Be Our Guest, but get out of my way as I try for 9 exposures

Joanie Eddis-Koch

Joanie Eddis-Koch

Member
I took this one on the Tuesday after Pixelmania at about 12:45 am. (Monday night figuratively) Even at that hour there were still people wandering into my shot. I was trying to do a 9 exposure 1/3 ev spread so I could process it in Photomatix. The only problem with this plan is that tone mapping and that blue color on Beast's castle do NOT get along.

So.... I just picked the best exposure from my 9 exposure spread and dolled it up in camera raw. There was a water feature to the left but I was going for the path and I wanted to align the lights and get that damn castle centered where I needed it. Now I'm glad I didn't get the water feature in because it may have overpowered the composition. Who knows... I may try this again next trip only this time go a little wider??

~Joanie


Path to Be Our Guest at night by Disney Photography Phanatic, on Flickr
 
Gotta love PEOPLE! ; Funny how they dont know that at a certain hour it is only for photographers! ; I love the flare coming off the lights, well done!
 
Agreed about the lights. ; I love stopping down the aperture to get that look. ;
 
How do you keep from getting light flare(orbs) on shots like this with 30 sec exposures. It seems whenever I go for shots like this I get too much orbs or flare( I don't know what you call the round spots of light ) from long exposures with street lights or lamps. I don't use any filters.
 
Harry, use lens hoods to avoid flares. ; Also be mindful of your distance and angle to the lights themselves. ;
 
Very nice Joanie - despite the challenges in getting it! ; I would love to get back in there with more time, a tripod, and maybe late when the crowds are down. ; When I was there a few weeks ago I was doing some night shooting in that area, but strictly handheld high-ISO work as it was just way too crowded to even consider setting up a tripod. ; I think things will calm down and be a bit easier once they open up the mine train ride, as that path will connect through and around to the circus area and it won't be so high-flow like it is now with the dead-end path.


Harry - I'm tending to agree that overexposure is also part of your issue. ; Lens hoods will knowck down some flare issues from side lights or angled lights - but if you're getting big bright balls of light then likely it's overexposure. ; Stopping WAAAAY down will help - the small aperture will keep the lights from blowing and also give you a nice star effect on the ligths (how nice the star effect depends on your lens' aperture blades - how many and the shape).


Another way to deal with bright lights and dark night scenes on long exposures is to use HDR - expose one for the bright lights, and a few for the darker shadows...the in-camera HDR on the Sonys works remarkably well when you want to shoot fast and avoid processing - I use it all the time for night shooting, both on tripod and handheld.
 
You could try a ND-filter, Harry. Thing about using filters is that a foggy filter could create that very thing you're talking about. I've had it happen and it bugged me to no end. Ended up having to take the filter off to get the shot before I could properly clean it.

That's an amazing shot, Joanie. Part of me always wishes for a bit of rain, just so I could get some reflections going but when the clouds come in, I immediately think my plans are ruined. I'll have to keep this picture in mind to keep my hopes up for a good shot!
 
Me no likely UV[nb]Yes, I originally said ND but that was a mistake. ; I misread Justin's post.[/nb] filters anymore. ; I find that, unless you get the really good ones, they cause more harm than good with image quality. ;

Like Howeirdd said, unless they are CLEAN they will cause issues with the image, especially at slower shutters. ;
 
See my post above yours for a correction. ; I like ND and also have a ND400. ; I meant to say I don't like UV filters. ; Need more coffee!
 
Thanks for all the lovin! One of the tools that I find essential for lens cleaning in the field is the Lens Pen. http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/851852-REG/Lenspen_NLP_1_NLP_1_Lenspen.html

There are other brands but this link will give you the general idea of what's involved if you don't already know. I save the really messy stuff for the Microfiber Cleaning Cloth and clear the fine residue off using the lens pen. I can store the pen in my shirt pocket and take it out for that quick clean up.

....and using a lens pen beats the heck out of licking your lens to clean it, especially during the Osborne lights when it snows soap! YUM! ; :P
~J
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top