How to Stand Out From the Crowd with Your Theme Park Photography

A photo of Millennium Falcon: Smuggler’s Run at Disney’s Hollywood Studios during sunset with no guests in sight.

Theme parks have become a mecca for photography enthusiasts and social media aficionados seeking to showcase their experiences to the world. With the advent of smartphones and social media platforms, it has never been easier to photograph and share moments captured within these captivating realms. However, this accessibility has led to a saturation of similar photos flooding our feeds, making it increasingly difficult to capture something truly unique and memorable. You can’t rely on luck or happenstance to snap an extraordinary shot at a theme park anymore. It requires patience, exploration, technique, and a few ingenious tricks to stand out from the crowd.

Photo of the crowds on Main Street USA at Disney’s Magic Kingdom Park

That's where this series of articles comes to the rescue. We need to uncover the art of finding fresh perspectives, employing creative composition techniques, mastering lighting conditions, and utilizing the resources available to you within the park. In the following sections, we will explore how to make use of your surroundings, embrace the power of timing, and experiment with unconventional angles to create visually striking images. We will also discuss the importance of understanding your equipment, including both smartphones and dedicated cameras, and optimizing their settings to capture those moments of pure magic.

Mastering the Basics of Photography:

The Incredible Hulk Coaster at Universal’s Islands of Adventure during a beautiful sunset.

Alright, photography wizards-in-training, let's start with the essentials! Obviously, you’ve got your camera or smartphone in hand, but now what? Just snapping photos hasn’t been getting you the result that you’ve been looking for. Don’t worry, I've been in that exact spot where it feels like everything you’re getting is either lackluster or it’s been seen before. But don’t worry or feel down, because we're going to break down some techniques and help level up your photos from the start!

Understanding Your Equipment:

First things first, let's get familiar with your gear. Whether you're rocking the latest mirrorless camera, a DSLR, film camera, or even your smartphone, understanding your tool is the key to capturing memorable shots. Spend some quality time getting acquainted with your camera's settings and modes. Become familiar with the exposure triangle — Shutter speed, aperture, ISO—these are manipulated to capture unique and personalized photos (I’ve linked a great video that helps explain this concept). Each one lets you control how your photo turns out, so don't be afraid to experiment. And hey, if you're using a smartphone, you've got a powerful camera right at your fingertips. Just make sure to dig into those settings too for some hidden gems or download an app that allows you to gain total control over your phone’s camera. It can’t be overstated how important it is to break out of automatic mode and master manual settings! It might sound daunting at first, but it’s not! Once you understand the basic principle of the exposure triangle, an endless possibility of creativity is unlocked.

Pro Tip: If your camera allows you to shoot in a RAW format opposed to something like jpgs or heic. This will give you the most room to edit in post, which we will cover in a later article!

Crafting Light:

A striking sunset lights up the sky over the Japan pavilion in EPCOT at Walt Disney World

Now, let's talk about two crucial aspects that can transform your photos from average to awesome: light and composition. Think of them as the building blocks of your photography journey, helping you craft captivating images.

Lighting can make or break a shot. Have you ever taken a photo during a time that looked great in real life but the photo turned out too dark or washed out? It's a common struggle, but here's the trick: light is your canvas. Since we’re not able to craft the light at the parks, we have to use what’s around us and plan accordingly! Remember, every adjustment you make to the exposure triangle changes the way your camera captures light — it’s all a balancing act, but experimenting can help you capture reality in a creative and fresh way.

I recall a time when I captured a sunset at Cinderella Castle, and the warm, golden light transformed the castle into something that was better than reality within my photo. Timing matters!

Cinderella Castle at Disney’s Magic Kingdom Park in front of a beautiful, pink sunset.

Comprehending Composition:

Now, let's move on to composition. Composition is 90% of your photo - it’s THAT important! Imagine your photo as a canvas, and you're the artist arranging the elements. Ever heard of the rule of thirds? It's a simple tool that can have a huge impact in the way someone comprehends and experiences your photo. Most cameras have markers that can be turned on that divide your frame into nine equal parts with tic tac toe looking lines that divide your frame into thirds both horizontally and vertically. You can use this grid to place your subject along these lines or at their intersections. This can instantly add balance and intrigue to your photos. Always be conscious of how and where you’re framing the subject of your image.

Pro tip: also use leading lines – these are any lines in a frame that act like pathways guiding the viewer's eye through your image.

An example of depth within an image, and how to frame subjects with foliage in the foreground. This image is of the Liberty Belle at Disney’s Magic Kingdom Park.

One last tip about composition: don’t shoot flat! The true sign of a professional photographer versus an amateur is the use of depth. Always be looking for a foreground, middle ground, and background. A great photo will incorporate all three of those elements. One hack that I use constantly at the parks is shooting through foliage or other objects to obscure parts of the photo to help frame and draw attention to the subject. Always avoid shooting a subject that has no foreground or background elements.

Remember, photography is about experimenting. Sometimes, I take a bunch of shots of the same scene, changing settings and angles with each one. The beauty of digital photography is that you can take as many shots as you need to get the perfect one. Experiment with where you’re shooting, what you’re using to frame your subject, and the perspective in which you’re shooting the subject.

In the next section, we're going to gear up and plan for an exciting theme park photography adventure. Get ready to uncover hidden gems and master the art of crafting your own shot list. Stay tuned, and let us know of any other tips you might have down below in the comments!

Read the Full Article Here: Coming Soon

Next Article: How to Capture Unique Photos

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