Picture This!

"I don't know if it's a boy or a girl but it's a photographer," said the doctor to my mom as he was delivering me. Alright, alright maybe he actually said 'redhead' and not 'photographer' but my line is funnier.

At age 6, my parents gave me a Yogi Bear 35mm camera and the love of picture taking was instant. I began posing family, friends and neighbors right away. There's some proof around the house that I got my hands on a Polaroid as well. While growing up I studied album covers taking careful notice of how people were arranged, light and shadows. The funny thing is that I wasn't even all that aware that what I was doing was shall we say, odd, for a kid and later a teenager. I'll speed this up a bit, at 20 I was a full-time staff photographer for several local papers and a graduate of New England School of Photography.

Disney as a company was a part of my life like most kids. My parents took my brother and I to Walt Disney World and Disneyland a couple of times. We went to movies, watched TV shows, and listened to soundtracks. In my late teens and early 20's I started tagging along with my dad on business trips to Orlando and taking vacations with friends.

The real Disney fanatic in me sprung to life in 1998 when I spent the Summer in southern California. If my memory serves me right, I only went to the park once or twice back then and the fact that Disneyland was a mere 15 minutes away was torture. From my friend's driveway I use to watch the fireworks. Just 6 months later I moved to CA. With a So Cal Resident Annual Pass in hand and friends to play with, I hit the parks weekly if not more. It was our hangout where we felt safe and could be our true dorky selves. Sometimes we did nothing more than have dinner and walk around. My favorite thing to do was to sit in Town Square and watch the characters interact with guests.

As for Walt Disney World, I started buying annual passes in 2004. With an abundance of information online here on AllEars.Net, and other sites I absorbed the material like a sponge and joined a few communities. It's amazing how the Internet can bring people with a common interest together from various states, let alone countries.

Inbetwixt all of my photography gigs I've accumulated more than 5 years experience in retail camera sales. Deb asked me to assist those of you who have and those who are looking to purchase point and shoot cameras, including high-end models. I'll guide you through the lingo, what to look for and how to get better results from what you have. Deb, thanks for inviting me to be a part of Picture This!. Feel free to ask me any questions except when the 3 o'clock parade is.

There are a variety of things to consider when shopping for a digital point and shoot camera. In my experience I have found that people make the choices that are best for them and that's the right thing to do. If you do your research, without making yourself crazy, and ask a few friends what they like/dislike about their cameras you will be a better educated consumer. Let's get you started on the road of knowledge.

Batteries: Positive and Negative (get it? a ha ha hmm)

A digital point and shoot will either run on AA batteries or a lithium-ion battery. Some cameras will allow you to substitute a CRV3 lithium or lithium-ion for 2 AA batteries. AA's are what we're most familiar with. We use them in toys, walkmans, discmans, and those water bottle/fans that Disney sells. Well, I'm assuming they take AA maybe they use AAA batteries. I'm too cheap to buy one. Moving on, lithium-ions are what is in your cell phone. It's that square or rectangular flat battery that keeps your phone powered so you can talk till the cows come home from a rollicking game of bingo.

I've compiled a list of pluses and minuses to both types of power. Oh, and before you make your decision based on these lists, next time I'll go over the 5, count 'em, 5 common types of AAs.

AA

Pluses:
** Easy to find in gift shops, drug stores, and even gas stations should you forget to pack them or they wear out
** Most cameras take 2 and most chargers will power 4 at a time. This gives you a spare set ready for action
** Rechargeables will allow an average of 250-300 shots per charge

Minuses:
** Alkalines can last as little as 20 minutes
** Spend more money on alkaline and lithium

Plus and Minus: Chargers can take anywhere from 15 minutes to 8 hours, depending on the charger and strength of batteries.

Lithium-ion

Pluses
** Available in camera stores and electronic stores
** Average battery will take 400 shots per charge
** Chargers are compact

Minuses

** Average manufacturer's price is $30-60 for a spare. Off-brand lists for about $20-40
** Like your cell phone battery, some last longer than others

Lithium-ions (left and center) come in a variety of shapes, sizes, and colors. They are also designed to work with specific cameras. AA's are always the same size but are either alkaline, lithium, oxyhydroxide, NiCad or NiMH.

I previously went over the differences between AA batteries and lithium-ion batteries. This time around I'll touch upon the 5 common types of AA's; American Airlines, Aristocratic Aardvarks, Alan Alda... Making sure that you're paying attention.

Disposable

Alkaline - Bar none these are the ones we've all used. They're easy to find in your local supermarket and wholesale warehouses among many other locals. While they may be the most common they don't last very long. Alkaline batteries actually lose power sitting around waiting for you to buy them and while sitting idle in electronic devices. My recommendation is to only use them in a pinch. A 4-pack averages $5.00.

Oxy nickel hydroxide - What? I know, I know...most people haven't heard of this species. It's a new cross-breed of throw away batteries. They're not as easy to find as they should be. In comparison to alkalines, oxy nickel hyroxide batteries last twice as long. A 4-pack goes for around $6.00 and are avaliable in electronics stores as well as discount department store chains.

http://www.panasonic.com/consumer_electronics/oxyride_ms/flash.asp

http://www.duracell.com/gna/powerpix/faq.htm

Lithium - Energizer is producing these and advertising them everywhere. These powerful little guys last 5-7 times as long as alkalines. In fact they can outlast rechargeables however once they're kaput, they're kaput. Look for them in camera shops, hardware stores, and online. A 4-pack costs $15.00.

Rechargeable

Nickel-cadmium (NiCd) - An alternative to the previously listed batteries are rechargeables. Since they can be used over and over again, you'll save money in the longrun. NiCd's are a great option in this regard. There are a variety of companies making them. Ideally they are for those who use their cameras often because these batteries can develop problems if they are not properly discharged before recharging. A 4-pack of AA's with a charger sells at $20 -30.00.

Nickel-metal hyrdride (NiMH) - As more and more consumers are purchasing their 2nd, 3rd or even 4th digital camera they've learned that NiMH batteries are the way to go. Unlike NiCd's, they can withstand random charging . Available for purchase nearly everywhere you find alkalines, a set of 4 can be bought for $10.00 or with a charger for $15-40.00. Also, there's another breed elbowing it's way into town. These are ready-to-use AA's made by Sanyo and Rayovac among others. Typically they cost $12 for a 4-pack.

Important things to remember:

Never mix battery types in a camera.
Store batteries in a cool dry place. They are perishable; extreme heat or cold can ruin them.
Don't attempt to charge alkaline, lithium or oxy nickel hyroxide batteries.
New NiCd's and NiMH's need to be charged overnight before their first use.
Don't leave your charger plugged in for an excessive amount of time.
Always follow the manufacturer's instructions.

You know all those sweet endearing songs about wanting to get close to someone? They're really just metaphors about using the macro setting. No, really, I mean it. What else could they possibly be talking about? Let us explore this feature and all get a little bit closer. C'mon!

We'll begin with the icon for the macro setting on your camera. The universal sign for macro is a flower. Most cameras have this identifiable symbol on the 4-way controller on the back of the camera. As camera designs change however, readily available controls are moved to fit below increasingly larger LCD's (screen on back) or disappear entirely and are only obtainable via the camera's main menu.

"So come on baby come on over. Let me be the one to show you." When you press the macro icon, you turn on the function that will allow you to take close-up shots of things that are small, such as flowers and coins.

Then there's the ability to get detail on something larger. For instance, normally you'd take a headshot of your child but with the macro function you can photograph his/her cute little freckled nose. Scrapbookers can go wild and take photos of each part of the face and put them together as a collage. Oh, and one small request, no one tell my mom about the option to photograph freckled noses. That'll be our little secret, OK?


I used the Digital Macro mode (manual setting) on a Canon Powershot SD500 to get the entire pin as well as the dangling piece by itself.

Then I used the auto mode and turned on the macro setting and got this. Although it's a clear photo, I couldn't get as close as I could with the Digital Macro setting.

Just to show you why macro is important, without it the pin looks like this. Blech! Who wants to buy a blob?

So my friends, go out and capture the details in everyday life and as you do you'll say to yourself, "Why do birds suddenly appear every time you are near? Just like me, they long to be close to you."

I'm sure that many of you if not all of you have taken photos of your family, friends and/or vampires at night. The lights are low, Cinderella's Castle is basking in the glow of magenta and blue gels. You want to capture the end of a glorious day at the Magic Kingdom. As an excited mom or dad, you tell your offspring to stand there and smile.

Mom: The castle is beautiful. Let me take your picture in front of it.
Teenager: (head tilts back, foot stomps cement) Mommmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm.
Mom: Oh come on, do it for me. It'll be quick.
Teenage: You like already took like a GAZILLION photos.
Mom: I'm glad you're keeping track. Count this as a gazillion and one. Now go stand over there and for crying out loud, try to look happy.
Teenager: Ugh! (stands, gives big cheesy grin). Can we go nooowwwww?

In order to recreate this photographically, I had to improvise. I'm not at Walt Disney World right now so my neighborhood will act as Main Street less the delicious scent of baked goods, throbs of people heading to the monorail, shops, Cast Members and a stunning castle. Please use your imagination. Also, I don't have children of my own so I borrowed my neighbor, Ciara. I loaded her down with props and put her to work. She received no payment for modeling however I wouldn't be surprised if she tried to sneak in with my luggage when I leave for Disneyland in October. (waving) Hi Ciara!

The pictures below were all shot with a Nikon Coolpix 5600. I also used a tripod to show you that they are imperative for night photography. This camera only has Auto ISO and will make it's selection based upon available light. I stood roughly 8 feet away from her.

Shot using the Night Portrait setting.
The camera slows down the shutter and uses the flash with red eye reduction. You can see a yellow tint caused by the street lamp next to Ciara and she's slightly out of focus. Since the shutter stays open longer in order to allow available light to hit the sensor there's a chance that the photo will be slightly blurred.

Shot using the Night Landscape (looks like a building with a moon) setting under the Scene Menu. Again, the camera slows down the shutter but does not use a flash. This mode is designed to shoot scenes not people. You can see that she is extremely yellow and blurry.

Shot using Auto Mode (icon is a camera) with the flash on with red eye reduction. Ciara is now sharp and has the proper skin tone. The street behind her is dark.

When you're photographing your loved ones at 11:32 PM and you don't have a tripod with you or a flat surface to place the camera on, use the auto setting with flash. Maybe the castle won't be as bright as you'd like it to be but your kid won't be able to try and tell your parents that you were drinking yourself silly based on blurry photos.

This blog entry is designed to help those whose cameras don't allow for manual control over shutter speed, aperature and/or ISO. It's also for anyone who isn't sure how to use such settings. I will go over advanced night time shooting later. Until then, remember that vampires don't like it when you use a flash.

One of the great things about strolling down Disneyland's Main Street is that all of our senses get to enjoy it. The mouth-watering scent of peanut brittle coming from the candy shop. The sound of hooves clunking along the concrete as a horse pulls a carriage. The taste of Fantasia ice cream (R.I.P.) made of pistachio, cherry, and banana.

Walking past shops you touch the smooth buildings and once inside the Emporium feel the soft squishy stuffed Disney characters. Last but not least, we see what is going on around us. Balloons are dancing with each other, children with eyes wide open and mouths forming nothing more than a slow motion "Wow."

