One More Disney Day?

[Marlton Mom]

Here is my favorite shot from One More Disney Day: Not too many people were trying to do the slow walk out of the park after 24 hours of 'One More Disney Day' at the Magic Kingdom. Still I had to linger to get that last magical shot of a truly magical day....


Taking down the One More Disney Day sign 6 35 am by Marlton Mom, on Flickr

I arrived at the park at about 9 am after deciding that the foggy conditions were going to thwart any early morning pictures I wanted to get. This was a solo photo trip so I was burning the candle at both ends and I was already tired by the time OMDD rolled around so the extra sleep that morning was worth it because I knew it was going to be a long night.

I met up with Scott for lunch at CHH and I talked the poor man's ears off about photography this and that. It was a great lunch and I sure did appreciate the company. I left at 1pm for a 3 hour rest and came back at 5pm and spent the night, mostly wandering around taking pictures.

It was a really fun event with the true Disney Diehards making it until closing that morning. I was happy to know that I was one of them. I'll get to processing my pictures and perhaps a picture trip report later.

~Marlton Mom

 

[Pea-n-Me]

This actually turned out to be a relatively frustrating trip for me. No sunrise on the 29th — though the fog was a compensation and much better than just overcast. I had a heck of a time getting any sunset photos as well — on family park days, everyone always wanted to be doing something else such that I was too late. On a couple of days, it was my own fault for cutting things too close. It wasn't until yesterday — when I hadn't planned on going to any parks at all — that I realized I could make a solo trip to the Magic Kingdom with plenty of time to set up and wait for what looked to be a promising sunset. So I drove over there with almost two hours to spare and was feeling pretty good … which is when I discovered my tripod was missing.



I remembered that I had stashed in the bottom of the stroller at one point the night before, so I thought it might have been there. And at that moment, the stroller was with the rest of my crew, at the Disney outlet store over near Universal! Ifigured I would have time to meet them,get the tripod and come back.

Except it wasn't with them either.

I knew it wasn't at our rental home, because we looked high and low for anything of ours before we left. At this point I realized that I didn't have my tripod because it was missing. Figured I left it on the monorail or at the Magic Kingdom the night before.I was near Lost & Found at the time, so I checked there. Nothing. I went over the MK anyway, thinking I might be able to approximate the shot I wanted using a railing or something, which I did, though I think I missed the very best color in the sky in the time it took me to walk around Cosmic Rays'! But still, something was better than nothing. The shot was crooked, but I can fix that.

It was at THIS point I realized I was going to go home with the requisite Disney cold. Sigh. Wasn't looking forward to driving five hours when I already felt like I'd been hit by a truck. But I made it without incident, and rolled into the yard about 3 am.

And this morning Disney called — they found my tripod! So that's good news (even though I was already trying to figure how I could use the opportunity to get a better tripod).

SSB

This sounds like one of my trips!

 

[MolonLabe]

Here's my shot from yesterday's sunrise in the fog.

I Put a Spell on You by wbeem, on Flickr

Beautiful! Excellent job.

 

[wbeem]

I feel the same way, but I try my best not to think of these people as "idiots" or other such derogatory terms. They're guests drinking in the moment, just like I am, but without a camera. They're just as entitled to be where they are and do what they're doing as I am.

Sometimes it gets really difficult to resist, though. There are definitely plenty of times where I look serene and patient on the outside, but on the inside I'm screaming at the top of my voice, "Come on! Get OUT of my SHOT!!! Let me take a picture; it lasts longer!

I do get a kick out of the people who try to duck out of the frame as they walk in front of me as I'm using a fisheye or an UWA — it's the difference between having au upright person or a hunchback in the shot! And then there are the ones who do that while I'm shooting signs over their heads, as I did quite a bit this trip — they wouldn't be in the shot without a ladder.

You have a nice sentiment, but I've seen too many blank stares and dead eyes to believe they're just drinking in the moment. These lingering folks are clueless and without a plan. I've had folks literally walk right in front of me, aim their butt at me a foot from my camera, and then take a snapshot of the scene I was trying to take.

Despite all of my frustration, I sit there and wait. Eventually, they'll move and their little vacation never gets interrupted by me.

 

[WDWFigment]

Sounds like we had much better luck out at Disneyland than you all did at Walt Disney World. We had not one, but TWO sunrises and an awesome day of shooting in between. We even had puffy daytime clouds and a beautiful blue nighttime sky, both of which are rare in SoCal.

My first edited shot it posted on my website. I can't post it here for some reason.

