Night Parades - Tips Requested

[DebWills]

Ok, I'm headed down to the world soon for one of my fav parades, Mickey's Not So Scary Boo to You Parade.

I have a Canon S2 IS. Max ISO is 800. I can bring a tripod if it will help.

What kinds of things should I do to maximize good photos?

Will be the first time with this camera.

Thanks,

Deb

[Ursulinda]

I like to stand where the parade comes toward me rather than passes by my side. You have a little longer to 'fiddle'. Careful perusal of the parade route (depending on direction of travel) will show you where those places are. Pick one, then get there early, anchor yourself with a handy trash can or light post, set up your tripod, and be prepared to stand your ground.

[Photographer]

I was reading up on the Canon S2IS. Reviews state that there can be some focusing errors when shooting in low light with the telephoto end of the zoom. Your flash will go a maximum of 13 feet at full zoom. The highest ISO is 400 and the noise (digital version of film grain) can be a little much. With these three factors I would say

1. Find a place on the parade route that will place you close to the characters. I can't remember if at MK they go through Town Square like they do at DL. If so, I'd stand so they are coming towards you somewhere in that circle.

2. If you use the Image Stabilization, put it on the Shoot Only mode.

3. Try to shoot so that bright lights aren't aiming at you and confusing the meter.

I'll play with the S3 at work and check out the Night Snapshot mode. Maybe I can stage a parade with the lights off. It's pretty slow there these days. :D

[Daddio]

Deb,

Can't help you with the camera but the spot to be in (get there early) is in front of the President's Hall of Fame. You get to sit on the wall and no one gets in front of you cause it's too tight. You get a good site of the parade regardless of the direction it comes in plus you have the benefit of a corner shot too.

[DebWills]

Deb,

Can't help you with the camera but the spot to be in (get there early) is in front of the President's Hall of Fame. You get to sit on the wall and no one gets in front of you cause it's too tight. You get a good site of the parade regardless of the direction it comes in plus you have the benefit of a corner shot too.

Hey Daddio,

Do you mean Hall of the Presidents? Are you talking about the corner that would put your back to Haunted Mansion? I don't recall a wall there tho.

I have stood at the LIberty Bell facing HOP before and there are bright spotlights there.

If you could be more specific, that will help.

Thanks,

Deb

[DebWills]

I was reading up on the Canon S2IS. Reviews state that there can be some focusing errors when shooting in low light with the telephoto end of the zoom. Your flash will go a maximum of 13 feet at full zoom. The highest ISO is 400

We=ll shoot (LOL) no wonder I"m having problems in low light, I thought it was 800. I'll copy the tips you posted..sound good.

The DSLR keeps calling my name....:confused:

But not yet, well unless I win the lottery :cool:

[Ursulinda]

One of the places with spot lights might be the temporary solution to your problem - there'll be plenty of light from the spots and you can try the night scenery mode on the pre - parade to see how it works.

[LeiasMom]

I just want to say how impressed I am with the suggestions here. This is such a wonderful place with so many people with so many different expertises. Thanks for the education.

Amy

[Daddio]

Deb,

Yes, in front of the Hall of Presidents there is a stone retaing wall around the trees which is about 3 feet high and 12 to 15" deep. The rope will run perpendicular to the wall about two feet out. Your back will be to HM and the Christmas Store is across the street to the left a bit.

I'm pretty sure my memory serves me well but I'll double check IN TWO WEEKS when I get there!

:mickeyHalloween:

[Robin]

I've noticed the Kodak I now use, doesn't take as good fireworks pictures, as my old Sony Mavica. I discovered night shots come out much better on this camera when I video tape them, so now I do more clips of fireworks and night time shows.

I've also found, if I don't have anything to lean my camera on, I put the strap around my neck and hold the camera as far forward as I can, pulling the strap is taut against the back of my neck, reduces the shaking of the camera.

[Tagrel]

I brought my tripod for Spectro this past trip, but find that unless I WANT my photo to show movement I didn't get great results without flash. ;) Since everything is always moving I'd get some (or a lot!) blur when using the tripod. And using the flash wipes out a lot of the beauty of a nighttime parade such as spectro. :?