With all of these going on at once you can easily miss out on the simplest of things. I had a portraiture teacher who repeatedly told us to keep it simple. You don't need a lot going on to make a great shot. You can also change the mood of an image simply enough by seeing it in black and white. There's something about it that strips the picture down to it's core. Details become more noticeable. Give it a try the next time you're making your way to Tomorrowland or Adventureland. It just takes a moment to stop and see things in a whole new light.

There is an abundance of cameras on the market these days for the consumer to choose from. The important question is, which one is right for you? Do you only take photos at birthday parties and family gatherings? Are you at every soccer game cheering on your daughter? Have you found yourself hoping for more control over your images? These and many other questions will help to determine what type of camera you are looking for.

In this chapter, I will go over the basic differences between compact point and shoot cameras and those designated as high end. Afterwards, we'll take a 10 minute break and resume with a whole hearted discussion on why Donald Duck only wears a shirt but after a shower, has a towel around his waist.

Compact cameras come in a variety of shapes, sizes, and colors. They have 1 of 2 types of lenses: normal or internal zoom. Since most cameras are small they can be carried around easily. Just like many people wear their cell phone case on their belt, a small camera case can also be worn in the same manner. Compact cameras vary in additional features however they all (less some kids cameras):

Have a timer
Record video clips
Have red eye reduction
Have an LCD
Offer scene modes: Auto, Portrait, Night, Action, Landscape
Have a built-in flash
Have an optical zoom of 3x or 4x and a digital zoom

Additional features may include:

Scene modes: Fireworks, Dusk/Dawn, Beach/Snow, Museum, Copy, Pets, Macro, Copy, Food
Sound with video
Voice recording
Adjustable ISO settings
Aperature Priority
Manual Mode
Shoot in enhanced color, B&W and/or Sepia

Pictured above are two examples of compact cameras. On the left is the Nikon Coolpix S50. That square on the top right of the Nikon is an internal zoom lens. To the right is the Fujifilm FinePix V10. Does anyone else hear "It's Hip to be Square" playing in their head right now?

High end point and shoot cameras are right smack dab inbetween compact cameras and SLRs. They offer more creative control than compact cameras and better lenses yet don't measure up to the quality of an SLR. You also can't change lenses. These cameras are also inbetween when it comes to size. They won't fit in your handbag (well, most anyway) but you could put the case in a duffle bag.

What you'll find on high end point and shoots:

Timer
Video recording with sound
Rey eye reduction
LCDs and viewfinders
Scene modes
Built-in flash
Optical zoom of 10x, 12x, or 18x digital zoom
Higher quality lenses
Adjustable ISO settings
Manual Mode, Aperature Priority, Shutter Priority
Image Stabilization

Additional features may include:

Hot shoe for external flash
Macro and Telephoto lens attachments
Custom Functions
Greater range of ISO settings
Advanced metering

Pictured above we have the Sony Cybershot H5 and the Olympus SP-550UZ.

Sit back, relax, and pay close attention as this a true story.

It was a damp and dark night with the fog rolling in from the Atlantic coastline. In the distance, a shrieking owl and the rattling of chains echo in moonlight. Then all of a sudden,

Wait, wait, wait, that's the wrong story. Sorry folks. I left the computer for a few minutes and my cat got ahold of the keyboard.

A woman came into my work today with her Kodak Easyshare C653 wanting to print out her photos. We inserted the SD card into the computer and it said she had 20 photos on her card. She shook her head and told me she had LOTS of photos and she'd taken them recently. Alright, they are probably stored in the camera's internal memory. I put the SD card back into her camera and copied them from the camera to the memory card.

By doing a quick calculation in my head, I guessed the monitor would now show a total of 30 photos, give or take. I reloaded her card into the monitor and it showed a new total of 72 photos! If I was a cartoon character, my eyes would have bugged out, my jaw would have hit the floor and I would have left a mark on my forehead for smacking it too hard. Why, you ask. Because you see my friends, in order to get that many photos into 32 MB of internal memory, you have to reduce the megapixels to next to nothing.

What does this mean? It means that the photos she took of her grandkids weren't going to make good prints because they were shot a 1 MP. That's right, just 1 million megapixels.

What happened when she tried to print her photos? The computer gave her a warning that said her file size was too small to get a decent 4x6 print. In bolder terms, the kids are going to look like they're made out of Legos or if they're toddlers, Duplos.

How does this happen? It's quite simple. Someone lowered the quality level on her camera. Many pepople do this so they can get more photos on the memory card, understandably. However, they're usually not aware of the impending results. I see this happen all too often. Dads who kick themselves and friends who are saddened all by the fact that their great shot won't make a great gift.

How can I get more photos on my memory card? The larger the card, the more photos it will store. The more megapixels in your camera, the larger the file sizes. Today's cameras average 8 MP and either come with a 32MB or 64MB (megabyte) card or internal memory of the same size. That's around 8 photos at the highest resolution. Be good to yourself and get a memory card that is no less than 512MB. That will hold around 160 photos on a 7 or 8 MP camera. To double that amount, you'll want a 1GB (gigabyte) card. We'll go over memory cards in more detail in a future edition of Light Meter.

The best advice I can give you is to always shoot at the highest resolution your camera has. If you have a 6 MP camera, set it to 6 MP. It may also offer a quality level showing a number of stars. Choose the most stars. This way, you'll never have to worry about changing the settings and if you can make that enormous poster of your hubby dressed as the Tooth Fairy for his surprise 40th birthday party.

What? I don't know. I was trying to think of a title for this installment of my blog and honestly, I had a brain cramp. Forgive me.

There's one question I hear more often than anything else. How many photos can I fit onto the memory card? For your enjoyment, I have designed a pretty chart that will answer that very question, approximately. Yes, approximately because the precise number of photos per memory card will vary depending upon the camera itself and the image being shot. The chart is based upon shooting at the camera's High Resolution for JPEGs.

Click on the chart to see it larger.

MB = Megabyte, GB = Gigabyte

As they say, variety is the spice of life. It's easy to "spice up" your photographs by simply taking a few minutes to walk around and shoot from different positions. You may find yourself standing on benches, crouching down or leaning over things. Sure you'll garner strange looks from people but you'll have the cooler photos.

I started shooting near the Rock 'N Rollercoaster restrooms.

Then I moved closer and stood near the wall and shrubbery between the entrances to Tower of Terror and Rock 'N Rollercoaster.

I moved once more over by the CM exit/entrance by Rock 'N Rollercoaster, walking forward and backwards a bunch while swatting bugs.

Here you are on vacation with your family and you are having the most excellent time EVER! You've dined on yummy desserts, ridden it's a small world 4 times in a row, and shopped till you dropped. Sure you've taken a few photos of your cousin Matthew around the World but where are the ones of you?

It's Tuesday and you've got the day off but all of your pals are busy working. How much more laundry can you possibly do? Time to hit Disneyland and enjoy a pleasant afternoon. You've got your handy dandy $12 purple 35mm camera with you. It's time to play.

Suffice it to say I've been to Disneyland and Walt Disney World a combined amount of...way too many times to count. With solo trips to both parks I've learned to make sure my good times are recorded as well as those of my friends.

There are a few ways that you too can get in the picture.

1. Ask a nearby guest to take the picture of you. I'd be on the lookout for someone who has an SLR with them. Why? It's more likely that this person will take a little more time to get a nice keepsake for you.

2. There are Cast Members all around and they're more than happy to help you out. Don't be shy just ask nicely if they'd please take a photo of you.

3. Put your camera on a flat surface, set the timer, and run! All point and shoot cameras (except disposables and my $12 purple one) have a timer. The average time you have is 10 seconds before it takes the picture. Consult your manual for instructions. It's a great and simple feature to use.

4. Self-portrait. It can be done and can be done even better if you have long arms. For best results hold the camera above your eye level and tilt it down a little bit.

How good will your photos turn out...well that's up to the photographer and your imagination.

Here I am at Pop Century dancing with my shadow on the wall.

This is me at Super Soap Weekend at Disney's California Adventure, poised and ready to meet my adoring fans.

Sometimes I bring props.

On October 21st I will be at The Disneyland Resort walking for Children's Hospital of Orange County. If you'd like to learn more and/or sponsor me, please click here. Thank you.

It was not that long ago that digital camera manufacturers advertised their products as having a 9x combined zoom. This led most consumers to believe that cameras had a 9x zoom, period. The box would likely say 3x optical/6x digital/9x combined. This can be rather confusing. People did not know there was such a thing as an optical zoom and a digital zoom.

Nowadays you're less likely to hear digital cameras touted for their combined zooms as it's become apparent that digital zooms are rarely used and for good reason as you'll see.

Below are 3 photos of Katy* all taken with a Fujifilm A900. The image stabilization was on as was the flash. This camera has 9 million megapixels, a 4x optical zoom and an approximate 7.6x digital zoom.

This first picture was taken without any zoom at all. This is a nice and clear photo.

Next, I used the optical zoom here getting as close as possible. The photo is still sharp and can be printed as a clear 8x10, at least.

Finally, I zoomed in digitally. Even in this small example you can see the pixels.

I strongly suggest clicking on the photos to see them larger. You'll instantly see the difference between the results of an optical zoom and a digital zoom. Now, there are some cameras that do a better job than this but the result you see here is extremely commom.

Why does this happen? Simply put, an optical lens brings the subject closer to you through the lens by changing it's focal length. This is what is on all 35mm and APS cameras. A digital zoom kicks in after the optical zoom is maxed out and literally enalrges the pixels. This breaks the image apart.

Let's say Katy is running track and her boyfriend Josh takes a photo of her. He's zoomed in as far as he can but she's still further away than he'd like. His best bet is to take the picture only using the optical zoom and when he gets home, crop it using photo software. He'll get far better results than if he used the digital zoom.

When you're out shopping for a new camera, only concern yourself with the optical zoom and forget about the digital. A good salesperson won't even mention digital zooms. For those of you who have been getting pixelated looking photos, check your cameras. It's quite possible that your digital zoom is turned on. Check your manual for instructions on how to turn it off.

Happy shooting!
* Katy was not harmed in the making of these photos.

You've been doing your homework about the new camera you want. You've asked your friends what they like and don't like about their cameras. You've been to the stores to check them out and see what they look like and how they feel in your hands. Now you're ready to go out there and buy yourself a brand new camera.

The absolute best place to buy a camera is in a camera store whether it's a retail shop or a professional store. This is because you will find knowledgeable people working there who are interested in helping you get what fits your needs. You can't put a price on experience and knowhow. Sure some shops might be a little more expensive than others but they are privately owned and struggling to stay afloat in a world of Amazon.com and Overstock.com. Personally, I purchase some equipment from my local shop every so often to help them out even though I get a discount at my job. They're good people and I hope they remain open for years to come.

Let's take a look at some stores near you.

Wolf Camera/Ritz Camera is the largest chain of retail camera specialty shops in the US with over 900 locations. Why the 2 names? Ritz bought out Wolf (his cousin) a few years back. The Wolf stores kept their name. You can find a store in most major malls. This company stocks little professional equipment and is geared towards consumers. Check for a store nearby. Please note that the physical stores and online store are 2 different companies although both are owned by the same person.

Calumet not only has shops in the USA but they also operate in the UK, Netherlands, Belgium, and Germany. Here you'll find a combination of amateur and professional equipment including darkroom supplies and background seamless paper. Is there one near you?

Samy's Camera has several locations in California. Geared far more towards the professional, walking into a Samy's can be overwhelming for some and heaven for others (points to self). Need to rent a 500mm lens for your son's football game? They've got it. Wanna scan all of your negatives? Samy's Camera has what you need and can tell you how to use it.

