HalloweenTime at DLR Info and Photo Superthread #3

[figment_jii]

The pictures are great! I can't wait to see everything (and to try all, okay some, of those things mentioned in the blog)!

 

[ImTooExcitedToSleep]

This week's DIS Unplugged: Disneyland Edition podcast features special guest Sherry E discussing the Unleash The Villains event, plus what's new for HalloweenTime 2013.


Download here:
09/19/13 DIS Unplugged: Disneyland Edition


Listen here:
Unleash HalloweenTime

 

[Sherry E]

I don't know if anyone here joined in on the Halloween Time chat last night, but I couldn't even get into it -- and I was supposed to be the special guest!


Bret -

Beautiful, clear Main Street photos!

I know the Main Street pumpkins were not all that remarkable in terms of being new (and there were probably fewer of them) -- because we have seen them in person before and we know what to expect -- but what I'm trying to do in this thread is show the people who have just recently tuned in (and not read the entire thread) the different things to look for when they embark upon their first ever Halloween Time trips this month and next. Main Street 2013 was something I had not posted photos of yet (whereas I covered some treats, a lot of merchandise and a lot of the Carnival since my trip last week), so that's why your awesome Main Street photos were essential! THANK YOU!

In fact, had I known you would be posting more Carnival photos I could have saved myself a lot of time struggling with Photobucket and my PC to assemble my own pictures -- everyone would much rather see your photos anyway, and I could have saved myself a lot of frustration in trying to get them posted here!




Kim --

I know you weren't talking to me, but I just had to throw this in. It's always great to have a stellar camera and awesome accessories, but the fact remains that anyone can take good pictures -- or, at the very least, interesting pictures -- with any camera and a little inspiration. The equipment is not going to do all of the work. It will do some of the work (like enhance the crispness and clarity in different lighting situations, for sure), but your imagination and 'eye' are the key and the foundation. And this is coming from someone who has a little, basic camera, but also has a few good ideas every now and then (good enough to where a few people have copied a couple of my photo ideas!).

I'm saying all of this because I don't want anyone to be intimidated into thinking, "Oh, I don't have a really good camera so I can't take good pictures." Not true at all!


For example -- in the case of the photo below, I could have taken a plain color shot to showcase the yellow in the fake sunflower. Instead, I went a different route. I wanted a rustic feel to the photo, but with a hint of Autumn in it (in the form of the fake flower). I switched to sepia (a setting that most people probably have on their basic cameras) and the photo has a whole different feel than it would have had otherwise. It's not that it's a great photo, but it's a more interesting spin on this one sign and seasonal accent than just taking a regular portrait or landscape shot:

I even tried a B&W version of the same subject, and while the B&W version of this sign is probably still more interesting than a color version would be, it's not as interesting as the sepia picture...

This picture below I posted here a few days ago. I originally wanted a nighttime photo (something that was halfway decent) of the Ray Bradbury tree. I did get one or 2 semi-acceptable shots, but nothing great. Nothing that I really like. The tree is beautiful at night so any photo of it will be striking, but when I saw that the sky was still kind of blue as it gave way to night I had a different idea.

So this photo ended up being more interesting than any photo I could have taken of just the tree alone. The sky was still blue enough at that time to offer a nice contrast to the orange/reddish glow of the tree on the left, and the big moon in the shot was just the icing on the cake. It was the exclamation point at the end of the sentence, if you will.

​

It's always fun to sort of use different textures, colors, shapes or patterns of things wherever you happen to be (rocks, flowers, a vibrant blue sky, an interesting patch of grass, a pile of rusty horseshoes, whatever) to help compose photos and add dimension. In our Theme Week Countdown over in the Christmas thread this week, I posted one of my favorite shots of the GCH tree (it's a favorite that I've taken; obviously, I have favorite shots that many other people have taken!)...with a different spin. I used one of the interesting textural/design elements in the lobby to help compose my picture and give it dimension, as well as a different perspective (from behind the rocks!). No fancy camera was used for that. It was just an idea I had, and fortunately it worked out well! Some ideas soar and some ideas stumble, but the key is to try!

Anyone can do it!! So, everyone get out there and start taking some photos! No excuses (unless you simply just don't have a camera of any kind)!

