Tuesday, January 13, 2009

You should also know I have a slight obsession with all things Disney.

J and I went to Disneyland this past weekend. Twice. Once on Friday night and again on Sunday morning... while we were supposed to be at Church. Please don't tell God. (That's supposed to be a joke.) (Oh, forget it.)

Anyway. They don't let you bring tripods into the park (people might trip over them blah blah, liabilities blah blah blah) so it was rather difficult to get any good shots on Friday night except for those I captured while balancing my camera on a trash can and my cell phone. (The camera has been disinfected since then, I promise.)







This one is especially creepy (I'm sorry it's so dark) because it's supposed to look like this...



But they're in the process of renovating Disney's California Adventure.

That drained lake is spooky.

On Sunday morning, it was all about capturing a shot of J. See, I've been determined to find the best light, the best surroundings, and nail my exposure. For crying out loud, that's not an easy thing to do. Well, it isn't for me.

But I think I'm finally getting close.



It figures that my favorite shot would be one of the first I took. We stopped at a spot just inside the entrance, in front of these gorgeous flowers, in the shade of a tree, facing north. (Supposedly north is the way to face, but I need a compass or something because I always have to ask The Husband and he insists on giving me a freaking geography lesson every time! Can't you just POINT NORTH?)

I think my favorite thing about this photos is her eyes. Yes, my focus on the right one is a little soft, but please ignore that. There is such incredible detail in the eyes that when I first opened the photo, I thought what the hell is that??? and had to zoom in close before I realized that I was seeing the reflection of the sky, me, and the flowers around us. I love that.

I love the bokeh in the background. I realize some might find the bright colors a bit distracting, but I love it. To me, it gives the photo a fun, playful feel.

And I especially love that editing was so minor. A little contrast, a little sharpening and I was done. That's my personal goal, to do as little editing as possible. Don't get me wrong, I love Photoshop, but ultimately I want to capture the image in the camera, not create it in Photoshop.

In case you live under a rock, you may not have heard about this great new website. (And I don't know why I think everyone lives under a rock, except maybe because I do and I miss out on everything and am always the last to know anything.) It has been too much fun browsing through everyone's photos and has given me some really great ideas. Definitely go check it out.

I'm going to include this picture of J. Not because I think it'll win, but because I really want to be part of the cool crowd, okay?

6 comments:

  1. That shot is great! I also like the bokeh. Good luck in the I Heart Faces contest!

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  2. Great shot and I like the bright colors blurred in the background.I also don't like photos that are mostly made up in Photoshop. They tend to look fake to me.I had to laugh, my husband it the same way. He goes on and on in his best Cliff Claven explaination until I can't take it anymore and say, "That was a yes or no question."

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  3. Stephanie, Those are great pictures and your little sis looks so pretty! Great shot for the new website. Funny you mention Disney World and share your pics from going there. We are heading to Orlando and getting the h*ll out of this arctic for a week. We'll be hitting Disney too with our kidlets and other great places. I can't wait to take pictures of color instead of this gray and white sh*t I've grown to loathe lately.Fun post!

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  4. I'm so glad you dropped by my blog! I am loving yours..photography? baking? YES!

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  5. Love the photo. I grew up going to Disneyworld every summer. Got the chance to go to Disneyland last summer. LOVED it. California Adventure was so much fun...and I can't rave about Soarin' enough.

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  6. Hat Chick, Soarin' is one of my favorites! I just love the smell of the orange groves. The only think that bugs me is that it's always Christmas. Even in July... you can go on Soarin' and it's Christmas. Weird.

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