Some people, some photographers, go into a Disney vacation with a laundry list of shots they've seen and want to replicate, of shots that they want to take... a list that is sometimes pages upon pages long. I do not have a list. I don't think I will have a list. When I went down to DC earlier this year, I didn't have a list and I feel my shots came out quite well.
What I will bring with me will be my camera, three lenses, all my filters, my tripod and my shutter remote. I had all of these except the ND filters when I took the above picture in DC, and I'm happy with how a lot of them came out. I've been playing around with the ND filters a bit since I've gotten them, and I'm really looking foward to using them to shoot fireworks. Cory, a gentleman I follow on Flickr, has generously provided me with a tutorial about how to take a post-process those wonderful fireworks shots he and Tom, another gent on Flickr, take. It will certainly be different watching the fireworks when you have to stake out a spot, set up your tripod and defend the tripod so no kids bump it during your long exposure shots. My prior attempts at fireworks photography at Disney (back in 2008) were poor, with a definative lack of color and far too much smoke.
Since 2008, I've really grown as a photographer. I've started seeing my own style developing in my shots, and getting a real feel for my camera and what I can do with it. Looking back on my last trip to Disney, the pictures are all the same: center in focus, subject centered. Of course, the camera I used was certainly holding me back with a terrible color sensor and only being a DSLR-style point and shoot (Minolta DiMAGE Z6) as opposed to a true DSLR. With the control I have over my Nikon, I'm expecting better shots. Additionally, I've learned a lot in terms of composition, and light, and how to position oneself in order to have the light work with you, rather than against you. I will certainly say, though, there will be no more dangling my camera off the top of the Contemporary Hotel to get a long-exposure shot of the Magic Kingdom. And the zoom I'll be using will make shooting Lights, Motors, Action a lot more fun.
First thing said: this is not a blog about my vacation. It will not end when my vacation ends. There will be more to this than just attractions and pictures and parks. This is how Disney effects people, how it effects me, and the hope it provides when all was lost.
My trip to Disney has been as fluid as any trip can be. This started off as a very big trip, four people, lots of fun, and all that goes along with it. Oh how things have changed. Back when this started, I was an accountant. Now, I'm a mobile technician. And in all honesty, I'm happier for it. Things have changed, though, along the lines of my vacation. First, two people left because they could no longer make it. Then, a close friend of mine and I had a dispute over money, and it looked like my trip was in jeopardy. It has since been fixed, and I shall be going as I always have wanted to go.
I'm bringing along my trusted Nikon, as this trip has been as much about expressing myself through photography as much as taking a well deserved vacation. I'm really looking forward to the chance to take pictures to my heart's content. Recently, I've been trying to use my camera in says I haven't before. Tripod shots, ND filters, new angles... using a lens I'm not as comfortable with. Additionally, I'm renting a lens I've never used before for my trip.
Artistic expression is something that I missed as an accountant. In a world defined by hard numbers and tall cubicle walls, there was not much room for artistic expression. Despite the fun doodads I filled my desk with, the bright M&Ms I would eat in color order, the pictures plastered to every flat surface in what was my prison, my body was screaming for a way to express itself.
Moreover, Disney was something I held onto when I left Neopost. In those two months when I had no life outside my apartment, when all I did was look for a job and wonder what on this Earth I would do next, I could always hold onto Disney. It was a trip, it was booked, and each day past was another day closer. So, for those that think a vacation is always a vacation, that isn't always the case.
In conclusion, keep an eye on this. In the coming days I'll be posting where I'm going, concept and practice pictures I've taken to get ready for Disney. While at Disney, I'll be writing summaries, posting quickly edited pictures, and musings. After Disney will be reflections, as well as the pictures I post daily or so on Flickr. Writing has always been cathartic for me. It is time for me to take that back.