 

[Sherry E]

This week's DIS Unplugged: Disneyland Edition podcast features special guest Sherry E discussing the Unleash The Villains event, plus what's new for HalloweenTime 2013.


Download here:
09/19/13 DIS Unplugged: Disneyland Edition


Listen here:
Unleash HalloweenTime

Thanks for letting us know that it's up now, Tom! I have been mentioning the podcast and what we all talked about, but I wasn't sure how early it would be ready today so I'm glad you gave us the heads up!

 

[Lucrezia]

Lucrezia --

I think that the various gingerbread creations (in the 2 GCH restaurants and in the Cars Land and Buena Vista Street restaurants) will be interesting to the girls when you bring them for the holidays, and I think they'll love love love the Halloween in-room celebration!

Storytellers makes -- or they used to make -- a delicious spaghetti with meat sauce. I don't know if your nieces like spaghetti (I don't know of many kids who don't), but maybe they'd like this. I've eaten it there for lunch and dinner and it is (was?) yummy. Fresh herbs, fresh garlic, tasty sauce...mmmmm..... It's not cheap for a plate of spaghetti, but it's tasty.

Thanks for the compliment. As for the photos, apparently Elk Grove Chris is a super early riser and had the run of the GCH lobby, etc., so he was able to get some great people-free shots.

As I was telling pudinhd in this thread, I just make a point of deciding that what I want to do for the day is take photos -- it's what I love to do but I have to actually skip other things so I can focus on it all day. And I cannot take photos if I am with other people. I can't focus. So I literally have to be left by myself to wander around, looking for interesting photo opportunities. When I get on a roll and am feeling creative, that's when I get an occasional interesting idea (like that one GCH photo I took from behind the rocks/fireplace, looking towards the Christmas tree). Better equipment would help me execute my 'vision' much better (although I am too clumsy to carry around clunky cameras), but I can come up with a good concept here and there if I am in "the zone." It's all about getting in the zone for me!

Soon I will start my new TR thread and post my real Halloween Time photos from this past Friday (which may not necessarily be all that Halloween-ish). I have not posted those in this thread (other than the one nighttime tree/moon shot) so far. I've just tried to post the photos that will be helpful for people about to head to DLR for the season and have stayed away from my sharing my artistic endeavors!

Yes, I remember the Storyteller's spaghetti from your TR! I really want to try it now. I'm sure my nieces will adore it, considering they love pretty much anything pasta-related.I wish I had enough dedication to get up early and take pictures, but I just can't seem to find it in myself. Whenever I think we're super early to be getting in line for the GCH entrance into DCA, there's already a ton of people ahead of us. Another problem is that we're staying on the concierge floor of the GCH and DLH and always spend our mornings at the lounge, eating leisurely. Grrr. I'm so lazy sometimes. Hopefully I'll be able to get some halfway decent pics this time around on my new camera. I can't wait to read your next TR!! Sounds like so much fun. It's so hard for me to believe that the Halloween season has already begun at DLR. I'm praying that by the time we go, the weather in SoCal will have cooled down enough for it to be enjoyable. We went in late August two years ago and it was so hot I could barely function (it was also my nieces' first trip ever to DL, and they were so miserable the whole time it took some arm-twisting to convince them to give it another chance---lol!). +crosses fingers+ Today I woke up and it was 45 degrees!!! So freezing I had to turn the heater on for the first time in months & months. I'm taking that as a good sign.

 

[lindyv321]

So what is Mickey's Mask erade that I see scheduled at the Carnival? Is it worth checking out??

 

[DisFam95]

I want to see costumes!! Any photos yet of "the people"?

I'm 3 weeks away and still need to gather supplies. I'm anxiously awaiting a shipment from the UK for part of my costume and hope it makes it in time.

