POTD - Shaw Sunrise

Shaw Sunrise, a photo by Jeff.Hamm.Photography on Flickr.

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! :)

POTD - Tangled In Layers

Tangled In Layers, a photo by Jeff.Hamm.Photography on Flickr.

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!

POTD - Leaky Topiary and Tea Pots

Leaky Topiary and Tea Pots, a photo by Jeff.Hamm.Photography on Flickr.

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!

POTD - Signs and Texture

Signs and Texture, a photo by Jeff.Hamm.Photography on Flickr.

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!

POTD - Peering Through The Glass

Peering Through The Glass, a photo by Jeff.Hamm.Photography on Flickr.

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!

POTD - Everest In Bloom

Everest In Bloom, a photo by Jeff.Hamm.Photography on Flickr.

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!

POTD - Chandeliers, Shields, And Bokeh Panos

Chandeliers, Shields, And Bokeh Panos, a photo by Jeff.Hamm.Photography on Flickr.

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!

POTD - Ranchos Style

Ranchos Style, a photo by Jeff.Hamm.Photography on Flickr.

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!

POTD - Monorail Monday - Lime On The Line

Monorail Monday - Lime On The Line, a photo by Jeff.Hamm.Photography on Flickr.

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!

POTD - Hometown Fall

Hometown Fall, a photo by Jeff.Hamm.Photography on Flickr.

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!

POTD - Beware Of The Mountain

Beware Of The Mountain, a photo by Jeff.Hamm.Photography on Flickr.

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!

POTD - Line, Shape, And Detail

Line, Shape, And Detail, a photo by Jeff.Hamm.Photography on Flickr.

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!

POTD - Bokehrama With The Gators

Bokehrama With The Gators, a photo by Jeff.Hamm.Photography on Flickr.

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!

POTD - La Hacienda Detail

La Hacienda Detail, a photo by Jeff.Hamm.Photography on Flickr.

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!

POTD - Monorail Monday - Something More Contemporary

Monorail Monday - Something More Contemporary, a photo by Jeff.Hamm.Photography on Flickr.

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!

POTD - Best Way To End

Best Way To End, a photo by Jeff.Hamm.Photography on Flickr.

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!

POTD - Igbo Ijele

Igbo Ijele, a photo by Jeff.Hamm.Photography on Flickr.

"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!

POTD - Look Up Kidani

Look Up Kidani, a photo by Jeff.Hamm.Photography on Flickr.

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!

POTD - Flying By

Flying By, a photo by Jeff.Hamm.Photography on Flickr.

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!