MNSSHP Fireworks1Fireworks during the Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party at WDW

     Ask anyone I know where my family vacations. I dare you! I would bet that they all know that we are avid Walt Disney World guests. At one point, I was a guest blogger for WDW or Bust. It's no longer blogging, but it was a lot of information in a small piece of space on the internet. My family has a countdown timer on the mantle that changes nearly every day. It gets reset almost as soon as we arrive home from our vacation, and begins counting down to the next time we are going. 

     There is so much to do, and our return trips year-after-year allow us to re-experience what we liked the years before, as well as try new things. Character meals, getting into the parks early, exclusive tours, new rides, renovated rides, and the whole aura that everything is engulfed in leaves us feeling completely at home. I started going in 2007, and this will be my ninth trip to the World. I believe this will be my wife's 28th trip and my son's fourth trip. Yep, we love coming back here, and wish we could do it more.

     I have spoken about it in a previous blog update, but in 2007, I owned (still have it) a Sony Mavica CD Camera. Taking photos of fireworks was a bit of a joke. Most of them were blurry, and the one or two that turned out okay had a clear view of the castle while being washed out with the overly bright lights of the fireworks. In 2013, I borrowed a new camera, an Olympus PEN E-PM2. It was a tiny little thing and I had a couple of lenses to play around with. One was a wide angle lens, one was a prime body cap lens, and the other was a zoom lens I rented. My fireworks photos, that year, were just as undesirable as the ones I took with the Sony. But I knew the capability was there. I just had to learn how to harness that power; so I set out to practicing on the fireworks in my home town the next year.

     I learned a lot in one summer, and after receiving a new camera (Thank you Jennifer Colucci and Olympus), and buying a tripod, I set off to WDW in 2014. I set up in the middle of Main Street, and began firing away in LiveTime.

     Now that the basis for the photo is taken care of, I will continue on this particular photo. This is one of the scenes from the beginning of the show. Disney, in my opinion, has the best fireworks display anywhere that I have seen. This display is set off at the end of the night, during the Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party. In late September through October 31st, Disney throws a hard ticket only event at the Magic Kingdom which allows a certain number of guests to attend each night. The parks are hardly crowded, and a few rides remain in operation throughout the evening. If there was ever a time to ride with short lines, it was during this event. During the evening, Disney characters come out in their Halloween costumes and dance the night away at pin-pointed areas. In other areas, guests can "trick-or-treat" for lots of treats. The festivities are a lot of fun for all ages.

    About two hours prior to the end of the party, the roads are blocked off. The cast members are making a clear way for the oncoming parade which features the headless horseman at the front. Then comes a parade that can only do well to be conducted in the dark. Lights decorate every float and cast member involved. When the last cast member passes in the parade, it's time to make your move to where you want to be for the last act of the night: The MNSSHP Fireworks Display, where the villains control the show. The castle is lit up in dark and menacing colors as the pathway lights are dimmed. The first set of explosions are impressive and echo all around the park. The picture above is one of the opening sets as the display begins.

     When I look at this picture, memories fill my mind, and I can actually place myself in the very position I stood. I can experience the show through imagination with the support of this shot. When I look at this picture, I see a word that best describes the entire night: I see the word "WOW."