Hunt's Photo, Video and Definately Digital serves New England residents with a total of 7 locations. Known for the yearly Hunt's Show in Boston where reps from all of the major manufacturer's offered special deals to attendees (excuse me while I sing "Memories"), it has been downsized and placed in all of their shops. Their next event is October 26-28.
Learn more about Hunt's

A few smaller shops that I personally recommend are:

Pitman Photo Supply in Miami, Florida

The Camera Company in Norwood, Massachusetts

Colonial Photo & Hobby Inc, in Orlando, Florida

I've just returned from a glorious week in overcast then sunny then overcast then sunny then smokey & windy California where I played with and tortured my dear friends at Disneyland. Good times. Good times. They are good sports as I put a few to work as models for this here blog with you, the reader in mind. I hope you enjoy these images as much as we do. If you don't well then, tough ganoongies. We still laugh at them.

It goes without saying that if you are being photographed while staring into the sun, you will wind up squinting or closing your eyes.

EXHIBIT A

After you wipe away all your tears, step into the shadows being sure your whole face if not entire body is shaded.

EXHIBIT B:

Shadows will make you look Smurferific! If you'd rather have a human-like flesh tone, turn on the flash.

EXHIBIT C:

Today's model is Yoli. She enjoys quoting "Grease," "Spaceballs," and some movie I don't recognize. You'll find her doing an impression of Bernie's walk ala the movie "Weekend at Bernie's" while walking near Tarzan's Treehouse. Yoli collects pins and popcorn buckets. I do too and it's all her fault.

Over the next few weeks I'd like to share with all of you some of my photos and recap my experience at the 17th annual Disneyland CHOC Walk.

CHOC is an acronym for Children's Hospital of Orange County. Since opening its doors in 1964, Children’s Hospital of Orange County (CHOC) has provided the highest quality medical care to children.

My friend Yoli, her stepson Marshall, and I were up, out of the house and at the Mickey & Friends parking garage by 6 AM on Sunday, Oct. 21st. After a quick call we found our friend Jen and her son Corey. At the bottom of the escalator stood a few Green Army Men pointing people in the right direction. We walked the tram route and with wristbands securely placed, walked into Disneyland amongst a mass of thousands. I made my way up as far as I could on Main St while my friends hung back at the Emporium. Another call came in and my friend Drina and her friend Kathy met up with Yoli & the gang.

Music was playing, tons of CMs were out and about, and a MC kept talking and getting us pumped up. Soon the opening ceremony began and the first group was set free down Main St. A few minutes later my group was released and I pulled off to the right for photos and to wait for my friends.

Among the walkers waiting for the event to begin.

Pluto, Mickey, Minnie, and Donald (out of range) were there showing their support.

Soon my friends caught up to me and we were on our way. I won't take you moment by moment because really, you don't wanna know all the silly things we said and did and which restroom we thought had the best tiled floor. Anyhoo, we strolled by the castle and look who was there...

Moseying along by Frontierland and into Adventureland we came upon...

and then who should be out but a swaggering and rather quiet

We rounded the corner into Frontierland taking the path that leads you behind Big Thunder Mountain and towards Pinocchio's Haus.

For those of you familiar with the goat trick, it's not as effective when you're just walking by.

Last week's episode left off as my fellow trouble makers and I had just walked into Fantasyland by means of Frontierland. We were 7 of 15,167 participants. Once you were out walking you would never have guessed there were that many people there because of how well Disneyland controlled the crowd.

At the walk, it was announced that we, the fundraisers, had raised over 1.6 million dollars. That's truly amazing. Personally, I raised $580.00 and am quite proud. My friends have decided that next year they are going to step up their game and try to beat me. A little friendly competition is good as the kids will benefit.

Let us walk and talk some more. The path took us around the King Arthur Carrousel where we found Snow White, Cinderella, Belle, and Aurora all waving to the brigade of paparazzi. By paparazzi I mean Jen, Yoli, and I and other Disney fanatics. Yoli and I kept making jokes like we were photographing a famous music group who we both love. The princesses waved to everyone and then went for a spin. Good photo op, really.

Obviously Cinderella is a stunt princess.

As we continued through Fantasyland we saw the Mad Hatter and Alice with some cards on their parade float. Moving along past the Matterhorn, Finding Nemo Submarines, Innoventions, and through Tomorrowland.

Stitch and his buddy cheered on the masses. I saw Stitch in the same location back in 2003. He must really like the view.

The boys decided to ditch us long before we got to Tomorrowland. From left to right: Kathy, Drina, Jen, and Yoli. Ummm, I don't know these people, especially that Yoli person.

We started back up Main St. but were directed backstage as we approached the camera shop. It was very exciting to see The InnBetween which is an eatery for Cast Members. Why was I so excited? I had actually heard of it before, that's all. I'm easily amused.

All of us came back out on stage in Town Square and walked out of the park and into the esplanade where we hit a bottle neck. Traffic! My group thought it was funny. Turned out that was where bottled water was being handed out. It wasn't hot out but since I'm not a big fan of Disani and they were handing out Arrowhead, I took it and put it away for later.

I had to stop and get a quick shot of this view. It's so quiet before the gates open.

Welcome to California! Please don't eat the candy corn "A"s.

To the beat of the rhythm of the night. Dancin' till the morning li ii ghh t. Hi. I didn't hear you come in. Ummm, have a seat and I'll tell you the rest of my story about participating in the CHOC Walk. Comfy? OK, good.

Let's see, we were just about to enter Disney's California Adventure. Once we passed through the gates we skimmed by Candy Corn Acres which is very vibrant with yellows and oranges. Not oranges you eat, the color orange. LOL You knew that cuz who has ever eaten a yellow?! Put your hand down.

Dale was feeling very shy that morning. I think lots of people told him he looked exceptionally cute in his hat and scarf.

Hollywood! La la la la Hollywood! Walkers were led past Muppets 3D, Monsters, Inc Mike & Sully to the Rescue (Sully and Boo were outside) continuing along past Hyperion Theatre and backstage. The only cool thing I saw was a bumper car from Tuck'n'Roll's Drive 'em Buggies. It was a short very short like 3 apples high Smurf height kinda short time backstage. Once we came back onstage we were in Flik's Fun Fair and somehow I had lost my party.

Unfortunately, my amigas and I don't have a cool way of calling out for each other if we get separated. I suppose we should work on that.

Once I caught up we were directed out of Flik's Fun Fair and towards Paradise Pier. Now here's something I still haven't figured out. We saw lots of people walking around Paradise Pier, near the Orange Stinger and the Maliboomer, you know, walking the walkathon. Only when we got to the point where we'd head left up the pier we were sent right in the direction of Grizzly River Run.

I have no idea what these kids were singing because I haven't seen High School Musical 2. I know, I know, I'm a bad Disney fan.

Before you knew it we had exited CA Adventure into Downtown Disney via a secret entrance near CA Soarin'. This is where people got really confused. I knew to keep walking because I'd been there done that and kept on trucking till we saw this guy.

Beyond that I knew there would be tables from the various sponsors. The girls and I split up...OK I wandered off on my own resulting in Drina, Jen, Kathy, and Yoli to wonder where I'd gone. When we caught up I was reprimanded and forced to wear a balloon tied to my camera backpack. They thought they were clever but it was the same balloon every other kid had.

This is the 5th time that Disneyland Resort has served as the location for the walk thus it's full name, CHOC/Disneyland Walk in the Park. It felt very well organized and I'd like to thank the custodial staff for having the restrooms open and sparkling clean. If you are interested in taking part in this awesome fundraiser or to learn more about Children's Hospital of Orange County please check out their website. The dates for 2008 have not been announced yet.

Thank you all for reading my blog. I enjoyed not only participating in the walk itself but being able to help kids who need medical care now and who in the future, will offer us "old" people Senior Citizen discounts at Disney parks.

I'm going to keep this brief and to the point. Yeah. I am. Seriously. Well I'll try to. The date is now Wednesday, November 28th (unless you're in Australia or Japan for instance... it may be the 29th). You are leaving for Florida (unless you live in Florida, silly) within the next few days. You've done most of the laundry and that includes washing the new matching Fab 5 shirts you bought for the entire family. There's a schedule of meets you want to attend so you can introduce your boyfriend to your Internet pals. No matter how many times Grandma has been told, she still doesn't understand why you have Disney Dollars in your wallet.

Suffice it to say you are nearly ready for MouseFest. I want to help you with your camera packing list and offer advice to those of you who bought or are planning to buy a new camera before you arrive at the airport. Yes, I'm talking to you.

Packing List for a Digital Camera:
camera
battery & charger (converter if from outside USA)
spare batteries
memory cards (take at least 2 in case 1 becomes corrupted)
camera bag
manual

Packing List for 35mm or APS Cameras:
camera
batteries
film
camera bag
manual

ALWAYS keep your film in your carry-on bag. Any film that is ISO 800 or higher should be handed to a TSA. Ask for a hand inspection of your film. It doesn't matter if the film was shot, so long as it hasn't been developed, it can be ruined.

If you are taking a new camera with you try to do some test shots before you leave home. There's always the slim chance your new camera will have a defect. Be sure to read your manual even if you can't do it until you are on the plane. If you're familiar with cameras then you should have a fairly easy time figuring out the basics such as reviewing your photos, changing flash modes, and quality levels.

If you have questions or need help with your camera, please feel free to ask me for help at the Mega Mouse Meet. I'll be at the AllEars® table. How can you recognize me? I'm the girl in this photo. If you can tell me who the guy is, I'll have a surprise for you!

It goes without saying that children want to be able to do what their older siblings and parents do. If you have kids, they've more than likely asked if they can play with your camera. You may have responded with words such as "This is Dada's camera. It's not a toy. Go ask Mommy for hers." Maybe you have allowed little Billy Bob to look at the screen and push the button and are now astonished at just how much your cat tolerates close-ups.

Since this is the time of year for the Shopping Triathalon sponsored by VISA, MasterCard, American Express, and Discover you're considering making Billy Bob's dream a reality. Good for you, really. I truly applaud parents who put a camera in the hands of a kid. Why? Because I began shooting at age 6 and I loved it. It's very important to encourage creativity and a camera is just of many ways for someone, no matter the age, to think outside the box.

Of course now the question is what camera should you buy for Billy Bob? Personally, I think it depends on the child and not just the age. While one kid may be thrilled with something simple another may be bored.

Let's first explore options made specifically for Ages 5+

Fisher-Price Kid-Tough™ Digital Camera --
Fisher Price Kid Tough Digital Camera It'll hook up to your computer via USB cable for downloads.
The average price is $70.00.

Polaroid Pixie Kids Digital Camera The camera can be used to play games.
Hook it up with the supplied USB cable.
Average retail price...$80.00.

Less expensive options would include character-related cameras such as Dora, Spiderman, and SpongeBob. However those cameras usually cost $20-50 and only produce monitor quality images. They may not have a screen to playback images and are very small. In other words, Billy Bob could lose his camera in the sofa and the dog could easily break it. What else can you buy? 35mm camera these days are extremely cheap, they withstand beatings better than digital cameras, and have better quality lenses. What was once a $125 investment is now half price.

Elementary and Middle Schoolers

For the Disney fan (you may know one or two), Disney Pix Max Camera
These offer 3 million megapixels that will turn out a fair/good 4x6 print.
It will hold approximately 30 photos internally and also accepts an SD card.
It has a color 1.5" screen.
Also hooks up to the computer via USB cable.
There's Disney software included to play with images.
Average cost is $80.00.

