How to Photograph a Magic Kingdom Flyover
Wondering how to photograph a Magic Kingdom flyover? Every few years (give or take) the U.S. Navy Blue Angels or the U.S. Airforce Thunderbirds will do flyover photo opportunities over the Magic Kingdom or Epcot in Walt Disney World. It’s usually announced on Disney’s social media about a week before it happens and it typically is tied to dates of local airshows like Pensacola, Ft. Lauderdale, and Sun ‘n Fun.
As an Orlando local and an annual passholder with a flexible schedule, I was fortunate enough to photograph two of these vents: The Blue Angels at Epcot in May 2019 and more recently, the Thunderbirds at Magic Kingdom in October 2022, and I’m sharing some of my tips for how to get great photos during a Disney World flyover.
Composing Your Shot
When these flyovers happen, they typically make two passes. The first pass is in a tight, triangular-shaped formation with one jet leading the group in a straight pass. The second pass is typically what’s called a Delta breakout where the jets break formation and split off in various directions leaving a fan of contrails in the sky. While this gives you two opportunities to get your shot, you need to be conscious that the second pass, the Delta breakout formation, requires a wider frame to adequately capture it.
For Magic Kingdom flyovers, the jets come from the back of the park over Cinderella’s Castle towards the front of the park. For Epcot flyovers, the jets come from the front of the park and fly towards the World Showcase. It’s important to know that when picking the spot you want to photograph from.
In terms of picking your spot, you’ll want to arrive at the parks early. Each time I’ve seen a flyover, they’ve happened within an hour or so of the park opening, so I would suggest rope-dropping the park where the flyover is happening. It’s helpful to have the shot you want in mind when you arrive at the park so you can stake out your spot immediately. In addition to your hardcore Disney fans, you get a lot of aviation fans, plus your regular parkgoers who have no idea the flyover is happening so it can get quite crowded.
Travel Photography Tips
For both of my shoots, I chose to keep things simple and iconic, focusing on Cinderella’s Castle and Spaceship Earth. I didn’t want to miss the moment by trying to do something too outside the box, but if I have another opportunity to photograph a flyover, I would definitely think about more unique and interesting compositions that still have a Disney flair. Once you’ve chosen your spot, dial in your settings, keeping in mind that you’re likely going to have dark jets against a bright sky. More on settings in a minute.
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Before each pass of the flyover, Disney makes an announcement over the PA system that it’s about to happen. Once they make the announcement, put your camera to your eye and keep it there. Soon after you’ll hear the roar of the inbound jets and you’ll literally have seconds to capture the jets as they fly over. You’ll be shocked at how quickly it happens. The second pass typically happens between five and ten minutes after the first, and there will be an announcement preceding it.
For Your Inner Disney Adult
Camera Gear
A DSLR or mirrorless camera is the ideal way to capture a jet flyover. In terms of lenses, since you’re likely framing up your shot to include a landmark, you could use something like a 24-70mm. But it will depend on where in the park you are positioned, so if you have a longer lens like a 70-200mm, I’d bring that too.
The Canon EOS R6 is my current camera of choice. It’s lighter in weight than most DSLR cameras, has a faster shooting speed and I find the R6 to be super sharp and nail focus consistently.
You’ll want a large capacity, fast memory card so you can shoot continuously and capture as many frames as possible during the flyover pass.
Because it will be crowded and you’ll be shooting with a fast shutter speed, there’s no need for a tripod. Honestly, it will only hinder you if you want to change locations between passes.
Don’t forget to pack water, a hat, and sunscreen as it can get rather toasty while you’re waiting and once you claim your spot, you’re not going to want to give it up!
Camera Settings
First and foremost, I’d suggest shooting in RAW. As previously mentioned, you’re going to be photographing dark jets against what is likely to be a bright sky. While you can dial in your settings as close as possible pre-flyover, there’s virtually no time to tweak them while it’s happening. Shooting in RAW will allow you more latitude in editing if your exposure is slightly off.
Speaking of exposure, I suggest shooting in manual mode and using your histogram to check your exposure. You want your shutter speed to be 1/1000 of a second or faster to freeze the motion of the jets (they can fly as fast as 1400 mph or Mach 2, so they’re FAST). I’d suggest an aperture of around 5.6, depending on your lens. Most lenses are sharpest two stops up from wide open, so I’d use something in that range. ISO 400 is a good starting point, but depending on the day you’ll need to adjust as necessary for proper exposure.
If you’re not comfortable shooting in manual mode, I’d suggest shutter priority mode with a shutter speed of 1/1000 of a second.
You also want to shoot in continuous mode and grab as many frames as you can during the flyover. Again, I can’t over-emphasize how quickly this happens, giving you very little time to think and adjust on the, well, fly. Your auto-focus mode should also be continuous. This is not the time to muck around with manual focus.
Most importantly, take a deep breath and have fun! Jet flyovers, especially at the Disney parks, are quite fun to see, so even though you may be trying to get a great shot, try and take a moment to soak it in and really enjoy it now that you know how to photograph a Magic Kingdom flyover.
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Lori Barbely
Hi, I’m Lori. But you can call me Lors. I’m a middle-aged New Jersey-born gal, currently based in Orlando, Florida. My background is in editorial travel photography and writing and I've been to more than 30 countries. I’m obsessed with tropical locales and my favorite city is Tokyo. Have camera, will travel! I’m a Disney adult, Lord of the Rings fan, certified crazy cat lady, and sushi addict! I hope this blog inspires your wanderlust. Feel free to follow me on Instagram for snippets of daily life on and off the road.