Someone mentioned about the caramel apple lollipops (jolly rancher). I had a bag last year. Not sure it was jolly rancher though. It was green apple w caramel in the center and I loved them!! I normally don't eat caramel apples either but these were so good I was stealing them from my kids - shhhh

 

[Sherry E]

Yes, I remember the Storyteller's spaghetti from your TR! I really want to try it now. I'm sure my nieces will adore it, considering they love pretty much anything pasta-related.I wish I had enough dedication to get up early and take pictures, but I just can't seem to find it in myself. Whenever I think we're super early to be getting in line for the GCH entrance into DCA, there's already a ton of people ahead of us. Another problem is that we're staying on the concierge floor of the GCH and DLH and always spend our mornings at the lounge, eating leisurely. Grrr. I'm so lazy sometimes. Hopefully I'll be able to get some halfway decent pics this time around on my new camera. I can't wait to read your next TR!! Sounds like so much fun. It's so hard for me to believe that the Halloween season has already begun at DLR. I'm praying that by the time we go, the weather in SoCal will have cooled down enough for it to be enjoyable. We went in late August two years ago and it was so hot I could barely function (it was also my nieces' first trip ever to DL, and they were so miserable the whole time it took some arm-twisting to convince them to give it another chance---lol!). +crosses fingers+ Today I woke up and it was 45 degrees!!! So freezing I had to turn the heater on for the first time in months & months. I'm taking that as a good sign.

Lucrezia --

I think you'll be pleased. You and I have commiserated on how we both hate hot weather, so I think I know what will be good news for you.

I have been so hot and miserable lately, it's actually been hard to focus and get comfortable during the day. I hated going into the kitchen, especially to cook anything. My apartment felt like a sauna unless I kept the AC on all day and night, which I simply cannot do. Last Friday it was incredibly hot at DLR and even muggy after dark. The sun was so harsh and biting.

However...I can tell that the weather is cooling down and the seasons are trying to change! I've been sleeping with the windows open for a while now, and usually by the morning the room hasn't cooled down all that much. For the last couple of mornings, though, the room was actually quite brisk. I didn't have to kick off any blankets. In fact, some of the cold overnight air is still hanging around in my living room now, even though it is warming up outside.

So, while the temperatures are still in the 80's or above, I am finding that I'm less and less miserable. I can actually go into the kitchen now and not almost die from heat exhaustion. I went into the kitchen a couple of days ago and prepared a whole meal on the stove without breaking a sweat one time. That is a sign that Fall is almost here!

When I am not miserable and hot all day long and I actually feel comfortable (and maybe even a little chilly) which I do, right now, that is a sure sign that the weather is slowly changing and the sun is getting less harsh. I tell you, in the 2:30 p.m. - 5 p.m. hours over the last few weeks, if I sat next to the window I was about to collapse because the way the sun was positioned, it was shining right on me.

Yep...Halloween commercials are airing. Pumpkins are aplenty at Disneyland. Seasonal foods, candles and bath products are on the shelves. And Sherry is not about to die from heat exhaustion. All of these things mean that Autumn is upon us, and sweet relief is here!!!!

So what is Mickey's Mask erade that I see scheduled at the Carnival? Is it worth checking out??

lindyv321 --

I didn't see it while I was there -- I only saw the sign. When I was there Billy Hill and the Hillbillies were rocking the Carnival with "Devil Went Down to Georgia." (A foot-stomping, hand-clapping good time for all!) I could be wrong, but what I think that Mickey and other costume-clad characters come out at a certain time and meet guests, maybe do a little "show," etc. I only saw Woody and Pumpkin Donald Duck though. Mickey was not there when I was there.

 

[Sherry E]

I want to see costumes!! Any photos yet of "the people"?

I'm 3 weeks away and still need to gather supplies. I'm anxiously awaiting a shipment from the UK for part of my costume and hope it makes it in time.

Someone mentioned about the caramel apple lollipops (jolly rancher). I had a bag last year. Not sure it was jolly rancher though. It was green apple w caramel in the center and I loved them!! I normally don't eat caramel apples either but these were so good I was stealing them from my kids - shhhh

DisFam95 -

I'm the someone who mentioned the Jolly Rancher Caramel Apple lollipops. I'm glad to know they were tasty.

Be sure to peek in on Kiwigirls' MHP Check-In thread for ideas of which costumes people are wearing, if you haven't already. Maybe people have posted their costume photos there.

I took and posted photos (as did Bret) of things that I know many Halloween Time visitors will want to see or learn about, even if they do not attend the Halloween Party. The MHP has not begun yet so I couldn't get any costume shots. Some people go to the party and some don't, so there will be a lot of non-costume Halloween Time photos and talk in this thread.

 

[DisFam95]

DisFam95 -

I'm the someone who mentioned the Jolly Rancher Caramel Apple lollipops. I'm glad to know they were tasty.

