Chunkymonkey and Chubbyhubby eat for free! WE ARE BACK! Photo Teasers pg. 23!!

[chunkymonkey]

Signing on for your PTR~ Can't wait to here more! Keep the updates and interesting links coming! =)

Thank you! Will sign up for your PTR too!

I made all my replies above. I hope you don't mind.

Of course not! Thanks for the replies and comments! I may do the DTD first thing when we arrive too, since all the parks will be closing when we arrive. And considering we're staying at POFQ, it'll be a short boat ride away. Now I have to find out when DTD closes that night. I hope it's at midnight!

Little round Tigger is so cute!!!!

I have been wanting to see The Sorcerer's Apprentice. I didn't even think about the comparison between Fantasia. I will have to keep think about that when I do watch it.

Tigger says thanks! I think you'll enjoy the reference to Fantasia!

Little, round Tigger is so super cute!

And, to echo what everyone else has already said, you will love staying onsite. I know that we did. And being a New Yorker, riding the busses won't phase you in the least. I still cannot understand why some people complain about the bus service and/or rent cars when they stay on property at Disney. I suppose you could leave property...but why?

And what a beautiful bathroom! The tile is gorgeous. Nice colors.

And you are correct that my husband and I have almost the exact same picture, in that exact location.

Oh, yes, and I am looking forward to your trip report, too!

Tigger and I say thanks! He's getting a lot of attention and he's happily bouncing around. (well, not really since he's made out of plastic, not rubber) I am so excited about staying onsite too!

I love little round Tigger! He's so adorable! The perfect mascot!

Tigger agrees he's the perfect mascot!

 

[trickiwoo]

Going to see Inception tonight! I am excited as I love all of Nolan's other works (Memento, Dark Knight)

Did you like it? We saw it Friday and I really enjoyed it! We're actually probably going to go see it a 2nd time and bring The Boyfriend's brother.

 

[therussells08]

I love your mascot! Tigger is so cute!

Did you like Inception? I'm going to see it tomorrow! I have a huge crush on Leondaro Dicaprio, so I'm excited!

 

[chunkymonkey]

Did you like it? We saw it Friday and I really enjoyed it! We're actually probably going to go see it a 2nd time and bring The Boyfriend's brother.

I love your mascot! Tigger is so cute!

Did you like Inception? I'm going to see it tomorrow! I have a huge crush on Leondaro Dicaprio, so I'm excited!

We thought Inception was AWESOME. I really enjoyed it and highly recommend it. I love complex intricate plots and ideas, but usually when it happens in the movies, it either is really good, or just plain awful. This was definitely the former, and it was just a wonderfully crafted story!

 

[oboedm]

We thought Inception was AWESOME. I really enjoyed it and highly recommend it. I love complex intricate plots and ideas, but usually when it happens in the movies, it either is really good, or just plain awful. This was definitely the former, and it was just a wonderfully crafted story!

We thought it was great too! I want to see it a few more, just so it makes more money. I want Hollywood to make more of these types of movies, and I figure the more money it makes, the louder message it's sending!

I told DH that I can't watch any more movies where Leo DiCaprio has a wife and kids (Inception, Shutter Island)-- he is too good of an actor and the plots are too heartbreaking!

 

[onescgirl]

1st - You two are the most beautiful couple!

You are a great photographer, love looking at your pics. I just looked at your wedding & honeymoon pics & they too were just beautiful!!!

 

[Cat0727]

I love your little Tigger mascot, he is so round and cute

Glad to hear you loved Inception. Everyone has been raving about it, I really want to see it! Plus Leo and Joseph Gordon-Levitt are in it, so it has to be good

 

[chunkymonkey]

We thought it was great too! I want to see it a few more, just so it makes more money. I want Hollywood to make more of these types of movies, and I figure the more money it makes, the louder message it's sending!

I told DH that I can't watch any more movies where Leo DiCaprio has a wife and kids (Inception, Shutter Island)-- he is too good of an actor and the plots are too heartbreaking!

I totally agree. I think Leo is such a wonderful actor. I see every movie that he's in.

1st - You two are the most beautiful couple!

You are a great photographer, love looking at your pics. I just looked at your wedding & honeymoon pics & they too were just beautiful!!!

