't protect from a downpour or a big splash, but it helps with light rain and the occassional mishap.

Ok, one more thing. A lot of people don't like to be photographed at the pools. Take a couple of wide angle shots if you want them, then put the camera away. No sitting in your chair taking pics!

Have fun -- with the camera, but especially at the parks!

D.

[ginger19]

I brought my wide angle and my telephoto lens and honestly only used the telephoto in Animal Kingdom. The wide angle was much better for most of the parks. I took 1030 pictures on my 11 day trip in January. I wished that I had my monopod with me for the fireworks but i really didn't need it for much else. I was travelling with small children and didn't want to take the time to really set up that much so I guess it depends on how much time you want to spend on that perfect shot. If you decide to bring your monopod, I would just bring it with you at night and do the bigger rides during the day when it would be more difficult to carry it on.

We never had trouble with my camera bag on any ride and it holds the camera body with one lens attached plus two more lenses. I also put a 2GB card in the camera and brought a 1GB with me as a backup but didn't need it.
Have fun with it. I deleted bad pictures right away to make it easier to go through later.

[imaginos]

Thanks so much for all the tips! I never ever expected such a helpful response from a forum. A few sure, but not the various ones like these. What a great board!

The biggest take away from these responses for me is not to spend so much time with the camera that I miss the vacation. Point well taken. I have a 10 year old and a 7 year old. On past vacations to other places, what I have done is wait for times when there is "down time", like early, early morning, or late afternoon when the wife and kids are napping and/or freshening up for dinner, then I escape and walk around and go photo-opping, remembering places from earlier in the day that would make good shots.

We are staying at the Grand Floridian on grounds. How fast could I get to say, the Magic Kingdom from there? Does staying at the GF lend itself to me "escaping" during the kids/wife's "down time" for an hour or so to one of the parks to just walk around and shoot, or is getting to the parks too much of a hassle for a quick walkabout? Also, has anyone else stayed at the GF? Do they have big enough safes or safety deposit boxes to hold an SLR camera body and telephoto lens? I'll call them and find out, just curious if anyone here knows.

Any thoughts? And BTW, thanks again for all the great advice!

imaginos

[faline]

From the Grand Floridian, you could easily get to the Magic Kingdom and possibly even Epcot for some quick, alone time.

Additionally, you have the opportunity of some great pictures across the waterway of the Magic Kingdom, Contemporary and Poly. Don't overlook all the on-site photo ops as well. The lobby of the Grand Floridian is gorgeous as are the grounds. You can walk to the Poly from your location.

As I recall, the safes at the Grand Floridian are the largest I've encountered in Disney World though I don't know the actual dimensions. I don't think you'll have any problems stowing a SLR camera body and lens in the safe at this location. I recall having both a camcorder, anothr camera (can't remember if we had digital or SLR at that time) as well as some other items and still had extra space.

[Altair]

Two pieces of equipment not to be without:
1.4X or 2X tele-converter
Polarizing filter

Very little use for a flash unit in WDW, use available light. :photo:

[zeller]

You may need to remove the lens from the camera to put it in the safe - so make sure you bring the cap for the camera front!

D.

[imaginos]

zeller, good point about the body cap. That would be easy to foget since a lens is on the body most of the time! I carry it in my bag, so I will have in case I need it.

altair, the new Nikkor 70 - 300mm VR I have isn't compatible with a teleconverter, and one probably wouldn't do my 18 - 55mm any good. But it is something to think about. And yes, I need to get a polarizer, don't I? Good point too about not using the speedlight in too many places. I am very conscientious about not using it in places where it would be obnoxious or distracting, like on a ride or visual experience. It is always in my bag though and it does help out when I wants to capture the odd indoor shot, like a restaurant, etc. The SB-800 I have can also provide nice fill, even outdoors, if the subject(s) are in the shade.

imaginos

[Noah's Helper]

I agree with others that a wide angle lens is generally more useful in the parks. I use an 18-70mm lens most of the time. A longer lens is handy not only for the animals at Animal Kingdom, but also for shows. (And if you like photographing animals, stop by Animal Kingdom Lodge too. Eat at Boma while you're there -- not that it has anything to do with photography :crazy:.)