So, being close enough to use your flash is very helpful. We were RIGHT before the bridge into Frontierland (near Hall of Presidents). Without flash (using the tripod) the best images were of the floats just coming (slowly!) over the bridge. They were moving slow enough to keep the blur down.

Here are some of the shots I got...

Wanted the blur effect on this one. :)
http://tagrel.com/images/misc/spec01.jpg

just coming over the bridge. Characters always blur without flash. They are moving constantly so its to be expected
http://tagrel.com/images/misc/spec02.jpg

Again, slowly over bridge, but I liked the effect of the needle moving.
http://tagrel.com/images/misc/spec03.jpg

slowly over bridge and without flash you can really see the detail of the float without the framework.
http://tagrel.com/images/misc/spec04.jpg

Closer floats would blur as they moved by.
http://tagrel.com/images/misc/spec05.jpg

From farther way travelling slowly the image is pretty good
http://tagrel.com/images/misc/spec06.jpg

Closer they blur a bit due to movement
http://tagrel.com/images/misc/spec06a.jpg

And you can see how a flash totally changes the 'feel' of the picture. You can see not only the lights, but the framework of the float.
http://tagrel.com/images/misc/spec06b.jpg

more examples of farther away looking OK
http://tagrel.com/images/misc/spec07.jpg

and closer up blurring a bit
http://tagrel.com/images/misc/spec08.jpg

And if you are close enough, the flash works well to show off characters
http://tagrel.com/images/misc/spec09.jpg

http://tagrel.com/images/misc/spec10.jpg

http://tagrel.com/images/misc/spec11.jpg

http://tagrel.com/images/misc/spec12.jpg

http://tagrel.com/images/misc/spec13.jpg

http://tagrel.com/images/misc/spec14.jpg

I'm open to any and ALL insights as to how I can improve my nighttime and parade shots! :yes: I'm hoping KellyG stops by this thread soon! :)

[WillCAD]

You could try the technique I use for fireworks pics - I set the camera in Shutter Speed Priority Mode (Tv mode on the command dial). This allows me to set the shutter speed, and the camera takes care of the aperture. I set the shutter speed at the slowest that I can take a pic hand-held without blurring, usually 1/30sec, and take pics. With fireworks I also put it in manual focus, but with parades you would leave auto-focus on.

The drawback to this technique is that it only works on fairly bright subjects. Spectro floats, at close range, would mostly come out fine since they are so bright, but some of the characters might be a little dark.

Using a slow shutter speed keeps the shutter open longer to let in more light, but it also means that the faster a subject is moving, the more that light is going to streak across the sensor, so best results with this technique are obtained by shooting still subjects. Parade floats move slow enough that they will be captured fine, but some of the characters might blur a bit if they are spinning or dancing.
-----------------------------------------------
FYI Deb: Canon recently released a new DSLR, the Digital Rebel XTI, so prices of the older Digital Rebel XT are expected to fall over the next month or two as camera shops try to clear out the XTs to make room for the XTIs. You may be able to get a nice Rebel XT kit for under $600 if you shop around; I know that's still a lot of money, but compared to $900 or $1000 it's a good bargain.

[mickeefan]

I just bought a Bogen monopod as I didn't want a heavy tri-pod.I hope this was not a bad move, but wanted something to help keep the camera steady. It is pretty sturdy and not real heavy.
I also bought a quick release for it which is pretty cool.
I'm anxious to see how they work. Hope I didn't waste my money.

[Tagrel]

Thanks for the tips Will! Mickeefan, I bought a compact but full sized tripod that I used to take the Spectro pictures above, but find I only bring it when I think ahead and WANT to carry something so bulky.

My very FAVORITE purchase was a cheap portable tripod that I picked up for around $10 at Circuit City a couple years back. Folded up its about 6 inches long, and expands to about 10inches in height. I can easily keep it in my camera bag at all times, and I've used it more times than I can count for night time shots all around WDW. It works great on top of garbage cans, or against a light post or door frame. I highly recommend picking one up if you like taking low light shots! :yes:

http://tagrel.com/images/misc/tripod01.jpg

http://tagrel.com/images/misc/tripod02.jpg

http://tagrel.com/images/misc/tripod03.jpg

[WillCAD]

What a coincidence Dave, that's exactly the model tripod I carry on my utility belt!

