We are presenting live coverage of today’s opening of Star Wars Weekends at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. The most recent updates will appear at the top of the page. Continue scrolling down the page as they progresses to see earlier updates and photos.

If there is something specific you would like to see photos of throughout the day or questions you need answered, let us know in the comments. Cory, Ryan and Katie are spending the entire day at Holllywood Studios for Star Wars Weekends, so continue checking back for updates.

Also, follow us on Twitter @disphotoblog for even more updates straight from the park!

Win Prizes!

By helping us spread the word of these live updates, you will be entered to wins some great prizes!

• We are giving away an exclusive print taken today at Star Wars Weekends by Disney Photography Blog. You will have your choice of three photos to pick from. The photo will be printed and mailed directly to you!
• We are also giving away a $10 iTunes Gift Card
• Finally, three winners will receive our Disney Photography eBook collection

Enter by helping us spread the word on Twitter and Facebook using the options below!
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Live Coverage Sections:

• Videos from Star Wars Weekends 2012
• Star Wars Parade Photos
• Past Star Wars Articles
• Free Star Wars Facebook Cover Photos

Hyperspace Hoopla Videos!

All Live Updates

Hoooopla! Hyperspace Hoopla!

Katie has a great spot for Hyperspace Hoopla, can’t wait to see what pics she ends up with! According to her latest tweet, it is raining right now at the Studios. Hope it clears up in time for the start of the show.

The Cantina Band is preparing for tonight’s Hyperspace Hoopla!

Now Boarding…

Do you have what it takes to defeat Darth Vader?

Chewbacca

Ryan and the Stormtrooper had a show down at the Studios today. We are sorry to report that Ryan lost and the Stormtrooper will be taking his spot as part of the Disney Photography Blog team.

Ryan and Cory hanging out with one of the Stormtroopers

Stormtrooper Donald!

Cory and Ryan excited to finally have their photo taken instead of being behind the camera!

What is the first thing you do after the parade? Check your photos of course!

Who is ready to take a bite out of the dark side?

Star Wars Parade Photos

I think Disney Photography Blog is ready to show this Star Wars parade we mean business. Hope Darth Vader waves to the camera!!

The Citizens of Hollywood are out and entertaining guests before the parade!

Merchandise Update at 8:45am

The line to get into the merchandise tent goes past the Rock n Roller Coaster area. For those that don’t know, the merchandise tent is in a lot not normally opened to the public. it is between the Tower of Terror and Rock n Roller Coaster. The tent is usually very busy first thing in the morning because of all the fans wanting to buy the limited edition merchandise. If you are looking for the general Star Wars Weekend merchandise, it can be found throughout the park without any lines.

Clicking on each photo will take you back to Scott’s stream on flickr where you can view more of his great photography. Also be sure to check out his own photography blog, Disney’s Human Element.

Be sure to check out the site tomorrow as Cory and Ryan will be in Hollywood Studios and sending updates and photos all day long!

There you go, a look back at past Star Wars Weekends at Walt Disney World. I can’t wait to see all the great photos that come back from this years event. Be sure to visit Disney Photography Blog on Friday May 18th as we present live coverage of the opening day of Star Wars Weekends 2012!

Thanks to Scott for allowing us to post his photos today on the blog. Be sure to check out his blog, Disney’s Human Element. You should also visit his flickr stream for even more great shots from Disney. Nobody captures the human element photos the way Scott can, they are some of the best photos we have seen from the parks!

We are offering a ton of Free Disney Facebook Cover Photos for Facebook timeline profile pages. You will find cover photos from Walt Disney World and Disneyland Resort to fit perfectly on the top of your Facebook profile page. Each of these Disney cover photos has been sized to fit the exact space required for the new timeline profile headers. All you need to do is save the photo(s) you want to use to your computer and then upload them to your Facebook page.

We will be adding new covers all the time, so continue checking back for updates. Let us know in the comments below or on Twitter or Facebook if you have any requests.

