Question about taking pictures of the Osbourne lights

[Gupsmom]

I am not a camera/photo expert. What would be the best way for me to take good pictures of the Osbourne lights? I'd really like to have some nice pictures of Disney at Christmas for our scrapbook.

Jess

 

[seashoreCM]

Still film cameras: Use manual exposure settings if possible. It is best to experiment ahead of time, but if you cannot do that, check the film instructions or a photography handbook to get an idea of how outdoor lighting should be photographed. The setting will vary with the speed of the film.

For experimenting, take a string of Christmas lights, stretch it out and hang it against the wall of your house outside, and take pictures using different settings. Remember the best camera settings for use at WDW.

(I don't remember the f-stop needed for Christmas lights outdoors)

I actually think that 200 and 400 speed disposable cameras will give a decent picture of outdoor Christmas lights without having to do anything special.

Video camcorders or digital still cameras. You also need to use manual exposure. Even if manual exposure override is limited to plus two, plus one, zero, minus one, etc. that is better than no control. If you have a color panel viewfinder adjust it so the lights look their best, while people will look very dark. If your viewfinder is only a tiny black and white peephole, at least adjust it so the scene should look like night, not letting the camcorder automatically try to make the scene look like daytime.

Disney hints:
http://members.aol.com/ajaynejr/disney.htm

 

[AnnR]

If you want to take a picture of someone in front of the lights you are going to need a flash. If you want pictures of the lights themselves it is better not to use the flash but make sure you use a high speed of film -400 or 800 speed. Try to brace yourself against something to hold still better.

I wouldn't recommend the disposable cameras -i tried them one year I ran out of film and the pictures did not come out well at all. The fixed lens just can't handle the low light conditions.

Ann

 

[JudithM]

In addition to the above comments, we used our tripod to steady the camera.

 

[idontknow]

Use 800 spead film. I think Fuji makes some disposable cameras with that film speed. I just use my trusty Sure SHot with the 800 speed film. I noticed if the lights I wanted a pic of were 3 to 10 feet way, it was better to use a flash. I think because I was not getting a lot of lights in the pic, the flash helped. If I was taking a pic of one of the houses, I didn't need the flash. Most of my pics came out black as night with the lights shining brightly. A few turned out grainy or more grey than black, though. Not a big deal when I took an entire roll of just the lights. I even managed to put the prism glasses upto the shutter and take a pic of the lights with the angels floating around. It's really neat! I wasn't sure if would work, but it did.

Some folks swear by 1000 speed film, but it is quite a bit more money and the 800 works just fine.

 

[Maridw]

I, too, would like to know how to take pictures of the Spectacle of Lights, but I have a digital camera. I have tried before with both a regular camera and a digital and some pics came out okay, but you could see the wires for the lights (used flash). When I didn't use the flash you could barely make out the background and could only see the lights, but it was hard to tell what they were supposed to be. Any suggestions??

 

[JulesMom]

I used 400 speed film last year and the pics came out fine.

 

[jmminarik]

Try looking at the following site:
http://www.kodak.com/global/en/consumer/specialSituations/holidays/thisYearHolidays.shtml

The Kodak site has lots of useful information for photographs taken with your basic "point and shoot". On this particular page, they recommend 1000 speed film. As someone mentioned, this may be more expensive, but if you take tons (i.e. 3 rolls per day) of photos, the few rolls of 1000 speed won't be a large portion of your photo costs. If you only take a handful of pictures, 1 roll of 1000 speed won't break the bank (for most of us).

Beyond this, knowing nothing about your camera's capabilities and your photography skills, its tough to make any specific recommendations.

The tip to simulate the lighting is a good one. No sane person would expect to be able to paint a good watercolor landscape without some training and practice, but we as a society have fallen into the miscomprehension that all you need to do is point the camera and push the button.

That all being said, if you don't need people you know in the photo nor enlargements, you're probably better off buying a few postcards with the lights as the subject (assuming they sell them).

Hope this helps,
Joe