Crescent Lake, Walt Disney World

I had a good morning yesterday. I went back to the Animal Kingdom to grab images of the animals (hey, it’s in the name). Saturday evening was about the landscapes and finding the images after sunset. Sunday morning was all animals. I wish I had thought about, or maybe known, that the animals don’t start making their appearance “on stage” until almost 9am. Oh well, I couple lapse around Discovery Island never hurt anyone. (side note: early entry was at 7:30am, which most people use to run to their favorite rides)

Well, maybe me… my right knee started to hurt. It gave me a little limp that was endearing, right? Or is character? Yeah, probably more character. More likely, no one noticed, except me. Damn.

It wasn’t any worse than my sore feet from all the walking (averaging 28,000 steps a day). It was (is) annoying. It didn’t prevent me from accomplishing my goal.

I had to skip the Maharajah Trek trail in the Asia section of the park due to the line. That’s right, the line! Usually you encounter a few people but it is never what I would call crowded. The line was snaking throughout the entire section before getting in the exhibit. When I asked a cast member about it she informed me everyone was hoping to see the newborn tiger cub. I am not a fan of long lines that would end up frustrating me due to how some people behave. I called it a day…

I went back to my resort for a little break and then I would head back to Epcot for lunch. Good plan.

The knee was still a bother but not stopping me. Epcot was a little crowded but nothing like Saturday. There is an event food kiosk, Pop Eats!, that I wanted to visit. The tomato soup with grilled cheese (pimento cheese, bacon and fried green tomato) was on my radar. I got my food, found a bench in the shade and enjoyed this culinary creation.

OK, time for a few pictures. I brought the 50mm f/1.8 prime lens with me. As often as I use the 24-70mm zoom lens, I think it makes me a lazy photographer. Using a prime lens changes my thought process for compositions. I end up exploring a subject more and I think it helps me be more creative.

After an hour of hunting the monorail, the crowds were wearing me down. The struggle to navigate, the lack of social graces, and a growing feeling of “I’m repeating myself”, had me heading for the exit. I decided I would wait until almost sunset and explore around Crescent Lake again.

Stop!

What?

Why are you boring these readers with all this poor me stuff. They came for some pictures.

But I was sharing.

Share better.

There is a photographer I follow (not as often as I should) who had listed a few tips to improve your photography a few years ago. I wrote these down and read them every so often when I feel like I’m not being very creative. She is a street/landscape photographer. The banner on her website is simple but says volumes (at least to me), “Chasing Light. Telling Stories.”. I recommend checking out Valerie Jardin. Here are the tips I wrote down…

Slow down and see photographically…

• shoot with more intent
• know what you want to convey before you press the shutter
• break rules as long as you know why
• work your scene
• get close – fill your frame
• crop in camera
• slow down
• use a prime lens

These were running through my head yesterday afternoon.

About an hour and a half before sunset I set out for a walk around Crescent Lake. No purpose other than to look for the light. I left the 50mm prime on the camera. There were a few clouds in the sky and a gentle breeze. It was a beautiful evening. I resisted my normal counter clockwise travel around the lake and turned left out of the resort. Changing your perspective helps you see different things.

As I crossed the bridge near the Swan and Dolphin hotels I found what I was looking for…

I needed to explore this more. I increased my pace (as much as that darn knee would allow). Please clouds, don’t change this scene too much before I get closer.

OK, a little more light on the resort in the background than I would have liked but this is working for me. What else is there?

I played around this area for a little while, trying different things. I haven’t processed the other images yet, maybe I’ll save them for a follow on post, a part two, if you will.

My friend Karma over at Karma’s When I Feel Like It Blog linked to my post yesterday in her Finding Light post. I’m going to create a feedback loop by linking back to her, because the words in her post were on my mind as I walked around the lake. They contributed to these images, so, thank you Karma.