Walt Disney World Resort

Magic Kingdom

Includes: Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, Partners Statue, Cinderella Castle, Tomorrowland, The Peoplemover, Crystal Palace, Disney Electrical Parade, Adventureland Tiki Gods, Splash Mountain and more

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Epcot

Includes: World Showcase and Future World, Flower and Garden Festival, Spaceship Earth, Mission: Space, Imagination Pavilion, Test Track, American Adventure, EPCOT Center Details and more

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Hollywood Studios

Includes: The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror, MuppetVision, Toy Story Midway Mania, Statue of Walt Disney, One Man’s Dream, Sunset Boulevard, Details from Hollywood Studios and more

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Animal Kingdom

Includes: The Tree of Life, Expedition Everest, Finding Nemo: The Musical, Dinoland USA, Details of Asia, Details of Africa, On ride photos from Expedition Everest and more

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Disneyland Resort

Disneyland

Includes: Sleeping Beauty Castle, Train Station, Mad Tea Party, Court of Angels, Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, Soundsational Parade, Nemo Seagulls, Pirates of the Caribbean, and more

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More Disney Facebook Covers

Fireworks

Includes: Photos from IllumiNations at Epcot and Wishes at the Magic Kingdom. We will be adding many more photos including Disneyland very soon and unique vantage points not normally seen!

View all Fireworks Facebook Covers

Monorails

Includes: What is cooler than a Monorail at Disney? A Monorail on top of your Facebook Timeline Page! Check out photos from Walt Disney World and Disneyland Resort.

View all Monorail Facebook Covers

Star Wars / Star Wars Weekends

Includes: Photos from past Star Wars Weekends and Star Tours at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. We will be adding photos from this years event soon

View all Star Wars Facebook Covers

Terms of Use

You are able to use these photos on your Facebook profile page for free. We have not watermarked these photos because we know that looks ugly! :)

If you decide to use one of our photos (or use a different one every day to really keep things fresh!), all we ask if that you give us a mention on your Facebook Timeline. Just a simple note to let your friends know that you got the cool Disney cover photo from us would be great.

Something as simple as: “My new cover photo is from www.DisneyPhotographyBlog.com – go get your own cover photo for free!”

Directions for adding your cover photo

1. Click on the photo you want to use as your new cover photo on Facebook. It will open up on the screen as the correct size for your timeline.
2. You can then drag the photo to your desktop or right click on the photo and select “Save Image As…”
3. Once you have the photo saved to your computer, go to your Facebook profile page
4. Click on the top where it says “Add a Cover / Change Cover”
5. Choose “Upload Photo”
6. Click the “Browse” button and select the photo you saved to your computer
7. Click “Open”
8. Make sure all your friends see you cool new Disney Facebook cover!!!

We hope you enjoy these photos. Thanks for supporting Disney Photography Blog!

The New Fantasyland model is built at a scale of 1/4 of an inch to 1 foot scale. The model itself is probably 14 or 15 feet long. Do the math and you’ll be able to see just how big this expansion is going to be!

Check out the photos below and get an idea of what the New Fantasyland at the Magic Kingdom will look like. Soon we will all be able to visit Beasts Castle, have dinner at the Be Our Guest restaurant, take a ride on the Little Mermaid and then further in the future be able to ride the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train.

There is a ton of detail to look at when viewing this model and you can tell right away that there will be lots of new photo opportunities. From taking photos of the New Fantasyland model, I can already see a ton of shots that I can’t wait to photograph at the Magic Kingdom when it finally opens. There are lots of trees, lots of water, and lots of great looking details that will be fun to capture through photography.

I can imagine the massive amount of trees making for a little bit of difficulty with composition, but then again, you can always look at that as simply a new challenge and a way to force yourself to get better. I also look and see lots of great Disney detail shots that are going to be possible, lots of places to attach a telephoto lens or a fast prime and make some beautiful stuff happen. It’s very exciting, and we can’t wait until it all opens up so we can head in there with cameras in hand!