 

[Experiment_626]

I met up with Scott for lunch at CHH and I talked the poor man's ears off about photography this and that. It was a great lunch and I sure did appreciate the company.

The only reason I didn't monopolize the conversation myself is because I was so hungry! I'd had two cups of coffee before leaving the house that morning, and one Coca-Cola in the park. Can't talk and eat -- and I guess you had already had your meal by the time I got there. I had taken two back-to-back spins on the TTA before coming over to meet you, and when I got off the ride I saw it was 11:27 -- time to get moving!

I feel as if I've been kicked in the head by a killer robot today -- no pain, but I'm kind of in a daze from still not having enough sleep and fighting this blasted cold.

It was cool to meet Ricky Brigante, but I'm little disappointed I missed Lou Mongello. I also saw Len Testa in the arcade in Tomorrowland that night, but he looked very busy working his iPhone, so I didn't bother him.

SSB

 

[Marlton Mom]

Sounds like we had much better luck out at Disneyland than you all did at Walt Disney World. We had not one, but TWO sunrises and an awesome day of shooting in between. We even had puffy daytime clouds and a beautiful blue nighttime sky, both of which are rare in SoCal.

My first edited shot it posted on my website. I can't post it here for some reason.

We had great weather Tues-Friday with only the mornings being foggy. By 9 am the sun was out and showing us her pretty side. I love those occasional clouds at night and the way the sun lights them with the last rays of the day.

The only reason I didn't monopolize the conversation myself is because I was so hungry!

I feel as if I've been kicked in the head by a killer robot today -- no pain, but I'm kind of in a daze from still not having enough sleep and fighting this blasted cold.

It was cool to meet Ricky Brigante, but I'm little disappointed I missed Lou Mongello. I also saw Len Testa in the arcade in Tomorrowland that night, but he looked very busy working his iPhone, so I didn't bother him.

SSB

I have a 13 year old son so it felt like home watching you eat. Some days I wonder if I should have named him "Hoover" when I watch him eat.

I saw one of the Deb's from that site that has all the ears about 3 minutes before you found the table. I wanted to go over to the other room and tell her thank you for all the great info but the 30 feet away table she was at was too far to walk when you are as tired as I was.

I hope you feel better soon. Those Disney hangover colds are murder!!

Here's some fun I had on the TTA with a 10.5 fish eye and a tripod. When you are going to shoot the TTA, wider is better IMO. The first time I shot it about 4 years ago I was using a Tokina 11-16 and that was good..... so I couldn't wait to see what a fish would do!


Round the Bend on the TTA feb 29 2012 by Marlton Mom, on Flickr

~Marlton Mom

 

[wbeem]

Sounds like we had much better luck out at Disneyland than you all did at Walt Disney World. We had not one, but TWO sunrises and an awesome day of shooting in between. We even had puffy daytime clouds and a beautiful blue nighttime sky, both of which are rare in SoCal.

You know, I'm not unhappy with the way things turned out here. This is the time of year for Central Florida to get some fog, but it's still rather rare to see it last as it did that morning. As a result, I got a shot I never anticipated.

It's the wisdom of the Rolling Stones at work. You can't always get what you want, but sometimes, you get what you need.

 

[Experiment_626]

Okay, here's my first posted image from the day. I'm not satisfied with it. I was satisfied for about five minutes, but now I think it needs further review. But at least this keeps me working on them.


One Foggy Disney Day 2012 Castle 1 by Scott S. Baxter, on Flickr

Hope to have more tomorrow.

SSB

 

[wbeem]

Cool! Glad to see someone else sharing from that morning. Keep working, keep sharing.

 

[Experiment_626]

Okay, this is a modified exposure fusion made from three images. Note that I said "images" rather than "exposures." I made 216 exposures in an effort to generate this image, shooting nine-exposure brackets 24 times. All of this was done to get images I could piece together without any guests in the immediate area around the Partners statue. I'm guessing about 15-18 of those exposures were actually used.


Partners Through the Fog by Scott S. Baxter, on Flickr

SSB

 

[WDWFigment]

^Very nice!

Here are a couple of mine from Flickr:


"One More Disney Day" - The End! by Tom Bricker (WDWFigment), on Flickr


Disneyland In Bloom by Tom Bricker (WDWFigment), on Flickr

 

[Marlton Mom]

I often wonder if they leave the lights on on the Astro Orbiter all night when the park is closed. The lights were definitely on at 4:40 am on March 1st, the waning hours of More More Disney Day.


