Fireworks from France

Through the years I have taken numerous photographs of IllumiNations: Reflections of Earth. I still do. I continue to search for the elusive photograph of fireworks that I can point to and say, "that is pretty good." Some day perhaps.

My last trip was during the closing weekend of Epcot's International Flower and Garden Festival, and I decided to try something a bit different. Instead of queuing on the promenade and shooting from there, I decided to shoot from the courtyard inside the France Pavilion. I thought it may provide a different perspective on things having something in the foreground.

I still need to work on this, but here is a first effort at a different vantage point. 

At the corner of Hollywood and Sunset

If you have followed this blog for a short time, or a long time, you realize that I love to take photographs in the parks.  This is also true for after the sun has gone down. I still have much to learn with low light photography and believe that practice makes perfect.  So most trips to the parks includes some time to unpack the tripod, get out the remote shutter control, and have some nighttime fun.

One of my favorite parks to explore in the evening is Disney's Hollywood Studios.  I love the art deco design of Hollywood Blvd. and Sunset Blvd.  And the neon adds a design element that I appreciate just as much.  Here is nighttime look at Disney & Co. from the corner of Hollywood and Sunset.

The Path to the Temple of Heaven

I am staying in the China Pavilion for another week. Day or night, the garden is a tranquil place to pause, rest and reflect.

The Mystery of China

“China is a sleeping giant. Let her sleep, for when she wakes she will move the world.” This quote is attributed to Napoleon. There is little known as to the circumstances surrounding the quote. There are some who date his statement in 1803; a year prior to his coronation as Emperor. 

I have visited many places in my life. There are many more that I still wish to visit. China is one of those places. It intrigues me. To me it is a land full of mystery. Perhaps some day. 

Until that time, I'll content myself with the occasional visit to the Chinese Pavilion.

Disney World After Dark: The Bab Boujouloud Gate

On 31 December 2012 I decided that it was time to step away from The Disney Obsession. I was struggling with the sporadic nature of the work I was doing here. If it could be called that. Add to that, my writing was going in a different direction. I write daily. It just happens that most of what I write would not make it to this or my other blog. I came to the conclusion that I was tired of posting for the sake of posting.

Yesterday I decided to pay a visit to see what was happening and I was amazed to find that The Disney Obsession was visited 732 times last month. There has been no new content, yet, the blog is visited an average of 26 times a day. Hard to believe. From time to time I'll post a photo on my TDO Facebook page. When I do, a reasonable number of people stop by for a look. But I don't understand what drives traffic and I am not going to try and figure it out.

It then occurred to me. I still love Disney! I still love to take photographs while in am in a Disney park! And occasionally I like to share a photograph. So I thought, why not do that here? 

Here we go. I am not going to knock myself out writing. There are many more blogs for you visit to check out what is happening in Disney, what is new in the parks, what is changing and what most everybody with an opinion thinks about it (I usually keep my opinions to myself and that will not change now). And there are many great Disney photography sites. This will not be one of those.

What you'll find here now is just a guy who loves Disney and likes to share a photograph every now and then. 

So to begin this new journey on an old blog, let's visit one of my favorite subjects - night photography. Let's begin with the Bab Boujouloud Gate in the Morocco Pavilion.

Disney World After Dark: France... again

I believe this is the fourth photograph I have posted of the France Pavilion after dark. I make no apologies, it is one of my favorite places to be in Walt Disney World. 

Disney World After Dark: Castle at Twilight

If someone were to ask me how many photographs I have taken of Cinderella Castle, I would have to answer honestly and say I do not know. Over the years and through hundreds of photographs, I am still drawn to its mystery and enchantment. True, a lot of my shots are of the same angle, but I take them anyway hoping that I may find something that I have not seen before. Of all the park icons, it is my favorite and will keep me coming back year after year and photograph after photograph.

This photograph was taken nearing twilight in February 2012.

Disney World After Dark: Imagination Fountain

I may have posted a similar photograph through the years. If so, forgive me. I didn't take the time to go back and look. But, if you'll indulge me, this is very likely one my favorite scenes to photograph at night.

Might I Recommend...

... reading the Main Street Gazette's post, Do As Dreamers Do. It is a roundtable discussion answering the question, "What is your favorite nighttime spectacular, past or present, in Walt Disney World?" It is a good read.

Disney World After Dark: Innoventions Plaza

If you have followed this blog for any this blog for any length of time you know how I enjoy taking photographs in the World after dark. It becomes a different world in different light and I feel it takes on a different character as well. It is more, mysterious.


