We have just returned from a short break to Disneyland Paris. With a long stretch ahead until our next trip to Florida, we needed a Disney fix so took the opportunity to head over to Paris for a break.
It was the intention to go during the off season when the parks would be quiet, and the days would be short so we could get some photos of Disney after dark. Our biggest mistake was the timing of the trip in relation to a French public holiday. For the first two days the parks were very crowded. mainly with French people making the most of the long weekend. Thankfully, the second half of the week was much quieter.
We managed to get a good spot for the night show right at the front of the castle just off centre so had no one in front of us to block the view. The crowd tends to build up quite quickly during the 45 minutes before the show so we were quite lucky to get a front row position. After the show we wanted to get some pics down Main Street without the crowds so spent a little time around the hub whilst the crowd headed out of the park.
The parks close quite early during November (7:00pm) after the Dreams of Christmas show and the park empties surprisingly quickly. It’s great to hang back for a little while to let the crowds disappear and after about half an hour, the place is practically deserted. We had the whole of the castle plaza and the top end of main street practically to ourselves so made the most of the time and got a lot of long exposure pictures.
I love all the detail of the buildings down Main Street, a lot of which is often overlooked by most people as they head straight for the castle, but its great to take time out to read all the signs and the windows along the street. At night it feels even more magical when all the lights come on – and also when they make it snow!!
Disney seem quite relaxed about letting people hang around for a while and they were quite happy to let us spend some time getting these pictures. We did not feel pressured to leave and it’s quite a strange feeling to be the only ones left in the place. This shot was taken on a tripod set quite low to the ground and is a combined 3 shot HDR picture with some editing also in Lightroom.
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