"What's the Catch - Do I Not Get Bacon?" - 11/27 - TR started!

[amazingact21]

Apparently, I closed out of my browser before my reply had uploaded. Ugh... Anyways, I'll make sure this one actually goes through.


Had to laugh about your "lawn mowers." I don't know much about caring for horses, but I'd think it'd be easier to get them back in their stables than hauling the lawn mower through the front yard. Compared to each other, at least.
I'm sure they enjoyed the new area, as well.



Via Napoli is definitely worth going to! It was on the short list of restaurants I had to revisit on my trip. Their tiramisu.....


So, I was holding Landon while I was reading your update, and that photo of the fountains had him ENTHRALLED. He couldn't look away! You have a fan. Looking forward to your actual TR when I can show him more.

 

[teekathepony]

Apparently, I closed out of my browser before my reply had uploaded. Ugh... Anyways, I'll make sure this one actually goes through.
Ahh yes the wonders of technology.


Had to laugh about your "lawn mowers." I don't know much about caring for horses, but I'd think it'd be easier to get them back in their stables than hauling the lawn mower through the front yard. Compared to each other, at least.
I'm sure they enjoyed the new area, as well.
When the horses are on bright green, fresh grass like that it's not easy to get them back to the barn, although the promise of grain will do the trick!



Via Napoli is definitely worth going to! It was on the short list of restaurants I had to revisit on my trip. Their tiramisu.....
I am so excited for the tiramisu, I haven't had a good one since my trip to Venice in '09! Nothing compares after that, so I'm hoping Via will be close


So, I was holding Landon while I was reading your update, and that photo of the fountains had him ENTHRALLED. He couldn't look away! You have a fan. Looking forward to your actual TR when I can show him more.

Aww so cute! I'll make sure to take some fountain pictures for him in November, but you'll have to take pictures of him seeing them in person in December!

 

[DisneyKid4Life]

Hey Rob! You get your own reply. Special!

AAAAAAARGGGG! I can't believe I couldn't make it to the NS Dismeet! It looks amazing! But thanks for sharing the videos. Were you there? I want to make it to the next one!

YAY for special!

Sadly, no I didn't even know about it. That would have been really cool too. But I somehow came across the link where DIS Unplugged actually broadcast from here. I know they did last year as well. So very cool!

 

[teekathepony]

YAY for special!

Sadly, no I didn't even know about it. That would have been really cool too. But I somehow came across the link where DIS Unplugged actually broadcast from here. I know they did last year as well. So very cool!

I think they got names from the Atlantic Canadians thread to invite. Sounded like they want to do another next year, the Dis folks sure seemed to enjoy our province!

Sent from my iPad using DISBoards

 

[geckodani]

Okay, I'm still laughing about your lawn mowers. I want to borrow them.

So the Wishes Dessert Party made the cut, eh? I keep going back and forth about whether or not I want to do it with my mom in Feb if the trip ends up happening. I HATE having to jockey for space for Wishes, and this seems like it might take away that problem? Hmmm.

I'm still groaning about your flight time. Blergh. I hope everything goes niiice and smoothly for you!

 

[teekathepony]

Okay, I'm still laughing about your lawn mowers. I want to borrow them.

So the Wishes Dessert Party made the cut, eh? I keep going back and forth about whether or not I want to do it with my mom in Feb if the trip ends up happening. I HATE having to jockey for space for Wishes, and this seems like it might take away that problem? Hmmm.

I'm still groaning about your flight time. Blergh. I hope everything goes niiice and smoothly for you!

Aren't my lawn mowers great? So efficient and Earth-friendly. I have a list of people who want to borrow them! If I had a horse trailer I could keep them fed all summer!
The Wishes party made the cut. We did love it, really really loved it. So nice and absolutely takes away the elbow room issues of watching Wishes with no personal space! I could have drawn a 5 foot circle around me that no one entered the whole time I was watching the show. And the desserts were yummy too. I'm definitely not sorry we're doing it again!
Oh I hope the flights go smoothly too, it's a long enough day without worrying about delays and issues!