I have found that with my heavy SLR camera it doesn't work so well with the legs extended, but with the legs retracted it works great on trash cans, benches, railings, walls, light posts, door frames, even against walls.

[Kelly Grannell]

Why don't you try using ISO 1600, flash on or off (depending the effect you want). If you want just the lights to be shown, turn the flash OFF if you want some fill-light so some of the character shown, turn flash ON, preferably set the FEC (Flash Exposure Compensation) to -2 EV.

[Kelly Grannell]

oops, I'm not answering Deb's question properly. In your case, you can't really do much other than the following:

1. set camera to ISO 400 and zoom OUT as much as possible (widest angle possible)
2. wait until the float almost completely fill your LCD screen
3. focus to one of the lightsources
4. snap the pics
5. when done downloading the pics to your PC, clean the pictures using Imagenomic Noiseware Community Edition (freeware).

[Tagrel]

Wow - big thanks for the Imagenomic Noiseware Community Edition tip! :clapping: I've never cared for the way Paint Shop Pro cleans up nighttime shots, but Imagenomic did a GREAT job.

This is a scaled down version of my favorite Castle shot, but it was pretty 'noisy'. After running it through Imagenomic it looks MUCH better! Thanks!

Before the filter
http://tagrel.com/images/misc/castle01.jpg

After the filter: nice! :) I could REALLY notice the noice in the clouds before it was filtered. Looks much better on my desktop now. :yes:
http://tagrel.com/images/misc/castle02.jpg

You can see it better in this full size subsection comparison:

Before the filter:
http://tagrel.com/images/misc/castleFilter01.jpg

and after the filter:
http://tagrel.com/images/misc/castleFilter02.jpg

[Photographer]

Deb, after very in-depth scientific tests that included turning the lights off at work (once we closed) and making my co-worker Nicholas walk towards me about 10 times I got the following results:

1. Don't use the Night Snapshot mode for moving objects unless you like blur.

2. The Indoor mode (party hat icon) worked rather well as did plain old Auto.

3. Add this to my previous instructions.

4. Be ready to shoot (anticipate the shot) because this camera does not write to the SD card quickly. That was annoying for me and I could make Nick walk back and forth but you can't make parade floats stop, reverse, and start again.

The Canon Rebel XT is currently $799.99 and the XTi is $899.99, I think. Too many prices are floating around in my head.

[roodad]

I am so glad to see all of these tips. It seems that the more sophisticated my cameras get, the worse my night-time shots are. Back when I was using a simple match-needle SLR and I had to think about depth of field, focus, ISO, movement, etc., I got pretty good shots. My current Canon EOS D60 and SD400 are giving me horrible night shots. I'll try some of these techniques (or maybe dig out my old AE-1).

[Kelly Grannell]

Roodad, don't forget that the D60 was released in the dawn of digital imaging. It's not until 10D the digital media is getting "close enough" (for my taste) to 35mm. And not until 20D I find digital can actually replaces 35mm.

Using the 30D, everybody at Landak Media finally concur that we can do everything on a 30D just like we can on our AE-1 (we just sold our last AE-1 and A2E a couple of months ago, now literally everybody is using at least two 30D, Sigma 18-125, Canon 17-55 f/2.8 IS, Canon 70-200 f/2.8 IS..x except our newest addition who uses two Rebel XTi but with the same lense configuration)

[roodad]

It sounds like, once again, I jumped too soon. Time to start saving my pennies for a new camera. I really enjoy photography, but I have been so frustrated with my D60 that I was thinking about giving it up. On the other hand, a lot of the mistakes I have been making have nothing to do with the camera. Maybe I can find a new brain. :confused:

[Kelly Grannell]

Well, not too many people have the 'luxury' of having a friend who owns two pro camera shops AND do camera reviews as part of the job. :) I've been lucky this way.

Even with that 'luxury' I still made a bad mistake of purchasing a Kodak DCS SLR (at the time costing me around $14k after taxes). LOL!

[WillCAD]

Kelly, the one complaint my buddy Frank has with his digitals (Canon D20 and D5) is that they have a narrower exposure lattitude than film. Aside from that, he loves the D20 and the D5 much more than his collection of 35mm cameras.

