Monorail Monday – Epcot, Walt Disney World
The Force Glides Through
Olympus OM-D E-M1, M. Zuiko 12-40mm f/2.8, 1/320s, 21mm, f/11, ISO 400
The Force Glides Through
Tag Archives: walt disney world
Pagoda Backside
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.
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
Future World, Epcot, Walt Disney World
Ride the Rail
Olympus OM-D E-M1, M. Zuiko 12-40mm f/2.8, 1/160s, 12mm, f/8, ISO 800
Poinsettia Gold
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.
Poinsettia Gold
Olympus OM-D E-M1, M. Zuiko 12-40mm f/2.8, 1/320mm, 12mm, f/6.3, ISO 1600
Wordless Wednesday: Kingdom of Morocco
Morocco Pavilion, Epcot, Walt Disney World
Kingdom of Morocco
Nikon D7100, Sigma 17-70mm f/2.8-4, 1/1000s, 58mm, f/8, ISO 400
Crossroad Wars
Hollywood Studios, Walt Disney World
I am positive it is related to leaving in 5 days for Florida but I also know that I love the entrance plaza at Hollywood Studios. Such a great nostalgic feel to this area and I am definitely in love with the Crossroads of the World kiosk. This view just after sunset as the sky is transitioning to the deep blues and blacks of night is my favorite time for photographing this iconic area. This image was captured in May when I was at the Studios for Star Wars Weekend.
Crossroad Wars
Nikon D7100, Tokina 12-28mm f/4, 25s, 13mm, f/16, ISO 100
Around Future World
Future World, Epcot, Walt Disney World
Whenever I am in Epcot late at night my general plan is to run around World Showcase grabbing as many images of the country pavilions as I can. On my last trip in October I changed it up a little one night and stayed in Future World looking for interesting locations. I was not disappointed.
I have a few of my standard “go to” locations like the Imagination Pavilion or Spaceship Earth from the entrance plaza but I went looking for additional opportunities. Oh, don’t get me wrong I stuck to my standards too! I just made sure I opened my eyes to everything else. Sometimes trying to see past your own view of a location is difficult.
I was sitting on a bench waiting for some people to clear out of the area in front of the Fountain of Nations when I noticed a great opportunity to capture Mouse Gears. This is one of my favorite stores in WDW as it has a little bit of everything. I knew I was going to have to use a long exposure so I waited until the group of moving people would work for me and not against me.
Mouse Gears
Nikon D7100, Tokina 12-28mm f/4, 60s, 28mm, f/16, ISO 100
This next image is of the Joffrey’s coffee stand next to Innoventions East. I really liked the color and style of this stand. I waited on the bench for a clean opportunity but the people just kept coming for a drink. Eventually I realized a static image might not be what I wanted to convey so I grabbed a few frames with people in the view. This one was my favorite as it had some energy but still a clear view of most of the stand.
Espresso, Coffee, Coolers
Nikon D7100, Tokina 12-28mm f/4, 20s, 18mm, f/16, ISO 100
Oh Universe of Energy, what can I say about you. Your pre-show is a little dated (although still fun). Your attraction is a great place to relax for 20 minutes in your nice cool building. Your best features though are your exterior views. I always stop to capture a new side of you.
I liked how the sign and even Spaceship Earth was being reflected in the illuminated water. I must confess though… this image required some work. I manually blended four separate images to get the look I wanted for this picture. It was a lot of fun though as I learned a better way to handle images like this and experimenting on this really helped solidify the concept.
Spaceship Universe Reflection
Nikon D7100, Tokina 12-28mm f/4, 30s, 12mm, f/16, ISO 100
I have a few more images from around Future World that I might eventually work on but these three were my favorites (of my non go to locations). I will definitely be spending more of my nights in Epcot exploring the often over looked corners. I know there are more image possibilities out there…
Wordless Wednesday: Wishing You a Magical Day
Wordless Wednesday
Boardwalk Area, Crescent Lake, Walt Disney World
Wishing You a Magical Day
Olympus OM-D E-M10, M. Zuiko 14-42mm f/3.5-5.6 II, 1/160s, 14mm, f/11, ISO 200