Your SB-800 will be handy for fill flash when your kids are meeting characters outside, even in sunny areas. I like to tell people to turn their flash on when outdoors during the day, and turn it off indoors and at night. :D

Try to get pictures of your kids' reactions to shows, parades, etc. You'll want to have your flash turned off for Spectromagic, but be ready to turn it on at the end of the parade when a bunch of characters stop by to greet the kids.

Try using slow synch flash and a wide angle when riding the teacups with your family. Get the teacup spinning good to blur the background and show the motion.

As someone else mentioned, a tripod would be much better than a monopod for fireworks. A good vantage point for the MK fireworks is near Casey's on Main Street.

I know that tripods are not allowed at Fantasmic. I'm not sure about monopods. Otherwise you shouldn't have any problems.

Have fun, and when you return be sure to share your photos with us in the Trip Reports forum! :photo:

[Luv Eeyore]

All really good tips, I've enjoyed reading the responses! I did note the statement that a lens is on the camera body most of the time. I know it's difficult when you want to take a quick shot, but my DH learned the hard way that it is not always the best idea to keep a lens on the body. He left the lens on my camera on our last vacation (I had only taken one lens with us) and he slipped and fell in the parking lot. Even though we have a nicely padded camerabag, he ended up breaking the lens. No more pix that trip.

[zeller]

That is really too bad about the fall and damaged lens. I'm not sure that having the lend off the body would have prevented damage, though.

So, a new suggestion... keep a backup lens in the room!

D.

[Luv Eeyore]

We're pretty sure having the lens off the body would have saved the lens. The lens was sheared by the sideways force. The ring closest to the body stayed attached to the body while the rest of the lens did not.:(

[imaginos]

This has turned into quite a fantastic thread that I'm sure future first time Disney Park photographers will read for some time to come! I thank you all for your comments. Any others?

Luv, sorry to hear about your husband's fall and damage to the lens. That is always a major drag. I hope at least your husband was okay. To me personally - and other photographer friends of mine - there is far greater danger of damaging a lens or body by dropping one of them during frequent lens changes than the unfortunate one-off chance that one might have an accident and have the camera bag hit just "so" that damage is incurred in that way. Law of averages, if you will. Not to mention that frequent changes will increase the chances of dust finding its way to the camera's sensor. Not that sensor dust is the end of the world, but unless you bring a do-it-yourself sensor cleaning kit (probably not recommended while on vacation) or can find a reputable camera shop around that will do the cleaning in a day so you can have your camera back, you might have to put up with all subsequent photos having annoying dust on them. Like I state, not the end of the world, but certainly frustrating.

I will second zeller: more than one lens is a must. You never know when that one-off spill will occur!

More thoughts, anyone? Now that we've discussed caring for a camera, how about opening it up to the best places to take photos? Like, the best place to stand to get a pic of the castle, or of a parade, or the lagoon light display, etc.?

[Altair]

Just some random thoughts:

The camera model is fairly unimportant, composition is the key to good photography. A cheap camera can still take nice photos. Try not to be a "point and clicker". Think before you click. Reading "I took 5,000 photos this weekend at WDW" makes my skin crawl.

Learn good technique. Know about the Rule of Thirds, Sunny f/16, Depth of field, and the relationship between f/stop, shutter speed and ISO. Learn about lens focal length and how it affects depth of field.

My favorite spot for a castle shot is right in front of the Crystal Palace across the bridge. They took out some of the Palm trees so it's not quite as good as it was.:photo:

[Phantasia]

Sorry to resurrect this old thread, but I found it searching and couldn't believe the fantastic info contained within!

I was looking it up because I just purchased a telephoto lens for my DSLR with my upcoming Disney trip in mind. (Under two weeks to go! :mickey:)

Specifically, I was intending the telephoto for capturing small, possibly-out-of-reach details. (Think Main St. windows on the 2nd and 3rd floors.)

But the concensus seems to be that the telephoto isn't really necessary, other than for animals at AK.

I really don't need to lug more stuff into the parks than necessary -- am I better off w/o the telephoto??

[Altair]

A zoom lens will give you a variety of focal lengths and help limit you to one lens. Something with a range of 25mm-100mm may be what you are looking for.:mickey: