I thought this would be a little fitting for the fact that we are at the intersection of another New Year. I've accomplished a lot this year. I quit smoking after over ten years with the habit. I also got a new camera in my Olympus OM-D E-M1, which I've been enjoying very much.
The best thing has to be proposing to my now fiance Jenea. As luck happens, the only date available on a weekend day in October for our wedding day was the 19. Which is the date on our first day at Walt Disney World, where I proposed in Epcot. We didn't even noticed until we booked the reception hall. LoL. Needless to say, that date got a whole lot more special.
Please let me know what you all think as any suggestions are welcomed and appreciated.
I hope that everyone has a very happy and very safe New Year's Eve and a very Happy New Year!
Enjoy!
Tuesday, December 31, 2013
POTD - Crossroads Of The World
Thursday, December 26, 2013
POTD - Vertical Atrium
I shot I've taken, and many other people have taken. It seems more often than not, and just as I did it the first time I shot here, that the composition is a landscape or horizontal orientation. I figured I would flip that idea on it's end, and this is what we're left with. I wanted to make sure I got a good exposure of the outside as well. It shows off how much light is actually let in, that's why I left the inside shadows a bit darker. Please let me know what you all think as any suggestions are welcomed and appreciated. Enjoy!
Tuesday, December 24, 2013
POTD - A Heavy Portrait
One of my favorite shots I've ever gotten on Kilimanjaro Safari. As we were passing the White Rhinos, our driving explained that this was the new male. Then there was some loud noise and tussling in the group and he breaks away in a run. Just as we get going again and pass, he's right next to the vehicle and turns around. He was such a beautiful animal that you could see the obvious power in as well. Please let me know what you all think as any suggestions are welcomed and appreciated. Enjoy!
Monday, December 23, 2013
POTD - A Golden Contemporary Monorail Monday
On the way across the water to the Magic Kingdom on the Ferry, I caught this really nice golden hour shot of the Contemporary and Bay Lake Tower with some massive beautiful clouds behind them. Then I just noticed the nose of a Monorail coming out. I timed my shot and ended up with this one. I love that I was able to incorporate all four elements, between both hotels, golden hour, clouds, AND a monorail. Please let me know what you all think as any suggestions are welcomed and appreciated. Enjoy!
Sunday, December 22, 2013
POTD - Sun Bleached And Open For Business
One of my favorite things, these market boats right outside of Harambe in Animal Kingdom, really help add to the sense that this is a living breathing town in Africa as it's intended. The paint and cloth on these beauties has faded a bit more over the years, but I believe that helps the theme along. I at first was uneasy about how bright the sun is in this shot and how much contrast it created. Then I noticed that it may help the composition, faded boat in the bright sun, now we know why it's faded. LoL. Please let me know what you all think as any suggestions are welcomed. Enjoy!
Saturday, December 21, 2013
POTD - Sweet Spells In Tall Palms
Night shooting on our second night at Hollywood Studios was a whole lot of fun. I was really pleased with the glow coming off the top of Sweet Spells in this one. Please let me know what you all think as any suggestions are welcomed and appreciated. Enjoy!
Friday, December 20, 2013
POTD - Let The Light In
First off, the "merge to 32-bit TIFF" plugin made by Photomatix for Lightroom is absolutely stunning for getting very realistic and editable HDR images. That's what I used to edit this one here, Animal Kingdom Lodge is one of those places I always want to stop at, whether it's to eat, or just hang out and take photos. This time it was both, we stopped by Jambo House here to shoot photos, before heading down to Kidani Village for lunch at Sanaa. Please let me know what you all think as any suggestions are welcomed and appreciated. Enjoy!
Thursday, December 19, 2013
POTD - Jambo From The Grass Lands
Cruising the open spaces of Kilimanjaro Safaris at Animal Kingdom, we came across a family group of giraffes. As I shot away and as everyone was trying to get photos of the baby, I stuck my head out the other side of the truck to get this. At first, I wasn't trying to get the other truck in the shot, but I kind of like it in there now. It tells just a bit more of the story I think. Please let me know what you all think as any suggestions are welcomed and appreciated. Enjoy!
