HalloWishes Fireworks – Short(!) Exposure
Before our October 2012 Walt Disney World trip, I came to a realization: I had not photographed Magic Kingdom fireworks in a “normal” manner since October 2009, when I used a Nikon D90. Since then, I had been using either a fisheye lens (for perimeter bursts) or a neutral density filter (for more chaotic photos). The real reason I used both of these things was the added challenge. I’m by no means a fireworks photography master, but part of the fun of photography for me is the creative challenge, and fireworks are mostly technical. Besides camping out in different parts of the park, there’s not a ton you can do to get more creative with fireworks photos, so I decided to give myself an additional challenge by using neutral density filters and the fisheye lens. The resulting photos seem more…energetic(?)…than normal fireworks photos.
Unfortunately, a lot of the time when I use a fisheye lens or neutral density filter, the resulting photos aren’t quite as visually pleasing as they would be with a simpler setup. Given this, and given all of the upgrades I’ve made in camera bodies and lenses since last photographing fireworks over Cinderella Castle, I decided it was time to shoot them sans filter or fisheye lens again. Overall, I was pretty pleased with the results, and there actually was a bit of a challenge since HalloWishes (the show I photographed) is a tad more challenging to photograph than Wishes thanks to the harsh lighting on Cinderella Castle during HalloWishes. Plus, I manufactured a bit of a challenge by switching lenses during the show, something I’ve never before done, and using a fisheye lens for the grand finale, which features perimeter bursts.
You may notice that the site looks a bit different today. The basic design of DisneyTouristBlog hadn’t changed since we launched on the last day on February 2011, and I decided it was time for a change. I wasn’t overly fond of the design I was using, so I enlisted Adam Hansen of Disney Photography Blog to install a new WordPress theme for me that’s a bit more minimalistic and easy to navigate. You’ll now notice that you can read longer excerpts from each post on the main page, and that the website is brighter overall. I think these are changes for the better, although some people have disagreed on our Facebook page. In response to some of these concerns, I’ll note that there is actually dead space on this incarnation of the site than there was on the previous site, and also that both sites have used a text/photos on white layout. The darker color on the previous design was behind a layer of white that encased the main content. I agree that photos don’t look as good on white as they do on black, which is why you should click each image to view it large and in a lightbox (this was also true on the previous site). 😉
Another thing that has changed is the logo. Slightly. I am hardly a master of graphic design, but I whipped together this new logo. It’s “inspiration” is the various types of stamps that pertain to travel: postmarks, passport stamps, and luggage stamps. As for the font, I played around with several different fonts, but ultimately went with this one because it reminded me of Jurassic Park. And Jurassic Park rules. It’s hardly the most brilliant logo in the world, but hey, you have to work with what you have!
If you have any feedback or constructive criticism regarding the new look of the website, please share it! I’m continuing to make tweaks based upon good suggestions from readers!
Technical details: shot with a Nikon D600 with a Nikon 24-120mm f/4 VR Lens. See our guide for more photography equipment recommendations.
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Hello Tom,
I’m curious. I thought I heard you say you once owned the Nikon 24-70 f2.8, on the podcast. If so, why did you replace it with the 24-120mm f4? I’m interested in the 24-70, but I do feel it is just a tad short on the long end. I know you’re most likely to shoot with your 14-24, or the 70-200, but why did the middle lens of “the trinity”, not do it for you?
Thanks, Doug
Yes, I did own the 24-70mm f/2.8 at one point. Sold it due to its cost; I prefer the 24-120 for its range and VR.
I guess I was distracted the first time I listened to the podcast, the answer to my question was already there. Thanks for the reply, though.
I decided to hold off on the 24-70 until Spring, and decided, on the 28-300 for upcoming travel. Most of the reviews I read about the 24-120 weren’t any different than what others said about the 28-300. The 24-120 appears to be somewhat camouflaged to appear it’s a professional lens, when it is far from it.
I definitely prefer the old version of the website, this one seems to have way to many ads and the white seems way too bright. Love all of your articles and pictures though, keep up the great posts!
Same number of ads on this incarnation of the site versus the last one. Running a website is a costly (both time-wise and money-wise) proposition and ads are a necessary evil. I can assure you that no one is getting rich off of those ads!
I like the new logo, but I prefer the darker background. The white seems very harsh (for lack of a better description) to me.
How does the new grey background look? Better?
Didn’t you just change the site a few months ago? (My feedback then was that I liked the new design, but missed your beautiful photo collage at the top.)
I still prefer that version, with the dark grey background and I also prefer the more subdued coloring of your stamps. The headings across the top had nice little dividers between them, and the white version doesn’t go all the way across the top (“Contact” scrolls to the next line), at least for my browser.
No, I did not memorize various incarnations of your site, I came home from work with a browser tab still pointed to yesterday’s version, haha! So I did a side-by-side.
Thanks for the feedback! A few months ago I removed the carousel from the main page and also redid the logo.
This is more of an overhaul than a slight revision. I’ve made some more tweaks since yesterday incorporating some feedback I’ve received from readers. I think I’m happy with the design now!