One of the great things about walking around Paradise Pier is when riders go whizzing overhead on California Screamin’. It’s a driving force to the liveliness of the boardwalk area. Couple that with carnival games and flashing lights and you have yourself a day of amusement.
Continue Reading
California Screamin’ Sunset
One of my favorite sunsets is a California Screamin’ sunset. Its placement in Disney California Adventure was really well thought out to have the Western horizon as its backdrop. There’s just something so California about looking into the array of colors above Paradise Pier to see the silhouette of arms lifted high from a roller coaster train. A second-hand thrill is not a bad alternative, especially if you’re too busy taking pictures to actually ride anything.
CONTINUE READING
Screamin at the Station
Maybe it’s weird, but I really like the California Screamin’ station. When I was a teenager I was really into roller coasters and used to go to Six Flags Magic Mountain a lot. The lack of theming there to me was a little depressing compared to Disneyland because Disneyland keeps you interested in the environment around you. Six Flags doesn’t really, so you stand in line with little shade and little to look at other than the chains marking the queue and concrete.
There’s a unique feeling when you finally get into the station and see the trains loading. Boredom and fatigue turn into excitement and anticipation as the promise of racing through wood or steel becomes real once more. The wait becomes worth it as you go from a low low to a high high in an instant.
As simple as the Screamin’ station is, it reminds me of those times and makes me feel that way again.
Seaside Souvenirs
There’s something about being by the sea that promotes a sense of calm and well being. You’re not that far from the sea to begin with in Anaheim, but Paradise Pier manages to bring it a little closer. My favorite thing to do in this area of Disney California Adventure is stroll around admiring the billboard designs, sign painting and listening to an area loop that rivals Main Street in quality, if not familiarity. The classic sound and style emanating from this area make me want to throw on a striped one piece bathing suit and dip my toes in Paradise Bay. If only they offered them at this seaside souvenir shop.
The Wonderful World of Water Color: Part 4
Here’s another of my favorite shots of Mickey’s Fun Wheel reflecting on Paradise Bay before World of Color starts. It may, in fact, be my favorite with the color palette and the bit of sparkle on the right. Up next in this series will be a pop art style combination of the images I’ve shared so far. I’m not sure if the whole will be greater than the parts but I really enjoy trying new things and pushing myself. We’ll see how that goes.
After that, I’ll move on to another locale. Perhaps the Rivers of America over at Disneyland? With so many options and so much diversity, who knows! If I end up falling into the water amidst my excitement and efforts, I’m sure you’ll hear about it on the news — “Photographer takes a swim. Ducks make off with camera.”
The Wonderful World of Water Color: Part 3
I have to admit that I’m really enjoying this series. It’s different for me and sometimes, scratch that, often times you need to change things up so you don’t get stuck in habits. A fresh perspective is worth the effort because our habits have a way of gradually turning our passion perfunctory.
I don’t know if anyone has caught the direction I’m taking this but my grand idea with the various colors here is to create a pop art piece with them. I’ve spent a little time working on it and I think Andy Warhol would feel sufficiently imitated. That’s not really my goal, however. I’m more interested in creating a dynamic color palette that illustrates how different the same subject can be by variances in hue.
In the time I’ve spent working on these abstract images, I’ve taken to finding things in the shapes of light on the rippling water. It’s a lot like watching clouds except these shapes won’t change on you. Has anyone else done this or is it just me?
Late last night I posted on our Excursions Blog about some things to look for soon based largely on the great feedback we received through our survey. I also took a moment to rant about people stealing photos and not giving credit to photographers or other creatives for their work. I won’t rant again tonight but I do want to share a reminder about the correct use of our images. I feel somewhat at fault for how many times I’ve seen our images around the internet without credit because it’s not a topic we touch on very often. Undoubtedly, some good people have shared our pictures outside the scope of their intended use due to ignorance.
Rather than using the narrow scope of Copyright, we opt to use a Creative Commons Attribution, Non-Commercial, No-Derivatives license to cover our work which allows use of our photos in the following way:
- Attribution must be given to the photographer along with a link to www.toursdepartingdaily.com. This attribution must be in close proximity to the image. This applies to sharing our photos on a blog, a forum, on Facebook, etc. Our photos are frequently used as Facebook cover photos. This is perfectly fine as long as attribution is included in the caption. A link to our Facebook page would be acceptable in place of www.toursdepartingdaily.com in that scenario.
- Non-commercial use means that you may not print our work, sell our work, advertise with our work, etc. If you are interested in any of these, you must contact us and obtain written permission. We offer a selection of prints in our shop for anyone interested in owning our work. Personal use of our work is allowed provided the attribution condition is met when sharing it. If you use our pictures for wallpapers or screensavers (which we encourage!) we don’t expect you to put a sticky note on your computer.
- No derivatives of our work are allowed meaning that they may not be changed in any way without obtaining written permission. No changing contrast, brightness, color, etc. or slapping them with a filter in Instagram or elsewhere. We’ve abused our photos quite enough, thank you! The only acceptable change is cropping when it is required to fit strict dimension requirements such as with Facebook cover photos.
If you are unwilling to follow these conditions, you may not use/share our photos. A lack of attribution, especially, encourages theft and dilutes the work we spend so much effort creating. We don’t watermark our photos because we want them to be enjoyed without disruption! That means that we rely heavily on you to do the right thing because we believe that people are generally good and art will make the world better.
If you are guilty of not following the terms of our license because you were unaware, please don’t feel bad. Just make sure to abide by them now that you know! If you are guilty and you did know, reconsider the error of your ways.
We really appreciate all the people that show their support by following these conditions. Thank you! And thank you to everyone who’s taken the time to read all of this!
