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Canon EOS 7D

settings

Aperture f/4.0 ISO 800 Shutter 1/125

upload_date

Sep, 2012

Views

435

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Behind The Lens

Location

This photo was taken at Disneyland one the path between Big Thunder Mountain and the Big Thunder BBQ restaurant. I love taking pictures at the park as there are so many different types of photography there - Day, Night, Movement, Neon, etc. I try to go shoot at Disney once a week.

Time

This was taken at 2 pm in the afternoon. It gave some nice shade on that side of the ride so as the train came around the corner it was covered in splotchy light. In the morning is good for this area too because the crowds tend to be lighter.

Lighting

This area is heavily shaded, which makes it a nice place to shoot on a hot day. The train comes from bright sunlight (camera right) and shoots around the bend into a tunnel (camera left). If you shoot too early, the background of the picture tends to get too dark. For this shot, we were there in the afternoon but the time of year (sept 1) made for sparse crowds.

Equipment

I shot this with a Canon 7d. I was using my Tamron 28-75 2.8 lens at 28 mm. F4, ISO 800, Shutter 125

Inspiration

I love to practice panning shots. At one point, I watch a video on Kelby training (now KelbyOne) that talked about panning and had always wanted to practice. Once I was trying to capture a shot of the kids while they rode the ride and found a new obsession. This is also a staple shot usually for the group that shoots at Disney during the World Wide Photowalk every Oct that Scott Kelby hosts. I was with fellow photographer Michael Sweeney and I must say his panning skills give me something to strive for. What took him 1 train took me 5.

Editing

I developed this in Lightroom for color correction, brightness, etc. I then used a preset in Lightroom. This was taken before I really started to use Photoshop for editing things other than people and unfortunately I have changed computers a couple times and don't remember which preset it was. If I was to edit this picture today, I would use Lightroom for the basics and then move into Photoshop. I would either use a Highpass filter for sharpness and if I need to do any masking to edit parts of the image. Then I would use Topaz Adjust to achieve the look i want for that picture.

In my camera bag

The equipment that comes with me changes from shoot to shoot. I have a Canon 7d body. I have a mixture of Canon and Tamron lenses. On the canon side, I have an 18-135mm 4.5-56. This is a great lens for somewhere like Disney because you have a lot of range. I also have a Canon 85mm 1.8. This is my go to portrait lens because its just so dang sharp. I also love the Tamron 28-75mm 2.8 because I can get really nice bokeh and it is a nice mix between wide and portrait. I have recently added the Tamron 70-200mm 2.8. it's a 70-200 and it costs 1/2 of the Canon lens - need I say more?

Feedback

If you're looking to shoot panning shots, my advice is practice, practice practice. Use a shutter speed that will freeze your subject. I have found that around 1/125 of a second is a good starting place. Too slow and you're still going to get camera shake. Also, use manual focus and find the spot you want to hit the picture. In this it is the apex of the turn. Set your focus point there before the subject arrives. Make sure you're shooting with Rapid Shutter and as the subject come toward you start shooting just before it reaches the spot you're looking to nail. Then as smoothly as possible move the camera in time with the subject. If you match their speed and the stars align, you'll get an amazing shot.

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Hold on tight!

Behind The Lens

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