Astro Orbiter OMDD 2 29 12 by Marlton Mom, on Flickr

~Marlton Mom

 

[Marlton Mom]

Okay, this is a modified exposure fusion made from three images. Note that I said "images" rather than "exposures." I made 216 exposures in an effort to generate this image, shooting nine-exposure brackets 24 times. All of this was done to get images I could piece together without any guests in the immediate area around the Partners statue. I'm guessing about 15-18 of those exposures were actually used.


Partners Through the Fog by Scott S. Baxter, on Flickr

SSB

Scott, I think all that work was worth it. This is a spectacular composition and well worth your time and effort. I love the surreal effect of the fog on the castle. This shot really showcases the statues while providing just a hint of the iconic image that is behind. This is such a lovely and artful blending of two iconic images in a never before seen way.

Love it!

~Marlton Mom

 

[Experiment_626]

Scott, I think all that work was worth it. This is a spectacular composition and well worth your time and effort.

Well, thanks! I really wasn't sure about the composition. Looking at it now, I kind of wish I had included the base of the statue and the flowers around it. But when I first set up the tripod, I believe there were a couple of children seated on the ground around it, and I wasn't sure how long they'd be there, so this is how I locked it down.

I briefly toyed with the idea of a vertical shot that would include the height of the castle. However, the fog was such that you literally couldn't see the top fifth of it. Plus, I wanted the statue to be the main subject and not be too small in the frame, especially with a mostly invisible castle behind it.

In my mind, Walt and Mickey are searching for the castle in the fog. "Well, Mickey, I'm almost sure we left it right over here somewhere ..."

SSB

 

[Experiment_626]

^Very nice!

Here are a couple of mine from Flickr:


"One More Disney Day" - The End! by Tom Bricker (WDWFigment), on Flickr


Disneyland In Bloom by Tom Bricker (WDWFigment), on Flickr

Nice!

I've never been to Disneyland (someday ...); is the Partners statue "finished" differently there? From your photo, it looks like Mickey has the same finish all over, whereas in the Magic Kingdom, parts of him are polished to a bit of a shine.

SSB

 

[WDWFigment]

Well, thanks! I really wasn't sure about the composition. Looking at it now, I kind of wish I had included the base of the statue and the flowers around it. But when I first set up the tripod, I believe there were a couple of children seated on the ground around it, and I wasn't sure how long they'd be there, so this is how I locked it down.

I briefly toyed with the idea of a vertical shot that would include the height of the castle. However, the fog was such that you literally couldn't see the top fifth of it. Plus, I wanted the statue to be the main subject and not be too small in the frame, especially with a mostly invisible castle behind it.

In my mind, Walt and Mickey are searching for the castle in the fog. "Well, Mickey, I'm almost sure we left it right over here somewhere ..."

SSB

I think you did it right. You don't need the entire Castle, just a hint of it. Having the entire Castle in the frame makes this an entirely different shot. Flowers would've introduced a distracting amount of color into this more foreboding scene. If it were me, the only thing that I would've done differently is moved to the right a bit so that Partners is more to the left in this frame to offset the Castle a bit more (also killing the dead space on the left side of the frame). That's a VERY minor suggestion in an exceptional frame. You nailed it--best shot I've seen from WDW's OMDD yet!

 

[Experiment_626]

If it were me, the only thing that I would've done differently is moved to the right a bit so that Partners is more to the left in this frame to offset the Castle a bit more (also killing the dead space on the left side of the frame).

I had the same idea. I still print lots of my images (I think that puts me in the minority these days). I haven't cropped this yet, but I think excising some of the left side is likely the way I'll go.

You nailed it--best shot I've seen from WDW's OMDD yet!

Well, thanks so much! Very much appreciated!

SSB

 

[Experiment_626]

I often wonder if they leave the lights on on the Astro Orbiter all night when the park is closed. The lights were definitely on at 4:40 am on March 1st, the waning hours of More More Disney Day.


Astro Orbiter OMDD 2 29 12 by Marlton Mom, on Flickr

~Marlton Mom

Sometimes I wish I were brave enough to ride this thing and to stand in the often interminable line it attracts, just so I could get some shots similar to this. The height doesn't exactly terrify me, but it doesn't make me all that comfortable, either.

The funny thing I've noticed, however, is that heights usually stop bugging me the moment I start looking through the viewfinder. Weird.

Very nice -- very kinetic, yet with a "calm in the eye of the storm" effect. Glad you enjoyed yourself that day and night!

SSB

 

[Experiment_626]

Edited to move to a new thread.