Be Our Guest and Beast's Castle

I saw Beauty and the Beast on opening day at the AMC in Disney Springs!  I was inspired by the movie to do a B&W shot.

As with most my shots, this was a 3 bracket HDR image with the normal exposure set to f/8.0 to get good clarity throughout the frame, 1/250 sec shutter speed (set by the camera), ISO100 for minimal noise, and a 27mm focal length.

I later did the post-processing in Lightroom to merge the three images, apply tone mapping and also the B&W filter.

Have fun capturing the magic of Disney.

Cinderella Castle, Magic Kingdom

Any afternoon in front of Cinderella Castle is a great afternoon.

f/8.0, 1/100, ISO100, 41mm.

Have fun capturing the magic of Disney.

Another beautiful morning at Disney's Polynesian Village Resort

Along with the convenience of being so close to the Magic Kingdom, another great benefit of staying at Disney's Polynesian Village Resort are just the spectacular sunrises.

I can't think of a better way to start the day than getting a nice hot cup of coffee from Kona Island and taking a stroll along the water's edge.

You can hear Walt Disney world coming to life with the toot of the whistle from the Magic Kingdom Railroad in the distance as well as the ferry boats and resort launches starting to do their daily runs.

This is a 3 bracket HDR image with the normal exposure set to f/8.0, 1/60 sec shutter speed, ISO100 at 19mm.

Have fun capturing the magic of Disney.

Matterhorn Bobsleds

Matterhorn Bobsleds at Disneyland.

f/8.0, 1/100, ISO100, 41mm.

Have fun capturing the magic of Disney.

The Jungle Cruise

Another view of the exotic Jungle Cruise in Adventureland in the Magic Kingdom, at Walt Disney World.

HDR, f/8.0, 1/100, ISO100, 41mm.

Have fun capturing the magic of Disney.

City Hall at the Magic Kingdom

It's 8am at City Hall in the Magic Kingdom, time for rope drop!  City Hall is hosted by the Magic Kingdom Guest Relations host and hostesses.  Here you get get park information, book dining reservations and more all done with a distinctly Disney touch designed to make your vacation as hassle-free as possible.

This was a 3 bracket HDR image with the normal exposure set to f/5.0, 1/125 sec shutter speed, ISO100, 32mm.

Have fun capturing the magic of Disney.

The Tree of Life

I spent a little extra time walking around Animal Kingdom on my last visit and it was the first time I came across this perspective of the Tree of Life.  Coming from Africa, I took a path on the left along the river walking toward the Tree of Life.  It ends up being an exit for It's A Bug's Life.  I was able to get this interesting shot of the sunlight passing through the branches and leaves of the tree.  I got a little lens flair in this shot because I was shooting directly into the sunlight, but I kind of like it.

This was a 3 bracket HDR image that was merged and tonemapped in Lightroom.  The normal exposure was set to f/8.0, 1/20, ISO100, 16mm.

Have fun capturing the magic of Disney.

Animal Kingdom at Sunset

Just a few minutes before Golden Hour passed, I was able to get this shot of both the Tree of Life and Expedition Everest.  This was the first time I ever noticed the Marabou storks (bottom right).

This was a three bracket HDR exposure with the normal exposure set to f/8.0, 1/13 sec shutter speed, ISO100 at 23mm.

Have fun capturing the magic of Disney.

Beauty and the Beast

Epcot International Flower and Garden Festival

If you take a stroll around Epcot and the World Showcase during the International Flower and Garden Festival you may come across over 100 dazzling topiaries including many beloved characters.  In France you can find Beauty and the Beast.

This was an HDR image with the normal exposure set to f/8.0, 1/200 sec shutter speed, ISO100, at 16mm.

Have fun capturing the magic of Disney.

The Tower of Terror

Have you ever noticed that the Twilight Zone Tower of Terror at Disney's Hollywood Studios has minarets on top while no other Tower of Terror ride has them?  That's because as seen from Epcot, you can actually see the Tower of Terror behind the Morocco Pavilion.  Adding the minarets and the paint scheme colors helped it to blend into Morocco Pavilion "skyline" as if it was intended to be there.

This shot was taken while walking from the Boardwalk.  This was a 3 bracket image that was merged and tone-mapped in Lightroom.  The normal exposure was set to F/8.0, 1/400 sec shutter speed, ISO100, at 50mm.

Have fun capturing the magic of Disney.

Flower and Garden Festival

Epcot is beautiful during the Spring with the Flower and Garden Festival.  Similar to a show I posted a few days ago, but this time with the monorail!

F/9.0, 1/400 sec, ISO100 30mm.

Have fun capturing the magic of Disney.