 

[teekathepony]

The List of Lists.

I had this more or less typed up at work today and accidentally clicked something and lost it all. UGH! Anyway, I'm hanging out at my MIL's place. It's close to work so I walked here after I was off. Johnny is at another car race so I'm just taking it easy. One thing I realized as I walked here (a 25 minute walk from work) was that I am OUT OF SHAPE!

Yikes! I sent this text to Johnny:

"Sh*t Johnny, we need to start walking again! I'll never make it in Disney!"



So we're going to start walking the dogs every evening again, like we used to. I might also set my alarm a little earlier each morning and walk them before work. I used to do this every morning and just got out of the habit. Sorry I did now!

I have a wedding coming up in just under two weeks.

My best friend, and I'm the Maid of Honour! I'm so anxious for the whole thing to be over. Mostly the bachelorette party! Man oh man, I've never tried to plan anything that was this difficult. Let's just say if I never talk to the other bridesmaids ever again (save one!) I'll be perfectly happy. Yeesh!

Just a tiny bit of bad news to break up this otherwise happy report update. My cousin with the liver cancer, remember him? Well he got some pretty bad news. His doctor told him he is in stage 4, not 3 (which apparently means the cancer has spread to other organs) and is therefore not a candidate for a transplant. That doctor told him there isn't much else to do, but that with radiation they might be able to buy him a year. He went to Ottawa, where his sister lives and has an appointment with another cancer doctor on Tuesday. We're hoping this doctor has a more hopeful outlook and treatment plan. My cousin works at a local radio station which is organizing a wonderful benefit concert for him. So nice of them! I know you have all offered prayers and thoughts for him and I appreciate them all. I hope to have happier news on Tuesday.

I can get pretty down about that if I let myself, that's why I try to Dis every day. It's a virtual happy place!

Now, on to Disney!

I'm going to take a wee break from the Day to Day plans to talk about lists.

I love lists. Here is a list of the lists I have to make:

To-do list: A general purpose list of all the things I have to get done before I leave for Disney.
To-buy list: A shopping list for things I need to buy, specific to the trip.
Must-do list: All the things I hope to accomplish while in the parks, this helps me to budget my time.
To-pack list: As we get closer I make two copies of my list of what I need to pack. One list I cross off each item as I put it in, the other I double check everything on the last day.
Counter service list: I make a list of all the counter service offerings in the World to help me to NOT have chicken fingers for lunch every day!

One thing I found helpful in last year's PTR was to keep a running track of my to-do list. As of now it stands like this:

The Official To-Do List

-Book the Wishes dessert party
-Pay off trip
-Hair Stuff (trim, maybe a little colour)
-Print Itinerary
-Order new contact lenses.
-Get some US cash
-Order photopass CD (?? We're not too sure yet.)
-Decide which cameras/lenses/accessories to take.
-Go through my clothes, see if I have enough!

I have already got a few major things checked off my list including one that is usually more difficult -- this year's sandals! Last year I wore these:

They're Sanuk yoga mat flip flops. I loved them! Very comfy, they did great for my whole trip. This year I got these:

The Sanuk sling. Even more comfortable, the soft fabric holds the sandal on a little cozier.

One last thing before I sign off for today. I did this last year and thought it was a fun thing to do again.

If you could blink your eyes and nod your head and be anywhere you wish, which would you choose...:

- Which Disney resort? (WDW? DLP? California?)
- Which park? (If applicable) (Epcot, MK, etc.)
- Which section? (Tomorrowland, world showcase, Pixar Place, etc.)
- Which ride? (RnR? TSM? Teacups?)

I'll go first.

- Which Disney resort? Walt Disney World, Orlando!
- Which park? Epcot
- Which section? Future World
- Which ride? Soarin'!

 

[teekathepony]

Photography 101
Lesson 9: Fireworks

I know everyone would love to take spectacular fireworks shots so I thought that would be a good lesson to do next (also it was a request!)