Unfortunately, there aren't many cameras aimed specifically at the 8-12 year old bracket.

Teenagers

At this point you jump into the "cool looking" cameras with flashy colors in petite sizes by major companies such as Canon, Nikon, Pentax, Olympus, Sony, and FujiFilm. The prices go up and so does the quality. Older kids and teens are looking for fun software in-camera. The ability to draw a mustache on your math teacher, paint hearts around your crush or morph into a creature is very attractive to them.

A few options that meet their demands and yours are:

Canon PowerShot SD1000>
7 million mega pixels
3x external optical zoom
stylish, small, with a 2.5" screen
color swap, color accent, viewfinder
Average price is $200.00.

Fujifilm Finepix Z10fd
7 MP
3x internal optical zoom
sleek, available in bright pink, orange, green, blue, and black with a 2.5" screen
slide shows, resize pics for blogs, send pics from your camera to a friend's camera (IrSimple™-ready)
Sells for $150.00

Sony Cybershot DSC-T200
8 MP
5x internal optical zoom
slick, available in silver, black, and red (Sony chose black and red for newer cameras to coincide with "Spiderman 3"), 3.5" Widescreen LCD
slide show with music, paint program, touch screen
Newly listed at $400.00

Nikon Coolpix L15
8 MP
3x external optical zoom
small and easier to hold, comes in silver, pink, and black with 2.8" screen
In-camera red eye fix, adjusts under exposed photos, some cameras sold as kits with case, rechargeable batteries and charger
Sells for $160.00

Many digital point and shoots have Face Detection these days. Carefully read or ask if a camera has digital vibration reduction or optical vibration reduction. There's a substantial difference as the digital version can cause your photos to look noisy or spotted. We'll explore that subject another time.

Since I'll be at MouseFest during the time I would normally write my next blog, I will not have one for you to enjoy on Dec. 12th. Don't fret because when I return my blogs will be 33% bigger with a fresh new scent.

Bonjour. I trust you are all rested after whooping it up at MouseFest. Those of you who were not in attendance were probably causing trouble elsewhere. News gets around, ya know.

I was on a mission to come back with hundreds of photos to share with you. Photos that would demonstrate what you and your camera are capable of. Sadly for you, most of my time was spent documenting Aladdin in various locations. OK, maybe not so sad for some.

Whilst making my way through France, I came upon Serveur Amusant. This performance is wildly popular among furniture makers and health insurance agents. Certainly we all have snapshots of the "tourist" climbing chair after chair hoping to reach the height of Godzilla. But what if we changed our position to create a more dramatic looking image? Something you wouldn't normally do...something bold and magnifique!

I give you...La Silhouette! (That's French for The Silhouette!)

How did I achieve this grand masterpiece? Ah, listen closely. I made my way slowly through the sweaty masses, watching the sun, and squinting. Once the sun was behind the subject, I stopped moving. I raised my camera and pointed it at the man atop the chairs and after cursing at the LCD screen I could barely see, I pressed the shutter release button. Voila!
:curtsy after thunderous applause:

Ruh roh. Did I spoil the surprise? C'mon, you must have known what was in the box already. Seriously? How could you not know? It's square or rectangular in shape and perfectly flat on all sides. Even your new puppy knew it was a camera! What? You didn't know about the puppy?! :smacks forehead: Well quick, go open that moving present. Catch him!

Is everything alright? Alright. Back on course. Congratulations on your new camera. If this is an upgrade from what you have, awesome, you'll love it. If it's your first digital camera, you are in for some fun. If it's replacing the camera you dropped into a mug of beer while you were out shooting pool with the boys...you're a very lucky man. Go tell your wife you love her and then take out the garbage. We'll wait.

While we're waiting let's name all the Disney characters according to height starting with...oh hey the menfolk are back. 7, 8, 11, 15, 26, 53...good they're all here.

I'm going to quickly give you a rundown on everything you need to know. Ready?

1. Read the manual
2. Charge your lithium-ion battery. If the camera takes AA, get yourself rechargeables. See previous blog on batteries here and here.
3. Keep your camera safe and protected in a padded or hard shell camera bag.
4. All digital point and shoots have some delay. Newer cameras have faster processors. One way to help speed things up is to use a faster memory card. I recommend no less than 5MB/sec. If the card you have doesn't give it's speed then it's about 2MB/sec.
5. Cameras do not like liquids or sand.
6. Read the maunal. It's worth being repeated.
7. That built-in flash only goes 8-10 feet.
8. If you use any Night mode, you'll need a tripod.
9. Cameras have a tendency to get drunk on New Year's Eve, fall down, and require a trip to the repair center. Don't let your camera drink.
10. GO OUT THERE AND TAKE PHOTOS!

HERE ARE A FEW OF MINE! Why am I still yelling?! These are from MouseFest. They're not great but they're funny and if they make me laugh then they must be good.

While in the UK, my friends and I watched the World Showcase Players perform. This fellow was too close for the camera to focus properly and quickly enough. It's all good cuz I still caught the moment.

I had never stopped and sat in the waiting area for Oh Canada! before. My friends were on the bench in front of this window. It reminds me of every single zoo and I thought if we waited long enough then perhaps some monkeys, tigers or bears would show up. I'm still waiting.

Happy New Year! Let's welcome 2008 with open arms and more knowledge about taking better photographs. We begin with fixing one of the most common mistakes people make, too much headroom.

What is headroom? It is the empty space above the subject's head, not the empty space in the subject's head.

You want to fill your frame with the subject, that will eliminate excess headroom and make for a much nicer photo.

Today's model is Linda Eckwerth aka LindaLou. The poor dear had sat down at Pizzafari waiting for all the other AllEars folks to gather for lunch. I walked in and said I needed a victim, ehh, volunteer and dragged her outside. I'm not kidding this time.

Here we see all that empty space above Linda and Terk's heads. It's a waste of space and makes them look as though they fell down in the frame. They are looking at me and thinking, What gives?!

Now, all that space is gone and Linda approves. Filling the frame makes for a better picture. Don't be afraid to zoom in or get closer to your subject.

These were shot with the Olympus FE-210.

It's amazing what surrounds us at every trip to Walt Disney World as well as the world in general. There are fine details at each turn. When we stop and look we discover a whole new world with new horizons to pursue. I'll chase them anywhere....

While strolling through Animal Kingdom, I happened upon a poll which had a variety of animals and reptiles carved in it. Maybe they're plaster or clay, I'm not sure what the material is but this is what I mean by detail being within reach.

The dinosaur itself has a variety of textures from the etched scales to it's sleek smirk. He knows you have a bucket of popcorn in your other hand and he's waiting for you to turn your head and then WHAM! BAM! No more Orville Redenbacher, ma'am!

See the difference in textures, the smoothness of a feather to the patterned bumps on a lizard. This is so much safer than trying to pet Kimono Dragons
.

In order to achieve detail at close range, use the macro setting on your camera. The icon for macro is a flower and may be found on a dial, joystick or under the scene mode. How close can you get? Each camera is different, for best results just give it a try and consult your manual.

For more information you can also read my blog "Me and My Macro".

Yeehaw! I bet you boys and girls have taken lots a pictures of yur family. Like the time Joe-Joe done gradyated from 5th grade after 3 years. Or, or, or when Uncle Clyde won the blue ribbon for having the best looking twin. Boy oh boy do I remember those days.

I betya that sometimes those pictures don't look so good. That's cuz the flash only goes about 8-10 feet and your standing 12 or more feets away. That means the light falls off and doesn't iluminate your subject.

Hooey, we can fix them photos right for ya. I'll show you how. See here, I took a photo of Billy while he was on the stage singing and dancing for the fine folks at Disneyland. He's part of that band, Billy Hill and the Hillbillies. My friends and I were sitting right next to the stage, off to the side in the penalty box. With my little point and shoot camera that has a 3x optical zoom, I grabbed this shot of Billy in acshun!

The flash went off but Billy was too dang far away. Now my picture is a bit underexposed. The onslaught of the yellow and magenta colors are from the stage lights cuz they are faaaaancy in the Golden Horseshoe. I could play with them pinks and yellas to try and bring Billy's skin tone back to normal but I can breathe a whole new life into the fella by changing him to black and white.

Most photo software programs will let ya make a color picture into black and white. I use Adobe ImageReady CS2. Under Image, I go to Adjustments and then Desaturate. This yanks out all of the color from the photo and gives me this.

It's now black and white but it's still dark and muddy lookin'. That Billy looks like he's gonna put that there washboard to good use.

When I go back to Image, I'm gonna click on Adjustments and then Levels. A box shows up and it shows the range in tones. Shadows on the left, midtones in the center and highlights on the right. By moving those do-hickey sliders around I can brighten up the photo. See here, now!

Woooeeee, Billy is lookin' brighter already. Too bad them levels didn't make him smarter. Heh heh heh. I got one more thing to do to the boy, add some contrast. I go back to Image, back to Adjustments, and this time I'm a gonna pick Brightness/Contrast. Just sliding that arrow to the right under Contrast is gonna make those whites pop straight at ya!

Take a look at the boy now! Those whites are clean as a whistle without losing any detail and the blacks are dark as a pig who spent the whole day rolling around in mud and then lay down in the sun just like a happy little piggy. Sooie!

All our lives we've bought film of various speeds such as 100, 200, and 400. These numbers are the film's ISO (International Standards Organization). The lower the number the more light is required to get the correct exposure. That is to say that 100 ISO is ideal for daylight whereas 400 is best for indoor photos taken with a flash. Digital cameras have ISO as well.

I am categorizing this blog as "Advanced" simply because not all point and shoot cameras allow the user to change the ISO but rather let the camera make that decision for you. A few cameras that allow you to manually make this selection are Nikon Coolpix P5000, Canon SX100 IS, Olympus Stylus 830, Pentx Optio Z10, and Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ18K.

If you are shooting in a manual mode, you are deciding which F-Stop (aperature) and shutter speed to use. This is particularly important if you are trying to freeze something in motion or are looking for a certain effect. By changing the ISO you can alter your image. Let's take a look at some sample photos.

All photos were taken with the Canon Powershot A570 IS, f5.6, 1/60. It was 4 PM on an overcast day, a Thursday to be exact.

Today's model is ...missing. In such a situation as this, you gotta do what you gotta do.

Overcast days can appear to be brighter than they actually are because of low clouds. A speed of 80 is too slow and so the image is underexposed.

You can see a slight difference as the ISO is altered to 100.

Here you can really see a change. The subject is easier to see and things are brightening up but we can do better.

Now the skin tone is right on, there's detail in the shadows and highlights. This is the perfect exposure.

A faster speed such as 800 is too much and so the photo is starting to look washed out.

Obviously 1600 is too much for this lighting situation and the image is overexposed.

In this installment of Light Meter, I'll address common questions and concerns that I field very often in regards to copyright and photographs. I'll take you through some typical conversations my colleagues and I have had and finish up with personal stories of how my copyright was infringed upon and how things were settled.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: What is the Copyright Law?
A: It is a Federal Law, established in 1976, that protects the photographer and or studio as the creator and author of all images taken.

Q: I have my child's school photo and I'd like to make copies. Can I?
A: Not without written pemission from the photographer or studio in the form of a Copyright Release.

Q: If I bought the print, don't I own the copyright?
A: No, only the person who took the photo owns the copyright.

