Paradise Pier

Welcome to Part 2 in the series of water color pictures I’m doing. If you missed Part 1, head over there to find out about this series and learn what inspired me to do it.

This is another shot showcasing Mickey’s Fun Wheel from the bridge at the entrance to Paradise Pier (taken before World of Color). The Fun Wheel lights up in an array of colors at night creating quite a spectacle in the air and on the water. If you haven’t taken some time to enjoy it, you really should. One moment you might find yourself calmed by a blue glow and the next energized by a shift to a golden hue. Color plays such a role in setting mood. The psychology of it can be pretty fascinating.

Sorry for the late posts this weekend. It’s been a long one as we’ve been working to meet a deadline for a project we have going. We’ll be back to posting much earlier the rest of this week!

When I was 13, I made a discovery after my grandmother (who is an artist herself) and grandfather took me to a Van Gogh exhibit at LACMA. It was an extraordinary show. Many people are familiar with his work and most are familiar with his piece, Starry Night. As much as I enjoyed it, I found myself drawn more to some of his less popular paintings. In particular, one called Starry Night Over the Rhone, which depicts a starry night and the reflections of lights on the surface of the Rhone River.

As a boy, I didn’t think much of it. But as I became older, I wondered why my preference should differ from so many others. It’s a wonderful thing, of course, to have your own opinion but I usually find it beneficial to understand the origins and influences of mine. It can be a great help in seeking out the things you enjoy (and avoiding the things you don’t)!

The answer to my question was pretty simple. I love to watch light shimmer on rippling water. It’s one of my all time favorite things to do, whether it be at Disneyland or anywhere else. Van Gogh’s Starry Night Over the Rhone painting captured that feeling perfectly for me in a way that previously seemed impossible to express.

Since taking up photography, that feeling is something that I have wanted to capture and convey myself and, until recently, has been nothing more than a mental note in the back of my mind. The other night I decided enough was enough and decided to spend some time working toward my goal. One of the best places I’ve found to watch the dance of light and water is Paradise Bay with the reflection of Mickey’s Fun Wheel.

Michaela and I stood on the bridge that enters Paradise Pier for an hour as I took shot after shot, trying to capture as much as I could before World of Color started. I got more and more excited with each image (there’s quite an influx of satisfaction when you take time to address your longstanding goals). Needless to say, the picture below is pretty special to me and is the first in a series I’m going to do. Have you made any personal discoveries like that or tackled any longstanding goals that you’d like to share? I’d love to hear them in the comments below!

On a day that seemed to be dull and dreary at DCA, we found ourselves wandering to Paradise… Pier that is. As we did, the clouds began to break and the sun shone through for quite a dramatic scene. Even Mickey seemed happy about it.