Monthly Archives: May 2021

Light Headed

Posted by Mike on

Floral, Midday, Macro, Monochrome

Light Headed
Olympus E-M1 Mark III, M. Zuiko 60mm f/2.8, 1/500s, f/2.8, ISO 100

Port of East Africa

Posted by Mike on

WDW in B&W – WBW39
Africa, Animal Kingdom, Walt Disney World

As colorful and visually stimulating as Walt Disney World can be, there is something special about a black and white image of the park. The removal of color allows the eye to focus on the details and textures of a scene. The gentle balance between shadow and light. Converting an image to monochrome does not lessen it at all.

This view of the port in the village of Harambe in the Africa section of the Animal Kingdom is a favorite view of mine. The amount of detail created by the Imagineers for nothing more than visual decoration is incredible to me. The guests can not walk down to the water nor is there a boat ride that passes by the port. It is the introduction to an area, the tone setter, the preamble for a whole section of a park.

I probably capture a dozen images of this view throughout the course of my day at Animal Kingdom. Actually, both views from the bridge into the village are as photogenic as hell. When the season is right, the sunset will occur over the building for the Festival of the Lion King and adds even more punch to my images.

But this one is an early morning capture with the sun rising over the Tree of Life behind me. I would have liked a few clouds in the sky but who is going to argue with a perfect Florida blue sky. The almost mirror-like surface of the water only “plusses” this view with detailed reflections.

This one definitely belongs in my WDW in B&W series…

Port of East Africa
Olympus E-M1 Mark III, M. Zuiko 12-100mm f/4, 1/100s, 17mm, f/11, ISO 200

Corner Light

Posted by Mike on

China Pavilion, World Showcase, Epcot

I typically spend extra time in the China Pavilion at Epcot. There are photographic opportunities throughout the area. I was fortunate to have the place to myself the first night at Walt Disney World. I’m sure it had nothing to do to the fact it was after the official closing hours and there were no fireworks.

I have attempted to capture this corner numerous times but have not been happy with previous results. Everything clicked this time. No wind to disturb the scene which allowed for an easy four image bracket to capture the dynamic range. Combining the images was simple in Aurora HDR and then processing in Luminar to help me tone down the colors. I think it turned out pretty good…

Corner Light
Olympus E-M1 Mark III, M. Zuiko 12-100mm f/4, {6, 10, 15 & 25s bracket}, 21mm, f/11, ISO 400

Tumblin’ Down

Posted by Mike on

Pixley Falls State Park

Tumblin’ Down
Olympus E-M1 Mark III, M. Zuiko 12-40mm f/2.8, 1.6s, 24mm, f/11, ISO 200

Morning Escape

Posted by Mike on

Pixley Falls State Park

I probably should not call it an escape since it did occur on the weekend but after my Friday afternoon escape it felt right. I did escape the dull routine of the weekend which is always a good thing. It definitely was a good Saturday morning.

Pixley Falls State Park is only a few minutes north of Rome. The challenge is arriving at the appropriate time to capture an image. The waterfall faces south which places it always in direct sunlight and the high hills will cast shadows the closer you arrive to sunrise or sunset. The other issue with this park is the ability of other visitors to get close to the falls and leave the photographer without a uninterrupted view.

Luckily for me, the temperature was still on the chilly side and sun was high enough for the shadows to be clear of the falls. I ran around the park for forty minutes grabbing my images and was on my why out when the people started to arrive. When I am close to the falls, I like capturing this one in the portrait orientation. This allows me to include the rocks in the foreground which are dappled with sunlight coming through the trees. It was a good morning to escape the couch…

Morning Escape
Olympus E-M1 Mark III, M. Zuiko 12-40mm f/2.8, 0.4s, 12mm, f/16, ISO 100