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| Lights during the candle lighting ceremony |
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| Shooting stars... do you believe? |
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| Soap snow!!! |
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| Sleeping Beauty castle... iced out. |
Review Hours: 2
Total Hours to Date: 96 - almost to the first 100 hours!!!
Monday, December 9, 2013
Fireworks and "Snow"
The beauty of having an annual pass to Disneyland is being able to go for a few hours, just for the fireworks on a random Sunday night. There are so many interesting things to photograph and it's constantly evolving. I love being able to head there whenever with a DSLR in tow... though I may try a series with just an iPhone or normal point & shoot just to test my photographic eye.
Active Shooting Hours: 2
Review Hours: 2
Total Hours to Date: 96 - almost to the first 100 hours!!!
Review Hours: 2
Total Hours to Date: 96 - almost to the first 100 hours!!!
Sunday, December 8, 2013
Christmas, Christmas Everywhere!!
I really enjoy attractions that decorate for various holidays, particularly Halloween and Christmas. The Long Beach Aquarium had Christmasy decor in the various exhibits and even a diver dressed as Santa - although I would argue he was much too skinny to be Santa and more like the Elf on a Shelf terror.
The lorikeets also had several Christmas trees at their disposal for hiding and pecking at. Those little buggers bite quite readily - I didn't chance trying to buy food and taking pictures of them at the same time. I can't wait to go back to feed them though!!
The challenge du jour was really learning to work in completely manual mode. Since most of the exhibits are in the dark and behind shiny acrylic, I couldn't use flash and had to focus with the manual ring since there's an absurdly bright focus light that the autofocus employs. As a result, a lot of the pictures came out pretty horrifically blurry. In some cases, it was pretty frustrating since I know the shots would have been great had they been in focus.
In such cases, the law of large numbers to the rescue and I got some pretty awesome pictures anyway.
Active Shooting Hours: 3
Review Hours: 3
Total Hours to Date: 92
The lorikeets also had several Christmas trees at their disposal for hiding and pecking at. Those little buggers bite quite readily - I didn't chance trying to buy food and taking pictures of them at the same time. I can't wait to go back to feed them though!!
The challenge du jour was really learning to work in completely manual mode. Since most of the exhibits are in the dark and behind shiny acrylic, I couldn't use flash and had to focus with the manual ring since there's an absurdly bright focus light that the autofocus employs. As a result, a lot of the pictures came out pretty horrifically blurry. In some cases, it was pretty frustrating since I know the shots would have been great had they been in focus.
In such cases, the law of large numbers to the rescue and I got some pretty awesome pictures anyway.
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| A nautilus, floating about its exhibit |
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| Seahorse |
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| And a lorikeet in a Christmas tree - long lost mysterious 13th day of Christmas gift? |
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| Giant Pacific Octopus |
Review Hours: 3
Total Hours to Date: 92
Saturday, December 7, 2013
It's Beginning to Feel a Lot Like Christmas
I love Christmas... there's something about the cold bite in the air juxtaposed with the spicy scents of nutmeg and cinnamon. Not to mention all of the shiny things - ornaments, lights, gift wrap...
To make this season extra special, I got myself an annual pass to Disneyland - not only the happiest place on earth, but also the singular place that turns me into a fantastically giddy five year-old princess. This also gives me a new venue to take photos, so I'm looking forward to the new inspiration!!
I traipsed around the park all day with only my 35mm lens in tow with a polarizing filter since I knew I would be distracted by jumping on my favorite rides. I still managed to capture some decent shots, despite the throngs of people. The lighting was also a hindrance for most of the day - it was incredibly cloudy over half the park and the other side was sunny blue skies. Looking back through the shots, I could have used a neutral density filter to adjust for some of the blown out skies. Hilariously, a Christmas gift arrived in the mail when I got home with a ND filter in it!!
I'll be headed back soon, hopefully on a day with fewer people stepping into my shots, although that's doubtful given the holiday season.
Active Shooting Hours: 6
Review Hours: 3
Total Hours to Date: 86
To make this season extra special, I got myself an annual pass to Disneyland - not only the happiest place on earth, but also the singular place that turns me into a fantastically giddy five year-old princess. This also gives me a new venue to take photos, so I'm looking forward to the new inspiration!!
I traipsed around the park all day with only my 35mm lens in tow with a polarizing filter since I knew I would be distracted by jumping on my favorite rides. I still managed to capture some decent shots, despite the throngs of people. The lighting was also a hindrance for most of the day - it was incredibly cloudy over half the park and the other side was sunny blue skies. Looking back through the shots, I could have used a neutral density filter to adjust for some of the blown out skies. Hilariously, a Christmas gift arrived in the mail when I got home with a ND filter in it!!
I'll be headed back soon, hopefully on a day with fewer people stepping into my shots, although that's doubtful given the holiday season.
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| The man and the mouse |
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| Swiss Family Robinson Treehouse |
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| Sleeping Beauty Castle, all decked out! |
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| Even more impressive by night. |
Review Hours: 3
Total Hours to Date: 86
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