Good luck to all of you who will be participating in MouseAdventure this coming weekend! The first letter out of mailbag this week is a reader looking for SLR camera advice from our resident photography expert, Frank Anzalone.
Michelle writes:
I’m going to Florida on holiday in May for my twenty-first birthday, and I’m sort of new to SLR photography; I’m still getting to grips with how to use my SLR properly. I have a Canon 400D with the 18mm-55mm lens that came with the camera and also a 55mm-250mm lens.
I would like to know what settings, ISO, aperture, shutter speed etc. would you need to use to photograph theme park rides, buildings and family photos in the daytime in the Florida sunshine? Also for firework displays in the night, would a bulb be the best option to use with a Gorillapod? How long should the shutter be open to capture a nice clear image?
Sorry for the ramble on, but can you give me some advice please? Hope you can help.
Great questions! We need photo classes to help you all the info (more than I can do in this email!).
I think what I would do between now and your vacation is to take your camera out and just practice with it in various locations/situations. You have a good combination of lenses there and I would also suggest the Gorillapod over a tripod (for vacation purposes).
In general shooting conditions – outdoors, sunny, daytime – I would use ISO 200 or 320. This will be a good setting for most bright images and also give a little flexibility when you find your subject in the shaded areas too. I lean a little more to control the light with my shutter speed (when it comes to fast moving theme park rides, such as a shutter of 250 or higher), and I like to use the aperture to control the light when shooting buildings, or up close with family, characters or anything that is close and fills the frame. The higher number of the aperture (let’s say “F16”), the more of the picture will be in focus (depth of field), the lower number (example “F5.6”) will give you a shallower depth of field which will be give you a selective area in focus. I use this with those “family/character” shots. This will show the subject in focus and the background out of focus (to bring the attention to the subject more).
As far as exact settings for evening pictures, it really all depends on what the subject is and how bright (overall) of what you have in your camera frame. For fireworks, I like to use F8 and about a 1-2 second exposure with an ISO of 800 or more. You need to capture the action and experiment here. If you are taking a picture of a building, something not moving, leave the ISO at your daytime settings and just a longer exposure (make sure your camera is rock steady!). The lower ISO will give you a better result for clear, sharp and colorful images. The higher the ISO, the more “digital noise” you will see in your final image. If you have some nicely lit buildings in your city, take your camera out there at night and do some trial and error experiments. See how your camera reacts to the light conditions.
I hope this gives you a little start to your photo quest at Walt Disney World. It’s always fun to come home and relive your vacation through your own pictures.
Good luck with your new camera! Enjoy your vacation!
Next, staff writer Steve Russo fields comments and questions in response to his article on Walt Disney World’s Deluxe Resorts (Where to Stay? Part Two: The Deluxe and Deluxe Villas Resorts, April 9, 2010).
Terry E. writes:
In your column on the Deluxe resorts, I need to correct a misconception you have about Wilderness Lodge. It IS themed to the Pacific Northwest but specifically the lodge is a tribute to the Old Faithful Inn in Yellowstone National Park which is in Wyoming and Montana, not Yosemite which is in the heart of California’s Sierra Nevada. Yosemite National Park has no geysers while they are the main feature of Yellowstone (and the Firerock Geyser is a tribute to Old Faithful).
See http://www.yellowstonenationalparklodges.com/old-faithful-inn-96.html
I actually knew that the Wilderness Lodge was themed to the Old Faithful Lodge in Yellowstone but, for some reason, my hands typed “It’s themed for a lodge in Yosemite” when my brain asked for “Yellowstone.” Thank you for keeping me honest.
K. writes:
When considering a Deluxe I think a major factor other than price is how much time you will actually spend at the resort. If it is your first trip and you have kids that do not nap and will be going full tilt then all you need is a bed. If you have little ones that take naps or you do not plan on opening and closing the parks then the feel of the resort is as magical and important as any other aspect of Disney because you will be at the resort more. Additionally, if you are coming and going the convenience factor of most deluxes is important.
All valid points. Thanks for sharing.
Jim P. writes:
Before I bought into Disney Vacation Club I stayed at Wilderness Lodge almost exclusively for many years because it just had so much to offer on top of being such a beautiful and unique resort. I own at Animal Kingdom but have yet to stay there.
