fireworksFocused on the Magic : fireworks

Showing posts with label fireworks. Show all posts

Tuesday

Walt Disney World Resort Celebrates the New Year with Fireworks, Fine Dining and Festive Entertainment

New Year’s Eve is one of the biggest fireworks evenings of the year at Walt Disney World Resort, a place where fireworks are both spectacular and an every-night event. I've only been once on New Year's Eve. The crowds are like Times Square in NYC but the fireworks are just out-of-this-world. Here's a little look at what guests can expect to see. ---------

___________
Walt Disney World guests will be counting down to midnight and ringing in the new year with a dazzling display of entertainment, parades, fireworks and extended hours throughout the Vacation Kingdom on New Year’s Eve.

Every day is a celebration at Walt Disney World Resort but New Year’s Eve is certainly one of the largest. From lunches and dinners to brunches and dessert buffets, there are over a dozen spots for ringing in the New Year with fine fare. Also, there is no shortage of fireworks and nighttime shows that will light up the skies and create a mood of celebration at the parks on Dec. 31st.

101 things To Do At Disney World ~ Wishes!

As many of you already know, one of my favorite things to do at Disney World is taking pictures of the fireworks displays. The show that keeps me coming back time after time to ~~watch~~ experience is Wishes in the Magic Kingdom. I really enjoy Illuminations: Reflections of Earth in Epcot, but I truly love Wishes.
The best way for me to capture and enjoy the show is if I use a cable release and a tripod. For many years I was a tripod hold-out, refusing to lug one around. It was so inconvenient to set it up, especially with the family in tow and forget about carrying it on rides. If I did bring it on the trip I would leave it in the room or in the locker and reclaim it at the end of the night. I was a tripod hater. About 5 years ago I decided to start bringing an ultra light, compact tripod and actually use it. What a difference, not only in my pictures but in the entire experience.

Sometimes I get so wrapped up in the show I forget to keep snapping and checking the view finder for composition. As you can see from the picture below, the fireworks are cut off and the castle is crooked. It's ok, if I mess up or miss something it means I just have go back and see it another night;)

Which is your favorite fireworks show in Disney World to photograph?
You can leave your answer as a comment or on the Facebook page!

Click on the button to see more of my 101 Things to do At Disney World !

Have a Disney Day!

Thanks for stopping by Focused on the Magic.com

Thursday

Capturing Wishes in The Magic Kingdom ~ Tips and Tricks

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.

Focused on the Magic - Tips for Capturing Wishes Fireworks

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.

A Yankee Doodle Dandy Night

Disney World, Cinderella's Castle Wishes fireworks show in the Magic Kingdom are spectacular anytime of the year but on the 4th of July they are even better!

If this is your first visit here Welcome to this happy place! You may want to hop to The Disney Wordless Wednesday 411 page first before you linkup.

Friday

Magic Kingdom ~ Starry Starry Night

Starry Starry Night at The Magic Kingdom.
Every time I look at this picture I am reminded of just how magical main Street USA can be after dark and especially during Extra Magic Hours.
EMH in the Magic Kingdom is a perfect opportunity to have fun shooting with filters and prime lenses. On this particular night I chose to leave my usual night lens, a Sigma 30mm back at The Wilderness Lodge. I wanted to take out my old favorite Nikon Nikkor 50mm f/1.2 AI-s lens. In this shot I also used a six star Hoya filter. I've included links because I think these make a good addition to any camera kit. The Nikon lens is a manual focus lens and on my Nikon D200 works as a 76mm which is tight like a portrait lens but very fast in low light.
I just love wandering around The Magic Kingdom at night focusing on the magic;)

~~~~~~~º0º~~~~~~

Hope you are having a Disney day!

Foto Friday ~ The Liberty Belle Riverboat

The Liberty Belle docked at The Liberty Square Riverboat Landing. During the daytime you can hop aboard The Liberty Belle, an authentic replica of a 3 tiered paddle wheel riverboat for a leisurely ride down the Rivers of America. The scenic half-mile journey circles Tom Sawyer Island in The Magic Kingdom with views of Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, Liberty Square and Frontierland. My DH loves this ride, especially when it's hot! If you've never taken this ride be sure to add it to your to-do list for the next time you're in Disney World. There are plenty of surprises along the way.. ..keep a look out.

Foto Friday

~Cinderella's Castle in Silhouette ~

The Magic Kingdom Wishes Fireworks display is a truly magical experience and one not to be missed but sometimes it can be a challenge to photograph.
This photo took a bit of Disney magic to capture. It was shot with my trusty Nikon D200, Sigma 30mm, f5.6, ISO 800 @ 1/125. You may wonder why 1/125 of a second? A long shot would give beautiful streams of light. Well, that particular night was very crowded in The Magic Kingdom for the viewing of Wishes. So crowded I couldn't setup my tripod. People were jostling each other for a good spot. Tripods are a tripping hazard under good conditions. I was smack dab in the middle of Main Street with a 30mm. All my shots would have to be handheld. I'd done it before with mixed results. I much rather use a tripod but not that night. To make the best of it and not spoil the moment I just tucked my elbows in and with steady breath, shot... a lot. I was doing just fine until a very tall gentlemen lifted his son onto his shoulders right in front of me. Considering my options I realized the boy would be in every frame. He was jumping around so composing with him would've been difficult. I could neither move left or right. I decided the only option left was to shoot the castle in silhouette. Reframe, reset, shoot and pray. Chimping all the while. Despite the setbacks the Wishes fireworks show was magical and I came away with "Cinderella's Castle in Silhouette" as a photo keeper.