Awww thank you so much, you are too kind. I only post the good pics of me and DH here, there are a lot of bad ones too, LOL. You have a beautiful family as well, and am subbing to your PTR too!

I love your little Tigger mascot, he is so round and cute

Glad to hear you loved Inception. Everyone has been raving about it, I really want to see it! Plus Leo and Joseph Gordon-Levitt are in it, so it has to be good

Tigger says thanks! I was always a Leo fan, and ever since I saw 500 Days of Summer, I've been a fan of Joseph Gorden-Levitt as well, and this movie both of them blew me away. JGL especially since I've never really seen him involved in "action" movies (I really don't think GI Joe counted because most of it was CG anyways) so it was really cool to see him play a different role.

 

[chunkymonkey]

So the Wishes Dessert Party has been extended until the end of the year, and although I was excited about booking this before, the more that I think about it, the less inclined I am to want to book it. Mostly the reasons are that I probably won't be able to eat that much dessert! LOL

The evening that I would be at MK, I am already dining at Boma, which is a buffet so in that sense I am already having a dessert buffet of some sort. Zebra domes anyone? So my plan was to just watch Wishes like I do every time, just a regular person in the park, with my camera.

Speaking of cameras, I'm trying to figure out which lenses I'll be needing for this trip. Now I'm the sort of person that carries a large bag every day, except when I am at disney. Since we're walking around so much, I don't want to lug around a heavy bag, so I'm sticking with lightweight nylon or canvas bags. I have a protective neoprene sleeve for my camera and lenses. so I can just throw them in my bag.

So far, I've been deciding on bring my 10-22mm f4 wide angle, my absolute favorite travel lens. It captures everything. It is a little big though not the biggest lens I have. Because it's only a 10-22mm lens I'd need another one that have some telephoto capability, so I was thinking of the 28-105mm F 3.5which is a relatively good size for traveling. and possibly the 35mm 2.0 which is great for food shots especially in dim restaurants. 3 lenses may be a bit excessive does anyone think? especially if I don't want to bring the huge camera backpack. I guess we'll see...

 

[annmarieda]

I had the same reaction to the Wishes Party. I thought I might want to do it...thought it would be cool and then when they extended it I realized that it would just be too much dessert. I know that most of my snacks will be sweets and then at each meal. I really should have that many as I have some slight diabetic issues. I totally have it managed with my medicine and eat fairly normally...I just need to not overdo it. The dessert party would probably be overdoing it.

 

[chunkymonkey]

I had the same reaction to the Wishes Party. I thought I might want to do it...thought it would be cool and then when they extended it I realized that it would just be too much dessert. I know that most of my snacks will be sweets and then at each meal. I really should have that many as I have some slight diabetic issues. I totally have it managed with my medicine and eat fairly normally...I just need to not overdo it. The dessert party would probably be overdoing it.

Yup, my thoughts exactly. Especially since each of us already gets a dessert with each quick service and table service meal. That is a lot of dessert! Me and DH usually share a dessert if we even decide to order one in the first place. Usually we're too full for dessert! That's why I too like to snack on sweet things in between meals! LOL. So yes, however much the Wishes dessert party sounds like fun, I think we would only do it if we weren't on the dining plan.

 

[chunkymonkey]

So I realized I was talking about lenses and perhaps for some of you, it might be a new thing. Bur for others, like trickiwoo or topdog, it is second nature to understand shutter speed, aperture, and iso. I only just fully understood photography about 2 years ago, and before that I was pretty clueless. I didn’t even have a dslr. But now I am collecting lenses like I collect handbags, LOL. Here’s a little primer on lenses that may be helpful, as it certainly would have been for me when I just started out with photography.

Wide Angle lenses
These lenses capture landscapes and scenery beautifully. It’s also great for large group shots and interior home pictures (it makes rooms look bigger, that’s why real estate agents use a lot of these shots). The reason is that they capture such a wide scope in a frame, and almost everything is going to be in focus. The following shots were taken by me with a wide angle lens. You can see how everything in the background of my subjects are still pretty clear and detailed.

The wide angle lens I use is a 10-22mm. The lower the number, the wider it is and the more it can capture.

Wide angle lenses also allow you to take self-portrait shots like this, which is pretty much 90% of the shots that I am in, LOL.