I used my points recently at Beach Club and it was amazing. I really didn’t think that the proximity to World Showcase was going to have so much impact, but I was so pleasantly surprised. My last trip was in January during that cold snap and being able to just scoot back to the room on foot versus waiting for a shuttle was fantastic. Some of those nights were brutally cold for Florida, and one morning had snow flurries.
My wife and I are in our thirties and have no children, so our Disney adventures are rooted in the dining experiences as much as the rides and shows. With so much of the best dining in and around World Showcase it was so great to just walk over at our own pace, eat, then catch Illuminations while having a cold beer and stroll home whenever. I really would have a difficult time opting anywhere other than Beach Club, Yacht Club or Boardwalk in the future.
Wilderness Lodge while beautiful, being so close to Magic Kingdom misses the convenience of the monorail and is always tethered to the campground loop making it a longer parks commute than one would anticipate. Grand Floridian is gorgeous but I always felt like my mother was going to jump out and yell at me for touching anything because its may be too nice. Animal Kingdom Lodge is far and since its park has the most truncated operating hours there is little draw to always be at the end of the map, although if I could set up a cot by the Boma buffet I’d be totally happy. While Saratoga Springs has some beautiful properties, it’s just so big you lose a lot of the intimacy of the other deluxe resorts. I haven’t stayed at Bay Lake Tower; it certainly looks sharp, but it’s not my scene as I like to be able to walk right outside and not hit an elevator. Contemporary and Polynesian are of course great and totally unique, but I feel they could really use a breath of fresh air in regards to some updating. I remember being a kid and going to Contemporary and it blowing my mind, going there now reminds me of the past versus looking to the future. By the way, where are our jet packs and flying cars?
All in all, the trio right outside Showcase I feel trump them all as far as the total package, with Yacht and Beach being the better of the three with some great restaurants, the amazing pools and amenities and being able to walk over to Boardwalk versus living right above it. Another great article; thanks for the good read and allowing my two cents.
Thanks for providing your insights and welcome to the club of “Crescent Lake Snobs.” Seriously, you echo my own thoughts about the benefits of staying in the Crescent Lake area with the proximity to World Showcase.
Josh F. writes:
It was great to read your recent article giving an overview of the Deluxe resorts. This is the first time I’ve been on this site, as I did not know it existed. My wife and I, along with three children, have gone to Disney the past 5 years and have stayed at one of the value resorts, all of the moderate resorts and three of the deluxe resorts.
Like you, we live very close to Saratoga Springs and have stayed at the Saratoga Springs resort. Nothing in the resort reminds me of Saratoga at all, including the artwork contained within. Perhaps the horse statue as you approach the Carriage House but that’s about it. Maybe they should build a table service restaurant and call it Siro’s (if they really want some local flavor). That’s the sad part, all of the resorts at Disney do an excellent job in their theming except this one. Simply putting horses and jockeys around the place does not authenticate the Saratoga tradition and history.
The Boardwalk has been our family favorite to date, but we all think the Yacht and Beach club will be the perfect resort; we just haven’t been able to part with the extra $300 for the week to stay there.
Welcome to MousePlanet! I hope that now that you’ve found us, you might stick around. There’s fresh content each weekday and a very active discussion board on the MousePad.
I know exactly what you’re saying about Saratoga Springs. I stayed there once and I think it’s a fine resort but, as I said when it first opened, it’s going to be difficult to capture the charm of the real Saratoga Springs. There’s something special about those Victorian homes with the huge porches… I also agree wholeheartedly about the Crescent Lake resorts – it’s absolutely my favorite place to stay.
Thanks for writing and I hope to hear from you again.
Kelly writes:
We have always stayed at the Deluxe resorts except for one stay at the Carribean Beach Resort. We have stayed at the Contemporary, Wilderness Lodge, Polynesian and Animal Kingdom Lodge. I would have to say out of those, our favorite is the Polynesian with the Animal Kingdom Lodge coming a close second. We have never paid “full rack rate;” we have always got them at least 25-30% off.
They are beautifully themed and full of extra amenities you just can not find at the Moderates or of course the Value Resorts. The atmosphere at the Deluxe Resorts is just different. I can not really say why or what it is. They just seem like little destinations themselves.
I remember when I was young and my parents took us to Disney the year after it opened and guess where we stayed? Deluxe at the Contemporary! I guess its just in my blood! LOVE IT!