Another part of the New Fantasyland expansion has already opened, Storybook Circus. We posted photos of the new Dumbo location a few weeks ago that you should also check out.

We hope you enjoyed this little sneak peek into the Magic Kingdom’s future. If you were curious, these photos were all shot with the combination of the Canon EOS 5D Mark II and the Canon EF 50mm f/1.4 USM lens. If you liked this, please click the Facebook, Twitter, G+, Pinterest, and Stumble Upon buttons at the top of the page! Thanks for lookin’, and have a great day!!

Free Disney Facebook Cover Photos

Another update for today. We have launched a new section that includes lots of free cover photos you can use on your Facebook profile page. We have cover pictures listed for Walt Disney World and Disneyland. Check them out and use whatever you want on your own Facebook page!

Free Disney Facebook Cover Photos

There are a ton of great photo opportunities within the queue, especially since the refurbishment last year for Star Tours 2. It is not the easiest spot for photos though due to the light conditions. You can always go the easy route and use your flash, though we all know that the flash will not produce the type of picture you were hoping for. Instead, check out some of the tips below and try your hand at shooting the queue next time you visit, which is hopefully for Star Wars Weekends 2012.

Let us know if you have any questions by leaving a comment at the end of the article.

1. Bump up the ISO!

The queue for Star Tours is pretty dark. So, you will have to bump up your ISO to get a shutter speed fast enough to freeze what’s happening and make for a sharp shot. The example photo above was at ISO 1000 with an aperture of f/2.

Depending on the exact scene you are looking to photograph and the lens you are using, you may have to adjust and test out different ISO settings. Remember though, it is better to increase the ISO and have a shot with noise in it as opposed to ending up with a blurry shot that you can’t use because you kept the ISO at 200.

2. Open up your lens!

To go along with bumping up the ISO, a wide aperture is also a must in this queue. If you have a f/1.8 or f/2.8 capable lens, this is the time to attach it to the camera. The above shot of the captain of the original Star Tours attraction, Rex, was taken with a 50mm lens at an aperture of f/1.4 and a high ISO of 2500.

This goes along with tip #1, not only do you need to make sure you have your aperture wide open but still make sure to have your ISO bumped up. If you have not taken photos in this queue before, you may be surprised at how dark it really is.

3. Don’t forget to compose!

Just because the queue is difficult to shoot technically speaking, that is no excuse to forget about composition. Compositions always help tell the story and can separate a good photo from a mediocre one. For the above shot, I used the first two tips and opened up my lens and shot at a higher ISO, but I made sure to look through the viewfinder and find something I liked. Not only is C3P0 in this shot, I also made sure to add R2-D2. This added an extra layer of depth to the photo, not to mention another classic Star Wars character!

Remember, anyone can hold up their camera phone for a shot of C3P0, but you are carrying around camera gear that can produce great photos. So make sure to take the time and create a composition that makes your photo stand out.

4. Use your elbows!

Star Tours thankfully has nice railings that run along the side of the queue. Use them! They can help you stabilize a shot and keep it sharp. For this particular shot, the shutter speed my camera called for was 1/15 of a second. Normally, my shaky hands can’t handle that, but I positioned myself on the railings, braced myself, and ended up getting a sharp shot!

Think of it as an alternative to using a tripod. It will not be as steady as a tripod, but by bracing yourself against the railings, you are able to increase your shutter speed.

5. Late in the Day & Using a Tripod

I wrote an article last year for the site, Shooting the new Star Tours Queue, where I discussed setting up my tripod in the queue. Given the light conditions in the Star Tours queue, a tripod would be a huge help in capturing the shot you want. Unfortunately though, the queue gets busy with guests and there is no room to setup your tripod without being in the way.

One way around that though is to plan on shooting the queue late in the day. Normally at night just before the park closes, Star Tours is not busy and you can get away with setting up your tripod in the queue. Remember though, if it is busy then the cast members will probably not want you using a tripod.

