The Disneyland Photo of the Day...

[Kangel]

Hope you're getting some rest and will be feeling better soon!

[Photo Stud]

Hey Mike,

Ryan here...great post about your experience photographing the Mad T Party. Nice shots, too! A couple of points, though...

First of all, especially when photographing a concert with crazy stage lighting, another benefit of shooting in fully manual mode (it's not quite fully manual if using auto ISO) is it allows you to capture some interesting lighting effects, like a silhouette of a performer or a lens flare or combination of both. You can get some neat looking shots that would otherwise be missed because the variations in the lighting will throw the metering all out of whack and you'd miss an otherwize dramatic shot if letting the camera do the thinking.

Regarding your point about ISO 400 + brightening vs ISO 1600... You should always avoid underexposure and brightening in post as that will almost always introduce more noise to a shot. It doesn't matter what ISO you shoot, a properly exposed shot will keep noise under control or at least make reducing noise in post much, much easier. Don't be afraid to bump that ISO to get a decent exposure and a sharp shot. Mad T Party is bright enough that ISO 1600 is usually high enough. With a slower lens, ISO 2000 might be a little better. Also, another benefit of manual mode is that once you get your settings right, you can just leave them alone and just focus on composition and timing.

Again, great post and some very nice shots! Let's shoot it again sometime!

[mpabis525]

So sorry I've been absent for so long and haven't done a new tutorial in a while.
Truth be told, we've been really busy at work (up 17% this year) but that has only been part of the problem. I've been finding it more and more difficult to find the energy and mental focus to get them done. After a lengthy and very expensive doctors visit yesterday it turns out that the pace I've been setting for the past few years has fried my adrenal gland as well as my thyroid. All of this has made me feel exhausted all the time (4-5 hours of sleep a night doesn't help either) and my mental focus has been in a fog most of the time.

With the help of several medications I should be feeling like my old self very soon. I have all the photos done and prepared for a new tutorial on the Mad T Party but just need a little time to write it all out. It's a long one!
In the mean time, here's a little bit o' awesome for today.

The solution to your additional labor needs. Write up a proposal for internships to SDSU, UCSD, USD, etc. Offer internships to college students about all avenues of production, business, etc. Free labor and you get more sleep and rest, with more time for Disneyland.

Mike

[Disneyland 1951]

OK.....

My luck at the Mad T Party was mixed. The lighting and colors are crazy, so what is color correct?
I have shot using different settings, but the better results have been with higher ISO's: (800 - 1,600).

I like this shot best, but I have many similar to yours. The lighting and action make it difficult.

Details:
First show with some daylight mixed.
At front of stage from about 6' with Alice crouched down.
ISO: 1000
Lens: Nikon 18-105 F3.5-5.6 @ 105mm - wide open F5.6
Aperture Priority: F5.6
Shutter: 1/400
Auto focus - Centerweighted.. (About 30% were Poor focus, 30% OK focus, 20-30% hit a good focus, 5-10% spot on)
JPEG


Cropped about 30%- unprocessed:

[Hot Sauce 1]

Hey Mike,

Ryan here...great post about your experience photographing the Mad T Party. Nice shots, too! A couple of points, though...

First of all, especially when photographing a concert with crazy stage lighting, another benefit of shooting in fully manual mode (it's not quite fully manual if using auto ISO) is it allows you to capture some interesting lighting effects, like a silhouette of a performer or a lens flare or combination of both. You can get some neat looking shots that would otherwise be missed because the variations in the lighting will throw the metering all out of whack and you'd miss an otherwize dramatic shot if letting the camera do the thinking.

Regarding your point about ISO 400 + brightening vs ISO 1600... You should always avoid underexposure and brightening in post as that will almost always introduce more noise to a shot. It doesn't matter what ISO you shoot, a properly exposed shot will keep noise under control or at least make reducing noise in post much, much easier. Don't be afraid to bump that ISO to get a decent exposure and a sharp shot. Mad T Party is bright enough that ISO 1600 is usually high enough. With a slower lens, ISO 2000 might be a little better. Also, another benefit of manual mode is that once you get your settings right, you can just leave them alone and just focus on composition and timing.

Again, great post and some very nice shots! Let's shoot it again sometime!

Awesome!!! Thanks for the info! Now I want to go shoot it again.