[roodad]

Even with that 'luxury' I still made a bad mistake of purchasing a Kodak DCS SLR (at the time costing me around $14k after taxes). LOL!

Sorry for your mistake, Kelly. But I must say it makes me feel a bit better. I'm getting a bit weary of using the "blush" icon nearly every time I post. :p

[Kelly Grannell]

Will, I don't know whether I agree with Frank's statement. You've seen my fireworks pics and those are extreme in terms of dynamic range (totally dark night with extreme brightness of the fireworks) and there is no blooming at all... and that's using 8-bit JPEG. RAW, at 10 bit (or is it 12?) have even greater dynamic range.

With accurate exposure, I personally seldom resort to RAW. From more than 20,000 frames I took, I literally have not taken more than 100 frames in RAW. On the other hand, I also don't take pictures of sunsets which may or may not need greater dynamic range.

When I need to (taking indoor pics with bright outdoor lighting), I just stop my JPEG down so the camera exposed properly to the outdoor / brighter lighting. Then I dodge and burn by using layers in Photoshop.
Also during the 35mm days, I remember the lab technicians do a lot of dodge and burn just like I do in Photoshop. So maybe people who feels that 35mm have better dynamic range don't realize that many of their prints are the result of dodge and burn during the printing process?

This is just a conjencture from my side and not based on technical facts so I may be way off base here.

All of the above aside, I strongly recommend either Pentax K100D as an entry level dSLR (great price, more than acceptable kit lens, extremely good high ISO performance, Shake Reduction effective up to 2-stop in actual real-world apps... about US$900 with 2 kit lenses), RebelXTi (basically just due to its anti-dust and its superclean high ISO... about US$1,100 including Sigma 18-125 lens) and 30D (for its spotmeter, solid body, 100k-rated shutter actuations... about US$1500 including Sigma 18-125 lens)

All three camera above are great for travelling and nightshots, and are good enough for pro apps without completely breaking the bank.

[DebWills]

Well, I took a little of much of the advise and decided not to over fixate on getting the perfect pic. I think some of these came out pretty good. No tripod, just me and my trusty Canon S2 IS.

http://allearsnet.com/tp/mk/mnss0688.jpg


http://allearsnet.com/tp/mk/mnss0689.jpg


http://allearsnet.com/tp/mk/mnss0691.jpg

http://allearsnet.com/tp/mk/mnss0695.jpg

http://allearsnet.com/tp/mk/mnss0692.jpg[/URL]
[URL="http://allearsnet.com/tp/mk/mnss0691.jpg"] (http://allearsnet.com/tp/mk/mnss0692.jpg)

[Kelly Grannell]

absolutely love the one with D Duck !!

[Ursulinda]

absolutely love the one with D Duck !!

me too. They're all good, but the others are creepy.

[Collette]

Wonderful photos, Deb!!! Boo to You is one excellent parade!

[DebWills]

Wonderful photos, Deb!!! Boo to You is one excellent parade!

Yes, I LOVE the parade! And the new additions this year are awesome! I miss the old music.. but the new floats are very cool!!!

[Tagrel]

:HalloweenCat:GREAT pictures Deb! I really like those. I'd love to see this parade in person someday, but in the mean time thanks for sharing your shots! :yes:

I too love the Donald pic, but the woman - is that supposed to be the bride from the Haunted Mansion? Very cool! And Creepy!:pumpkinCat:

[DebWills]

We've got a lot of Halloween parade pics on http://www.allearsnet.com/tp/mk/mnssh06b.htm

[Kelly Grannell]

Very nice pics! thanks for sharing the link!

[Photographer]

Good job, Deb. :)

[roguepony]

This is a scaled down version of my favorite Castle shot, but it was pretty 'noisy'.

Tagrel, that's gorgeous!!! How much do we have to beg to get a full sized version for our desktops? :girlears:

[RaySharpton]

Terrific photos everyone. Great thread.

Ray

[lynner5996]

I missed this thread totally - and when I read "Tips Requested" I thought - Deb wants us to tip her at Mousefest?!?!? Okay - photography tips - looks like you got the new camera all figured out.

I was alarmed to read they had changed the parade, but as long as there are still dancing gravediggers, I'm okay with that!