Tuesday, December 17, 2013
POTD - New & Detailed
I know this is a pretty common shot of these new architectural details in new Fantasyland, but how can you avoid this shot? I must say, and this is seeing it all not quite done, but new Fantasyland is absolutely stunning thus far. The level of detail and subtle touches to blend it well with the surrounding areas I think has been done exceedingly well. The inclusion of these castle walls and arches I think adds a very good touch to the area. Please let me know what you all think as any suggestions are welcomed and appreciated. Enjoy!
Monday, December 16, 2013
POTD - Monorail Monday - Red On Blue
To me, there's not too much better than to see Monorail Red cruising on the line. The red always pops against that Florida blue sky. There's not too much special about this shot, I did have to run to the beam in order to even have a chance, but I was happy with this one. I like that while the monorail is the focus, the kinetics of the park and people in it still continue below. Please let me know what you all think as any suggestions are welcomed and appreciated. Enjoy!
Friday, December 13, 2013
POTD - Blue Hour, First Night
This was the very end of our first night this past trip. Up at 3:00am to catch a way early flight, engaged around noon, and bellies full of Flying Fish made us quite exhausted. We took a stroll around the Crescent Lake area so I could shoot some photos. One of the last ones before heading back to the room early that night was this one. Later in the week we did finally come back to Jellyrolls for our first visit. I'll say without hesitation that if you haven't been here, even if you aren't a big drinker which I am not, this place is a ton of fun and a great way to spend an evening at WDW. Please let me know what you all think as any suggestions are welcomed and appreciated. Enjoy!
Thursday, December 12, 2013
POTD - ...Any Volunteers?
I got several things marked off the to do list this past trip. I hadn't been actually on the Liberty Belle Riverboat in quite some time. As it had no wait when everything else was a mad house, it was an easy choice. That was all in planning to get shots of the big attractions along the river. This had been a shot that I've wanted for quite some time. Shooting right down the barrel of the front door to the Haunted Mansion. This is quite easily my favorite attraction, which is great because I was deathly afraid of this attraction as a child and wouldn't ride it. LoL. I was actually pleased that we had some clouds roll in just as we rolled around the bend to the mansion. Please let me know what you all think as any suggestions are welcomed and appreciated. Enjoy!
Tuesday, December 10, 2013
POTD - With Hearts So Brave And True
Our first time in New Fantasyland, though it's not quite finished, was awesome. The level of theme throughout these new areas is outstanding. We went straight for Voyage of the Little Mermaid in the morning to get that out of the way without too much wait. I wanted to go through the whole queue to see everything. I shot a bit as I went, this was definitely one of the favorites. The attention to detail and the distress on everything was well done. This was handheld with the Nikon and 35mm f/1.4. Please let me know what you all think as any suggestions are welcomed and appreciated. Enjoy!
Monday, December 9, 2013
POTD - Party On A Monday
I had a thought, since I'm on day five of six in our long holiday hours at work, that we all might need some smiles for Monday. I get four days off in December and average about a 65 hour week through the holidays. Which isn't ideal, but money is made so I can't complain. I also get to still share photos with you all. This is another bokeh pano with my good friends the gators at Port Orleans French Quarter. I really do love this technique, really increases ones versatility and it's really cool to see one of these finished from all the work that could go into them.
This is my first one that I've done with a really wide, almost pano wide, composition. I think it works well with the street and subjects, but want your opinions as well. Please let me know what you all think as any suggestions are welcomed and appreciated. Enjoy!
Friday, December 6, 2013
POTD - Sid Cahuenga's One Of A Kind
I was really happy while roaming around DHS, while Jenea was riding attractions with some other friends, to shoot and enjoy Sid Cahuenga's. It's something I always remembered as a kid going in here and seeing all the signatures and just enjoying the atmosphere. I've seen photos of what it's become and was not too pleased. This apparently keeps happening to various areas around the parks, where functionality is first seated to theme and detail. My only hope is that this does not keep trending this way, as I'd hate to lose great photo spots like this one. Please let me know what you all think as any suggestions are welcomed and appreciated. Enjoy!
