Photo of the Week - Stinking Holiday Decorations!

Most people like the holidays.  I don't!  This would have been a great photo but the holiday decorations got in the way.  Granted most of the time the decorations don't get in the way.  However at the Magic Kingdom they certainly do.  If you want to avoid this you need to get really close to Cinderella's Castle or leave Main Street entirely. 

Photo of the Week: Fireworks Meets the Electric Water Pageant at the Polynesian

This photo was taken over at the Polynesian.  You truly get a new perspective over there.  If you have the time you should try to see the Magic Kingdom fireworks from Polynesian and from the top of the Contemporary.  In both cases it's almost like seeing a whole new show.

For the photo geeks: The octopus is a little blurry thanks to the time delayed shutter but the fireworks came out great. I switched to the in camera dynamic color mode. That comes in hand for fireworks shots.  The main mode I used is shutter priority which means I told the camera how long to expose each shot but that mode lets the camera pick what aperture to use.

Photo of the Week - Illuminations

Fireworks photos are fun.  They are also are annoying at times.  This photo is an example of when you capture most of the things you wanted to.  When it comes to fireworks follow this general rule - setup your camera and then shoot almost non-stop.  You'll get about five to ten good shots and about a hundred that are just average or bad.

I won't now recommend trying to time fireworks shots.  That can be insanely frustrating.

Photo of the Week - Star Burst

Capturing a photo like this isn't as hard as it seems.  You just need to play around with the settings on your camera.  Just follow these tips:

1 - If you camera has different "film" modes change it to the "vivid" setting.  It may be called something else but you basically want the very colorful mode.

2 - Use a tripod or flat surface.  In Disney a trashcan is normally works well.

3 - Put the camera into shutter priority sometimes labeled by an "S" on the dial.  This mode lets you tell the camera how long to keep the shutter open for each photo.

4 - Set the shutter speed to one second.

5 - Forget steps 1, 3, and 4 and just put your camera in fireworks mode.  It will do something very similar.

What following the steps above or using the fireworks mode does is cause the streaks you see.  You can get some really fun effects when you use these settings on fireworks.

What this does is captured the streaks you see.

How Did They Do It - Disney Fireworks

Most people take fireworks for granted.  Most people realize that Disney fireworks are much better than your everyday fireworks.  One thing a lot of people don't realize are the small details that Disney pays attention to.

Disney is known for paying attention to the smallest details on their rides.  You just need to look at the pirates with hairy legs, hidden mickeys, and inside jokes to realize this.  Most agree that Disney does this because they want the experiences they deliver to be as close to perfect as they can be. 

Think about the perfect fireworks what would make them up.  Now think about Wishes and Illuminations.  There is something about them you don't find at home.  In most fireworks shows there is a guy with a death wish who runs around with a torch and sets off fuses.  In high tech shows computers are used to trigger fireworks.  In Disney shows the fuses don't exist.

How does Disney do that?

First Disney doesn't use rockets which are common in standard fireworks.  Most people use a type of rocket because they have build in propulsion which gets the firework off the ground.  They also have a fuse which is put in sync with the propulsion so it blows up at the right time.  The burning propusion leaves a smoke trail and you can often see the burning fuse too.

Disney uses shells with no built in propulsion and no fuses.  That leaves two problems.  One: how do you get the shell off the ground - and - Two: how do you ignite the shell.

First Disney uses air cannons to launch the shells.  If you put that in redneck terms they use giant,  high tech, potato cannons to laugh their fireworks.  There are a few cool things about that.  Using this method eliminates smoke trails and any evidence of the shell flying through the air.  Using this method allows explosions to appear in the sky like magic. Another cool thing about this method is the fact that it reduces debris and general polution.

So how do you get the shell to blow up?  Magic!  Well almost.  Disney puts small chips into each shell.  This chip controls when and how the shell blows up.  This allows for amazing control and consistent results.  That's why Wishes and Illuminations are the same each time you see them.

Next time you see some Disney fireworks keep this in mind.  It makes the display even more impressive.

Photo of the Week - Illuminations Setting #2

Last week I showed a photo of illuminations that was taken with a Landscape setting.  This week is another photo of Illuminations but taken with a Fireworks setting.  The big difference between the two settings is the shutter speed. When you use the Landscape setting the shutter speed is fairly fast so you get a real snapshot of what is happening.  When you use the Fireworks setting you get streaks of light.  This is due to a longer shutter speed.  Both can be very impressive but Fireworks is much harder to pull off.  With the longer shutter speed you need a flat surface or a tripod to get decent results.

In this photo a railing was used. A tripod would have given better results but one was not available.

This photo was taken with this camera:

Photo of the Week - Illuminations

One of the best things about Illuminations is how the show can be different every time you see it by simply changing where you watch it. There are even some locations that allow you to see the show from an elevated position. Just keep an eye out and you might find one of those locations.

New Video Posted: Wishes

A video of Wishes has been posted to YouTube. The video was taken in March of 2010. Near the entrance to Tomorrow Land there are some paths that are often empty when the fireworks start. This video was taken from there. It lends a unique view. If you've seen Wishes before you might want to try this area. Other than a different view Tinker Bell soars right over your head.

You can see the video through these two links. The video is in two parts because of YouTube's ten minute time limit. The total run time is just over 11 minutes.

Part One
Part Two

Photo of the Week: Illuminations from the Boardwalk

A lot of people have seen Illuminations. It's a great show. Have you ever seen it from the Boardwalk? It's a totally different show from the Boardwalk. It's amazing in it's own right.