"Copyright is the right of the creator of the work or the creator's heirs not of the person who found or possesses the photos." - The Library of Congress

Q: How long does a copyright last?
A: This can be tricky. Anything created after January 1, 1978 is protected for as long as the creator lives plus 70 years after their death. Copyrights can also be passed along to heirs. Images created prior to January 1, 1978 also receive the same treatment so long as they weren't previously registered or published. Images that were published or registered and taken before January 1, 1978 are protected for 95 years.

Q: Can I print a photo I found online or place it on my webpage or website?
A: No, digital images are also covered by copyright. There are websites that will sell you the right to print an image for personal use such as iStockPhoto.

Q: What happens if you print them and get caught?
A: The photographer may sue you in Federal Court as well as the business that reproduced the image. Be prepared to pay thousands of dollars in fines and fees.

And now it's time for Conversations At Work.

Customer: I'd like to have this photo *blown up.
Employee: This photo was taken professionally. Unfortunately, we cannot reproduce it without written consent from the photographer.
Customer: This is my son. I own this.
Employee: You own your son and you own that print but only the photographer owns the copyright. You'll have to purchase prints from the photographer or obtain written consent.
Customer: Then I'll scan it myself! Where's your scanner?
Employee: It doesn't matter who scans it. We're not able to print it.
Customer: Then I'll go to (drugstore chain)!
Employee: The Copyright Law does not cease to exist there.
Customer: You're just making things up.
Employee walks away.

*Asking to have a photo "blown up" may result in a joke regarding dynamite.

Customer: Can you help me use this computer?
Employee: Sure. Which images are you printing?
Customer: These photos (pointing) of the cars.
Employee: Wow! Those are fantastic shots. Did you take these?
Customer: No, I downloaded them from the Internet and burned a CD.
Employee: I'm sorry to tell you that we can't print them for you because they're protected by copyright law and not intended to be printed.
Customer: Ohhhh. I really like them.
Employee: Me too, they're great! You can buy posters of cars at AllPosters or BareWalls.
Customer: Hey, thanks!

Story time!! The following actually happened to me.

I was shooting and attending a concert one night in Los Angeles. I had photographed this particular group before and my photos were published in a very well known magazine. After the concert my friend saw a crowd gathered 'round looking at photos someone was selling. She told me I'd better go and check it out.

A woman had taken pictures of my published photos, straight out of the magazine and was selling them as 4x6's. She also had a stack of pictures she took of other published photos. I know the other photographers she ripped off.

I informed this woman that I was the original photographer and that what she was doing was illegal. She knew it was illegal. I gave her 2 choices, give me all of the prints she had or be arrested. She gave me the photos.

Her partner was also selling my work and so I demanded all that he had as well. The woman's excuse for breaking the law? "You're rich."

My friend co-designed a ticket for a concert that was filmed and aired on television by a huge production company. She asked if she could use one of my photos if she paid me and put my copyright on it. Yes, we had a deal. She sent all of the artwork to the production company on a disc.

Later, a fan emailed me that she saw parking passes being sold online for the event. When I got to the page, I saw the parking pass. It had the full image of the singer on it, my image. While the ticket only showed the singer's head, the parking pass and VIP Pass (also online) had the entire shot. This was not part of the deal.

I called my friend and told her to get on it. Apparently this production company thought they were dealing with a fan who thought it'd be cool if they used her photo. Wrong!

How was this resolved? I billed them and they had no choice but to pay it or face a lawsuit. Yes boys and girls, even companies who copyright their own TV specials play games.

Want to learn more?
Copyright in the digital world It's an older article but still holds true.

Disney's involvement in copyright extension

Everything you want to know and more

It's that special time of year, the time when retail jewelers advertise non-stop and chocolatiers strike gold. Now is when an infinite number of greeting cards and roses are delivered to loved near and across World Showcase Lagoon. Whether you celebrate Valentine's Day in little ways or big ways, here are a few photo related gifts that you still have time to purchase and create.

1. Cake! Yes, cake. These days it's pretty easy to find a bakery or grocery store such as Shaw's and Stater Bros. that will put an edible photograph on a cake. Just bring them a print and they'll handle the rest.

2. Photo book. You'll need a CD, memory card or images already on your hard drive to create a book online. Most e-commerce companies like Snapfish and Shutterfly can ship your book in time for the holiday. Another alternative is to order your book online at Ritzpix and then pick up your book in a local store.

3. Digitial Photo Frame. These are extremely popular nowadays. With just one memory card inserted, the frame will play all of the images like a slide show. If you're within a budget, check out Target or Staples. Higher quality merchandise can be found at The Sharper Image and Circuit City.

4. Portrait sitting. How romantic would it be to have a professional photographer capture the two of you on the beach, in an arboretum or perhaps in the studio. Treasured memories will last a lifetime.

5. Locket. Certainly one of the most beloved gifts given on Valentine's Day and Mother's Day is a locket with a photo inside of you and/or your children.

There are times when a picture truly is worth a thousand words. When you have several photos in sequence they are worth more than a thousand words, they tell a story. If you just keep shooting, you never know what might happen. Take a look.

While fashion divas and divos have already released their wild and crazy spring line on us, the camera industry is just about to start releasing theirs. OK, so maybe calling cameras wild and crazy isn't quite on spot or is it?

Canon has 4 new PowerShots due out as early as March. Let's take a quick look at what they've got.

The A470 will be the least expensive of the newbies. With 7 MP, a 3.4X optical zoom, enhanced stabilization, and a 2.5" screen, consider this camera for someone who does not use their camera very often or teens. The A470 is silver with orange, blue, pink or gray panels. Suggested price is $130.00

A slightly larger A series with more options is the A580. Highlights include a viewfinder, 8 MP, and a slightly more powerful flash. Anyone who enjoys taking photos will mostly likely enjoy this model. Suggested retail price is $150.00

The last of the new A's is the A590 IS. This camera has Canon's optical stabilizer and will help reduce blurred shots. This model like the A580 has a 4x optical zoom. You may add a wide angle or telephoto converter lens to the camera. Designed for the advanced photographer. Suggested price is $180.00

One new SD series is also on the horizon, the SD 1100 IS. In an assortment of flashy colors like gold, brown, pink, blue and the classic silver, Canon is competing in the newest trend that cameras are fashion accessories appealing to teens and early 20-somethings. Don't let it's cuteness fool you, this camera has the same flash power as the A580 and A590 IS (max 11ft.), the same 8MP with a 3x optical zoom. Retail price is $250.00

To learn more, please visit Canon's website.

Please welcome Pentax to the runway. They too have several new offers for shoppers to discover. Pentax refers to all of their digital cameras as Optio followed by a specific model number. Let's take a look.

The A40 is a sleek camera with a 3x optical zoom, 12 MP and optical stabilization. Packed with features, including a 2.5" screen, ISO 50-800, and a lithium-ion battery, Pentax as always competes with Canon and Nikon by offering more for your money. Average price is $285.00

The S12 is a lower priced entry yet still has 12 MP. Offerred in both silver and black, the LCD screen is coated to be anti-reflective in bright situations. The video mode also records sound. Lists at $270.00

With less megapixels (8) and more zoom (5x) the M50 is the inbetween camera. The M50 is avaiable in silver, pink or blue and works on a lithium-ion battery and has 51 MB of internal memory as well as a SD card slot. Average retail price is $230.00.

Learn more about Pentax.

Please keep in mind that these prices may change before the cameras make it to the shelves.

Continuing along with an exploration of new camera models making their way to stores soon, we now take a look at Fujifilm and Olympus. Although they have a combined total of 16 new products, I'm only going to cover 4 from each. Consider this a sample of what they offer.

Fujifilm

The J50 is an 8 MP, 5x optical zoom, inexpensive camera ideal for teens. The flash does come across as short range, reaching out a mere 6 feet. Estimated price is $180.00.

Popping out in black, blue, green, and pink is the new Z20fd, a hit with the teenyboppers. This little guy offers red eye removal in face detection mode and 10 MP. Kids can resize their photos in camera for blogs. $200.00 retail.

The F100fd is compact with 12 MP, a 5x optical zoom, Fuji's latest processor, an ISO of up tp 3200 and 3 autofocus modes. Average retail price...$380.00.

For the more advanced photographer, Fuji continues its S series with the S8100fd. With their 18x optical zoom and super close macro, the camera covers all ranges. 10 MP and an electronic viewfinder make this a $400.00 item.

Olympus' website

Their FE-350 camera has a wide angle lens, a 3" screen, 4x zoom, movie with sound, 8 MP, and 17 pre-set modes. List price is $250.00.

Olympus' Stylus cameras have been around a long time and in the digital age they continue along. Stylus 1010 with image stabilization, a 7x zoom, 10 MP, and software to lighten shadows sells for $300.00. Available in silver, pink (looks purple), blue, and black.

Going surfing, snowboarding, or for a walk in a downpour? The new Stylus 1030SW is your new best friend. Waterproof to 33 feet, freezeproof at 14 degrees Farenheit, shockproof for 6 feet, and crushproof up to 220 pounds. $400 is the price tag on this 10 MP baby.

Step-up your game with manual controls, a 20x optical zoom, 10 MP, a hotshoe, and the ability to shoot RAW. The SP-570 UZ should list at $500.00.

Happy shopping. Next week we'll see what Nikon and Sony have coming out.

Hello my friends and welcome to the last segment regarding digital cameras hitting stores this Spring. Once the snow melts and the sun ventures out, you can show off your new super cool image capturing devices as you strut your way down Main Street all the while keeping an eye out for photo ops with celebrities like Pinocchio, Launchpad McQuack, and Cruella de Vil. With faster processors, today's cameras have the shortest lag time yet. Be quick on the draw or you'll miss Elliott before he turns himself invisible.

Nikon USA
Nikon has changed their S series camera designs and 4 out of 6 new models are from that series. All Nikons are Coolpix cameras with specific model numbers.

L is for Life. The L18 is an inexpensive camera at $140. For the price you get 8 MP, a 3x optical zoom, a 3" screen, autofocus lock and a choice of red or navy.

S stands for Style. Featured on the S520 is VR (vibration reduction), ISO up to 2000, voice recording, 8 MP, a 3x optical zoom, and a 2.5" lower resolution LCD screen. Suggested price is $230.00.

The S600 jumps up a level or two with 10 MP (megapixels), a 4x wide angle zoom lens, VR, a 2.7" TFT-LCD (thin film transistor liquid crystal display ), and 45 MB of internal memory. How much? $300.00.

P means Performance. Miss having a viewfinder? The P60 offers an electronic viewfinder, a 2.5" lower resolution LCD, 8 MP, 5x zoom, and ISO range of 80-2000 for $230.00.

Last but not least is Sony.

Sony is releasing 8 more CyberShots all with an estimated shipping date in March.

The DSC-S750 holds up to 10 minutes of QVGA movie. Face detection, 7 MP, a 3x zoom, and a TFT-LCD give it a $150.00 price tag.

For $200, the W120 has a 4x optical zoom, 7 MP, a 2.5" LCD, an ISO range of 100-3200, 9 point autofocus and comes in a choice of black, pink or blue.

The compact T series continues with the T300 available in silver, red, and black. 10 MP, a 3.5" LCD, 5x internal optical zoom, and the ability to create slide shows with music price it at $400.00.

High-end point and shoot cameras for those who want more control may look at the DSC-H10. Manufacturer's suggested retail price is $300.00 for 8 MP, 10x optical zoom, a 3" screen, 9 scene modes, and various effects such as cross screen.