Thursday, December 5, 2013
POTD - Cleared For Launch
One attraction I didn't want to miss while we were there was Star Tours. It was down getting the current refurbishment while we were there in 2011. I'm not sure what it was, but that ride got my stomach all kinds of turned upside down. I can only guess it's the combination of 3D and simulator, because the simulator alone never used to bother me. I'll have to give it another go next time I'm down then I may be down with Star Tours. That sure won't stop me from going through this awesome queue line! Please let me know what you all think as any suggestions are welcomed and appreciated. Enjoy!
Tuesday, December 3, 2013
POTD - On Guard
This has quickly become the unofficial mascot of new Fantasyland it seems. This isn't something that hasn't been done before, just putting my own spin on it. I have more ideas for this spot next time I'm down though. I was happy with the way the late morning light created some interesting shadows. Please let me know what you all think as any suggestions are welcomed and appreciated. Enjoy!
Monday, December 2, 2013
POTD - Monorail Monday - Seeing Double
It wasn't until I was home, through editing the Olympus shots, and onto day 2 of shots from the Nikon before I noticed something about this shot. Completely by accident, while getting a good angle to shoot monorail orange here, I composed monorail gold in the frame as well. Got to love when a plan comes together, even if it wasn't a plan to begin with. We ended up with a lot of clouds that week, which I'm not stranger to living in St. Louis. Though we didn't have as many of those "classic Florida skies" as we normally do. We both decided this trip that so far, and we haven't been for the Holidays keep in mind, is our favorite time was our last trip which was right as Flower and Garden was starting in March. Please let me know what you all think as any suggestions are welcomed and appreciated. Enjoy!
Thursday, November 28, 2013
POTD - Shaw Sunrise
This is from a sunrise shoot I did at Shaw Nature Reserve which is a conservation area of sorts a bit outside the St. Louis city limits. It's a very nice a quiet place to shoot, though it was fairly cold that morning. One of the old houses that sits on the land has this patio, with these chairs. It was pretty easy to tell what direction these were meant to view and the shot just was there. Please let me know what you all think as any suggestions are welcomed and appreciated. Enjoy!
Happy Thanksgiving to everyone, hope your day is as relaxing as this shot! :)
Wednesday, November 27, 2013
POTD - Tangled In Layers
From what I've heard from other who shot this before I got to it, that this Tangled restroom area is somewhat hard to shoot. I noticed the same thing when we swung by this area so I could do a bit of shooting. This is probably the best thing I found while roaming around at that given time. I like the little nods to the movie that I saw all over this area, like the Flynn's satchel hanging from the window. I tried to layer this to include as many interesting elements of the area. Please let me know what you all think as any suggestions are welcomed and appreciated. Enjoy!
Tuesday, November 26, 2013
POTD - Leaky Topiary and Tea Pots
This isn't something that I or anyone else hasn't shot several times before. I love this area of Fantasyland as Alice in Wonderland is my favorite Disney animated feature. I noticed as we were walking by, that the topiary was dripping. After watching it for a minute, I'm assuming it has hoses fed through it to feed water. I thought it lent well to the whole thing, and I really been pleased with how this turned out. Please let me know what you all think as any suggestions are welcomed and appreciated. Enjoy!
Monday, November 25, 2013
POTD - Signs and Texture
The apparent attention to detail in the Asia land of Animal Kingdom is something that is a constant draw for me. I could've spent another half of a day just shooting in this direct area. These signs, the rust, the distress on the walls is amazing. This is on the side of the building at the gift shop coming off Expedition Everest. Most people just walk by, but everything about this made me stop. Just shows how our photographer eyes work sometimes, this was one of those that just stopped me in my tracks. Please let me know what you all think as any suggestions are welcomed and appreciated. Enjoy!
