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."

     There has been an excessive amount of rain this year, not only in Michigan, but still more than I want during a summer. There are counties around our state that are under water more than I expected. Driveways are impassable unless you own a high clearance vehicle, yards are not being mowed and fields with soy bean and corn seedlings are visible only with polarized glasses. Ruined crops and deteriorating roads are a common subject right now. This photo was captured before any of this happened, when Spring was new and the snow had finally melted. The greenery is making more of a presence and it is welcomed.

     Waiting for the storm season to approach was still an anticipated event, but these gentle showers that leave these water beads are a good appetizer. Getting one up close is fun, as it turns the world upside down. I noticed this leaf as I was leaving to take my son to school. Not left with a lot of time, I loaded into the car and left. After dropping him off, I returned home with about 15 minutes left before I would have to leave again. 

     I used the smallest camera in my bag with the best magnification. My point and shoot really brought out the tiny pearls with all of the greenery trapped within them. They sure decorated this little leaf, and made it stand out more than any other in the garden. I haven't seen another set of leaves with droplets on their points since, as the water now beads on top of the leaf. This was a spectacular view to me, and captured for future enjoyment. Thank you.

                The MacDonald Family in 2014.

     Meet the MacDonalds. There are, from the left, Jamie, Carter, Mason, and Becky. As a disclaimer, I did not take this picture. If you look closely at the photo, you will see a device in Jamie's right hand. He is using an app that connects to his camera via wi-fi. Jamie took this picture. I requested this picture, from Jamie, because it was needed in the development of a benefit dinner for his wife, Becky, who was diagnosed with Breast Cancer. That event is a whole other story than I want to focus on, but I will say that it was a success and Becky is doing much better. No, this post will be a reflection on our friendship that led to a common interest in photography. I hope it doesn't bore anyone. 

     I tell people that I met Jamie about the same time that our parents let us cross the street. Jamie lived two streets over, and friendships were made when we all learned how to ride our bicycles. There was freedom there, folks! Over time, Jamie became an avid skateboarder, and my efforts to ride were hilarious to watch. My brother also skated, and their friendship was stronger, as they spent more time together. I hung out with them on occasion, but then again, I was old enough to drive and had a car to take them to skating places. As we entered adulthood, we all went our separate ways and spoke once in a while.

     Ok, we'll speed things up here from the 1990's to 2013. I was about to go to Walt Disney World, with my family, and was really tired of carrying my Sony Mavica CD Camera everywhere. It was heavy and cumbersome to carry around the parks. I called Jamie, because he was the guy that was into photography, to see if he could point me to a camera that was light-weight, had interchangeable lenses, and could easily fit into my backpack for walking around the parks. He said he knew just the camera, and allowed me to borrow his Olympus PEN E-PM2. Technical jargon is what I have tried to stay away from in my blog, but this is important. I urge you to google that camera. Anyway, he also let me borrow a couple of lenses, batteries, and a battery charger, as well as the cord to upload the photos daily. He just wanted me to share some of the photos I took while I was there. No Problem!!

     When I returned from Disney, I had decided that he wasn't going to get the camera back. I walked all around Disney World with this little camera, and got better photo results than my Sony. Better because it wasn't a hardship to carry around. I couldn't attribute any pains in my neck, back or shoulders to having carried this camera. Granted I shot a LOT more pictures than I did with the Sony. I would have to credit the seemingly unending amount of recordable space on the little flash card, versus taking 3-4 mini disks with me on every trip into a park or resort. Less to carry, less weight, more space, and photo quality allowed me to start seeing things I missed with my old camera. 

     I contacted Jamie a few weeks after I returned home and asked him a question: How much would do you want for this camera? Of course, I had to give the Olympus M.9-18mm lens back, which was really difficult. I borrowed it a couple of more times afterward, but knew I would have to start getting gear of my own. 

     That is how I got my start in serious photography. I thank Jamie and Becky for being wonderful friends. A side note: Jamie is an Olympus Trailblazer and has all kinds of advice and logic when it comes to photography. I implore you to seek that advice if you ever come across a difficulty in your photographic adventures. He is always happy to help, if he can. I also want to throw out there that if you are looking for a great and lightweight camera with quality photo results, please check out the Olympus brand of cameras. They have quite a lineup of equipment that can suit any type of photographer. 

     Ok, back to our regularly scheduled blog posts. The next one should be the day after tomorrow. Thank you!