Monthly Archives: December 2016

Outside Looking In

Posted by Mike on

China Pavilion, World Showcase, Epcot
Walt Disney World

I’m down to a handful of days before I set out on another adventure to Florida. I’ll be driving down for the Christmas holiday and I am hopeful I will be able to find some more of those beautiful sunrises and sunsets. I did not make any plans to visit a Disney Park although I am thinking of making a tour of the monorail resorts (Polynesian, Contemporary and Grand Floridian) to view the holiday decorations. I will also be trying to hit up Disney Springs for a little shopping and food.

I guess I am drifting to my Disney place which brought me to this image from my October trip. Frequent readers know my fascination/appreciation for the China Pavilion at Epcot. I’m always looking for different views or angles to capture the architecture and wonderful details of this pavilion. The time right after sundown is typically the best as the sky is not yet black and the lights do not over-power everything in the area.

This view is from a small walkway on the right of the pavilion which is seldom used by guests. I was able to setup the tripod and work my scene to get the composition I wanted. I loved the light illuminating the plants in the foreground while the trees and taller plants created a couple of natural frames for the buildings in the background.

In order to capture the range of light and be able to highlight the details I wanted, I used three separate exposures. I combined the images using Photomatix to create a well balanced image that is technically an HDR image but not as intensely processed as HDR images can be. I have learned over the past few years that shadows are as important as light to an image. 🙂

To finish off my processing I use OnOne’s Photo 10 software suite. The Effects module allows me to ‘tweak’ the image with a plethora of controls. This ‘pluses’ the image and helps me create the picture I have in my head .

  

MLCreations Photography: Epcot &emdash; Outside Looking In

Outside Looking In
Olympus OM-D E-M1, M. Zuiko 12-40mm f/2.8, {0.6, 2.5 & 13s bracket}, 12mm, f/5.6, ISO 400

Winter Falls

Posted by Mike on

Monochrome Winter
Backyard Creek

Sunday afternoon started out as a lazy day lounging on the couch reading my book. The sun kept peaking through the clouds but would quickly retreat whenever I thought I should go out exploring. The last time it ducked back behind the clouds creating the diffused light I like for waterfall images I knew it was time to get myself up and go outside.

The new snow blanketed the ground hiding all the brown muck from the rains. Combine all of this with a fairly good water flow in the backyard creek and I knew I had a chance at capturing something. I decided to venture to the other side of the road because I was hoping the little waterfall would be worth a look.

I generally have to work my way into the image I want to capture. There are definitely more ‘practice’ images than there are ‘keepers’. The first image is the long view back upstream looking at the little waterfall. I was planning my approach with this one. There is definitely something to be captured. I walked closer.

  

MLCreations Photography: Blog Post Related &emdash; Winter Falls I

Winter Falls I
Olympus OM-D E-M1, M. Zuiko 12-40mm f/2.8, 1/40s, 12mm, f/16, ISO 200

 

The second image is a possibility but I am still looking for more. What I like about this image is the scene setting that it does. You can see how the stream comes though the road and snakes its way toward the little dam created by the fallen tree. I see a shallow area on the right that will allow me to get closer to the waterfall. I move in.

  

MLCreations Photography: Blog Post Related &emdash; Winter Fall II

Winter Falls II
Olympus OM-D E-M1, M. Zuiko 12-40mm f/2.8, 2s, 12mm, f/16, ISO 200

 

The third image is my attempt at my keeper image. I switched to a portrait orientation to increase the apparent height of the water. I’m using my 12-40mm lens and at the wide end I can get close to the water to exaggerate the perspective. Still not quite what I am looking for. I like the white flow in the stream starting at the base of the waterfall. I also want to see more of the ice built up on either side of the water. Maybe if I change my angle.

  

MLCreations Photography: Blog Post Related &emdash; Winter Falls III

Winter Falls III
Olympus OM-D E-M1, M. Zuiko 12-40mm f/2.8, 1.3s, 17mm, f/16, ISO 200

 

Switching back to the landscape orientation. I got the ice. I got more water flowing. I got more of the white flow in the stream. I think this is the one I want. Besides my fingers are starting to get cold. My boots won’t let me get into deeper water to change my angle again. This is the one. Time to walk back to the house.

  

MLCreations Photography: Blog Post Related &emdash; Winter Falls IV

Winter Falls IV
Olympus OM-D E-M1, M. Zuiko 12-40mm f/2.8, 1.6s, 15mm, f/16, ISO 200

 

I did stop at the upstream area I usually play in on the other side of the road. Not too many opportunities. Too much ice has built up and I wouldn’t be able to get much of the water flowing. Now my fingers are really starting to complain. I’ll have more winter to explore again. I haul my butt out of the creek and head back to the house. It was a good afternoon!

Where did I set my book down?

Gathering on the Pier

Posted by Mike on

Melbourne Beach, FL

  

MLCreations Photography: Blog Post Related &emdash; Gathering on the Pier

Gathering on the Pier
Olympus OM-D E-M1, M. Zuiko 12-40mm f/2.8, 1/3s, 40mm, f/16, ISO 400

Fountain

Posted by Mike on

West Canada Creek

I was recently interviewed by Laura at Laura Macky Photography and it is amazing how answering questions about yourself and/or your photography really stirs up memories. Laura is a great photographer and you should visit her website for some very inspiring images.  In looking through my archives for pictures to include in the article I ran across some files from this summer that I did not process.  The fountain below is at one of my playgrounds in the West Canada Creek right below Morgan’s Mill Dam.  I have mentioned before how mesmerizing the running water is to me.  Playing with the shutter speed to achieve the look I want is the fun part of exploring the creek.

 

MLCreations Photography: Blog Post Related &emdash; Fountain

Fountain
Olympus OM-D E-M1, M. Zuiko 12-40mm f/2.8, 1/5s, 32mm, f/8, ISO 200

Harper’s Mill Morning

Posted by Mike on

Frontierland, Magic Kingdom, Walt Disney World

I have always been a morning person. It might have been born out of necessity (first to use the bathroom, etc.) but now I find I enjoy the quiet, alone time getting up early affords me. The early rising doesn’t stop when I am on vacation either. It is a part of my daily routine to wake up early that even without setting an alarm I will be awake way before the sunrise. This works to my advantage as a photographer as I have the best opportunity to capture the great morning light (when it shows itself).

This image in the Magic Kingdom was captured after I had been in the park for almost 2+ hours. This was my before ‘dawn day’ on my last trip. The park is still waking up and the guests have not managed to find their way to every corner. There is a semi-secluded, seldom used walkway along the Rivers of America between Liberty Square and Frontierland that I always use. It allows me great views of Tom Sawyer Island, Big Thunder Mountain Railroad and the Liberty Belle. Frequent readers of my posts will know I love this area of the park.

I generally capture a tighter crop on either Harper’s Mill or the Liberty Belle but on this morning the sunlight on the banks of Tom Sawyer Island really caught my attention. From this far end of the walkway I was able to capture the big view. What I think is cool about this image is that the illusion is not broken by any elements. Everything in the scene looks from the same time period. Although the Imagineers do a great job at minimizing the intrusion of different park elements into another it is not always possible. I’m going to add this view to my list of images to capture at night when I return.

 

MLCreations Photography: Blog Post Related &emdash; Harper's Mill Morning