Be sure to peek in on Kiwigirls' MHP Check-In thread for ideas of which costumes people are wearing, if you haven't already. Maybe people have posted their costume photos there.

I took and posted photos (as did Bret) of things that I know many Halloween Time visitors will want to see or learn about, even if they do not attend the Halloween Party. The MHP has not begun yet so I couldn't get any costume shots. Some people go to the party and some don't, so there will be a lot of non-costume Halloween Time photos and talk in this thread.

Oh forgot the MHP has not started yet - I guess I was just thinking of all the talk of the Villian party. Just too excited!

LOVE all the other photos you & others have taken and posted! Thanks for taking the time to do all that.

 

[Sherry E]

Oh forgot the MHP has not started yet - I guess I was just thinking of all the talk of the Villian party. Just too excited!

LOVE all the other photos you & others have taken and posted! Thanks for taking the time to do all that.

DisFam95 --

You're very welcome! And I am pretty sure that as the season progresses, we will start to see more photos (the "people" photos) and PhotoPass pictures and things like that. We're less than one week in to Halloween Time so I fully expect that we will see a lot more of other types of photos as we roll ahead.

You mentioned the Villains party. What's interesting is that I spotted a few people on 9/13 who looked to be wearing what I would classify as a costume in Disneyland. Not just wacky, crazy hats, and not elegant Dapper Day wear, but actual outfits that looked like costumes or half-costumes. For example, I saw one man in a Peter Pan costume, but it looked like he changed his pants and kept on the shirt, hat and shoes!

I actually began to wonder if -- perhaps -- a few folks confused the Villains party with being one of the Mickey's Halloween Parties and thought it meant they should be wearing costumes. If they don't follow Disney news that closely and don't belong to a board such as this one, it's possible they could have gotten confused. After all, the Halloween parties at WDW began, I think, on 9/10 -- so maybe some guests just assumed that DLR's parties had already begun by 9/13?

 

[kmedina]

This week's DIS Unplugged: Disneyland Edition podcast features special guest Sherry E discussing the Unleash The Villains event, plus what's new for HalloweenTime 2013. Download here: 09/19/13 DIS Unplugged: Disneyland Edition Listen here: Unleash HalloweenTime

It always confuses me when I get an email with multiple shows advertised that all look the same. I have listened to one so far and definitely heard you, Sherry. I am in the middle of listening to the other one and have not heard from you yet. The third one seems like a repeat of either the first or the second, so I probably will not listen.

Sherry, Your photos are stunning, and I agree the sepia one is best. No matter how hard I try, my photos are boring. I take about 50 of the same pose before I get one decent one. For some reason, ALL my photos are blurry on manual mode, so I always use automatic. I never noticed a setting to change between color/black and white/sepia on any of my cameras. I will start looking now. Thanks for that tip. I also appreciate your tip in the podcast about Halloween merchandise being in stores at DCA particularly by ToT. I am guessing most people will not even look there, because there are not many decorations at DCA. They probably assume Disneyland is the exclusive place for merchandise.

I got an email stating a few places will have pumpkin loaves starting 10/25. I am so excited!!!

 

[ImTooExcitedToSleep]

It always confuses me when I get an email with multiple shows advertised that all look the same. I have listened to one so far and definitely heard you, Sherry. I am in the middle of listening to the other one and have not heard from you yet. The third one seems like a repeat of either the first or the second, so I probably will not listen.

Sherry, Your photos are stunning, and I agree the sepia one is best. No matter how hard I try, my photos are boring. I take about 50 of the same pose before I get one decent one. For some reason, ALL my photos are blurry on manual mode, so I always use automatic. I never noticed a setting to change between color/black and white/sepia on any of my cameras. I will start looking now. Thanks for that tip. I also appreciate your tip in the podcast about Halloween merchandise being in stores at DCA particularly by ToT. I am guessing most people will not even look there, because there are not many decorations at DCA. They probably assume Disneyland is the exclusive place for merchandise.

I got an email stating a few places will have pumpkin loaves starting 10/25. I am so excited!!!

What email are you talking about?

If you're talking about the daily update email from The DIS, normally it will list the shownotes page, then each individual show.

We release 3 shows every week. This week, Sherry E joined us for ONE of the shows to talk about Halloween.