Though it will be hard to tell, this is a High Dynamic Range processed photograph. It is rendered from a single photograph taken with a Nikon D40, then processed through Adobe Photoshop produce copies with varying exposures that were then rendered in Photomatix Pro.


As for the timing, there are two great times to take photographs in the Plaza. One is during IllumiNations. If you can draw yourself away from the nighttime spectacular, you'll find that the Plaza is virtually empty as most everyone is at, you guessed it, IllumiNations. Another time is to linger during your exit from the park. This works best when you watch IllumiNations on the far side of World Showcase. You're a whole park away from the front entrance. Again, take your time.


Oh, and have a tripod with you. The above photograph was taken in Aperture mode with a lens opening of f/10 and an ISO of 200. This was a 10 second exposure. 


So, if you're patient, you can come away with some really nice shots.

A Sign Its Saturday

For me, no trip to Walt Disney World is complete unless I have the opportunity to visit The Art of Disney. This then gives me the opportunity to share some of my money with the Disney yet again. It is also is in keeping with a suggestion my wife gave me years ago, in which she said, and I paraphrase, "If you are going to collect things from Disney, they may as well be some really nice things." A good suggestion indeed.

Lately I have been scaled back my pin purchasing (I am not a trader, but a purchaser) and have focused on the Robert Olszewski Galleries of Light. But there are three other items that I have been considering during my last few trips: the Olszewski Cinderella Castle, the replica of the Partners statue, and a particular cell The Art of Disney - Disney's Hollywood Studios location. It is quite possible that at two of these will make the journey home with me following my October trip.

So, here's to The Art of Disney and to collecting "some really nice things."

Disney World After Dark: Memories

There is a debate that continues among those who frequent the parks. I don't know, it may also take place among those who have only visited Walt Disney World once and come home with a multitude of thoughts about the experience. But the question is, "What is the best nighttime show in Walt Disney World?"

There are those who say that Wishes is the best. In fact, a survey of readers in October 2010 had half of the respondents voting for Wishes. The other 50% were split between IllumiNations and Fantasmic. So, some say Wishes, some say IllumiNations, and so forth.

Now there is another option, Magic, Memories and You. No, we're not going to poll the audience, but I am saying that it is a show that should not be missed. If for no other reason, for the technology. In fact, you may not tear up as you would for the others, but I think you'll find it does touch a chord for many viewers.

As for me, I find my eyes leaking for Wishes, IllumiNations and Magic, Memories and You. What is not to love about any of these three?

Disney World After Dark: A Fountain II

There is something that I have been meaning to do. With every trip to Epcot I hope that I find time to sit and watch the fountains. I am not very successful in fulfilling this hope, but still, I hope. I have often thought that if ever I find myself in a situation when I can come and go to the parks whenever I wish, then I'd have a better chance of having that time.

Of all the fountains in the World, the World Fellowship Fountain is my favorite. I slow down when I walk past it during the day. If I stop to eat at the Electric Umbrella, I never set with my back to the water. At night, the fountain is even more spectacular! Then, I come to a complete stop.

Someday.

Someday I'll have the time I speak of. When that day arrives I plan to find a place along a nearby wall and watch the fountain through a whole cycle of shows. Then when that's done, I may do it all over again.

Wishful Wednesday

You may recall that I hope to take each of my grandchildren to Walt Disney World sometime while they are 9-years-old. I mentioned a few days ago about taking a trip with my dad; just my dad and me. It's special to have just that one-on-one time. I have enjoyed that with my children and now I hope to enjoy it with my grandchildren.

For my granddaughter Shelby, that trip was this past April. To say that I spoiled her is an understatement. I did. I admit it. She enjoyed the full treatment at the Bippity Boppity Boutique and had breakfast in the castle with Cinderella. She got to hug her favorite princess, Ariel and the two talked for a short while. She then made her wish on her Wishing Star. She was living her dream. At one point, she looked across the table at me and said, "Papa, this is the best time of my whole life."

Okay, I got a little choked with that. Then, and now.

But you know, as wonderful as all that was, this is what it is all about...

Smiles.

Laughter.

There are few joys that compare, or are greater than seeing a child smile or hearing them laugh. Whether it is in Walt Disney World or over a bowl of cereal in the kitchen, it doesn't get much better than this.

This is what it is all about.

