Author Archives: Mike

Morning Reflected

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Crescent Lake, Epcot Area, Walt Disney World

I’m home! As you have been warned, I am back in Walt Disney World. I left late Wednesday night and drove six hours in order to get to the resort bright and early. OK, I’ll admit I stopped after crossing the Florida state line and took an hour nap but driving down was definitely better than the fun that is air travel. Although, the last forty miles had me questioning my decision… 🙂

My room wouldn’t be ready for hours ,so I decided to grab a few sunrise images before heading to the bus for the Magic Kingdom. It was a great way to unwind after the drive. I could feel the tense muscles relaxing and my mind was getting into vacation mode.

Well, it is time to go walk around the lake and see what today’s sunrise will bring me…

Morning Reflected
Nikon Z6 II, Nikkor Z 24-70mm f/4 S, 1/10s, 24mm, f/8, ISO 100

Yeti Palace Hotel

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Animal Kingdom, Walt Disney World

Yeti Palace Hotel
Nikon Z6 II, Nikkor Z 24-70mm f/4 S, 1/80s, 27mm, f/8, ISO 100

Color Bright

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Silent Sunday
Animal Kingdom, Walt Disney World

Color Bright
Nikon Z6 II, Nikkor Z 24-70mm f/4 S, 1/80s, 38mm, f/8, ISO 100

Imagine with Red

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Silent Sunday
Epcot, Walt Disney World

Imagine with Red
Nikon Z6 II, Nikkor Z 24-70mm f/4 S, 1/1000s, 26mm, f/8, ISO 200

This Way to the Magic

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WDW in B&W – WBW46
Magic Kingdom, Walt Disney World

Twelve days!

What?

Only twelve days until my trip to Disney.

Oh. So.

Hey, you should be more excited.

Ok.

That doesn’t sound like you are excited.

It is your trip… you Disney-holic.

Fair.

I have been attempting to visit Disney around this time for quite a few years now. I’m going down for the International Festival of the Arts at Epcot. The park will be full of artists, both visual and musical. This is also my first visit after moving south. I’ll be driving down early on February 6th for a weekend of fun at the festival as well as making the tour of the other parks. As everyone knows, I’ll be posting while I’m there and maybe this year I’ll be providing more commentary in addition to a few pics.

Looking through images from my trip last May I found this non-typical view of Cinderella Castle. This is right after entering the park before the rope drop allowing everyone to “race” to the attractions. I liked the path leading up to the castle as well as the bright side light from the morning sun.

This Way to the Magic
Nikon Z6 II, Nikkor Z 24-70mm f/4 S, 1/160s, 24mm, f/8, ISO 100

Time to Play

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Flat Rock Park, Columbus, GA

Getting ready for work in the morning is one of my relaxation times. A cup of coffee by my side and no plans other than to eventually walk out the door toward the work day. Sometimes, it is my time to play. Sometimes I like to explore and others I just lose the time on useless things. For quite a long time it is when I process images and place words on a blank screen. I haven’t been doing much of that lately. Hopefully, I’m beginning to change…

I found a few play areas at Flat Rock Park the other day. They don’t especially feel like they have been used in a few years. I still like the colors and worn down look though, so I’m going to see if there is more to find in the park…

Childhood Memories
Nikon Z6 II, Nikkor Z 24-70mm f/4 S, 1/80s, 33mm, f/8, ISO 100

Primary Colors
Nikon Z6 II, Nikkor Z 24-70mm f/4 S, 1/20s, 30mm, f/5.6, ISO 100

Reflection Duo

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Flat Rock Park, Columbus, GA

OK, I’m definitely milking that one excursion to the park for a few good images. It was a good evening to be outside. We all know I love a good reflection in my photography and last Thursday was no exception. The group of trees visible at the top of the waterfall/slide image from few days ago remain the stars of these reflections.

This first image is a six image vertical panoramic. I could (and did) grab a vertically oriented view of this scene but I was wanting to pull in more of the reflection and/or the actual trees depending on where I focused at 24mm. By switch back to a landscape orientation and capturing enough images top to bottom I was able to use Lightroom to stitch them together into a nice vertical panoramic view.

Reflection Pano
Nikon Z6 II, Nikkor Z 24-70mm f/4 S, 1/40s, 24mm, f/8, ISO 100
{6 image vertical pano}

The rock structure which is a prominent feature of this park (hence the name) holds water in various pockets. I was running around looking for the best angle and interesting views for my next reflection. Not that I’m a fan of the graffiti, but it does add to the image. Plus, a reflection… I’m happy.

Peeking
Nikon Z6 II, Nikkor Z 24-70mm f/4 S, 1/30s, 33mm, f/8, ISO 100