Wordless Wednesday Blog Hop April Calendar Shot

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Hi Disney photography fans. Welcome to the latest edition of the The Disney Wordless Wednesday Blog Hop here at Focused on the Magic.com where each week we gather to blog hop, link up and share our #DisneySide Wordless Wednesday or Almost Wordless Wednesday Disney related picture posts.

This week's theme is "April Calendar Shot".
"The first of April is the day we remember what we are the other 364 days of the year."
- Mark Twain

Happy April 1st! Did you know today is "Fun Day"? I hope you make it a Fun April Fool's Day.

Would you like to link up your #DisneySide photos and hop with us? We have a theme each week that you can follow along with if you'd like and your links can be from your blog, Instagram, Flickr, Twitter, Tumblr or SmugMug. You get the idea. The Link-up is at the bottom of this post.

Time to link up your Wordless Wednesday photo...

#Disney Wordless Wednesday Blog Hop: Parades

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Hi there! Welcome to The Disney Wordless Wednesday Blog Hop here at Focused on the Magic. Are you ready to share your #DisneySide vacation photos.

Would you like to link them up and blog hop with us? Look no further than the bottom of this post.

This week's theme is Parades! I couldn't resist the opportunity to share one of my favorite floats in the Festival of Fantasy Parade in the Magic Kingdom.

Do you have a favorite parade?

Time to link up your Wordless Wednesday photo...

Capturing Wishes in The Magic Kingdom ~ Tips and Tricks

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Wishes is one of the most exciting fireworks shows at Walt Disney World, the other being Illuminations at Epcot. Capturing photos of Wishes and sharing them over and over when I get home is a family tradition of ours. It’s a bit of a challenge to take pictures of Wishes but with a little planning and practice you’ll be comfortable capturing great memories.

5 things you'll need:

• A camera with the ability to manually set the controls such as F-stop and ISO and Shutter Speed. 
• Fresh batteries. Memory enough to take 100 shots. Later you want to try out an ND filter but for now leave it home.
• A stable surface such as a tripod, gorilla pod or the Disney Quadpod (trash can) which are conveniently located every 20 feet in the parks. I’m touting tripods but I really don’t like them. For years I wouldn’t bring one to the parks. Mine was just too cumbersome to carry on rides and if I stored it in a locker I didn’t enjoy going back for it before Wishes started. I would shoot handheld (with pretty good results) or place a small beanbag on a Disney Quadpod. My favorite Disney Quadpod is located in front of Casey’s Corner. You’ll need to get there early to claim it as it’s become quite popular over time. The Velbron UltraMax IF tripod changed my mind about tripods. Whereas my other tripods were heavy and big, the UltraMax is incredibly compact (14”) extends to 60”, weighs about 2lbs and it can hold 5lbs which does push the limit on my camera with a lens. Oh and it was reasonably priced too! I believe it’s been discontinued but I’m sure there’s a current model that’s far superior.
• A shutter release (cable or remote) or self-timer on the camera. I use a basic cable release. Nothing fancy with a short cable. You can do without it but why not have the extra stability for long exposures?
• A small flashlight on a lanyard that’s easy to turn on with one hand. Your other hand may be holding your camera, tripod or shutter release. Bright but compact as you don’t want to disturb guests during the show.

√ a large dose of ºoº patience and pixie dust!

Next you’ll need a good location. You might want to scope this out earlier in the day. My favorite is on Main Street, USA. I like to be far enough back that I have a clear view of the front of the castle and a large expanse of sky framed by Main Street. Another great spot is the train station platform before they put up the Christmas tree, when the flagpole is removed. Even with the flagpole in place the view of the skyline is tremendous.

Which lens to use? I’ve shot Wishes with a Nikkor 18-200mm set at 18mm and also 35mm from Casey’s on Main Street with good results. I find my Nikon 50mm to be too tight until halfway down Main Street. The Sigma 30mm lens is my favorite leaving plenty of room to crop later if need be. Most kit lenses or primes will do the job.