Low power flash at MNSSHP

ddindy

ddindy

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Staff member
A shot came to mind this morning and I'd like opinions on the feasability.

If you've been to Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party and seen the Boo To You parade, you know that one of the best units is the gravedigger drill team. ; One of the things they do is create sparks by dragging their shovels on the street.

I'd love to get a shot of this, and here's the idea that came to me: ; Take a relatively long exposure (in the range of 1/10 to 1/30 second) to get the sparks. ; Use a flash dialed down to low (maybe 1/64 or 1/128) power and rear curtain sync. ; This will freeze the characters at the end of the exposure, but the low power will (I hope) still keep things relatively dark.

What do you think? ; Is there any chance this will work? ; Since I'm going to MNSSHP twice, I theoretically will have four chances to try it.
 
ya got 4 chances at them, give it a try and if your first party is before pixelmania, bring us a report on it
 
Thanks guys. ; I'll be at MNSSHP the Sunday before Pixelmania, looking for yetis and gathering candy!
 
I'll be there that night as well. What meet are you attending?

"ddindy" said:
Thanks guys. ; I'll be at MNSSHP the Sunday before Pixelmania, looking for yetis and gathering candy!
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What time are the fireworks that night. ; I am flying in on sunday, but will proably shoot the show from the top of the world lounge.
 
"RedOctober25" said:
What time are the fireworks that night. ; I am flying in on sunday, but will proably shoot the show from the top of the world lounge.
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Hallowishes should be at 9:30
 
"Zeagle" said:
I'll be there that night as well. What meet are you attending?
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I wasn't aware of any meets. ; I'm just going to the party to enjoy it without the pressure of Pixelmania. :)
 
Cool, I'll be coming into town the friday before. You should hang out with us on Sunday, also eating at Liberty Tree as well.

"ddindy" said:
I wasn't aware of any meets. ; I'm just going to the party to enjoy it without the pressure of Pixelmania. :)
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Dennis, ; I had the exact same idea. ; A slower shutter speed with rear sync flash like you suggested should work. ; I was thinking that a higher flash power would be needed, but since that is dependent on both the aperture and the distance the light has to travel you will have to pick it on the fly.

I am thinking about shooting that and the ballroom dancers with a tripod so I can let the background burn in and stay sharp. ;

Good luck and if you have a chance, please let us know how you did and what settings you used.
 
Just read the All Ears review (with photos) and after seeing which characters are available for Meet-n-Greets it looks like I might be going sunday night after flying in ( and will shoot the fireworks tuesday night after eating at O'Hana). ; So, let me know if everyone is meeting for parade and fireworks and if I am done with the Greets I will swing by.
 
Should work and would provide an interesting exposure. I had really good light for the parade over in Adventureland. May not need the flash though, as I was getting 1/125 with a 30D a few years back.

Pic from Adventureland ; http://www.redskynight.net/img/v2/p435272878-4.jpg

"ddindy" said:
I'd love to get a shot of this, and here's the idea that came to me: ; Take a relatively long exposure (in the range of 1/10 to 1/30 second) to get the sparks. ; Use a flash dialed down to low (maybe 1/64 or 1/128) power and rear curtain sync. ; This will freeze the characters at the end of the exposure, but the low power will (I hope) still keep things relatively dark.
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That's a great shot. ; Do you remember approximately where in Adventureland? ; I was thinking of shooting the first parade in Adventureland and the second on Main Street.

That's the kind of shot I want for most of the parade, but the gravedigger shot I have in mind would be darker to emphasize the sparks. ; Of course, it's really all a matter of timing - the sparking shovels are only a small part of their drill routine.
 
I do not remember exactly where I was positioned. Do remember looking for spot lights from the roof tops that fell onto the road. The sparks are hit or miss, the last few times I was at MNSSHP the shovels did not spark much at all. Wonder if certain areas of the pavement, through tout the route, produce better sparks.

"ddindy" said:
Do you remember approximately where in Adventureland? ; I was thinking of shooting the first parade in Adventureland and the second on Main Street.

That's the kind of shot I want for most of the parade, but the gravedigger shot I have in mind would be darker to emphasize the sparks. ; Of course, it's really all a matter of timing - the sparking shovels are only a small part of their drill routine.
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"Zeagle" said:
Wonder if certain areas of the pavement, through tout the route, produce better sparks.
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I think all of the pavement is concrete, so it should produce about the same sparks. ; More likely, the angle of the shovel and how hard they're pressing down dictates the amount of sparks.
 
Re: Re: Low power flash at MNSSHP

"mSummers" said:
I think all of the pavement is concrete, so it should produce about the same sparks. ; More likely, the angle of the shovel and how hard they're pressing down dictates the amount of sparks.
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Agreed.

from my htc thunderbolt
 
I did use rear-sync flash for this parade with some good results. ; I did not for the grave diggers. ; I opted for the nifty-fifty in a well lighted spot in Frontierland. ; A slow shutter with rear sync...say 1/40 to 1/50 may work if you time it for when they to get at the end of a swipe. ; They hesitate for just a second before raising the shovels.

1071306116_uRcVB-L.jpg

Nikon D700/50mm, 1/400s, f/1.8, ISO 3200, EV +0.6.

In contrast, this was taken using rear-sync with a Nikon SB-600 Speedlight at -1.0 power.

1071304133_Dn99X-L.jpg

Nikon D700/50mm, 1/125s, f/2.8, ISO 1600, EV +0.6.

In retrospect, the EV on the camera should have been at 0 and used the power on the flash to alter the light. ; The flash was on the camera, too. ; Anyone want to be a VAL for me? ; Someone tall, please. ; ;)
 
"Scottwdw" said:
The flash was on the camera, too. ; Anyone want to be a VAL for me? ; Someone tall, please. ; ;)
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I thought about trying that with a Justin Clamp on a post or railing, but something tells me Disney might not let us get away with that. ; ; ;)
 
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