Well folks, there you have it, a brief look at 24 new cameras headed to stores soon. They won't all wind up in every shop. Some will go to camera stores, some to box stores and others to wholesale warehouses. For more details and extensive reviews, I recommend www.dpreview.com. Happy shopping.

Dear Readers,

I have just returned from my birthday adventures at Disneyland. While I had planned to blog from extremely sunny California, my plans fell through so I submit to you a bit of information until next week's regular blog.

Should you require medical assistance of any kind, Disneyland always has registered nurses on duty. You can locate the First Aid building just off of Main Street by turning right in between Main Street Photo Supply Co. and the Plaza Inn. You will be required to sign in with your name, signautre, date and time of your visit.

Personally, I had broken out into hives from the sun as I'm a fair skinned redhead. I asked for aloe or first aid cream and was taken to an examining room where the nurse handed me the first aid cream. She inquired as to how I felt, were the hives itchy or painful and at the time, they didn't bother me at all. As luck would have it, some 20 minutes or less after applying the cream, my arms did hurt and later became itchy. Such is life.

Peace out. Word to your mother,

Lisa

Picking up where I left off a few months ago regarding excess headroom, I will now go over what happens when you don't have enough.

While having too much headroom makes it look as though your subject is "falling" or "sliding" down in the picture having too little can render thoughts of decapitation and/or a lobotomy. Let's take a look at some examples, shall we.

Meet Jeffry, today's forced into posing for the sole purpose of my blogs model. It's good to have friends, isn't it?

Here we see that the subject has lost part of his cranium. This is different than losing one's mind. While he looks happy, I'm certain he has a splitting headache.

Much better! Not only is Jeffry's entire head in the photo, he's not with stupid anymore...

They're short. They make noise. They eat things you don't want them to and when you turn your back, they've climbed to new heights. Kids! Raise your hand if you can hear Ray Walston as Pappy from the movie Popeye droning on and on about kids. Good movie, you should rent it. No, not right now. Wait until after you've read my blog, please. Thanks.

Anyway, there's nothing you can do about them kids so you might as well get the best pictures you can. While they do move around quickly and ignore you when you tell them to hold still, there's one thing you can do to help get the best shot. Bring yourself down to their level, literally.

If you take a photo of a subject who is shorter than you, you will get the top of his/her head and their nose. This angle doesn't offer vivid proof of a smile or laughter. Sure you can see them rolling their eyes at you but do you really need proof it happens?

By kneeling or squatting down so that you're at the same or just slightly above the kids' eye level you will see those big bright eyes and cute little button nose. It's the difference between a quick snapshot and a photograph.

If you are physically unable to lower yourself, there are some cool cameras with swivel screens to make your life easier. This way you can hold the camera down as low as you can and flip the LCD screen up towards you so you can still see what or who you're photographing.

If you'd like to see proof, check out this kid model who I also didn't pay. It's amazing how many models I get to pose without having to shell out a single dime, isn't it? Just think, come Magic Meets in July I'll have almost the entire All Ears staff around me. Muah ha ha ha ha haaa.

In or out? This isn't a barn. What? It's not, it's a petting zoo.

Now you can see that precious face. Hurry up! In or out?

Oh and by the way, this advice also works when photographing children.

Photos taken at Disneyland's Big Thunder Ranch.

I'll admit it to you all, right here and now. I'm a character junkie. I need to have photos of every character I can possibly find and in every outfit possible. Mickey Mouse in his space suit? Got it. Pluto in his workout clothes? Got it. Aladdin as Prince Ali? Got it. The Evil Queen and the Old Hag? Got it and got it. I told you. Shall I continue? Goofy as a chef? Got it. Donald Duck as seen in "The Three Caballeros?" La tengo. Belle in her gold gown and blue dress? Got both. However, I have more of the latter (and honestly, far more Belle shots than I need) because of a certain Belle fan who I know coughmikescopacough.

I will share with you now some of my recent photos taken in Disneyland and Disney's California Adventure. Also, I will include tips on where to find such characters.

Let's begin with Disneyland. When you go thru the turnstyle, don't be surprised to find characters waiting to greet you or there as you are heading out of the park.

Weekends, school breaks, and holidays always bring out more characters. That being said I have seen everyone from the Fab 5 to Launchpad McQuack to Alice and the Mad Hatter near City Hall, the Fire Station, and The Mad Hatter hat shop on Main Street.

Characters follow a simple rule when returning to the backstage area. They must stop, turn, and wave goodbye. This means if you are behind them, you have one last moment to get a quick shot. Villians don't always wave goodbye but they do stop and turn around.

Let's cross the promenade and head to Disney's California Adventure. If you don't have an Annual Pass you'll need to have your hand stamped and provide your Hopper Ticket to enter.

In the Hollywood Pictures Backlot you'll find a good variety of characters. The outdoor show, Drawn to the Magic, in front of the Animation Building features 3 characters. They are available for a meet and greet afterwards. Disneyland has been celebrating the 70th Anniversary of "Snow White" and offers a chance to meet Dopey or Snow White in front of the Animation Building as well.

Not far from Dopey I also came across Frozone, Mr. Incredible, and the Mad Hatter. For whatever reason and one that fans are thankful for, Mad Hatter and Alice are allowed to wander the parks. What does this mean? You may find one or both of them by the entrance to Disneyland warning teens with spiked hair to stay away from balloons, at the Coke Corner playing musical chairs, in Fantasyland including but not limited to: Mad Tea Party, alongside the restrooms, across from the Matterhorn, and on attractions. I've even seen video of them in Tomorrowland, as Hatter was playing against Peter Pan in Dance, Dance Revolution.

You know this masked err sunglassed woman to be Laura Gilbreath of the famous Laura's Disney Lines blog. Any time I took a photo of her she was excited to be my "unpaid model" or "model who wasn't injured in the making of these photos." Little did she know that the models pay me and psycological damage from hearing my corny jokes may be considered an injury.

My friends, the other Lisa and Jeffry have a little boy named Logan. At the time that this glorious piece of writing appears online, Logan will be 5 months and 1 day old. That's if my math is right. I'm no Count. I'm more of a...hmmm...Grover. No, make that Super Grover! As I was saying, every day Lisa takes a photo of Logan to capture his ever changing adorable self. The new parents have photographic evidence that Logan's eyes were very dark at first but have now lightened up to a medium blue.

I'm sure that some of you out there have done the same thing or pretty darn close to it. You love to take pictures of your child as they grow up, hanging onto every moment before you hear, "Can I borrow the car?"

I'd just like to share with you all 154 (roughly) photos of Logan before he morphs into Wolverine, the X-Men character he was named after. Thank goodness he wasn't born with claws and pointed ears. Eek! It seems I can't fit 154 photos into one blog entry so we'll have to settle for a handful.

I selected the following photos to give you guys and gals ideas for creative baby photos. Behold, Logan!

Dad rested Logan in his arm and on his chest. This is one their earliest photos of Logan at home.

The babysitter is always around watching Logan's every move. It's a nice perspective. Having the kitty closer to the lens makes him look big and protective of the little guy.

The irresistible sleeping baby photo. The close shot gives you a sense of how warm and snuggly he feels. Let's not forget how important it is to turn your offspring into Disney fans right away.

How cool is this? It's a mirror in the car so they can watch Logan without having to turn around in their seats.

I laugh at this one every single time. They may be new to the world but they make faces just like we do.

And last but not least, you'll get a fantastic and fun photo when you get down on your tummy and are face-to-face with your little one.

Special thanks to Jeffry and Lisa for letting me use their photos. Bawk! Bawk! Thanks to Logan for being the subject of this and future blogs. - "Aunty" Lisa

There are words and acronyms that relate solely to photography and videography. Sometimes people aren't aware of them or certain of what they mean. Allow me to explain this fantastic language to you and for fun, toss in some common mistakes that make us giggle.

Point and Shoot - A camera that is compact regardless as to whether it is digital, 35mm or APS. One may pick up the camera set to Auto, aim at the subject and depress the shutter release button, hence the term point and shoot. Examples: Canon PowerShot SD750 Digital Elph, Minolta Freedom Zoom 130, FujiFilm FinePix S5700.
Street reference: PHD - Push Here Dummy

SLR (Single-lens Reflex)- A camera be it film or digital that accepts a variety of lenses enabling the user to create an endless variety of images. With an SLR one can take complete control over the camera. Through the lens viewing lets you see exactly what your photo will look like. Examples: Nikon N80, Pentax K1000, Canon Digital Rebel XSi

Disposable Camera - A compact plastic camera designed to be used once, developed, and disposed of or recycled. The camera may be 35mm or digital. A variety of 35mm offerings include: underwater, black and white, panoramic, and zoom.
Street references: One-time use and throw away.

One-time Use Camcorder - A low resolution camcorder with a LCD screen that allows you to film for 20 minutes. The camcorders are returned to a lab to have the footage transferred to a DVD. The camcorders are generally recycled and sold again. Street references: Disposable camcorder and throw away video camera.

Megapixels - Technically, it is a unit of graphic resolution. It's the number of image sensor elements in the digital camera's sensor. Each megapixel is one million pixels. The more pixels in a camera, the larger the file size is, which assists in creating better quality photos and enables prints in bigger sizes.
Mistakenly called megaplexes and megapickles.

LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) - Each camcorder and digital camera has an LCD screen. On a camcorder, it flips out so you can watch what you are filming while walking. On a digital point and shoot it is a live screen as well so you can watch what you're doing and see the photo right after you take it. Both film and digital SLR cameras' LCDs offer technical information such as the shutterspeed, aperature, metering and so forth.

All photos Copyrights belong to the manufacturers. Images used for Educational purposes.

If you're like me, every once in awhile you pull out the old photo albums and relive those happy times from yesteryear. Tonight I was enjoying a solo trip I made to Walt Disney World over Thanksgiving in 2003.

Why a solo trip over Thanksgiving? Two simple reasons: my friend cancelled on me and I was avoiding being pulled in separate directions from both sides of my family.

What I recall of this show in EPCOT's Italy pavillion was that it felt both eerie and fantastical at the same time. Character Masquerade was a tiny glimpse of Carnevale, The performers never spoke verbally but used body language to convey messages. They were very accomodating and posed for photographs, as you can see.

They began by making a grand entrance in the center stage.

One by one, they descended the steps and made their way into the audience all the while poised and moving gracefully.

While I'm afraid of clowns, this mask scared me more than the jester-looking gentleman.

Before I get to today's regular installment, I would like to express my sincere thanks to everyone who took the time to answer the Picture This! survey. Your feedback is instrumental in understanding who our readers are and because of that we will be making some fun improvements little by little over time. The results have nudged me into taking a quick trip in May to Walt Disney World to shoot specifically for my blog. I'll be attempting to cover as much as I can of what you'd like to learn more about. Thank you for your support.

Everywhere we look, there is color. When we visit Walt Disney World and other vacation destinations we sometimes are in such a rush to grab FastPasses, hold our favorite parade viewing spots, and fill our autograph books that we miss out on the beauty that surrounds us.

Quite honestly, I never really cared for Animal Kingdom as a whole. Certainly there are some attractions there that I enjoyed but if I skipped the park during my vacation, well it wasn't a big deal. However, during last year's MouseFest I found myself alone with an oppotunity to wander Animal Kingdom and I saw it in a way I hadn't before.

All photos were taken with the Olympus FE-210, a point and shoot camera.

