Simplicity

Most of the time I prefer to have clouds in my landscapes.  There are times when that rule flies out the window.  My wife and I spend Sunday and Monday in Duluth's Canal Park area for our anniversary.  Our day was filled with walking around this busy area, enjoying each other's company and taking pictures.  I was hoping for a spectacular sunset over the lift bridge but, like most times, the clouds blew away prior to sunset.  What we were left with is a perfectly clear sky.  Inwardly I was thinking that now the images would be boring and I would have to find another way to add interest to the images.

Much to my delight the simple sky worked with this scene.  It may be because the lower third of the image is filled with all the lights and details of the city.  I'm not really sure.  All I know is that the final output makes me happy.

Composing this image took a bit of thinking.  I wanted the bridge to dominate the image but I didn't want it to be the only thing you see.  Rach and I walked to the end of the pier and up by one of the two lighthouses.  This elevated the scene enough so the pier lights weren't bothering me.  Thankfully Rach is very patient with my picture adventures as we spent the better part of 45 minutes taking pictures of various parts of the downtown area.

It was a wonderful evening spent with the woman I love and I hope to spend many more like it.

For more images from this trip go to my SmugMug page and check out the Landscape and Macro Flower galleries.

Welcome, foolish mortals to the Haunted Mansion

Ever since I was young the Haunted Mansion at Walt Disney Word's Magic Kingdom has been a favorite.  From Thurl Ravenscroft leading the "Grim Grinning Ghosts" to Madam Leota, the attraction never disappoints.  On our last trip I had a goal of photographing the exterior area at night.  The toughest part was going to be getting the nine exposures for the HDR without throngs of people in each frame.  Thankfully there are regular breaks in the people coming out so I could get a few frames in then wait for the crowds to clear.  In an unexpected twist a cast member came and stood by the hearse and didn't move for almost the entire time it took to get the shot.  What made it all the better is she left shortly before I was done.  The result?  A perfectly ghosted figure in period dress on the lower right of the image.  She really completed the image for me and I would have thanked her but it wasn't until we had returned home that I processed the image and found out her addition.

I did take several series of the same shot because there were a few frames where people walked though with those blinky, shot ruining souvenirs they sell.  With a little patience I was able to get one that worked well.  Little did I know that on our next trip the queue area would be completely different.  Disney is in the process of making more of their queues interactive.  I'm sure that I will like the new additions and will spend an annoying amount of time photographing the area. 

Here's your Thurl Ravenscroft trivia today.  Even though he was in many Disney movies and his voice can be heard on many Disney rides; most people would recognise his voice as "Tony the Tiger" from Frosted Flakes.