Walt Disney World Wide Angle Fireworks

Magic Kingdom Fireworks
Canon 60D, EF-S 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6, f/4, 1/50s, 3200ISO, 18mm

I recently was fortunate enough to have the opportunity to take a vacation down to Walt Disney World, where my family and I stayed at the Art of Animation Studios. This was my wife's and almost 4 year old daughter's first time to Disney World, and my second time. A lot has changed in the 21 years since I was last there, and a lot has remained the same.

The 1994 visit was during a different time in history. There were no "Magic Bands", there was not Fast Pass. You were just stuck standing in lines for every ride. My mother brought a camera, but it was the film days, so I'm not sure how many rolls she brought, but I can guarantee she didn't shoot 818 photos! I have yet to sort through my photos, but I did delete the obviously our of focus ones upon import, so that number may drop in the end. I also shot a lot of frames during some of the shows and the fireworks, so there are some shots that are doubles or ill timed that will be purged as well.

I had packed several lenses, my small portable tripod, my strap, and camera for the trip. But I knew I wasn't going to haul all my gear to the parks. I ended up just utilizing my kit lens, the EF-S 18mm-135 f/3.5-5.6 lens. I wanted the flexibility of the zoom lens, and carried it all on my over the shoulder strap. I had a lint free cloth to keep the lens clean, and I'm glad I packed several, as I left one in my cargo shorts pocket and it got soaked, as did I, on Splash Mountain. 

Epcot Fireworks (during a fireworks lull)
Canon 60D, EF-S 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6, f/5.6, 1/60s, 2000ISO, 20mm

I shot in Manual the entire time, but the conditions were constantly changing. Some of the rides are very dark with movement, so I knew photos wouldn't turn out well in those conditions. I was able to get some decent photos during some of the shows, falling back to the settings I know had worked for me when shooting my wife's dance recitals. 

I have many photos to share, but today's Wide Angle post feature the fireworks shows of three of the four parks. My daughter does not like fireworks, so the last night's photos from Hollywood Studios were shot outside the park as we were heading to the bus back to our rooms. 

Fireworks shots were done with high ISO, tried to have the aperture opened up, and a shutter speed as slow as I thought I could get away with while handholding the camera. Some of them turned out alright, but I did wish for a full frame camera, or a sensor that was better in low light.

Hollywood Studios Outside the Gate
Canon 60D, EF-S 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6, f/5, 1/60s, 3200ISO, 18mm