Disney World After Dark: The Temple of Heaven

There are few places in World Showcase that I find more peaceful than the China Pavilion. When I am tired I like to have a Peach Oolong Tea from the Joy of Tea and find a place to sit in the garden. The music and the sound of water I find quite soothing. Another place that allows a moment or two of quiet is the rotunda in the Temple of Heaven. Enter here and let a sense of calm to overtake you.

Disney World After Dark: Morocco

"Moroccan artisans spent months creating the detailed geometric patterns in the buildings, like the Koutoubia Minaret, a recreation of the famous prayer tower in Marrakesh that stands guard over the entrance to the Morocco pavilion." So reads the text from the 1983-1988 section of Walt Disney World Resort: A Magical Year-By-Year Journey, the 1998 Edition. I found this book yesterday this past Saturday while rummaging around our local Goodwill Store.

The Morocco Pavilion opened along the World Showcase on September 7, 1984. For years it was a pavilion that I would pass by thinking there was no real reason to spend time there. That was a big mistake. It is rich in beauty and offers insight to a culture that we are all too unfamiliar with. For me, it is that reason that makes it one of the gems of the World Showcase.

I fell in love with the Morocco pavilion late in my obsession and I wish that had not been the case. By day it is a lesson in the artistry of a people then by night it becomes a place of quiet mystery. Step in. Imagine.

Disney World After Dark: A Fountain

From my first trip to EPCOT Center in the late 80s, I have been fascinated by the Upside Down Fountain at Imagination. Yes, it is a simple feat of imagineering, but still one that captures my interest with each return visit. With the lighting employed at night it becomes all the more captivating. On quiet evenings, once most of the park guests have made their way to the World Showcase to wait for IllumiNations: Reflections of Earth, it is quite soothing to listen to, and maybe get lost in your thoughts and dreams.

Disney World After Dark: A Wall

The Aztec Temple of Quetzalcoatl that is the primary structure of the Mexico Pavilion offers a variety of angles to photograph. Still, one of my favorite items to photograph are the bas relief carvings that greet you at each entrance. I wish I knew the story of these walls, so that I could share it with you. Sadly, I don't. But I can share this.

I'll show my age here and this has nothing to do with this photograph, other than this carving is the one found to the right of the pavilion if you are facing the temple. This is the side with all the lush vegetation. Some years ago, at one of the early International Flower and Garden Festivals, there was a small vignette of what could only be thought of as a botanist camp site. There was a small pup tent, a few cooking utensils arranged around were a fire would have been, and other miscellaneous items you'd find in a sparse campsite. I found this very intriguing. When I am feeling particularly adventurous I think of this and wonder what would it be like to spend a few weeks in a tropical location, experiencing a somewhat rustic life for a few weeks.

Does anyone else remember this little camp vignette? If you do, I'd love to find a few photographs of it.

Disney World After Dark: A Surprise

I feel fairly certain that I was not the only one surprised by Tangled. Quite honestly, I thought this would be a film that I could possibly wait until the DVD release before seeing it. But a postponed trip to Walt Disney World following Christmas gave my wife and I time to visit the theater on more than one occasion. On one of these, we saw the film, and I was surprised at how much I liked it. I thought the animation was exceptional and it was a good story. And let's be honest here, I teared up a little now and then. Especially during the song, I See the Light, and all the floating lights were released.

As I was making my way around the World Showcase this past week, I was also surprised with the addition of a new tower along the promenade. In the Germany pavilion, adjacent to the trains, stands Rapunzel's tower. Stop and listen long enough and you'll hear a familiar tune.

Disney World After Dark: The View from Italy

Some of the pavilions on the World Showcase just come right out and slap you in the face! They deserve; they command your attention. France is one of those pavilions for me.

Other pavilions are like a fine wine or a properly aged cheese, they are subtle and they take time so as to be truly enjoyed. Morocco and Italy are those pavilions for me. The more time I spend in each of these the more I come to appreciate the artistry and intricacies in their design. Mosaic tile work in Morocco and the Italian Gothic style of the Doges Palace replica. The elaborate stonework on the palace is enough to give pause on most any journey around the Showcase.

Also, not to be missed is the view across the water. From your vantage point by the water, you are looking over 658* years in time to Spaceship Earth. From here, you can take in a panoramic view of Epcot. Please, let me recommend you take a pause in Italy during your travels. Enjoy the view and enjoy the quietness that this area often provides.

More to follow...

* The Doges Palace was completed in 1324 and Spaceship Earth was completed in 1982.