Friday, November 22, 2013
POTD - Peering Through The Glass
I had a lot of fun the second to last day of our trip touring the Monorail resorts. We started that morning with our group breakfast at Kona Cafe, which was a ton of fun as always with that group. From there, Jenea, Ben (wdwben), and myself went on to the Grand Floridian for some shopping and photo taking. Then onto Contemporary for more of the same, this is where we split off from Ben as he was heading back home in the area. We boated over the Wilderness Lodge and back just so I could do some shooting. All that and we ended up back at the Polynesian, and a Dole Whip later I was having tons of fun shooting the Tiki statues around the gift shop. Jenea and I couldn't stop laughing about this one, I know it's been there for a while now, but it still cracks me up for whatever reason. :) Please let me know what you all think as any suggestions are welcomed and appreciated. Enjoy!
Thursday, November 21, 2013
POTD - Everest In Bloom
Watching this sunset over the water at Expedition Everest was like watching a flower bloom. It went through so many stages before peaking here. I definitely have a few more shots of this area as it's when the sunset was actually happening. After this is when I got the Tree of Life shot I posted last week. I was really happy with they way this whole series turned out and really glad I had my Olympus E-PL5 with me at the time. That said, my brand new Olympus E-M1 should be arriving today, which I of course can't wait for. Please let me know what you all think as any suggestions are welcomed and appreciated. Enjoy!
Wednesday, November 20, 2013
POTD - Chandeliers, Shields, And Bokeh Panos
Another of my bokeh panos from Animal Kingdom Lodge. Like I said with the pano of the mask, I was realistically not counting on these stitching together very easy, with all the lines and similar colors shades. Just like the other though, this one came out just fine the first time around. I really like the way this looks in this style, lets you see a little more of the lodge, but leaves you wanting to see more. I wanted to post this because it's another example of that little Olympus PEN E-PL5 really performing. Also, I wanted to post it because my new Olympus E-M1 just shipped last night and should be here Thursday! :) Please let me know what you all think as any suggestions are welcomed and appreciated. Enjoy!
Tuesday, November 19, 2013
POTD - Ranchos Style
As many of you know if you've followed me for any length of time, but we have a lot of plants at our house, most of which include cacti and succulents. When searching for resorts for this past trip, it didn't take long to decide on Coronado Springs. Then when we arrived we were even more fortunate to get the Ranchos section of the resort. Even though this was the farthest area from the food court at the resort, it was still styled perfectly for us. The amount of aloe and agave plants that littered this area was amazing. Some of those big blue agave were taller than guest room doors! That takes like 20 years for them to get that big!! Also, I saw many cacti in the euphorbia species. That all well and good because they were planted accordingly, but almost all cacti in this group are toxic. We had a pencil cactus, one species I saw here, once that would leak white glue like sap. If it came into contact with your skin it would burn forever and was a pain to get rid of. It made me wonder why Disney chose such dangerous plants for a resort. It's because it fits the theme perfectly and they knew Jeff would love them!! The amount and size of the landscaping at Coronado Springs is something not to be missed if you are any sort of plant lover. :) Please let me know what you all think, as even though this is just a photo of some plants, I did still try a decent composition. Any comments or suggestions are both welcomed and appreciated. Enjoy!
Monday, November 18, 2013
POTD - Monorail Monday - Lime On The Line
The first day we arrived, heading into Epcot for our first day, I see Monorail Lime go into the park. I instantly had a good feeling, especially because in just a few steps inside the entrance that day I proposed to Jenea. Of course, as you know, that went well and we had an outstanding day with friends and made many new ones.
On the way out of the park that day, what do I see pulling into the park? It's Monorail Lime of course! After having such a good day that started with seeing this beauty, I had to run over as quick as possible to set up for a shot. Please let me know what you all think as any suggestions are welcomed and appreciated. Enjoy!
