Fun with a wide angle lens.

I always think that it's fun to pretend you are the only person in the park. And with a crowded Magic Kingdom, it's frankly not that easy. Here is a photo I took on my last trip, which looks almost like I'm the only one there. It's the haunted mansion. To get the shot I got up close but used a really wide angle lens. It creates the illusion that there is a lot of space between me and the building with no one there. Of course the park was really crowded.

Less than two weeks to the trip to WDW.

I've learnt not to count my chickens about Disney trips. We had to cancel a trip at short notice last year and postpone it for a couple of months. Hopefully we are good to go a week on Saturday. We are flying there via Las Vegas, where we are scheduled to be about twenty minutes. Las Vegas is of course in totally the wrong direction for Orlando but hey. I like flying so no problem. I'm going to take a quarter for a slot machine, maybe I will win the $1 million jackpot at the Airport. Which unlike any other airport is full of slot machines. Well it is Vegas after all. Then we fly onto Orlando and WDW. The thing I like about WDW is it's capacity to make you forget the real world. So for nine days, I'm going to forget my job, my problems and the fact I lost 25c on a wild gambling spree in Vegas. I might buy a Mickey Chocolate Apple. This is how they make them by the way.

Welcome to the New Look at Photographing Disney.

Hi there, today has been a day of change, I upgraded my computer to Windows 10. Oh gosh that is so much better than 8.1. So to celebrate I decided to work on the look of Photographing Disney, I added a little splash of color, to the old black and white look. I still kept it dark because I think the photos stand out more on the darker background. But it felt a little gloomy to me. I hope you like the new style. Anyway, I looked for a really colorful photo to post and I thought that Mr and Mrs Duck looked all bright and cheerful.

It's the little touches.

I love the little touches at Disney, I found this when I was wandering around the Disney Hollywood Studios, or MGM as we old-timers prefer to call it. That's a great thing about deciding to do some photography there, you tend to notice a lot more things. Anyway, it's one of the little touches that make WDW so great. So lets say "hello" to Mona and her shades.

The Camera Shop at DHS

Any photographer is always going to love this little shop at Disney's Hollywood Studios. Sadly not much of an actual camera shop, but love the art deco outsides.

3 for the price of 1.

I'm probably giving away too much information here. I spent an hour or so last night playing around with a program called Lightroom made by Adobe. It's very good at painting with light. These photos look pretty similar apart from the colours. That's because they are the same photo. I think it shows that saying "the camera never lies" should have "but the photo processor does" added afterwards.

Dino Rama.

When this area first opened in the Animal Kingdom, I was rather appalled. In volume one of our Disney Diaries there is a believe a bit of a rant by me about the arcade games which smacks of what Walt was originally trying to get away from. However the cheeky fun atmosphere of the area has rather grown on me, and I do like the off the shelf wild mouse coaster. Not a good ride to go on just after lunch.

Tower of Terror.

Now I've said before that the Tower of Terror is my favorite ride and it's true. However, I really don't like the shape of the newer versions in California, Paris and this one in Tokyo. What's with all the sticky out bits at the top. It looks like a hammer headed shark! I guess its to hold ride mechanism. I just don't know of any buildings that are that shape from that era. Still love the themeing and the rides though.

The frog was a prince. The prince was an egg. The egg was a bird. Haven't you heard?

The Big Three.

This is a terrible admission that I'm not that into Mickey and Minnie. OK they're fine I suppose, I don't have anything against them. No one really loves a perfect couple though. I like a few flaws in my friends (good job as they have a few!!) So Donald's more my kinda guy. I'm going to mess up sometimes so it's better to hang around with people more like me than Mr Perfect I always think.

Let's head off into space shall we.

I love anything Metro Retro!

The Volcano and the Golden Dome.

People will tell you that if you are a Disney Park Lover, you have to at sometime take a trip to Tokyo Disney Sea because it is the most amazing park of them all. They are not joking, just look at the wondrous attention to detail in this photograph. It's stunning.

BTMR

As I get older I'm finding that harness roller coasters are a bit too uncomfortable for me. Once I was in Islands of Adventure and I rode Hulk 8 times in a row, Greg my son rode it 10 times, I didn't do the last two due to shall we say a tummy content meets sidewalk incident after ride no 8. However, I do love the non harness coasters a lot. I love Big Thunder and especially Everest. I can't wait to do the 7 Dwarfs Mine Train in September when we go back to the world. This one is as the observant will tell the BTMR in Tokyo.

The Old Bus and the New Hotel.

Thought this made a nice visual combination of the old style bus with the modern hotel. It's a little Tomorrowland style if you ask me.

Sit back and smell the trombone.

As I get older, I'm less inclined to ride Tower of Terror 10 times in a row as I have done in the past, nope once is enough for me. The beauty of Disney is that there is always something fun you can find to enjoy yourself. So Sit back, relax, have a beverage of your choice and enjoy the band for a while. One of my favorite things to do at Epcot for example is get some Fish and Chips and watch the British Revolution play a set, I call it the "poor man's dinner show!"

Tower of Terror?

Tower of Terror? No it's not taken at the ToT in Tokyo Disneyse. It's actualy one of the Hotel Miracosta Bell Hop, who wear a very similar uniform to those at the Hollywood Tower Hotel. It makes you very reluctant to get in the elevators with one of them!!

Rain what rain.

Even the rain can't stem the tide of Duffy loving people flowing into Disneysea each morning.

I'm in San Antonio today and it's a bit overcast so to keep in with the mood, I thought that I would post a couple of B+W photos today of the Boardwalk and the Y and B Club.

Scull Rock

Disneyland Paris, is one of the most pretty parks, it's also got some of the older things that were at Disneyland, one of which is Scull Rock, it's part of a great pirate themed playground/adventure area. Let the little boy or girl in you run riot.

Where is it?

OK this is obviously Big Thunder Mountain, but which Big Thunder Mountain? The first person who posts the correct answer below wins an all expenses trip to the park it's in. Cheers Larry. OBTW - I lied about the prize, you just get to feel very clever on matters Disney.