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Expensive camera gear is not required to “Capture the Magic”

I first want to thank Matt for giving Cory and myself the opportunity to write an article each week on the Studios Central blog.

I first want to thank Matt for giving Cory and myself the opportunity to write an article each week on the Studios Central blog. Cory got us off to a great start last week showing some great photos from the Tower of Terror. In order to capture those shots, Cory used a tripod, a dslr camera and a fisheye lens – which is not something the average guest is walking around with. So this week I decided I would show you some photo examples that were taken with a basic point and shoot camera, something most everybody has when on vacation.

While we at WDW Photography do not normally use point and shoot cameras, I made the decision last August to leave my expensive gear behind and toured the parks with just my small pocket camera. My main reason for doing that was so that I would enjoy touring the parks with my nephew and cousin and not have to carry my camera bag around. I don't mind having the gear with me all day but when chasing an eight year old from ride to ride, it is easier to leave it behind when possible 🙂 Plus I figured I had taken enough trips centered around photography so this would be a nice change. I was not expecting to come home with any incredible photos but in the end I was very happy with what I was able to accomplish with my point and shoot.

Below are some examples that were taken during the Block Party Bash parade (which I am still disappointed is not around anymore!). The camera I used is the Canon S90, though I expect you would get very similar results with a less costly camera. People always say that the camera is not what is important, it is the photographer. Even if using a point and shoot, I believe you can come back from your trip with some great photos. Just remember to take a minute to compose your photo and you will find you get better results. Another thing to remember is that you are not using film, so don't limit yourself to just one photo per scene, instead you should be taking extra shots. The more you take, the better chance you will have winners in the bunch!

Now onto some of the photos I captured with the point and shoot:

 
 
 
 
 
 

I know that I could have captured better overall shots using my Nikon D90, though I am very happy with the results I came away with here. I was able to leave my camera back which is what I wanted for this trip and still end up capturing some photos that I am happy with. I wanted to use these examples to show that you don't need to purchase an expensive camera and a set of lenses in order to photograph around Disney on your vacation. While many of us enjoy doing that and it is part of what makes the repeated trips fun for us, you can get away with a nice point and shoot and still capture the memories of your trip.

I did end up processing these shots using Adobe Lightroom because I wanted to make a few modifications. Honestly though you could get away with the photos straight from the camera without any processing yourself. If you want more information on what it is I did to the photos in processing, please check out today's article on WDW Photography where I go over the steps I took and explain why.

In a future post here on Studios Central, I will show the opposite of what was showcased in today's post. I ended up photographing this same parade a few months later using my Nikon D90 and will show the difference in photos that were captured. Until then, thanks again for reading and hope you will visit us at WDW Photography!