Auto mode.
If one squirting fan bottle was alone, it wouldn't have much of an impact but an entire tub of them makes for eye-catching color patterns.

Auto mode, no flash.
The stores of Animal Kingdom are brightly painted in bold vibrant colors. I'm pretty sure we're supposed to think of Africa but the combination gives me flashbacks of all the Art Deco in Miami.

Auto mode, no flash.
I found this tree of swatches (prayer flags) in Asia. It's so festive!

Action mode.
Last but not least, a Blue and Gold Macaw shines in the sunlight against a background of browns and greens.

For those of you who'd like to get some cash back on your recently retired digital camera and are planning to or have purchased a new digital camera, some manufacturers are offering an incentive program. What they all do is have you fill out a questionnaire by Dealtree Services. You will provide specific information regarding your digital camera, so be sure to have it in-hand while you answer the questions. You'll get more money back if you have any or all of these original items : lenses, cables and/or dock, AC adapter/charger, manual, memory card, and software that came with your digital camera.

Once you have completed the survey, you'll print out a pre-paid shipping label and send off your old camera. It must be in working order otherwise you will pay a shipping charge to have the camera returned to you. You have 30 days to ship your camera.

Be sure to read the rules, terms & conditions carefully as they differ from company to company.

Olympus
Olympus' offer allows you to purchase your new Olympus digital camera anywhere and then send in your old camera along with a copy of the receipt from your new camera. Your new purchase must have taken place after October 1, 2006. You must be a US resident.

Casio
Casio has a list of authorized dealers from whom you may purchase a new digital camera. Purchase your camera, answer the questions regarding the video camera, SLR or point and shoot you are trading in, print out the pre-paid shipping label, and send in your old equipment, copy of the new purchase receipt and the UPC code from the box. A list of eligible new Casio cameras is on their site next to the instructions.

Kodak
Kodak's requirements are bit different than the others so pay careful attention. First, create an account and provide all of the information you have about your old camera. Second, you have to purchase a Kodak camera from Kodak's website, then once your new camera arrives, send a copy of the sales slip with your old camera. Packaging instructions are extremely detailed.

Sony
Sony's program will allow you to purchase a digital camera or camcorder. Their steps are different than the others. First, fill out the survey and then ship your camera or camcorder with a prepaid UPS label. You will receive by e-mail, a coupon for the value of your old camera. The coupon is to be used at www.SonyStyle.com towards a new camcorder or digital camera.

Friends! Gather 'round! You'll be amazed by what I have to show you. It will make you happy again! You'll feel great! No, you will feel magnificent! Come on! Ladies and gentlemen I have here before me something that even the least mechanical, the least technical, the least physical, magical, hysterical, popsicle, musical, whimsical, and tropical of us can use with ease.

That's right. Right here and now we are our family photographers who record vacations, celebrations, and elations with digital cameras. Indoors it is a bright colorful screen we view on the backs of our cameras, showing us who or what it is we are photographing. However, once we step outside into a bright, bright, bright, bright sunshiny day that glorious LCD screen becomes reflective. Where have all the flowers gone? You can barely make out if your friend is in the photo so you look around the camera and indeed, she is there. You take the photo, cursing non-Disney words because you can't see what you are doing.

Look no further for I have the answer to your prayers. Boys and girls! Moms and dads! Brothers and Sisters! Cats and dogs! Welcome to the world of Pop-Up Shades.

What is a pop-up shade?
It's made of plastic, folds down to keep your LCD screen protected when not in use and springs up and out when you lift the cover, to provide shading for better viewing of the LCD screen.

How does it stay on the camera?
For a point and shoot, simply pull off the plastic film backing and firmly affix the non-residue adhesive so the window fits around the LCD. You can slide the shade off it's track if need be and put it back on when you feel like it. For SLRs, the shade attaches over the eyepiece and slots surrounding the LCD.

How does it work?
When you're shooting in bright sunlight or anywhere that is casting a glare on the LCD, the pop-up shade surrounds the screen on the left, the right and on top to keep out light. This means you can now clearly view the screen. Doesn't that sound terrific?!

What colors do they come in?
Black and silver for point and shoot cameras and black for SLRs.

What sizes do they come in?
For point and shoots, 1.8", 2", 2.5", 3". For SLRs they are model specific.

Where do I get one and how much are they?
You can purchase it via AllEars.Net's Amazon Store. Prices range from $11.00 and up depending on the seller and model. They are also available at your local Ritz Camera and Wolf Camera stores for $19.99 for point and shoot cameras. Delkin, the manufacturer sells directly to the public.

Professional shades are available for SLRs.

I have returned from Walt Disney World and I have lots of new photos to share with you all in upcoming blogs. Based on the feedback you gave Barrie, Scott, and myself in the survey, I will go over the topics you requested to learn more about. Let's get this party started. C'mon!

There are icons on every point and shoot camera dedicated to night landscapes . This mode may be found on a dial, in a menu or under the title, scene. What it does is slow down the shutter allowing light in for a longer amount of time than it would normally. Since the shutter is open longer, any movement will cause the image to be blurred. While you may think you are holding still, the fact that you are breathing means that you are moving and so is your camera. The best ways to shoot a night landscape is to use a tripod, set your camera down on something flat and stable and if available, use a remote.

What should you use this mode for? Scenic landscapes, architecture, and people but only if you want a blurred effect. When shooting with the night landscape mode keep in mind that any lights will look as though they are glowing brighter and you may see streaks.

Here are some examples for you. These were all shot with the Nikon Coolpix 7600 on Night Landscape. I was without a tripod so I set the camera on the balcony railing of the Grand Floridian and kept the wrist strap wrapped around my wrist in case of any mishaps.

I tilted the camera down so the center was on sand, pavement or plantlife and pressed the shutter button down halfway as to lock in the autofocus and without lifting my finger, gently put the camera back down and pushed the button all the way to take the photo.

You do not have control over ISO, shutter speed or aperture when using this mode and not all cameras will shoot with the same specs as this one did. I was able to check each photo once they were loaded onto my computer and see what the Nikon Coolpix 7600 shot at.

f2.8, 1 sec., ISO 200, Pattern Metering

f2.8, .83 sec., ISO 200, Pattern Metering

f2.8, 1/2 sec., ISO 200, Pattern Metering

Each shot has a different shutterspeed according to how much or how little lighting the camera's meter recognized. Notice the blurred people walking in the last shot? Unsuspecting models. Muah ha ha ha haaaa.

I always see moms and dads taking photos from ground level of their kids riding Dumbo. It's difficult to do because the kids are moving, they're not always looking for you, and you've got a bit of an awkward angle.

Another option is to ride Dumbo, sitting in the elephant that's in front of your kids'. When the ride starts pull the lever so he goes as high as he can and have the kids fly at a lower level. You'll have to turn around in your seat and fly backwards to get the shot. It sounds funny and probably looks funny but you'll love the results.

While Laura Gilbreath* and I ran around the Magic Kingdom, we put this piece of advice to work. When asked how many in the party, we each said, "one". We found two elephants, and Laura got in the one behind me. When we began to fly, I went all the way up and Laura stayed in a lower flyzone.

With a Nikon Coolpix 7600 in hand and only a few minutes to get the shot, I still had time to test 2 different settings. The first setting used is Face Priority. Since we were flying at the same speed, I thought I'd give it a whirl. As you can see, this is not the proper setting.

Great composition however Laura is nothing more than a blur. Sorry, kid.

I switched over to the Sports setting, designed to capture action. Well, Dumbo's hat is in focus but dear Laura still isn't. Why? Flying backwards and taking photos with a point and shoot isn't as easy as it sounds.

Finally! I only got 3 shots during our circular journey. She's sharp, she's soaring, and she's modeling. Work it, work it. Certainly, I'd like to have better lighting and lose the pole that's in her head and I can by using Photoshop but I wanted to provide you with the actual results.

You can also try this on Triceratop Spin and Magic Carpets of Aladdin.

*Laura Gilbreath sold separately.

Taking photos is fun but it's exhilirating when you're trying to capture all the excitement you're feeling while traveling 25 mph on Big Thunder Mountain Railroad.

Armed once again with the Nikon Coolpix 7600 point and shoot camera, I toyed with the Sports Composite feature. This can be found by turning the mode dial to the Sports icon. Press the Menu button then scroll down to what looks like a horizontal waffle. In the top right hand corner of the LCD screen, it'll say Sports Composite. Press the OK button.

This feature works in the following manner:
1. It lowers the quality level down to 2 million megapixels per shot yet retains 7 MP for the entire image.
2. It turns the flash off.
3. The camera takes 16 shots in rapid succession and then saves the file to the SD card or internal memory, according to your settings.

New Nikon Coolpix cameras such as the S210 refer to this function as Multi-shot 16. To get to this setting you must first press the Mode button, select Shooting (camera icon) then OK. Press the Menu button then scroll down to where it says Continuous. On the directional pad, press the right side and select Multi-shot 16. You got all that? Sheesh. It's not exactly easy to get to.

The S210 is an 8 MP camera and when I tested it out (not at Walt Disney World, sadly) I found that it shoots each quick frame at 5 MP and saves the entire file as 8 MP. This is a nice increase in quality should you want to crop out part of the composite.

What does this Sports Composite/Multi-shot 16 look like? Drum roll please!

Click on the photo to view it larger.
I made several attempts during one roundtrip train ride to get a composite I was happy with. I'm a rather fussy photog, go figure. Being jostled around while photographing the back of some stranger's head is all in a day's work. At one point I uncontrollably slid from one end of the seat to the other. I should have listened to Gramps cuz it was the wildest ride in the wilderness!

Good afternoon ladies and gentlemen. We are coming to you live (this show is pre-recorded) from the 15th Annual EPCOT International Flower and Garden Festival. Today's broadcast will not only be viewed around the World The stars have come out to be a part of it all: Donald Duck, Daisy Duck, Tinker Bell, and Nick Lachey! Settle back into your chairs as we get this lesson started!

Please welcome to the stage out teacher/hostess for today, Lisa!

Thank you, thank you. (waving) It's an honor to be here at Walt Disney World. I don't want to stand around wasting time when we have lots to learn today but before we get started, a quick show of hands. How many of you are horticulturists? That's wonderful. How many of you remember Culture Club? Yeah! What was with that make-up and those outfits? (looking at the producer). OK, well let's get back on track here.

Please give a warm welcome to everyone's favorite Disneyland blogger, Laura Gilbreath!

Hello, hello. AllEars rocks! Whooooo!

Lisa: Let's walk down towards World Showcase. Oh hey, there are the Donald Duck and Daisy Duck topiaries. Why don't you go ahead and shoot and I'll see what you do and help you out.

Laura: Alright, I will do that. Lisa, here, take a look.

Lisa: I see you are going for the entire beach scene.

You may want to get a closer look at Donald because you'll be able to see more detail.

Laura: So instead of looking at the big picture, look at things from a different angle, and focus on one subject. Also, use the manual settings in the camera (my camera, Canon's A720 IS, in manual mode, will give you a preview of the exposure when you push the shutter button partway).

Lisa: Another thing to watch are the eyes. Be sure you can see both pupils if shooting from in front. If you're getting a profile shot, make sure the eye closest to you is clearly visible. Getting a body part or random item in front of the eye takes away the power and personality of your subject.

Let's see, here we have a pair of white cockatoos. What shots have you taken?

f8, 1/250, with fill-flash

f8, 1/100, with fill-flash

Laura: In the cockatoos, we played with the white balance and the manual exposure
and the flash. Both photos have the same aperture, but there's a faster
shutter speed in the first.