Final Thoughts

Hopefully those simple tips can help you capture something that makes you happy the next time you are en route to board your Starspeeder 1000. If you enjoyed this article (and we hope you did), please click the Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, G+, and StumbleUpon buttons at the top of the page. It helps us spread the word, and we really appreciate it!

Also don’t forget that we will be covering Star Wars Weekends 2012 this Friday! We will have coverage here on the site, and on our twitter account. Thanks for reading, and we’ll see ya real soon!

Merida, the newest Disney princess, has starting meeting guests at the Magic Kingdom in the Fairytale Garden. The meet and greet area has been completely redesigned for the princess from “Brave”. Prior to Merida meeting guests at Fairytale Garden though, it was home to the Rapunzel meet and greet.

Today’s Daily Disney Photo was taken during the time that Rapunzel was meeting guests here. I did not plan on taking this photo at the time. It was a late night of shooting at the Magic Kingdom and I found myself standing outside this area and noticing the cool lights and textures. I setup my tripod and ended up taking three brackets for an HDR, something we talked about yesterday also. It turns out, I was not paying much attention because I should have taken another bracket so that the lanterns hanging above the area were not blown out.

I processed the photo using Photomatix for the HDR portion and Photoshop for the rest. Looking back on the photo now, I wish I had taken more time to compose the shot and shoot all the brackets that would be needed.

Now that Mirida is meeting guests in this area, we will be sure to get some photos soon and post them on the site of the new design.

Technical Settings

• Camera: Nikon D90
• Lens: Sigma 10-20mm f/4 – 5.6
• Focal Length: 10mm
• Aperture: f/5.6
• Shutter Speed: 0.4″, 1.6″ 6.0″
• ISO: 200

Final Thoughts

Hopefully you enjoyed this photo, and if you did, help us spread the word by clicking the Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest or G+ sharing buttons at the top. Every little bit helps and we appreciate it!

Be sure to stop by our Disney Photography Forum to join in on the discussion and post some of your own photos!

When you go on vacation to Walt Disney World or Disneyland Resort, you kind of take a gamble on whether or not you’ll have nice weather. Hopefully you’ll be graced with blue skies and puffy clouds, but sometimes that just doesn’t work out. You know our stance on the matter is to challenge yourself and keep on shooting, unless of course, you get torrential downpours. We don’t want you to ruin your gear just for the sake of a few photos!

The thing that kills most photos when the skies are overcast or cloudy is simply that; the skies. They are boring, not interesting in the slightest, and add nothing to the photo. When it is overcast outside, I try to find photos that don’t involve the sky at all. It gets rid of the #1 problem with an overcast day, and it can actually make for some really dramatic looking photographs. Take this one for example:

This is a neat little detail found outside the New Fantasyland Train Station at Magic Kingdom. They have lots of “luggage” there from some memorable Disney characters, like the Mad Hatter’s photographed here. This shot was taken on a very drab day. The lighting isn’t the typical bright, cheery Disney mode. But it makes for something unique. It also take the red in the background and helps that color pop a little more than on a normal, beautiful day at the park.

Other things that are great to photograph on cloudy days are things like statues:

These little gems in the Hub are a perfect example for that. There are almost always flowers in the background which add a great splash of color, even on a cloudy day. There are also at least 6 of these statues in the Hub, and many different ways you can creatively compose around the sky while shooting. So, there you have at least 10 successful and useful photos you can get on a bad day. Another spot is storefronts:

Storefronts tend to have a building or attraction space right behind them. That helps you work around the sky. And since we’re at Disney, you usually have a lot of nice color on all these buildings, which helps get rid of that drab feel you might have when walking around the park. You can use a telephoto lens and zoom right in to get a crisp, clean, and colorful shot!

Other things you can photograph are indoor areas like dark rides or gift shops (bump up your ISO!) and just every little detail you can find on property, which comes out to be a ton. Like I mentioned in the last paragraph, a telephoto lens is great for cloudy days. When I’m at the park and it’s a little nasty out, I’ll have either my 135mm prime or 70-300mm telephoto on, and I’m looking for fine detail.