Saturday, November 16, 2013
POTD - Hometown Fall
I pretty much sucked it up when it came to shooting the fall colors around St. Louis this year. The week after we got back from our Disney trip were peak colors, but my days off that week were occupied. I did happen to snag a few of the remaining color. This is one from the office building complex that sits behind my store. We had a late break in the clouds on the horizon one evening, so I ran with my camera down where these Bradford Pear trees really throw so nice color in the fall. I think I'll start posting the more non-Disney photos on the weekends. Please let me know what you all think as any suggestions are welcomed and appreciated. Enjoy!
Friday, November 15, 2013
POTD - Beware Of The Mountain
I noticed something again this trip that I started to the last time we were down in 2011. The Asia land of Animal Kingdom is quickly becoming my favorite place to shoot. So many rich details to find and explore, and of course in my case, shoot! We were handed some good old school paper fast passes by a woman speaking no English, and since I wanted to do some shooting anyway, I went through the queue with Jenea, then skipped through and shot around the area while she rode. This was towards the end of the trip so taking it easy and shooting some details with my light Olympus gear was quite nice. Please let me know what you all think as any suggestions are welcomed and appreciated. Enjoy!
Thursday, November 14, 2013
POTD - Line, Shape, And Detail
This is my first official posting from the Nikon D90. I rented a Nikon 35mm f/1.4 this past trip, which honestly spent most of the time on the camera. Though I was upset with the D90 not getting as much as I would've liked, this lens was a solid producer and I enjoyed shooting with it very much. For those of you who don't know, the D90 went to play on a farm with other older cameras so he can be happy. LoL. In the effort to upgrade my current gear and still in the quest to get a full frame camera, I've sold off the D90 and all of my DX glass and bought an Olympus E-M1 with the new Pro 12-40mm f/2.8. This I think will be a solid upgrade to what I've got, I already have lenses for it, and I would've had to get new Nikon lenses with full frame anyway. I will say though, and this shot is evidence, that D90 really can take good photo. It's funny as you grow as a photographer you can quite frankly out grow a camera. What I expect out of my gear and photos these days is much more than it was when I first opened the D90. Please let me know what you all think as any suggestions are welcomed and appreciated. Enjoy!
Wednesday, November 13, 2013
POTD - Bokehrama With The Gators
When I first got into shooting Bokeh Panoramas, I instantly thought of this shot. Our trip before this last one, as some of you know, was spent staying at Port Orleans French Quarter. These musical gators were a highlight of that trip for sure. I knew that I wanted to head back there on this past trip to get some more shooting done.
Like I've said before, I didn't do near as much of this bokeh pano shooting as I would have liked. Yet all of them that I took turned out and were very intentional so it's hard for me to complain. Plus I have another reason to head back down, like I need one of those.
Like we did all of our stay here, we commented again that the poor drummer still doesn't have a drumstick. Wouldn't I know that minutes after this shot was taken I saw a cast member measuring out his new drumstick. lol. Please let me know what you all think as this is a developing skill for me and would love feedback to help improve it. Any comments or suggestions you share will be both welcomed and appreciated. Enjoy!
Tuesday, November 12, 2013
POTD - La Hacienda Detail
We have always been big fans of Mexican dining and while San Angel Inn is one of our favorites, I wanted to try something different. La Hacienda de San Angel sits right on the water of World Showcase Lagoon in Epcot, so we decided to try it. I am so very glad that we did from the food, to the specialty drinks, to of course the atmosphere and photography. I roamed just a bit after we were done eating to grab a few photos. I was really drawn to the lighting fixtures they had throughout the restaurant. This combined the lights with the pattern of the archways. Please let me know what you all think as any suggestions are welcomed and appreciated. Enjoy!
Monday, November 11, 2013
POTD - Monorail Monday - Something More Contemporary
Today I'm excited to finally be able to participate in Monorail Monday once again. This shot actually has a bit of a story with it. Waiting at the Magic Kingdom station for the monorail, I have my Nikon D90 all setup to shoot the other direction as the monorail pulled into the station.
"I hope it's Monorail Red, that would really pop against this cloudy sky," I said to Jenea.