Thanks for listening!

 

[californiamomof4grls]

We only have THREE more days to go!! I'm thinking of surprising my whole family and driving down to Bakersfield Sunday night and staying in a hotel. So that Monday which was suppose to be our travel day will be an all day day! So excited

 

[kmedina]

What email are you talking about? If you're talking about the daily update email from The DIS, normally it will list the shownotes page, then each individual show. We release 3 shows every week. This week, Sherry E joined us for ONE of the shows to talk about Halloween. Thanks for listening!

This email.

See how it mentions Sherry in the bottom one and the one on top of that. It makes me wonder if they are different or just listed twice for some reason. Whenever I see that, I generally only follow one link and listen to one. If there are two, I am missing one each time.

 

[ImTooExcitedToSleep]

This email.

See how it mentions Sherry in the bottom one and the one on top of that. It makes me wonder if they are different or just listed twice for some reason. Whenever I see that, I generally only follow one link and listen to one. If there are two, I am missing one each time.

Yep. The first three are links to each individual show, the 4th is a link to the show notes page where you can get links to all of the shows, plus links to anything we talk about.

 

[kmedina]

Yep. The first three are links to each individual show, the 4th is a link to the show notes page where you can get links to all of the shows, plus links to anything we talk about.

Thanks! That makes sense. Now, I feel like a dork. Whenever I clicked on the fourth one, it never brought me directly into a show like the others. Whenever I am DISing (take a break from time to time), I usually listen to at least one show a week. It cracks me up when you joke about two viewers. I am one, so I always wonder who the other one is.

 

[DisFam95]

Sherry E. I have to ask - I listened to the podcast and someone (not sure if it was you or the other female) I swear to my ears says "vampire ****" maybe halfway in. Right now I can't recall what the topic was but I replayed it 3 times and heard the same thing each time. I just giggled and moved on.

 

[Sherry E]

It always confuses me when I get an email with multiple shows advertised that all look the same. I have listened to one so far and definitely heard you, Sherry. I am in the middle of listening to the other one and have not heard from you yet. The third one seems like a repeat of either the first or the second, so I probably will not listen.

Sherry, Your photos are stunning, and I agree the sepia one is best. No matter how hard I try, my photos are boring. I take about 50 of the same pose before I get one decent one. For some reason, ALL my photos are blurry on manual mode, so I always use automatic. I never noticed a setting to change between color/black and white/sepia on any of my cameras. I will start looking now. Thanks for that tip. I also appreciate your tip in the podcast about Halloween merchandise being in stores at DCA particularly by ToT. I am guessing most people will not even look there, because there are not many decorations at DCA. They probably assume Disneyland is the exclusive place for merchandise.

I got an email stating a few places will have pumpkin loaves starting 10/25. I am so excited!!!

Kim --

Thanks for the nice compliment, although my pictures are far from stunning! I am lucky if I am able to successfully execute an idea for a photo here and there, but there are surely a lot of clunkers along the way.

You must have a setting to change the coloring or effect to B&W or similar things. I don't think your photos are boring at all (from what I recall of the TR you did)!

Did you see the list of Halloween/seasonal food that I posted here yesterday (from the Disney Parks Blog)? There are so many things to try!

Sherry E. I have to ask - I listened to the podcast and someone (not sure if it was you or the other female) I swear to my ears says "vampire ****" maybe halfway in. Right now I can't recall what the topic was but I replayed it 3 times and heard the same thing each time. I just giggled and moved on.

DisFam95 -

Hmmm. I'm not sure what you thought you heard (I don't listen to the podcasts that I participate in because I don't like to listen to myself talk) -- and it looks like maybe the DISboards filter blocked out whatever you typed?? -- but I'm fairly sure that neither Mary Jo nor I said whatever it was. It's a G-rated, family-friendly podcast!

 

[DisFam95]

Kim --




Hmmm. I'm not sure what you thought you heard (I don't listen to the podcasts that I participate in because I don't like to listen to myself talk) -- and it looks like maybe the DISboards filter blocked out whatever you typed?? -- but I'm fairly sure that neither Mary Jo nor I said whatever it was. It's a G-rated, family-friendly podcast!

Oops after I typed that I wondered if I'd get bleeped - my apologies Moderators!