POTC Take 2

[zackiedawg]

I'll add one - you probably made Gdad cry with your shot of the caretaker in HM, he keeps complaining that he can't get a decent shot of him. I don't remember that he's much better lit at DL, but maybe he is...?

I haven't seen DL's since the renovation, however I know many people who have who are avid photographers and frequent both parks - and they all agree HM in DL is significantly better lit throughout.

PotC: Some love the DL version but I don't think it's so clearcut. There's virtually no queue (as opposed to WDW's long and very themed queue) and a long, pointless-to-the-story section at the end. WDW's loses the opening bayou scene and a little other near the beginning - but as cool as the bayou is, it doesn't really fit the pirate motif IMHO.

Just wanted to add one little point on this: The bayou scene is actually quite integral to the pirate theme. Louisiana was one of many pirate hideouts, and there were a few quite famous pirates known there who would have been very big in the 40s and 50s due to movies portraying them - something that would put that idea in Walt's mind when the ride was developing. Pirate Jean Lafitte used New Orleans and later the bayou as his base of operations, until invaded and captured by Americans during the War of 1812 - he was released if he agreed to defend the unprepared city against the British invasion and helped to successfully defend New Orleans against the invasion, and was pardoned. He then set up in Galveston Texas, and continued pirating and privateering for another decade.

He was well portrayed in the adventure and pirate movies post-war, including Yul Brenner in 1958's The Buccaneer.

Just my theory...but I think that's where the inspiration came from to portray the bayou region as a base of operations for the Caribbean pirates - and why it seems appropriate (and cool) to me.

 

[GoofyontheHiSeas]

No offense to Roger, but doing a quick EXIF comparison... I think the caretaker would have to be much better lit in DL than WDW. Roger's shot above was at 1/60 sec., f/1.4, ISO 3200, with EV-1 (which effectively means ISO 6400 when exposure is pushed 1 stop in post, right?... that concept still confuses me a bit). Here's a shot I took in WDW (which is horrible, btw), but my EXIF is 1/30 sec, f/1.8, ISO 12800, which if I calculate correctly is 2 1/3 stops faster than Roger's.

I was actually scared to post the picture because if you and Jeff could not get the shot Fx bodies cranked up how could I have been so luck as to get this shot. Of course I did have my wife with me and she has been known to produce a glow. Maybe she is my answer to Jeff's light producing f1.2.

 

[Groucho]

I haven't seen DL's since the renovation, however I know many people who have who are avid photographers and frequent both parks - and they all agree HM in DL is significantly better lit throughout.

Well, it changes, too... I remember riding HM and PotC in late 2003 in WDW and noting how bright it was, to the point that you could easily see the ceiling tiles in PotC and the scrims in the graveyard at HM. (It was distractingly bright.) My next Disney park trip was DL in 2005 and it was much darker, which was a good thing (unless you're battling for best dark ride photo )... but when we went back to WDW in January 2006, the WDW ones were darker, again. We did a Keys to the Kingdom tour that trip and I asked the tour guide about it and she did say that they had brightened it for safety reasons then they decided that it didn't improve safety, it just made things look worse. I got the impression that they tweak that stuff now and then.

Just wanted to add one little point on this: The bayou scene is actually quite integral to the pirate theme.

Fair enough... but at the end of the day, it just seems a little disconnected from the rest of the ride. The load zone is relatively unthemed, then you basically float past a restaurant on one side and swamps on the other, and suddenly you have a talking Jolly Roger above you. It just feels like some of these long introductions are more to do with getting you under the train tracks and out to the main show area than with actually being an integral part of the ride.

Regardless - I definitely stand the the queue comments, the DL PotC queue is dull-dull-dull except for the plaque out front with the two sexy mermaids. The WDW PotC queue and facade are great.

 

[kaffinito]

I am seriously impressed! I'll have to write down what you did and try again next trip.

 

[racreel]

Excellent images! I especially like the one of the caretaker.