Another type of an extreme wide angle is a fisheye lens. It’s those lenses that distort the edges of a picture making it look almost circular. That’s because it’s capturing more area then in a regular person’s line of site. I don’t do much fisheye photography since I do mostly portraits but I think topdog has some good examples of this in his TR.

Telephoto lenses
This is the opposite of a wide angle. It basically allows you to capture things which are further away. Telephoto lenses are great for portraits as they usually provide a nice background blur to images, producing what photographers call “bokeh”. Another way to achieve that is to set your aperture to the lowest number possible (but that is another post, lol) The telephoto lenses I use are usually a 70-200mm or 85mm
Here are some of my examples of a telephoto lens in action:

My sister and her now husband, I took their engagement pics for them.

My best friend's daughter, whom I think is so adorable I can't stop taking pictures of her.

Normal Lenses:
Any lens that pretty much shows a true to life ratio within a picture. These are usually in the range of 34-50mm. These lenses are probably a misnomer, because it really depends on the type of camera you have. Most basic dslrs have a cropped sensor, which means they already have some telephoto properties. Meaning, if you have a 50mm lens and you use it on a cropped sensor camera, your lens is actually performing like an 80mm would, therefore turning it into a telephoto lens. I have a cropped sensor camera therefore objects appear closer in my camera than they really are. If you were to have a full-framed dslr, then a 50mm lens would act like a true 50mm lens.

Macro lenses
These allow you to magnify things like close ups of flowers, and insects so that it’s larger than life. These are great for taking detailed shots of nature, or getting to the finest details of a piece of lace on a dress. I don’t’ have a macro lens so I haven’t experimented much with this.

Now within those lenses, there are different types as well:

Zoom Lenses
Zoom lenses just refer to the whether or not the lens can change it’s range, meaning you usually see people with zoom lenses adjusting the length of the lens, and that’s when the lens gets longer or shorter. It just means that you have a lens that have a range like 28mm-105mm, or 70-200mm. Most people have this type of lens as it allows for the most flexibility. You can go from wide angle to telephoto with just a twist. The only downside to zoom lenses is that you cannot get large apertures, meaning it may let in less light than a fixed or prime lens. This is usually not an issue if you’re not taking pictures in low lighting. The zoom lenses I use the most are my 10-22mm, and my 24-70mm.

Prime or Fixed Focal Length lenses
These lenses have only 1 length, meaning it does not zoom within a range, such as a 85mm or 50mm. If you want to adjust your view in your camera, you basically have to walk backwards or forwards to get the shot. The advantage of prime lenses is that they have lower apertures, meaning they can let more light in. This is great for photographers who want to capture images in very low light, such as candlelight, or a dimly-lit wedding reception. Oftentimes photographers get a sharper/better image with prime lenses as well. These are some images I have captured with a prime lens. I actually use them a lot for food shots, since usually we’re dining in restaurants, and it’s darker inside, the prime lens would let me take pictures without having to use a flash. I like using my 50mm f1.4 and 35mm f2.0 primes.

Some food shots:

My best friend's daughter again!

Anyways, I hope this was helpful for some of you!

The best way to learn is really to practice. I played around and rented different lenses before finding the ones that truly work for me. When I first started learning photography, I became worse before I got better, and I am constantly learning!

I can provide another primer for basic photography meaning aperture, shutter and iso as well if anyone is interested.

 

[trickiwoo]

I was always a Leo fan, and ever since I saw 500 Days of Summer, I've been a fan of Joseph Gorden-Levitt as well, and this movie both of them blew me away. JGL especially since I've never really seen him involved in "action" movies (I really don't think GI Joe counted because most of it was CG anyways) so it was really cool to see him play a different role.

The Boyfriend and I have been big Joseph Gordon-Levitt fans since Brick. Have you seen it? It's a really good movie!!!!

So the Wishes Dessert Party has been extended until the end of the year, and although I was excited about booking this before, the more that I think about it, the less inclined I am to want to book it. Mostly the reasons are that I probably won't be able to eat that much dessert! LOL

Same here! But I really do hope they keep continuing to do the Wishes Dessert Party. It is something I would absolutely love to do on a future trip. But I just don't think it's in the mix for us this trip.

