With the official announcement of the beloved Electrical Parade returning to Disneyland, I thought I’d post some fascinating history about it! How was a football game responsible for the parade’s closing fanfare? Whose idea was it to have the park lights dim in perfect synchronization with the parade’s musical introduction?
All this and lots more Disney entertainment history is in my interview with Don Dorsey! CLICK HERE for the interview and more photos
I just posted my interview with Larry Billman on my Mouse Clubhouse website. In this conversation, Larry discusses his career, including his involvement in the early development of great live entertainment at the Disney parks worldwide. The interview and more photos are at CLICK HERE for the interview and more photos
I just posted my interview with X Atencio on my Mouse Clubhouse website. In this conversation, X discusses his work for Disneyland and Walt Disney World, writing scripts and songs for attractions such Haunted Mansion, Pirates of the Caribbean and other attractions. CLICK HERE for the interview and more photos
The Journey Into Imagination with Figment attraction in Epcot is a fun little ride that I just love. A fun fact is that the little dragon’s voice is that of Mouse Clubhouse friend Dave Goelz, who is best known as the original Muppet performer and voice of Gonzo!
To capture this very dark scene, I got decent results with an ISO of 6400. The ride didn’t move too fast, so I was able to move my shutter speed up to 1/160 and then bring my aperture down to 1.8.
Feel free to write or comment if you want any more details about the photos, such as settings I used, etc.
I thought it would be fun to post this photo I took in Epcot back in 1993. Looong before Soarin’ was in The Land, this Audio Animatronics variety show, Kitchen Kabaret, made audiences chuckle with good nutrition humor. Pictured are Ham and Eggz, who offered up lots of “cheesy” jokes. While Mr. Hamm reminds people that cheese is a great source of protein, Mr. Eggz comments, “I cheddar to think about it!”
This photo brings back memories of the pre-digital age, where I used lots of film to take lots of photos – and would have to wait until returning from my vacation to have the film developed with great hopes that the pictures turned out.
While Kitchen Kabaret remains just a memory at Epcot, there are plenty of new exciting things to do there today!
Since today is the anniversary of Disney’s Hollywood Studios, which opened on May 1, 1989, I thought I’d choose a photo from that park for today’s Snapshot Sunday. This scene out of the Great Movie Ride takes you out of Kansas and sets you on the Yellow Brick Road with Dorothy and her new friends.
Although the Great Movie Ride has been in Disney’s Hollywood Studios since its opening, many changes have occurred in the park over the years, including the park’s name. It was originally Disney-MGM Studios, and the Great Movie Ride featured many scenes from both Disney and MGM films, with The Wizard of Oz, of course, being one of MGM’s classics.
Since the vehicle comes to a halt and the characters don’t move too quickly, I was able to use an ISO of 1600, a shutter speed of 1/100 and as usual in dark rides opened my aperture fully to 1.8.
Feel free to write or comment if you want any more details about the photos, such as settings I used, etc.
On this April 22, 1998, Disney’s Animal Kingdom opened at the Walt Disney World Resort. Not coincidentally, it was Earth Day! Today it is one of the largest animal theme parks in the world. Home to more than 2,000 animals across 300 species, the park reflects Walt Disney’s dedication to conservation and is committed to animal care, education and research. The six lands include Oasis, Discovery Island, Africa, Rafiki’s Planet Watch, Asia and DinoLand, U.S.A. areas. The photo above is the thrilling Expedition Everest attraction, where you can careen through the Himalayan mountains on a speeding train while avoiding the clutches of the mythic Abominable Snowman.
This isn’t my fanciest photo, but I just love this art style around Disney’s Animal Kingdom. I took this photo when the sun was hitting it just perfectly and giving me the bluest sky for the background. Whenever I take photos of signs I try to step as far back as I can and zoom in on the sign. This gives a much better perspective than standing close and pointing your camera up to the sign.
I used an ISO of 100 with an aperture of 5.6 and a shutter speed of 1/800 for this.
Feel free to write or comment if you want any more details about the photos, such as settings I used, etc.
Today’s Snapshot Sunday photo is of the Gran Fiesta Tour Starring The Three Caballeros at Epcot in Walt Disney World. The Three Caballeros, José Carioca, Donald Duck and Panchito, tend to pop up all over the attraction and I love these Mexican children playing with a Donald piñata.
I always try to take photos without a flash to preserve the carefully designed Disney lighting. Since this attraction is pretty well-lit and we’re not moving too fast in our boats, I used a 1600 ISO on my Sony RX100 II camera. I’ve gotten great low-noise results up to 3200 on my RX100 camera and up to 6400 on the RX100 IV. I tend to intentionally underexpose the photos a bit in attractions so I can use a higher shutter speed and then I brighten it up either in ACDsee or Photoshop.
Feel free to write or comment if you want any more details about the photos, such as settings I used, etc.
It’s Snapshot Sunday! On Sundays, I’ll be posting some of my favorite photos I’ve taken at Disney Resorts and on Disney Cruises. Feel free to write or comment if you want any more details about the photos, such as settings I used, etc.
With The Epcot International Flower & Garden Festival going on now, I thought I’d post my favorite of the festival topiaries from 2014. In the United Kingdom pavilion, you see floral versions of Captain Hook on the lookout for Peter Pan, who’s perched high on a rooftop above him.
With the beautiful sun and skies in Florida this was a pretty easy photo. In fact, the sun was lighting just the right parts for the image. Nothing too fancy, I used an ISO of 400 and a higher aperture just to be sure the Peter Pan was in full focus in the background.