Just then guess what pops out of Contemporary heading towards the Magic Kingdom, Monorail Red. Monorail Yellow had also started over from Grand Floridian at that same moment. Lucky for me, I had quickly setup my Olympus and left it in the very capable hands of my fiance Jenea it capture this one while I was at her back getting my Monorail Yellow. That means, today's Monorail Monday shot was a two-for for me. :) Please let me know what you all think as any suggestions are welcomed and appreciated. Enjoy!
Friday, November 8, 2013
POTD - Best Way To End
My fiance (still weird saying that) Jenea told me I had to post one of these soon. I figured today was as good as any. On our last night, we were in Animal Kingdom doing some shooting in Asia, we decided a bit before 5:30 to have dinner at Yak and Yeti. I will say to anyone who hasn't tried this restaurant, though it is pretty normal Asian style fair, it was very good and we had a great view from the upstairs windows.
After we left the restaurant, this was about 6:20, I wanted to shoot Everest from across the water. We made our through around to the Flame Tree BBQ seating area. It was totally empty due to the park closing at 6:00. It was kind of cloudy and it didn't look like anything was going to happen. Jenea looked back as we were walking away, and Everest is getting blasted by gold light!
Then everything turned beautiful shades of gold, purple, and pink. I of course ran right to the Tree of Life after shooting Everest and got this. In my opinion, this is the best one from the night. This was quite easily the most epic sunset I've ever gotten to shoot. Lucky enough for me I was in one of my favorite parks in my favorite place.
This was the best was to end what was the best trip I've ever had to Walt Disney World. Please let me know what you all think as any suggestions are welcomed and appreciated. Enjoy!
Wednesday, November 6, 2013
POTD - Igbo Ijele
"The centerpiece of the art collection at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge is the Igbo Ijele (pronounced e-bo e-gelay) mask, featured in the lobby. The Ijele, created by the Igbo people of Africa, is a massive creation that towers more than 16 feet tall and is eight feet in width. In Africa, the mask signifies an important event or celebration and makes rare appearances. No other Ijele, which is the largest mask in tropical Africa, is known to exist outside of Igbo land."
- sourced from wdwnews.com
This is one of the first bokeh panoramas that I shot on the trip. My Olympus E-PL5 with 45mm f/1.8 is a great combo to shoot these and it did quite well on the trip though I didn't shoot as many as I wanted. Shots like this from the Olympus really gets me more excited to be an all Olympus shooter. I've ordered the E-M1 with 12-40mm to be my main street and travel camera before I get my full frame in the future.
I was actually really surprised after I processed it was that it went together so well. It was exactly what I wanted and as sharp as I really wanted.
Please let me know what you all think as any suggestions are welcomed and appreciated! Enjoy!
Tuesday, November 5, 2013
POTD - Look Up Kidani
Something I think that far too many folks do not do on their WDW trips, is look up. There is so much detail and subtly that the average guest will breeze right by. We had lunch at Sanaa on Monday, which gave us time to really walk around and explore Animal Kingdom Lodge Kidani Village and the neighboring Jambo House. The ceilings and lighting in both lobbies is just stunning. I love the grass look of the roof here at Kidani, and the torch like glass spitting out of the chandeliers is beautiful. I love the architectural design of the WDW resorts, and later in the trip we do some more resort touring just for aesthetics and photography. Please let me know what you all think as any suggestions are welcomed and appreciated. Enjoy!
Monday, November 4, 2013
POTD - Flying By
My first shot from our 2013 Walt Disney World trip is finally posted. I always expect the vacation to fly by, but it seems that time since we've been back has really been an issue for me in getting photos edited.