There are a lot of "right way"s to take fireworks photos, but a few definites too so that's what I'll share.

1. Use a Tripod
A good fireworks shot has a long shutter speed which requires a tripod to stop any camera shake from causing blur. Make sure your tripod is sturdy and on solid ground (wooden steps for example can shake when people walk.) Tripods are ideal, but garbage cans, tables and other solid, flat-topped surfaces will work too.
Nice sharp castle, thanks to a tripod!


For comparison: No tripod.



2. Remote Release
Even with your camera on a tripod, you can still shake it when you press your shutter release. Remotes are different for different cameras, some wireless and some not. You can also use your self timer, but that means being very precise with your timing.

3. Framing Your Shot
Figure out where you want to shoot from. Know where the bursts will be. Fireworks on a black sky background are boring, show a little spatial interest! Tell a story that begins with where you are. In WDW that's not usually hard as they do the work for you (ahem, fireworks around the castle!)
(Though this example is over-exposed, it's a decent example of including some foreground in your shot to give context.)



4. Focal Length
My own personal preference (if your camera's resolution allows it) is to shoot wide and crop later. Why? Well it's often hard to anticipate where each burst will be. Last year at Disney I tried getting a little closer and the finales with their higher bursts always ended up outside my shot.
Last year I was a little heart broken when IllumiNations' finale went a little higher than my frame:



5. Aperture
Make it nice and small for two reasons: 1. a large aperture means a shallow depth of field which means not all of your bursts will be in focus and 2. a large aperture will probably over expose your image. Fireworks are bright! Work somewhere between f/8 to f/16.

6. Shutter Speed
To get those beautiful long bursts, you need to slow down your shutter. It's all about capturing the movement! If your remote allows you to use Bulb mode, do it. It leaves the shutter open as long as you hold the button. Watch out in Disney though -- with so many bursts in a short period, it's easy to over expose. One technique I tried last year was this: Set my shutter for 30 seconds. Use a black card (plain black card stock or paper) to cover my lens when no fireworks are shooting to avoid over exposing the castle. It allowed me to get lots of action without over exposing the castle too much. It takes a little practice and I haven't quite got this one down yet.
Disney's Wishes finale can easily over expose!



7. ISO
Low! With the slow shutter you'll be at risk of over exposing anyway, keep your ISO at 100 or whatever your lowest option. It also helps eliminate noise.

8. Turn off your Flash
Just do it. It doesn't help anything at all and can illuminate things in your foreground and make it distracting.


9. Shoot in Manual Mode
Manual focus and exposure. Get back far enough from the fireworks, set the focus ring to infinity and turn off auto-focus -- it will only hunt in the darkness when you really need it to be exposing!
Manual exposure means your camera won't be fooled by the very dark scene between bursts or the very bright scene during them.


10. Check your images!
While you want to enjoy the show and not be constantly at your camera, you're going to want to have a check to make sure you're not totally blowing things out.


11. Shoot RAW
...if you have the option and the software. It allows for a little more wiggle room when editing.


12. Flashlights!
Use a small one (or your phone or watch) to read the camera's buttons and settings, if you need to.

13. Take off your filters.
If you use filters, take them off for the fireworks. They will only help to create distracting reflections. *
(Some people like to use a neutral density or polarizing filter to darken the image and get more out of their colour. This one you might have to experiment with!)

14. Turn off your IS/VR
If you have a lens with an Image stabilization or vibration reduction option, turn it off. If you're on a tripod you won't need it so there's no need of running that motor.



15. The most important thing: PRACTICE!
If your town has fireworks, use that as an opportunity to practice shooting fireworks. It gets easier and easier!




I hope these tips help! Thanks again for reading!

 

[Fairy Floss]

Thanks for the photo lessons - so clear and concise

I did a 5 hour class on taking night photos to learn just what you've written here

 

[MEK]

Ugh - planning the party sounds like a drag. Maybe because I have watched too many of the bridzilla type shows and I know that even bridesmaids can be a handful. Hope it's over soon.

