Foggy Fireworks

Anyone who knows me knows that I'm an insane fireworks junkie.  Living in Orlando allows me to see high quality shows on a regular basis.... to the point where I can tell when things change.

Alas sometimes, mother nature plays havoc.  Usually December yields great weather for fireworks - low humidity and strong breezes to blow the smoke away.... sadly in the photo above, not quite the case.  A horribly thick bank of fog rolled into the area just as I pulled up.  Knowing the show i was about to photograph, I decided to make the best of a bad situation and try and use the fog to my advantage.

This is the finale of their Holiday Wishes show. Slightly overexposed. But i love how the fireworks just open above the clouds....

Holga Fun....

Beast's Castle in the New Fantasyland section of Walt Disney World's Magic Kingdom in Lake Buena Vista, Fla.

Every now and again I like to break out the old film Holga 120 camera. Best 10 dollars I ever spent on a camera.

So I decided to take it around the New Fantasyland area at Walt Disney World's Magic Kingdom in Lake Buena Vista, Fla.  (That should drive some SEO & page hits....)  More after the jump....

Epcot30 Fireworks

Folks, I'm a fireworks junkie.  If you know me, its plain to see.  So when I heard that Disney was going to have an extra 5 Minute Tag for Epcot's 30th Anniversary.... I couldnt resist.

More after the jump.....

Disney's 4th of July Concert in the Sky

Happy Fourth of July!

The Walt Disney World Resort is known for its Fireworks.  The two best times of year to see them are New Years Eve and the Fourth of July.  This year was seemed to take it to an entirely different level.

More photos and the finale after the break....

Nature's Fireworks....

Well.... while waiting for fireworks high above the shores of Seven Seas Lagoon, myself and my compatriots found ourselves setting up to photograph at the tail end of a thunderstorm only to find some seriously impressive lightning.  I covered the lens quickly as I was hoping to incorporate fireworks in the shot as it was minutes before the scheduled start of the show.... which was delayed an hour and a half.


(Authors Note/disclaimer:  Photographing lightning from the roof of any building is rather foolish and should not be attempted.  Always be mindful of your surroundings and photograph lightning from safe areas)

Via Con Dios, Snow White

After nearly 40 years, Walt Disney World's Magic Kingdom is ending "Snow White's Scary Adventures"and closes June 1.  

(This means if you want to ride it, Thursday May 31 is the last day)

One of the original attractions in the park is being replaced by a princess meet-n-greet.

I decided to take a few photos and put them up here.

2012 WDW Marathon

Runners streak under the only light available at the start of the Walt Disney World half-marathon on Saturday, January 7, 2012.

Sunday, my good friend Dan ran a half-marathon at the Disneyland resort.  Due to budgetary constraits, I wasn't there.  However, three weeks ago, he ran a half-marathon at the Walt Disney World resort.

I was there to document some of the carnage fun.

Traveling! Depressurizing!

Every now and again I will update this. I'm going to post some vacation photos... because if you cant post those, what can you post? If you can't have fun with photography, put down the cameras.



Thats my friend Jess. She insisted I photograph her with her parasol.

More photos after the jump

Random DAK Photos

A dancer flies through the air during a performance of "Festival of the Lion King" at Disney's Animal Kingdom.

So during the Florida trip, i swung by Disney's Animal Kingdom. Gotta get a tiger photo.

After the Shuttle launch & Cocoa Beach, i was pretty Photo'd out, so the cameras mainly stayed in the trunk as drink stayed in my hand, so this was just a few hours of fun.

Lensbaby on Vacation

I'm getting better at focusing the lensbaby in a hurry. I'm enjoying it but after walking around Disney for 2 days with it, its a bit gimmicky. While i like the soft focus look, it can get old.

Besides since i couldnt take concert photos, i walked around Disney for two days and just worked on learning how to use the lensbaby.

More vacation photos after the jump....

Last of the Vacation Photos

(I must recommend that staring into the sun with a long camera lens is not advisable.)

I figure that most of you are getting bored with my Disney World photos.

Just wanted to show that i can still shoot in color too.

I like using vacations as a proving ground with my photos. I can get really risky and there's nothing on the line PLUS if i screw it up, there's a bar only 10 yards away.







In all my years, I've never seen the Citizens of Main Street perform like this before. Very nice IMO.



I just turned the camera around while we were dropping down Splash Mountain.



Sam Adams beer tasting.



The mother Duck would not take the babies swimming until i had moved away.





I love my fireworks.











.... minutes before finding the tequila bar.



I forgot to post that one. This was a bride who was leaving her wedding reception at Epcot. They did the wedding pictures with fireworks in the background.

Vacation Photos! (pt 2)

One of my biggest complaints/comments towards people who show off their vacation photos from Disney (or wherever) is "Where are the People?" People is what makes the world go around. The love/hope/despair/elation of people is what makes our lives. So there's nothing more interesting then how people behave while on vacation.

So for a complete change i felt like documenting this as subtly as possible. I really haven't played with a 14mm on my D700 that much but this time i really felt like making it work. Damm thing flares too much, pretty much my main conclusion. But it gives that added context that a photo of just a pretty building won't give.

(All of these were taken at the Walt Disney World resort in Lake Buena Vista, Fla.)

Overexposed!

Amidst all this football, i managed to accumulate enough comp time to be able to run off down to Florida to spend Food & Wine Festival at DIsney with my father.

So I decided that this trip would be different. I was determined to try some new things and to really push the concept of tourist photography. I decided to shoot most of this trip wide. Somewhere i read/saw photos that were intentionally overexposed to try and give give them an etherial, ghostly type look.

So i went for that in this set here.

Vacation: Test Track

This is the (currently GM sponsored) Test Track attraction at Epcot at the Walt Disney World Resort.

Generally i don't look at on-attraction photos as anything more than simple vacation-photos that anyone can take. But not everyone uses a 14mm on a D3. (Damm dirty sensor; this is all at f/11)

So this time around, i decided to play around and try and show some motion of the car and the sensations that you're getting in the nice 10AM light. (Thanks Michelle and Dan!) My only criticism is that there isn't enough of the car in the shots. But i love the streaked light.



After the seat-belt check as you go up the hill.



Entering the "corrosion" chamber.




Its a "happy accident" if you ask me.



The barrier-test, either about 1/4th a second earlier than i wanted to fire it or just too damm wide.