Hopefully this helps gives you some inspiration for any upcoming trips you may have, and also gives you some ideas for a backup plan if you unfortunately have an ugly day at the park. Either way, you’re still at Disney, and that’s better than being anywhere else! If you like this article, please click on the Facebook, G+, Pinterest, and Twitter buttons we have at the top of the article to help spread the word. Thanks for reading, and we’ll see ya real soon!

Today’s Daily Disney Photo is quite the tough one to process. Photographing The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror at night is something where bracketing is a must. The range of the scene is just too wide to capture it all in one exposure. So, this one is 3 different exposures, merged using Photomatix’s Exposure Fusion setting. I then imported it to Photoshop and did some detail work using Nik Color Efex Pro to finish things off.

For those that may not understand what I mean by bracketing, let me quickly explain. When you bracket a shot, you are taking multiple shots of the same subject using different camera settings. It is important (especially at night) to use a tripod when doing this. You are going to end up combining these shots into one final photo. If you are doing this without a tripod, then the different brackets will not match up. The aperture should remain consistent throughout the different brackets but you will adjust the shutter speed. For this photo, the aperture stayed at f/8 but the three shots had a shutter speed of 10 seconds, 2.5 seconds and finally 30 seconds. That would mean the first shot was underexposed, the second was exposed correctly for that scene and the third was overexposed. You then combine the three of them using software (in this case Photomatix) to create one final photo.

We will get into bracketing and much more on HDR very soon here on the Disney Photography Blog. We have a special series of articles being worked on along with a review of a very popular HDR course. If you have specific questions related to HDR, post them in the comments and we will try to cover them during this series.

Technical Settings

Camera: Canon EOS 5D Mark II

Lens: Canon EF 17-40mm f/4L USM

Focal Length: 40mm

Aperture: f/8

Shutter Speed: 10″, 2.5″, 30″

ISO: 100

Final Thoughts

Hopefully you enjoyed this photo, and if you did, help us spread the word by clicking the Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest or G+ sharing buttons at the top. Every little bit helps and we appreciate it! Be sure to stop by our Disney Photography Forum to join in on the discussion and post some of your own photos!

For many Disney fans, the monorail is a favorite form of transportation when visiting a Disney park. Whether  using it to get to the Magic Kingdom, riding it as an attraction that traverses almost the entire resort at Disneyland, or enjoying the majestic views of Epcot from it, the monorail has a special place in all of our hearts.

We thought it would be fun to start the week off with our own version of Monorail Monday here on the Disney Photography Blog. To do so, here is a selection of monorail photos from Walt Disney World and Disneyland. Enjoy these photos of the “Highway in the Sky” and post your own monorail photo in our Disney Photography Forum or by adding them to our group on flickr.

Without further ado…

Please stand clear of the doors. Por favor mantengase alejado de las puertas.

Nothing better than seeing a monorail glide through Future World at Epcot

Disneyland Monorail passing by the Nemo subs with the Matterhorn in the background

The Contemporary Resort and the Monorail go so well together

A reflection of Spaceship Earth captured on the passing Monorail at Epcot

Here a Monorail passes through Disneyland

What makes a Monorail photo at Epcot even better? Taking it during the Flower & Garden Festival!

This is a classic Disney shot and never gets old. A Monorail passing Spaceship Earth at Epcot

Two great forms of transportation in one shot as the Monorail in Disneyland passes the Nemo subs

Final Thoughts

That will do it for our first edition of Monorail Monday here on the Disney Photography Blog. Make sure to stay tuned here at the site all throughout the week for fresh and exciting new content. We hope you will also make sure to visit this Friday when Ryan and myself will be covering the first day of Star Wars Weekends over at Disney’s Hollywood Studios!

I hope you enjoyed this article, and if you did, help us spread the word by clicking the Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest or G+ sharing buttons at the top. Every little bit helps and we appreciate it! Be sure to stop by our Disney Photography Forum to join in on the discussion and post some of your own photos!

Thanks for lookin’, we’ll see ya real soon!