Thanks for another great photography lesson. I really have to go back and copy all your lessons so I can reread them the next time I go to WDW.

Glad the trip planning is going well. I'm at 68 days.

 

[MEK]

Oh Yeah - there are days I am afraid to get on the treadmill for fear that I will look like that.

 

[teekathepony]

Thanks for the photo lessons - so clear and concise

I did a 5 hour class on taking night photos to learn just what you've written here

Glad you liked the lesson! Yikes, 5 hours? Although if given the opportunity I could definitely talk about photography for 5 hours too!

Ugh - planning the party sounds like a drag. Maybe because I have watched too many of the bridzilla type shows and I know that even bridesmaids can be a handful. Hope it's over soon.

Thanks for another great photography lesson. I really have to go back and copy all your lessons so I can reread them the next time I go to WDW.

Glad the trip planning is going well. I'm at 68 days.

Planning this party might just be the thing that finally drives me to drink! Less than a week to go until its all over! And I have a countdown on my phone.
Glad you liked the lesson! If I get time today I'm going to rearrange the index page so all the photography lessons are together, might help!
Awesome! Only 68? That came up fast!

Oh Yeah - there are days I am afraid to get on the treadmill for fear that I will look like that.

If I got on the treadmill right now I definitely would!

Sent from my iPad using DISBoards

 

[LB1122]

Bachelorette Parties - ahhhh they can be the worst to plan. sorry you have to. Guess she isn't into the whole simple spa idea???

Love your photo tips. I am trying to practice -that si on my to do list before our trip.

Today I feel this:
Resort - Wilderness
Park - Magic Kingdom
Section - New Fantasyland
Ride: Dumbo

 

[SAT887]

I'll go first.

- Which Disney resort? Walt Disney World, Orlando!
- Which park? Epcot
- Which section? Future World
- Which ride? Soarin'!

1) WDW
2) Magic Kingdom
3) Fantasyland
4) Teacups

Ok, I love those Sanuk Slings - I will be googling them very shortly - hehe - I may need these for my trip! I really enjoyed your photography lesson, I am currently trying to get through a book on my camera before we go away so I know all the ins and outs and its special features.... I can't believe you have time to post with usual summer business, work AND being a maid of honor!! I do not envy you hehe.... My sister is going to eventually get married and I don't want to touch that duty with a ten foot pole for the pure drama value that will ensue....

 

[DaveinFallsChurch]

I would like to be at:

WDW
Hollywood Studios
Sunset Blvd
Tower of Terror

So sorry to hear about your cousin. Will keep sending good thoughts your way.

I am so excited about the opportunities I will have in October for firework pictures. Since I'm by myself, I'm venturing into the parks with my tripod in tow for the first time and hoping to catch Wishes, Hallowishes, and Illuminations. It's hard to bring a tripod when visiting with the kids because we already have a lot we're bringing to the park.

 

[Disney9.9.10]

Ugh, I hate it when you get an update all typed up and the board eats it! I am so sorry to hear about your cousin, I can't even imagine hearing that news. I hope that the appointment with the other doctor goes well.

Lists make me so happy, I love how many lists you have! They really help make things easier and make you feel like you are getting things accomplished.

Great photography tips for fireworks!! I have gotten some good shots in the past, but your tips will really be helpful for my new DSLR!

 

[DisneyKid4Life]

Goodness Wendy, I don't even know what to say regarding your cousin. I am so very sorry to hear that. Please know that you have lots of support here.

I love doing lists too. "Pay off trip". Haha, I like that one. If you get photopass, consider PP+, especially if there's a deal. All those ride photos are so much fun.

Ooh fun!

- Which Disney resort? WDW
- Which park? MK
- Which section? In the middle of Main Street USA.... In front of that castle... During Wishes. (I may have borrowed that from somewhere.)
- Which ride? EVEREST!