Sunrise over the Bungalows at Disney's Polynesian Village Resort

A great way to start the day is to wake up and watch the sunrise over Disney's Polynesian Village Resort.  Although this picture looks peaceful, you can hear the train from the Walt Disney World Railroad in the distance or the whistle from the resort launches and the horn of the ferry boats.

This was an HDR image taken with the Sony 16-50 kit lens with the normal exposure set to f/8.0, 1/60 sec shutter speed, ISO100 at 36mm.

Have fun capturing the magic of Disney.

Sunset over Seven Dwarfs Mine Train

This was the first time I was able to go to Disney with my iPhone 7 Plus.  Lightroom Mobile also just released an update that will allow HDR in RAW (DNG) format.  The new HDR mode works by automatically scanning the scene to determine the correct exposure range and then capturing three DNG files which are then automatically aligned, merged, deghosted, and tonemapped in the app. You get a 16-bit floating point DNG, with all of the benefits of both an HDR and a raw photo, which is processed by the same algorithms with the same quality as the HDR technology built into Adobe Camera Raw and Lightroom.  I don't like the default tone mapping, so I did some post-processing on the image.

Have fun capturing the magic of Disney.

The Bridge to Beast's Castle

To get to Beast's Castle you have to cross a bridge that is guarded by Gargoyles.  

HDR, f/8.0, 1/320, ISO100, 16mm.

Have fun capturing the magic of Disney.

Tortuga Tavern, Adventureland

Another view of Tortuga tavern in Adventureland, in the Magic Kingdom, at Walt Disney World.

HDR, f/4.0, 1/160, ISO100, 19mm.

Have fun capturing the magic of Disney.

Adventureland, Magic Kingdom

As you pass through the entrance to Adventureland, you are transported to a magical place where hidden treasures await around every corner.  Take a cruise down 4 of the major rivers of the world, watch pirates battle each other, watch a show hosted by talking birds, ride on a magic carpet, or climb a tree house.  Oh, and don't forget to try the Dole Whip!

HDR, f/4.0, 1/320, ISO100, 24mm.

Have fun capturing the magic of Disney.

Morocco, World Showcase, Epcot

When I venture to the back of the Morocco pavilion, it's not very crowded.  Guests who don't get a chance to explore the very back of the Morocco Pavilion miss out on some lovely sights.  This is another example of where Disney uses forced perspective to make the surrounding buildings seem very tall and majestic.  There are also some great shops to explore back here.

HDR, f/8.0, 1/200 sec, ISO100, 16mm.

Have fun capturing the magic of Disney.

The Outpost, Frontierland

The Golden Oak Outpost is a great place to grab a snack including chicken nuggets, fries, cookies, and hot and cold drinks.

HDR image, f/8.0, 1/80, ISO100, 16mm.

Have fun capturing the magic of Disney.

Mexico, World Showcase, Epcot

When you approach the Mexico Pavilion you can't help but to see the majestic structure that resembles a mesoamerican pyramid with steps leading up to the top.

When you enter the pyramid, you enter a gallery containing historical artifacts.  Past the gallery is a plaza where it is constantly twilight.  The plaza is an open air market with festive decorations, carts and shops.

The settings for this image were f/8.0, 1/125, ISO100, 16mm.

Have fun capturing the magic of Disney.

Fountain of Nations at Epcot

It's hard to miss the lovely dancing waters called the "Fountain of Nations" located just past Spaceship Earth after you enter Epcot.  

Did you know that is played in important part in the park's opening ceremony in 1982.  A special "International Ceremony of the Waters" took place right here on opening day in which "cultural representatives" from 29 countries traveled to Epcot from around the world.  Each brought a container of water from their country and poured it into the fountain.

This is an HDR image with the normal exposure set to f/5.6, 1/500 sec shutter speed, ISO100 at 39mm.

Have fun capturing the magic of Disney.

The Exotic Jungle Cruise

The Jungle Cruise takes you on an exciting river adventure through Asia, Africa and South America.  Here you will see Hippos, elephants, and maybe even a head hunter.

Your journey starts in a forgotten jungle outpost.  Guided by your trusty skipper, you take a journey through some of the world's most dangerous rivers including the Amazon, the Congo, the Nile, and the Mekong.

This was an HDR image with the normal exposure set to f/5.0, 1/200 sec shutter speed, ISO100, at 30mm.

Have fun capturing the magic of Disney.

Where in the "World" is this?

Anyone recognize where in "the World" this is?

This was an HDR image with the normal exposure set to aperture f/8.0, 1/80 sec shutter speed, ISO100 at 48mm.

Have fun capturing the magic of Disney.

The Enchanted Tiki Room

With the sun peeking through the clouds, it made me think of the theme of the show with the Tiki Gods looking down on the Enchanted Tiki Room.

This is an HDR image with the normal exposure set to Aperture f/8.0, 1/80 sec shutter speed, ISO100 at 32mm.

Have fun capturing the magic of Disney.