Enchanted Tiki Room Lighting

Light Meter by Lisa K. Berton

Buenas dias. My naps are getting more and more elusive. Look at all the people. Welcome to Lisa Berton’s Enchanted Tiki Room Lighting blog entry. My goodness, you’re all staring at these words, I’d better type faster.

The singing flowers and talking birds enjoy a cool and dark environment which is why you might find yourself having difficulty in taking their photo. As you know, flash photography is not allowed at this attraction, at least not during the show. If you ask nicely, a Cast Member might let you take a quick photo with flash as people are leaving.

So what do we do during the show? We use the manual settings and put all that we’ve learned to work. If you’ve forgotten, I’ll give you these pointers.

A. Use a high film speed. High ISOs are designed for low light and/or very fast moving subjects (race cars, bullets, panthers, etc…)

B. Open up the lens to let in the most light. Lower f-stops (apertures) allow for more light to reach the digital camera’s sensor.

C. A semi-slow shutterspeed (1/40, 1/50, 1/60) can stop slow-moving objects. Remember, these birds like to spin around on their perches.

D. If you find it challenging to hold your camera steady, use a mini-tripod. If the seat in front or beside you is empty, go ahead and take advantage of the space.

Here are two examples of hand-held shots taken at Disneyland.

Canon PowerShot SX30 IS, f3.5, 1/60, ISO 1600

Lighting changes throughout the show so take multiple photos. The slighest difference can make one image “pop” more than the others.

Canon PowerShot SX30 IS, f3.5, 1/50, ISO1600

While I did slow down the shutter a tiny bit on this second image, it is not the reason why the color looks altered. Colored gels illuminate our bird friends in various combinations, directions, and intensities.

Before you Heigh Ho your way out, re-visit my black and white challenge to you all from this previous blog. It runs all year long and your up-coming vacation is the perfect opportunity to show off what you can do. See what others have already submitted.

“Like” my Facebook page for updates on my photography & writing.