 

[abbybeth]

Lists! And lists of lists! I <3 lists too

If you could blink your eyes and nod your head and be anywhere you wish, which would you choose...:

- Which Disney resort? (WDW? DLP? California?) WDW!
- Which park? (If applicable) (Epcot, MK, etc.) Today, I'd choose MK
- Which section? (Tomorrowland, world showcase, Pixar Place, etc.) Main Street USA
- Which ride? (RnR? TSM? Teacups?) walking towards the castle, headed for the teacups!!


Sorry to hear about your cousin, that is very sad news

 

[LB1122]

I love doing lists too. "Pay off trip". Haha, I like that one. If you get photopass, consider PP+, especially if there's a deal. All those ride photos are so much fun.

QUOTE]

Which rides have pictures for Photopass+ ??is there a link?

 

[eandesmom]

My best friend, and I'm the Maid of Honour! I'm so anxious for the whole thing to be over. Mostly the bachelorette party! Man oh man, I've never tried to plan anything that was this difficult. Let's just say if I never talk to the other bridesmaids ever again (save one!) I'll be perfectly happy. Yeesh!

Just a tiny bit of bad news to break up this otherwise happy report update. My cousin with the liver cancer, remember him? Well he got some pretty bad news. His doctor told him he is in stage 4, not 3 (which apparently means the cancer has spread to other organs) and is therefore not a candidate for a transplant. That doctor told him there isn't much else to do, but that with radiation they might be able to buy him a year. He went to Ottawa, where his sister lives and has an appointment with another cancer doctor on Tuesday. We're hoping this doctor has a more hopeful outlook and treatment plan. My cousin works at a local radio station which is organizing a wonderful benefit concert for him. So nice of them! I know you have all offered prayers and thoughts for him and I appreciate them all. I hope to have happier news on Tuesday.

Lifting your cousin up, and you too honestly. Surviving being MOH is not always the easiest of tasks!

I love lists. Here is a list of the lists I have to make:

To-do list: A general purpose list of all the things I have to get done before I leave for Disney.
To-buy list: A shopping list for things I need to buy, specific to the trip.
Must-do list: All the things I hope to accomplish while in the parks, this helps me to budget my time.
To-pack list: As we get closer I make two copies of my list of what I need to pack. One list I cross off each item as I put it in, the other I double check everything on the last day.
Counter service list: I make a list of all the counter service offerings in the World to help me to NOT have chicken fingers for lunch every day!

One thing I found helpful in last year's PTR was to keep a running track of my to-do list. As of now it stands like this:

The Official To-Do List

-Book the Wishes dessert party
-Pay off trip
-Hair Stuff (trim, maybe a little colour)
-Print Itinerary
-Order new contact lenses.
-Get some US cash
-Order photopass CD (?? We're not too sure yet.)
-Decide which cameras/lenses/accessories to take.
-Go through my clothes, see if I have enough!

I have already got a few major things checked off my list including one that is usually more difficult -- this year's sandals! Last year I wore these:

They're Sanuk yoga mat flip flops. I loved them! Very comfy, they did great for my whole trip. This year I got these:

The Sanuk sling. Even more comfortable, the soft fabric holds the sandal on a little cozier.

I love lists too! I like your list of lists. Cute shoes too! We bought Kendall the yoga mat ones last year, she really liked them, still wears them!

One last thing before I sign off for today. I did this last year and thought it was a fun thing to do again.

If you could blink your eyes and nod your head and be anywhere you wish, which would you choose...:

- Which Disney resort? (WDW? DLP? California?)
- Which park? (If applicable) (Epcot, MK, etc.)
- Which section? (Tomorrowland, world showcase, Pixar Place, etc.)
- Which ride? (RnR? TSM? Teacups?)

- Which Disney resort? WDW
- Which park? Epcot
- Which section? World Showcase
- Which ride? Is the Ditch a ride Actually I'd probably go for the new lovely little wine bar in Italy.

If it has to be a ride then...

- Which Disney resort? WDW
- Which park? DHS
- Which section? Sunset Boulevard
- Which ride? RRC

LOVE the fireworks tips, need to really get my act in gear and get some notes organized on that kind of thing.