DaddyB "Disneyland On Your Desktop" Photo Update - July 3, 2011

[DaddyB]

Come see the pictures:
This week 'focusing' on The Haunted Mansion!

http://www.visionsfantastic.com/dadd..._07_03_update/

(please be sure to come back here and post your thoughts...)

[egamer25]

Donated! Thanks again for a wonderful Photo Update

[ShrunkenNed]

I'd like to add, the lack of Dichondra grass on Main Street is refreshing to me for a different reason - Actual vegetation there means no immediate obstruction (i.e. What Will You Celebrate decoration, Mickey Pumpkin) and a beautiful view of Sleeping Beauty castle from Town Square!

[DaddyB]

"Dichondra Grass".... yeah, that's what it was! Thanks for the tip. I certainly appreciate the lack of the "What Will You Celebrate" and other adornments there as well. IMO the only large thing ever placed there should be the Christmas Tree. At the same time, only having dichondra there is too boring and obvious. Give me some tulips, pansies, geraniums, wolfsbane or even simple agapanthas!

[ShrunkenNed]

Exactly! I love glancing at the Christmas tree down Main Street, but to be honest, if I'm posing for a picture, I want "The Land" to be seen! Dichondra is a low lying, easy to maintain, green grass that to me says, "We're putting something huge here and don't want to have to cut around it." Whenever I see it in a planter there, I worry. But, if that's the only worry I have, things are in pretty good shape!

[kroge8]

Another great update - Thanks Brett! They help soothe the Disneyland withdrawals. Totally right about the "June gloom". When my friend and I were there last year, we woke to this every morning - such a depressing way to wake up. Were also suprised at how cold it was - we each had to buy thicker jumpers (ahhh... sweaters). Thanks again, I love looking at the photos!

[Executioner]

Wonderful update as always!!!! Beautiful shots, and yes, those flowers really were vibrant!!!!!! That red started hurting my eyes! LOL. That shot with Mickey..... EPIC win for you! Thanks Brett for sharing the pics again!

[austen]

Loved it! Thanks so much! :D

[rocketrod21]

Literally, every time I jump back on VF, I ALWAYS check to see if there are photo updates. You take the best pictures out there by far. I think I speak for everyone here that you are a hero, I mean, trying to Google search a Disneyland ride is a joke, everyone should just be routed here automatically when they search for something

[austen]

I have to say that the Tomorrowland sign desktop is my second favorite desktop of all time.

[DaddyB]

Thanks so much, everyone!
(and thanks, Austen! LOVE the little boy with mickey ears in the rocket with his (I presume) dad in the background of that shot)

[believeinmagic4ever]

Awesome photo update! Thank you so much. :]

[tony]

how do you get those shots in the dark? is your aperture open all the way, iso or did the ride crawl?

[DaddyB]

Thanks Tony! To get those Haunted Mansion shots, I shoot in manual mode with the aperture almost all the way open (around 5.6 I think), the shutter at 1/30th of a second and the ISO all the way up to 3200. Then there's a lot of light level and noise correction in photoshop when I get home plus a lot of shots that are thrown away as worthless. Also, I have a wonderful external flash that has a strong infrared beam that tells my camera where to focus. I can set the unit to not flash, but still use the beam to focus. In the darkness of the HM ride, there's no way my camera could focus well at all by itself. I just have to watch that it doesn't focus on a screen or scrim or glass in front of what I want to take a picture of (like in the "swinging wake" scene or in much of the graveyard scene).

Having the ride go into crawl mode at some point is wonderful and I'll quickly change the ISO and shutter speed. During the summer months I expect HM to go into crawl mode at least once during my ride. I can only hope it's at something good, and not during the lift up into the mansion of some ridiculously dark spot. Sometimes I get lucky and it stops completely, and if I'm ludicrously lucky it'll actually stop in front of madame Leota or in the graveyard. That hasn't happened for a few years now though.

Getting a shot of Madame Leota is much harder now that her crystal ball is floating around all over the place. Much easier back when it just sat on the table with the book.

So I've found a different way to enjoy the ride time and time again than most other guests.

BTW - I can usually get away with stepping down the ISO to 1600 in the "Pirates" ride.

[ATSF&DLRR]

FANTASTIC DADDY B!!! I love the Updates - makes me wish that I could be there. This will tide me over until Aug. 23-28 - can't wait!!! Great photos as always