A Big Thunder morning ride isn’t for everyone but, for some, it’s the perfect start to a day. The same could be said for a 24 hour Disney event. With the recent announcement of another party to kick off the 60th anniversary of Disneyland over Memorial Day weekend, I decided to revisit my collection of shots from 2012’s One More Disney Day. This was from the first morning when everything was fresh and palpable energy filled the park. It was a completely different story 24 hours later. Michaela and I haven’t attended the subsequent parties but it feels like time to give it a try again.
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Pioneer Mercantile Christmas
It’s raining as I write this. The slider is fogged up so that all I can make out of the outside world are shadows of the things they truly are. Something about the rain always makes me want to crawl up on a couch with Michaela and listen to the sounds of drops pitter and patter.
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Ribbon and Rifles
Frontierland might be becoming my favorite area of Disneyland at Christmas. It’s difficult to pick one because so much of the park makes a magical transformation, but this transformation takes a rather rugged setting and makes it arguably the most cozy. Cozy is synonymous with Christmas for me. It’s the most wonderful and warm time of the year when people open themselves up to ideas like peace, joy and hope. Somehow, I’m able to see all those things wrapped up in an evergreen wreath hanging in the wilderness.
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Harvest Time at Big Thunder Ranch
Harvest time at Big Thunder Ranch presents a great opportunity to enjoy vintage Halloween decor and ephemera. It amazes me how things change stylistically over time. The variance from 60 years ago to today is really just the tip of the iceberg for the boundlessness of creativity. I wonder how today’s designs will stack up in 50 or 60 years from now.
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Fall on the Frontier
Summer heat is still holding on but the arrival of autumn is imminent. The light is changing. Leaves are beginning to fall. It always seems to be a time of transition that extends beyond the weather. I welcome it with open arms.
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A Relaxing Afternoon on the River
Seeing the Mark Twain round the final bend of the Rivers of America as it returns to the Frontierland dock is one of my favorite sights in Disneyland. It’s such a charming, immersive perspective. It always makes me want to hop aboard for a ride.
This photo is one that I processed for our HDR Tutorial. It’s a single RAW file processed as a HDR as opposed to a bracket of 3 images. Sometimes, you only have one shot to go with but I think it turned out pretty nice.