In case you hadn't heard on Twitter or while down there enjoying Photomagic 2013 with us, my girlfriend (fiance now) and I got engaged the first day of our trip. I worked it out with several Flickr friends to be there to shoot the event, kept my secret very well and the moment we stepped into Epcot we were engaged. I love that I can say I proposed with Spaceship earth, a beautiful garden, AND a monorail in the background. :)
Anyway, more on that through the trip of course. Our first dining reservation that evening was at Flying Fish, a signature restaurant for a very special occasion. Jenea had even asked why we had such a nice reservation the very first night. I was glad to be able to play that one off. We were a relatively early time at 5:30 so the restaurant wasn't very full at all. The service and food was absolutely wonderful. Bright and vibrant colors and flavors, taking seemingly regular dishes and really making them something special. We were even treated to complimentary champagne with dessert to celebrate our engagement.
All in all, I'm fairly happy with this shot, even though it was a pretty quick setup as I had more important people for my attention to be fixed. This was the best start to a very memorable and fun trip for the both of us. Can't wait to share the rest!
Please let me know what you all think as any suggestions or comments will be welcomed and appreciated. Enjoy!
Thursday, October 17, 2013
POTD - Wide Open Service Announcement
This is more specifically targeted at those of us shooting with a micro four thirds system, though the concept holds true through all of photography really. The Olympus Micro Four Thirds system has a manual focus magnify assist to help you manual focus. Combine that, with the unrelenting sharpness of their primes, a good 3 stop neutral density filter, and you can really make some interesting things with it. This is the Bell Tree at Missouri Botanical Garden, a detail shot of the center. This has been my white whale so far with bokeh panos. I try one or two every time I'm there, but the bells sway in the wind. One day I'll get it so I'm not too worried.
Anyway, to everyone, switch those prime lenses into manual focus, you will be surprised how good your eye is. You see a composition and your eyes will focus to how you want to see it. Translate that to your camera with manual focus. It will take some work, but the results are beautiful. Please let me know what you all think as any suggestions are welcomed and appreciated. Enjoy!
Wednesday, October 16, 2013
POTD - Among The Green
This is another angle and bokeh pano using our flute playing sculpture friend from MOBOT. I posted a different shot of him several days ago. This is the first shot like this that I've successfully gotten both foreground and background blur in a bokeh pano. These things are super fun to shoot and can't wait to try a couple while down in WDW.
3 MORE DAYS!!!!
Please let me know what you all think as any suggestions or comments are welcomed and appreciated. Enjoy!
Tuesday, October 15, 2013
POTD - Chihuly In Bokehrama
First of all, I can't really go much further without giving personal thanks to my friend Jeff Krause, SpreadTheMagic here on Flickr, for introducing me to The Brenizer Method. More commonly known as Bokeh panos, these have become a focus and a new challenge for me these past couple of weeks.
Secondly, this has to be one of my favorite shots from this spot because of that technique. If you've followed me for any length of time, you know I love shooting at Missouri Botanical Gardens in my area and love shooting the few Chihuly pieces that remain inside. Not until I went in the other day with my Olympus E-PL5 and 45mm f/1.8 attach did I really realize the true potential I had. The beautiful morning light and the fall flowers certainly didn't hurt things at all. Please let me know what you all think as any suggestions are welcomed and appreciated. Enjoy!
Monday, October 14, 2013
POTD - Straight In Fall
This past Friday morning, on my way to MOBOT to try some bokeh panos with my Olympus, I was running a little bit early for the gardens opening. I decided on the way to stop by Forest Park and try to find something to shoot there for a bit. I ended up by the Jewel Box, the parks department really has this area landscaped nicely for the fall. I was graced with good skies and great color for this shot. Every time I take my Olympus out for shooting, it really amazing the quality it can produce when I want it to. Please let me know what you all think as any suggestions are welcomed and appreciated. Enjoy!
Thursday, October 10, 2013
POTD - Isolate And Repeat
A familiar sight to many of you, but an attraction I haven't been on in quite some time. This was also down for refurbishment while we were there due to a fire that "broke out" by accident, rendering Under New Management useless... Big loss there. I am incredibly excited to see a show closer to what I remember the original being. Of course, just like then, I'll have plenty of photos to share. This time we'll have some from inside too! :) Please let me know what you all think as any suggestions are welcomed and appreciated. Enjoy!