Disney Did Something Smart?!?

I often slam Disney for making really dumb decisions that seem to go against common sense. I also tease them because their business decisions seem totally backwards at times.

Today I'm going to give Disney credit. I know. I'll give you a minute to let that sink in.

I'm giving Disney credit for Summer Nightastic. Finally they did something that seems to make sense. Instead of blowing a ton of money, coming up with some insane idea, or annoying a lot of their fans Disney did it right this time. By bringing back a fan favroite parade and new fireworks they made small adjustments that could draw some people into the parks.

The whole idea of Summer Nightastic is great. Try to keep people in the parks longer. That's a brilliant idea. By keeping them in the parks longer you greatly increase the chance that they will spend money in the park. It also makes a lot of sense to expand the hours at all of the parks and add little perks at most of them to get people to go.

I have to admit I hate the idea of updated the Tower of Terror when so many other rides need help but some people are excited about it. That could get those people into the parks.

Will Summer Nightastic get me into the parks? No. You couldn't pay me to go to Florida in the summer. Ugh, I sweat just thinking about it.

Illuminations Video - Part One and Two Posted!

I've finally gotten around to posting my Illuminations videos. I took these in December 2008 from the Japan Pavilion. The temp was around 40 and I was wearing shorts and a tee shirt so I was trying to not shake too much. You will notice that this is the holiday version of the show. There are a few small differences between the regular version and this one.

Part One
Part Two

New Video Posted - Holiday Wishes from the Contemporary

My low quality video - Holiday Wishes at the Contemporary has been posted to YouTube. You can view it part one HERE. Part two can be accessed HERE.

Pleasure Island

Pleasure Island closed in September of 2008. For years it was Disney’s nighttime hotspot. With numerous clubs and adult themed attractions it filled a hole that helped to round out Disney’s entertainment options.

A lot of people were upset when Pleasure Island closed and a seemingly equal number of people could have cared less. From what I’ve seen most people were not upset that Pleasure Island closed but more the fact that the Adventures Club closed.

I wasn’t really sad to see Pleasure Island close but I was a little surprised. By closing it Disney left a big void in their world. What is there to do late nights at Disney World? To be honest I don’t care all that much. I almost never last past 10pm when I’m at Disney World. I’m just too tired from hitting the parks all day.

Another thing I found interesting was what Disney said they were going to do with the area. Add more shopping and dining. Who is that aimed at? I know it’s not me. I do my shopping and dining at the parks and resorts. I can’t even remember the last time I went to Downtown Disney. Disney really needs to put something in that area to draw the people who are casual shoppers. If you were able to draw me there the odds are good that I’d eat and shop there.

That leads to the million dollar question (pun not intended): how much money do you spend on building something that is going to attract a wide range of people? It’s a big risk – reward question. You want to spend enough that you draw people so they’ll buy stuff but not so much that you could never break even.

What can you do on a dime? Raid the closet:

1 – Lucky, Wall-E, and the Mobile Muppet Lab: To my knowledge all three of these have been shelved. They are automated, interactive characters that are gather dust somewhere. Why not get a few more miles out of them?

2 – A few of rare and retired characters: Characters are always a draw. Retired and rare characters could be an even bigger draw. I mean really dig deep. Pull out the ones that people can’t even remember. Do you know where you put them? Next to the store selling the Disney DVDs they appeared in.

3 – A splash of fireworks: Fireworks never hurt. They cost but they don’t hurt unless someone does an oopps.

4 - Dream Squad Part II – They don’t need to be giving away expensive prizes. It can just be little things but that’s enough to draw a large amount of people.

The most important thing to remember is to keep things unpredictable. When you do that people can’t help but think they are going to miss something if they are not there. That’s when you’ll really see the money roll in.


Space Mountain – The Original

Space Mountain has always had a rabid following. There is even an unofficial marathon for Space Mountain that takes place every morning when the Magic Kingdom opens. There are a number of reasons why Space Mountain is so popular. All of them attest to the genius that when into the planning and design of it.

The Building: The building itself has become a Disney icon. It has a unique, eye catching design. It’s a popular photo spot. However most people don’t know that some of the best photos of Space Mountain are taken from high up in the Contemporary tower.

The Queue: By today’s standards the queue isn’t all that impressive but when you consider when it was built, it’s great. What’s better than spending the entire queue in a cool dry place with neat lighting and a futuristic feel?

The Darkness: Disney found out that if you put a really lame roller coaster in the dark people will think it’s the best thing ever. The Dark also allowed for some cool stuff to be played on the walls. Someone once told me that many of the “meteors” you see are actually chocolate chip cookies. I don’t know if that’s true or not, I just know it works.

The Exit: I believe the exit is overlooked. The moving walkway and the exhibits are a nice break from the average exit.

People might not like the fact that referred to the actual ride as being “lame.” Well too bad. It is kind of lame and unless you’ve ridden Space Mountain with the lights on, you can’t really argue that. I’ve ridden Space Mountain with the lights on. You come to realize that all Space Mountain is, is a giant indoor erector set. Some people would call it a “wild mouse” style roller coaster. It’s the kind of roller coaster you’d see at a traveling fair. You know they type. The one that has a few of the joints held together by duct tape and twine. You know…the one that you won’t let your kids ride because it looks like a death trap. That’s what you’re riding every time you ride Space Mountain but it is still fun!