Speaking of cameras, I'm trying to figure out which lenses I'll be needing for this trip. Now I'm the sort of person that carries a large bag every day, except when I am at disney. Since we're walking around so much, I don't want to lug around a heavy bag, so I'm sticking with lightweight nylon or canvas bags. I have a protective neoprene sleeve for my camera and lenses. so I can just throw them in my bag.

I decided I'm bringing 2 lenses! My 28-300 and my Lensbaby Composer. I figure the 28-300 gives me enough variety and versatility for whatever I may need to shoot without having to stop and switch lenses a lot. And with my Lensbaby, I'm bringing my Fisheye optic, so I'll have a fisheye lens! And I have the Lensbaby Macro Kit, so I could even use it as a macro lens if I needed to!

 

[tinacaplan]

Thanks for the photography lesson. I'm afraid it won't be of much use with my point and shoot. I would love to upgrade to a better camera someday, but its so low on my priority list, it will probably never happen. You take really beautiful photographs. They are amazing.

 

[Joyciemc]

Hi there!
I just hopped over to your PTR from another report and I haven't caught up yet.

But your photography post was really interesting for me! I recently got a DSLR and I hate that I don't know enough to really use it well. I've learned a lot by playing with my new camera, but not nearly enough. Do you suggest any resources for learning a bit more? Books, websites, etc?

Your post has me wanting to go lens shopping, but I don't even know what I'd be shopping for!

Now I'm off to read the rest of your report...

 

[annmarieda]

That was a very well written lesson! It explains a lot. Thanks for sharing that!

 

[oboedm]

So the Wishes Dessert Party has been extended until the end of the year, and although I was excited about booking this before, the more that I think about it, the less inclined I am to want to book it. Mostly the reasons are that I probably won't be able to eat that much dessert! LOL

I thought the same thing! I was going to book it, and then when the announcement came out I lost interest. I agree-- when we aren't on the dining plan, I will do it.

So I realized I was talking about lenses and perhaps for some of you, it might be a new thing. Bur for others, like trickiwoo or topdog, it is second nature to understand shutter speed, aperture, and iso. I only just fully understood photography about 2 years ago, and before that I was pretty clueless. I didn’t even have a dslr. But now I am collecting lenses like I collect handbags, LOL. Here’s a little primer on lenses that may be helpful, as it certainly would have been for me when I just started out with photography.

I can provide another primer for basic photography meaning aperture, shutter and iso as well if anyone is interested.

Amazing!!! Thank you so much for this! I really want something other than a point and shoot, but I can't justify it until I know what the heck to do with it! Maybe I can justify getting one with your expert guidance!

I would love more information about aperture, etc. BTW... you are so talented! You really know how to capture a moment and evoke emotion.

Question: could I possibly PM you about pictures/prices/etc? I know that you probably don't want to work on the trip, but I was thinking that maybe my BIL and SIL would like some family pics in the world. I don't think that they have ever had family pictures taken, and they don't have the means to do anything like that. Maybe I will pay for their picture to be taken. I would love for them to have artistic and intimate photos like these.

 

[chunkymonkey]

Thanks for the photography lesson. I'm afraid it won't be of much use with my point and shoot. I would love to upgrade to a better camera someday, but its so low on my priority list, it will probably never happen. You take really beautiful photographs. They are amazing.

Thank you Tina! And there is nothing wrong with a point and shoot. I use mine all the time!

Hi there!
I just hopped over to your PTR from another report and I haven't caught up yet.

But your photography post was really interesting for me! I recently got a DSLR and I hate that I don't know enough to really use it well. I've learned a lot by playing with my new camera, but not nearly enough. Do you suggest any resources for learning a bit more? Books, websites, etc?

Your post has me wanting to go lens shopping, but I don't even know what I'd be shopping for!

Now I'm off to read the rest of your report...

Hi Joyce! Thanks so much for visiting. I'm glad you found the photography post interesting. I wish someone had given me that advice from the beginning! I actually took photography class when I was in high school may years ago for film. And then a few years ago I took a digital refresher course to sort of learn the basics of digital. It was giving by a small photography school in New York. I didn't really read any books, but I looked at a lot of photgrapher websites. I started when I looked for my wedding photographer in California, and then I was hooked! So I pretty much learn and get my inspiration from other photographers. My faves are:
www.jessicaclaire.net
www.jasminestarblog.com
www.theblogisfound.com
www.cheninboutwell.com
www.amelialyon.net

amongst others! Hope this helps.