---------- Post added 09-11-2012 at 11:21 AM ----------

I just got back from 2 days at Disneyland and shooting for a couple of new tutorials. Sadly, several of the things I wanted to shoot were under refurb walls, so I didn't get to do half of what I planned.
I should have something interesting up in a few days, as soon as I get a chance to go through the photos and see what I got.
Here's a little bit of Cars Land pretty for today.

Gas... Oil... Coolant... by Ring of Fire Hot Sauce 1, on Flickr

---------- Post added 09-11-2012 at 11:22 AM ----------

OK.....

My luck at the Mad T Party was mixed. The lighting and colors are crazy, so what is color correct?
I have shot using different settings, but the better results have been with higher ISO's: (800 - 1,600).

I like this shot best, but I have many similar to yours. The lighting and action make it difficult.

Details:
First show with some daylight mixed.
At front of stage from about 6' with Alice crouched down.
ISO: 1000
Lens: Nikon 18-105 F3.5-5.6 @ 105mm - wide open F5.6
Aperture Priority: F5.6
Shutter: 1/400
Auto focus - Centerweighted.. (About 30% were Poor focus, 30% OK focus, 20-30% hit a good focus, 5-10% spot on)
JPEG


Cropped about 30%- unprocessed:

For completely unprocessed, that is fantastic exposure and sharpness.

[Hot Sauce 1]

On my trip to Disneyland the other day there were a few things I really wanted to try out with regards to capturing the mood and essence of Romance in the park. I'm trying to improve my skills at photographing people, which I will admit I am greatly lacking in. One of my biggest problems with this is not having people who will let me take their picture. My friends Larry & Rebecca will be having the big Disney Wedding next year so they are kind enough to put up with all the crazy photo things I want to try. Sadly I wasn't able to do several of them this trip because so many things were behind construction walls. I did accomplish a few of them which I will share with you soon. In the mean time, here is one of the shots I took the other night. I was going for the "mood of the moment" instead of a clean sharp image.

Someone Sweet... by Ring of Fire Hot Sauce 1, on Flickr

[Tiki]

Well done man. Great that you noticed the saying and took advantage of it in the composition. Photographing people is definitely an art that few photographers excel at. I know I don't.....

[Hot Sauce 1]

There's just something about capturing kids on those silly candid moments that makes a great photograph. Right after the Goofy fountain show in Paradise Pier I saw this little boy playing in the fountain area. Right when the misters started, he decided he was going to be the conductor and started acting like he was commanding the fountains.

The Sorcerer's Apprentice's Apprentice... by Ring of Fire Hot Sauce 1, on Flickr

[smartlabelprint]

I wish there weren't smudges on the glass. That would have been perfect for what you're going for!

[trueBruin86]

I saw Cinderelly and the fairy godmother talking to a little Snow White the other day on the side of the castle the other day I love how they are so into character

[Hot Sauce 1]

I finally got the chance to pull of a series of photos that I've wanted to do for over a year. It took a lot of patience, willing friends and cooperative security guards but it was well worth it.

To Dream the Impossible Dream... by Ring of Fire Hot Sauce 1, on Flickr

[chris001]

Awesome!

[Swellpixiegirl]

Wow...this one gives me chills, so beautiful!! Your work is inspiring, and your talent turns me green!

[Tiki]

Mike, you pulled it off in spectacular fashion! LOVE it!

[Hot Sauce 1]

Sorry I've been absent with the tutorials lately. I have several planned but to be honest, I'm not real happy with the photos that I got. I planned on doing one on the Five & Dime show, News Boys & Minnies Fly Girls but it was the first time I saw and photographed each show and it was just plain miserably hot doing so. I got some good photos but I'd really like to do it again just to make sure I'm doing it right.

I also had one planned for the Pixar Play Parade but the two Plaids at the info station gave me completely WRONG information about the parade (they told me it went from Paradise Pier to the Tower of Terror) so I was in the wrong location with the light in the wrong direction and terrible background. I was positive that it went from Tower of Terror to Paradise Pier but I figured I'd make sure so I asked them at the information booth and they both swore to me that it went the other way. I spent a half hour walking the parade route looking at where the sun and shadows would be and what would make a good background for the photos only to find out much too late that they gave me the wrong information. Buttheads!

While I try to figure out something else, here's a few pretties in the mean time.

Taste In... by Ring of Fire Hot Sauce 1, on Flickr


The Loser... by Ring of Fire Hot Sauce 1, on Flickr