Category Archives: Walt Disney World

Boardwalk Glow

Posted by Mike on

Crescent Lake, Walt Disney World

I am going to go with the excuse that I have not been feeling well and that work has been really hectic as the reason for not venturing out with the camera of late. That is my story and I am going to stick with it. So that leaves me looking through my photo library for something interesting to show.

I seem to be stuck on night/pre-dawn/sundown type images recently. I know I can attribute this fixation on the fun I had during my vacation over Christmas. I came away with quite a few great images and it sparked a desire to learn more.

This image is from my October trip to Walt Disney World. An early morning walk around Crescent Lake which ended up having a very foggy sunrise. This is the Yacht Club Lighthouse looking toward the Boardwalk about thirty minutes before the official sunrise. Usually there would be wonderful deep blues in the sky and if there were only a hint of clouds the morning colors would be bouncing off of them. What I captured is the glow of the Boardwalk lights soaking into the clouds and fog.  The colors create a different mood but they work together.

MLCreations Photography: Around WDW &emdash; Boardwalk Glow

Boardwalk Glow
Nikon D7100, Sigma 17-70mm f/2.8-4, 20s, 21mm, f/16, ISO 200

Nine Dragons

Posted by Mike on

China Pavilion, World Showcase, Epcot, Walt Disney World

There are a few locations in Epcot that I always spend extra time exploring. The China Pavilion is one of those places. Visually, there is a lot happening in the pavilion. I love the architecture, colors and layout of the entire area. Normally, I am photographing the Temple of Heaven but honestly there is not a bad direction to point your camera.

This image is captured near the stairs into the Temple looking back across the lily pond toward the Nine Dragons restaurant. The bold primary colors with the building, sky and shrubbery make everything jump out at me. I love the reflection in the water and the lines formed by the lily pads pointing toward the building.

This is actually two images blended together, not as an HDR image but to remove a few distractions.  Normally I would have been using a tripod but the two images were captured handheld  so combining them involved a few extra steps.  If anyone is interested in the process, leave a comment and I’ll create a post of how I created this image.

MLCreations Photography: Epcot &emdash; Nine Dragons


Nine Dragons
Olympus OM-D E-M1, M. Zuiko 12-40mm f/2.8, 1/125s, 12mm, f/11, ISO 200

Tower Blue

Posted by Mike on

Hollywood Studios, Walt Disney World

When we were in Florida for Christmas it was a given that we would be going to Disney. The trip was to be with Grandma, but the kids had not been to Disney in almost 4 years. There was no way I was getting away without taking them. So we picked two parks and went over for a couple of days.

After a successful day at Epcot we did change up our plans and rather than fight the crowds at the Magic Kingdom we opted to go to Hollywood Studios and spend the middle of the day at Disney Springs (formally Downtown Disney). This worked out well as sadly, Hollywood Studios is going through some changes and we were able to do everything in the morning, and make it back for the Osborne Family Spectacle of Dancing Lights at night (this was the last year for the lights).

We arrived back at the park via one of the Friendship boats from the Boardwalk resort. I decided to run to the car to drop off everyone’s purchases and dare I say it, my camera! I didn’t want to get caught up trying to photograph the lights and thought I would rather just enjoy the evening. It was a great decision.

On my way to the parking lot I couldn’t help but notice the Tower of Terror against the blue evening sky. I didn’t have the tripod but I made my exposure adjustments, balanced the camera on a railing and grabbed this image. I really love the colors in this one…

MLCreations Photography: Hollywood Studios &emdash; Tower Blue

Tower Blue
Olympus OM-D E-M1, M. Zuiko 25mm f/1.8, 1/3s, f/2, ISO 400

The Force Glides Through

Posted by Mike on

Monorail Monday – Epcot, Walt Disney World

MLCreations Photography: Epcot &emdash; The Force Glides Through

The Force Glides Through
Olympus OM-D E-M1, M. Zuiko 12-40mm f/2.8, 1/320s, 21mm, f/11, ISO 400

Pagoda Backside

Posted by Mike on

Japan Pavilion, Epcot, Walt Disney World

Our first day at Disney during the Christmas week was spent at Epcot. That was an unanimous decision as everyone has come to enjoy that park, although for very different reasons. For me it is about the exploring. There is so much to see and do at the park. My favorite is wandering around in all the nooks and crannies of the different country pavilions.

In the Japan Pavilion some additional outdoor seating was added behind the pagoda. I really enjoy how it was blended into the existing landscaping and hasn’t detracted from the beauty of this area. I especially like the red umbrellas used for the tables as they offset the normal color scheme. I tried to capture some of that in this image but didn’t find a spot far enough away to get everything in. Next trip I’ll find a better composition.

MLCreations Photography: Blog Post Related &emdash; Pagoda Backside

Pagoda Backside
Olympus OM-D E-M1, M. Zuiko 12-40mm f/2.8, 1/80s, 12mm, f/11, ISO 200

Wordless Wednesday: Ride the Rail

Posted by Mike on

Future World, Epcot, Walt Disney World

MLCreations Photography: Blog Post Related &emdash; Ride the Rail

Ride the Rail
Olympus OM-D E-M1, M. Zuiko 12-40mm f/2.8, 1/160s, 12mm, f/8, ISO 800

Poinsettia Gold

Posted by Mike on

Monorail Monday
Epcot, Walt Disney World

It has been almost four years since the kids were in Walt Disney World. Last year when I couldn’t go on vacation with them due to work they did go over to Downtown Disney. This year they were not going to let me get away without taking them over. We planned on two days. The first was definitely going to be Epcot. The kids are fascinated with the Japan Pavilion and I knew there would be plenty of photography for me.

Of course if you have been cursed with reading this blog then you know when I go to Epcot it involves capturing monorails. I think it is the challenge of discovering new views for the monorails that keeps me interested. Oh, who am I kidding… I love the monorails, and obviously photography, so this is a match perfect for me.

This was also a different style trip to Disney for me. It wasn’t about me and pictures. I decided before we even left  Grandma’s that I was not bringing the tripod. I was going to do everything hand-held. It would be about capturing the moments not the technically perfect images. My new Olympus OM-D E-M1 would be great for this. Plenty of controls, small, lightweight and portable. No renting a locker, no twenty pound backpack. Just enjoy the parks and grab some pictures.

This approach had me modifying my normal shooting method. As the sun started to set I needed to increase my ISO settings or find places the prop up the camera. Especially with monorails where I have found I need at least a 1/320s shutter speed to freeze the monorail in the image.

Christmas time at Disney is always beautiful and the parks are full of poinsettia plants. I positioned myself just behind one and waited. Monorail Gold came round the park loop and I fired away. At 5:30pm the sun was just above the horizon so my ISO was up to 1600 and the aperture was down to f/6.3 to get the shutter speed I needed. This one will be a little grainy looking if you zoom in but the view is still great.

MLCreations Photography: Epcot &emdash; Poinsettia Gold

Poinsettia Gold
Olympus OM-D E-M1, M. Zuiko 12-40mm f/2.8, 1/320mm, 12mm, f/6.3, ISO 1600