That was a very well written lesson! It explains a lot. Thanks for sharing that!

You're welcome!

Amazing!!! Thank you so much for this! I really want something other than a point and shoot, but I can't justify it until I know what the heck to do with it! Maybe I can justify getting one with your expert guidance!

I would love more information about aperture, etc. BTW... you are so talented! You really know how to capture a moment and evoke emotion.

Question: could I possibly PM you about pictures/prices/etc? I know that you probably don't want to work on the trip, but I was thinking that maybe my BIL and SIL would like some family pics in the world. I don't think that they have ever had family pictures taken, and they don't have the means to do anything like that. Maybe I will pay for their picture to be taken. I would love for them to have artistic and intimate photos like these.

Hi Paula!

Thank you so much! I'll be posting another guide to basic photography technique in a bit. I'm working on it right now and finding some good examples to show.

Right now, I don't actually do much photography work-wise. It's more of an interest and hobby. At one point I was pursuing it as a full time job, but that was before I found an actual full-time job, LOL. Photography was too hard to pursue as a career, long and tiring hours, with not much money at all. (I pretty much worked for free for months) But in any case, I do some shoots on weekends but on a limited basis in the NYC area and I can finally start charging a small fee.

I don't bring my good gear with me on vacation, so I wouldn't want to charge anyone anyways. There are some great photographers in the Orlando area who often do shoots in Disney. One of my faves is www.rootweddings.com They do amazing work, and may be able to work within your price range (most photographers I know are pretty flexible with price, depending on what you want and how much experience they have.)

In any case if you do see me in the parks, I'd be happy to snap a few pics of you and your family and say hi of course!

 

[chunkymonkey]

The Boyfriend and I have been big Joseph Gordon-Levitt fans since Brick. Have you seen it? It's a really good movie!!!!

Same here! But I really do hope they keep continuing to do the Wishes Dessert Party. It is something I would absolutely love to do on a future trip. But I just don't think it's in the mix for us this trip.

I decided I'm bringing 2 lenses! My 28-300 and my Lensbaby Composer. I figure the 28-300 gives me enough variety and versatility for whatever I may need to shoot without having to stop and switch lenses a lot. And with my Lensbaby, I'm bringing my Fisheye optic, so I'll have a fisheye lens! And I have the Lensbaby Macro Kit, so I could even use it as a macro lens if I needed to!

No I haven't seen Brick, but I'm going to put it on my Netflix queue right now!

Guess you can have too much of a good thing (dessert) maybe one day when we are not on the dining plan...

28-300 is a nice range! Is the lens really long? I'm looking forward to your lensbaby pictures and seeing the different things you can do with it!

 

[flamestarrdust]

So the Wishes Dessert Party has been extended until the end of the year, and although I was excited about booking this before, the more that I think about it, the less inclined I am to want to book it. Mostly the reasons are that I probably won't be able to eat that much dessert! LOL

The evening that I would be at MK, I am already dining at Boma, which is a buffet so in that sense I am already having a dessert buffet of some sort. Zebra domes anyone? So my plan was to just watch Wishes like I do every time, just a regular person in the park, with my camera.

Speaking of cameras, I'm trying to figure out which lenses I'll be needing for this trip. Now I'm the sort of person that carries a large bag every day, except when I am at disney. Since we're walking around so much, I don't want to lug around a heavy bag, so I'm sticking with lightweight nylon or canvas bags. I have a protective neoprene sleeve for my camera and lenses. so I can just throw them in my bag.

So far, I've been deciding on bring my 10-22mm f4 wide angle, my absolute favorite travel lens. It captures everything. It is a little big though not the biggest lens I have. Because it's only a 10-22mm lens I'd need another one that have some telephoto capability, so I was thinking of the 28-105mm F 3.5which is a relatively good size for traveling. and possibly the 35mm 2.0 which is great for food shots especially in dim restaurants. 3 lenses may be a bit excessive does anyone think? especially if I don't want to bring the huge camera backpack. I guess we'll see...

I agree with you on the Wishes Party, too. I have read different TRs that included it and no one ever ate a lot of the desserts plus the view was kind of ok, basically a sideways view. I had thought about booking it before reading the reviews but changed my mind. There is no way we would eat that much dessert and even if we did, we'd feel awful afterwards.