9 Days until our PhotoMagic 2013 trip!
Wednesday, October 9, 2013
POTD - Across The Park
One of my favorite parts about the open fields at Laumeier Sculpture Park is that you can see one massive sculpture at the same time as another. Sure does make for more options and considerations while composing a shot. I will of course be back here many more times to perfect compositions, but for this one I wanted to highlight both the beautiful clouds in the frame as well as one sculptures relation to another. Please let me know what you all think as any suggestions are welcomed and appreciated. Enjoy!
Tuesday, October 8, 2013
POTD - Playing By The Pond
While roaming around with a Sigma 50mm f/1.4 I borrowed from work, I decided to shoot this small sculpture. I could never get a good comp with how tight of a space it is here. With the 50mm and some bokeh panorama magic, I was able to get something quite useful. I will be heading out to the Botanical Garden this Friday to practice this technique with my Olympus E-PL5 and 45mm f/1.8 as I found it works quite well. Please let me know what you all think as any suggestions are welcomed and appreciated. Enjoy!
Monday, October 7, 2013
POTD - Fire House Detail
Nothing really special about this particular shot accept that it's helping me get even more excited about our upcoming trip. This was taken with my good old 50mm f/1.8D, which was a really great money and still is one of the best bangs for the buck. Can't wait to be standing on Main Street again, now with all the Halloween decorations, and shoot with all this new knowledge I've acquired over the last couple of years since I was there last. Please let me know what you all think as any suggestions are welcomed and appreciated. Enjoy!
Friday, October 4, 2013
POTD - Bokeh Bench For A Sculpture
This is another successful bokeh panorama from Laumeier Sculpture Park here in St. Louis. Off the main area of the park, there is a small path that wanders through the woods and stumbles upon more sculpture and art around many corners. This particular one, out in a field by itself, stood maybe 50 feet high, was really something that caught my eye from a distance. I tucked myself back into the trees to make my panoramic include that little bit of the trees. Please let me know what you all think as any suggestions are welcomed and appreciated. Enjoy!
Thursday, October 3, 2013
POTD - St. Louis Union Station Lights Up
This is a shot of the entrance to our St. Louis Union Station. More of a Mall with no stores in it at this point. But the architecture and the setting downtown still make this a destination for restaurants and a great hotel. Hopefully that helps turn around the rest of it, but with recent efforts to make our downtown a more welcoming place that seems more probable. Please let me know what you all think as any suggestions are welcomed and appreciated. Enjoy!
Wednesday, October 2, 2013
POTD - Crystal Arts From Below
Another shot I pulled from the 2011 archive and did a little B&W work to in order to bring it back to life. I had to post something of Disney relevance since we're now within 16 days of our trip! I also just found out we will be getting Magic Bands and MyMagic+ for our trip which is exciting as well. Not having to dig for a card after bag check will be nice with all my camera gear. Plus it will be awfully nice to not have to walk across a park for a fastpass. That means time for more photos! Please let me know what you all think as any suggestions are welcomed and appreciated. Enjoy!
Monday, September 30, 2013
POTD - Reflections In Blue
I took this on another off day at MOBOT. :) I was tooling around with a Sigma 50mm f/1.4 on my D90 with some more bokeh panoramas. This isn't one of them, just a straight shot out of the 50mm. I will say from shooting with this lens several times and selling it at work a lot, I don't understand why all the other manufacturers don't update their design to something similar because it's stunning and relatively unmatched just like all the Sigma f/1.4 glass. Please let me know what you all think as any suggestions are welcomed and appreciated. Enjoy!
Sunday, September 29, 2013
POTD - Vertical With Spotlights
Yet another take on the classic St. Louis Gateway Arch reflection shot. I really like the exposure and colors here, didn't like the gross stuff growing in the water though. Alas, if that's all that bothers me I can live with that, especially since this won't be the last attempt at this sight. :) Please let me know what you all think as any suggestions or comments are welcomed and appreciated. Enjoy!