Lisa: You're doing swell, Laura. What do you say we head on over to Peter Pan's Neverland Garden?

Laura: Here we goooooo!

Voiceover: There are 4 different topiaries in Neverland: Peter Pan, Tinkerbell, Captain Hook, and the crocodile. The easiest one to access is Tinker Bell.

Lisa: Tinker Bell's face is unevenly lit because the sun is coming from behind her and her pixie coif is casting a shadow.

Lisa: Try zooming in on her face and I'll even out the light.

Voiceover: You may wonder what kind of magic happened to change the lighting. Did the sun move? No, it did not. Did Tinker Bell move? No, she did not. Was it magic?

Laura: What is that?

Lisa: It's a diffuser. It comes packed 1/3 of it's full size in a zippered pouch. Once unfolded, you place it between the direct sunlight and your subject and it literally diffuses the amount of light hitting your subject. This cuts out harsh shadows and high contrast. What did you learn, Laura?

Laura: This set is about getting close to your subject, and avoiding a washed-out
subject in bright sunlight - and it helps if you have an assistant with
the right equipment.

Lisa: Thank you all for joining us for Light Meter Live! Before we go, here's a quick peek at why you should always have a camera with you. Nick Lachey was filming "High School Musical - Get in the Picture." You just never know you might run into.

Looking for a diffuser? Try our Amazon Store or your local pro camera shop.

Goodnight everyone. Happy shooting!

I dedicate this blog to all my fellow Canon peeps. :secret handshake:

Camera companies are always competing in the sense that one brand's cameras can do something that another's doesn't. One of Canon's specialties is Color Accent. You'll find it in the SD750, SD890 IS, SD 1100 IS, S5 IS, and the G9 just to name a few.

I borrowed my neighbors' Canon Powershot S5 IS (the same camera that Deb Wills shoots with) for my latest Walt Disney World adventure. I can tell you that I already knew I wanted this camera before I even borrowed it. The S5 IS is in high demand everywhere, actually, so if you can find one, buy it.

What Color Accent does it it lets you pick out a single color from those in your picture, before you take it. The remainder of the image will turn black and white with the possible exception of green, which is the default color.

Here's how it works on the Canon Powershot S5 IS.

1. Turn the Mode Dial to SCN (Scene).

2. Press the control pad's right side until you see the icon for Color Accent.

3. Press the button for ISO.

4. The liquid crystal display (LCD) will show you a bar at the bottom and inside a box, the selected color to retain. The featured color will be the last one you used or it'll be green by default if you haven't used this setting before.

5. Point your camera at the color you want the camera to keep. Make sure that color is in the center of your frame. Now press the left side of the control pad.

6. Press the ISO button again to lock in your selected color.

7. Now take your picture.

Important note: Let's say you aim your camera at a blue shirt in hopes of using blue as your accent color but when you take your photo, it's of something that doesn't have any blue in it, like a chicken. Your image will be black and white without any blue. In order for the Color Aceent to work, the color you select has to be in the image you shoot.

I started off by aiming my camera at this yellow flower.

I set the camera to pick up the bold yellow and then recomposed my shot and took this picture.

It not only picked up the yellow in the chateua but it retained green, the default color as well.

I then took this shot and you can see a pale yellow in the stones.

Shop AllEars Net's Amazon store for the Canon Powershot S5 IS.

Looking for more funtastic things to do with your camera? How about creating a panorama by stitching together several photos. Not to worry, you don't need a needle and thread.

This was my first attempt EVER at shooting in Panorama Assist mode so be gentle with me.

Reading is Fundamental
I read online about using Panorama Assist specifically on the Nikon Coolpix 7600. When you take your first shot, the camera automatically determines the f-stop (how much light is allowed through the lens) and the shutter speed (how fast the camera takes the photo) for the subsequential shots. This means if you take your first shot of something in the shade and then shoot in bright sunlight, your panorama will look like...THIS! (think of Large Marge in "Pee Wee's Big Adventure")

Getting the Shots
I climbed up the stairs that take you to the Walt Disney World Railroad station on Main Street. This is an excellent vantage point for taking in all that happens in Town Square from character greetings to people watching to listening to all the cheery sounds and smelling the sweet and sugary snacks. Just the thought of it makes you feel good, doesn't it?

I stood at the railing aligning myself as best I could to the center of the shot. By turning only my upper body, I was fairly able to keep my shots in line with one another. Also, this gave me a chance to practice being animatronic. The Nikon Coolpix 7600 has a Panorama Assist program under the SCENE mode. After I took my first shot, starting at the left side of Town Square, the LCD showed me where my picture left off (faintly on the left) to help me compose the next one. It does this for each picture you take and is very handy.

After taking four shots, I was done. I made sure to reset the SCENE program to something else like Party/Indoor so as not to mistakingly shoot in the wrong setting.

These are my 4 shots and the order they were taken in starting with City Hall and moving all the way over to Exposition Hall.

A Stitch in Time
Now comes the part where you leave all the work to someone or rather something else. If your camera offers this function and most of them do, then the software that came with your camera is what you'll use to create the actual panorama. I used Arcsoft Panorama Maker 4. You can download a free trial run from their website.

Once you've downloaded the photos to your computer, open the panorama software you have. Most likely it will find the photos you shot in Panorama Assist or Stitch Assist as the name changes from manufacturer to manufacturer. Arcsoft grabbed my 4 shots and after the press of a button, merged them together and created...

...a very strange morph. Click on the panoramas to view them larger.

I decided I'd attempt stitching them together with Adobe Photoshop CS3. It decided it only liked 2 of my photos but did a great job of stitiching them together.

Well, now what? I tried to create a panorama by hand in Adobe Photoshop CS3. By hand I mean I shrunk down all 4 shots and created a blank page and dropped each one in, tried my darndest to make all of the lines connect, cropped out the excess and was left with this.

What did I learn? Well, it's a bit difficult or perhaps impossible to line up these particular images because:

a. these shots weren't taken in a straight line as #1 and #4 are both to the side
b. there are lots of curves
c. the area isn't a flat surface but rather builds up a small incline
d. everything moved when I wasn't looking

Well, there you have, I'm practically perfect in every way. "Practically" being the operative word. Live and learn. I shall try this again next time.

Memory cards come in different types and speeds and by a variety of manufacturers. Whether you own an SD card, XD card, Compact Flash card or Memory Stick, it needs some tender loving care or else it will cease to work properly.

Have you or someone close to you ever experienced:

1. photos that appear on your camera's LCD but somehow don't transfer to your computer or show up on the kiosk where you're trying to print?

2. error messages usually in the form of a bold red exclamation point?

3. disappearing shots. You took them yesterday but they're not on the card and the ones you took today show up?

I hate to tell you this but your card is corrupt. All together now in your best Mr. Bill impression, "Oh nooooooooooooo."

Now we will explore how to prevent this from happening and what to do if it already has.

When you purchase a new memory card and put it into your camera, the very first thing you need to do is format it. Check your manual for specific directions on how to do so. Generally, you can locate the Format option in the Tools section of the Menu. Formatting the card in the camera you are using means that the memory card is being initialized and will become best friends with your camera. They'll understand each other's software and giggle as other cute cameras and memory cards pass by.

Even though the card's been formatted, that doesn't mean the TLC stops there. In order to prevent the card from becoming corrupt you want to follow these simple guidelines:

Take lots and lots of photos. When your memory card is full or you want to empty it out, save all of your photos to your computer, burn CDs, make prints, save them to an online host, and/or back them up on an external hard drive. Once that is done and you feel confident that your images are saved elsewhere, format the card.

Deleting images a few at a time from your memory card or even all at once doesn't actually erase the entire file. The only way to do that is to format the card in your camera.

If your memory card is acting up, giving you error messages and the blackmail shots of your brother wearing your mom's jewelry didn't save, then there's only one thing left to do. Image recovery software can more than likely extract the images that have gone missing. It can also extract images that you only erased, not formatted. You can purchase it anywhere that software is sold. Be sure to check your memory card's packaging as it may have come with rescue software such as Image Rescue™ 3.

After the images have been salvaged, kiss that memory card goodbye.

Having said all that, you could of course just keep buying memory cards. That's a decision I made not too long ago when I did the math. Let's say I took 10 rolls of 36 exposure film on vacation with me at $6.00 per roll. That's $60 for 360 photos. I can get roughly 500 shots on a 2GB card for $55.00. I'm getting more pictures for less money.

Have you heard of photowalking yet? Photowalks are a great way to spend time with other photography enthusiasts, get a little fresh air, exercise, and have some fun taking pictures. Technically, photowalking is defined as “the act of walking [or wheeling] with a camera for the main purpose of taking pictures of things that the photographer may find interesting”. Pretty simple, eh?

You can do solo photowalks, but organized group photowalks are where it’s at! It’s really fun to spend some social time with other photographers, doing what we all love to do – taking photos!

Group photowalks are for everyone. There are no special skills or equipment required. Just show up with a camera, ANY kind of camera, and that’s all you need. You can use a simple point and shoot that fits in your pocket or a fancy dslr with a whole bag of lenses. Really, the only thing you need to join a photowalk is the desire to walk with other people and take photos.

It works like this: someone schedules a photowalk and then invites other people to join in, usually via the internet. On the day of the walk, everyone gets together at the starting place and time and introduces themselves. After a few minutes of milling about and discussion, the group takes off on their pre-determined route to take photos. Everyone goes at their own pace, chatting and chimping* along the way. When they reach the end of the route, there is likely to be a little time to gather and do some more chimping, usually over coffee or beer! Then when everyone goes home, they upload the photos they took to a group site on the internet so they can see what everyone else thought was interesting enough to photograph. And that’s how friendships are formed!

Well, Lisa, Scott and I are all about photography, fun and making friends, so we’ve decided to host a photowalk at MouseFest this year and you’re all invited! You’re all going to MouseFest, right? Of course you are! So, here are the details:

What: Picture This! Photowalk meet at MouseFest 2008
Date: Saturday, December 13, 2008
Time: 7am - 9am (yup – that’s the crack of dawn!)
Where: Disney's Boardwalk - meet at the Wedding Pavilion, finish at Boardwalk Bakery
Who: Everyone is welcome!

We’ve set up a Flickr group with more information, including a map of the route we’ll be following. That is where everyone can RSVP, introduce ourselves and chat about the meet. Afterwards, this is where we’ll share our photos. You’ll need to join Flickr to RSVP but it’s free and safe, I promise. You won’t get any spam from them.

We’re very excited about this meet and hope to see lots of you there. And who knows, there may even be some goodies available for those who attend**.

For a more in-depth article on photowalking, check out this post by Jeff Revell. To find a photowalk in your area check out photowalking.org or just google “photowalk” and your city.

Don’t forget to RSVP on the Flickr site.

*looking at each other’s photos on their lcd screens
**There's nothing wrong with a little bribery!

Do you envision the universe in black and white, sepia, vivid color or cyanotype? Your camera does. Yes, it too sees life in artistic form, pointing out shadows that are more prominant in a story without color. Enjoying the richness of reds and greens that pop out from the scenery and making everything new look old again.

While all of what I'm about to show you can be created on your computer with software, I shot every frame as you see it. It's amazing how one building can take on a different personality with each change in color. Prior to digital cameras, these same looks would be accomplished by using filters or by playing with color adjustments in the darkroom.

These were all shot on Streets of America at Disney's Hollywood Studios with the Nikon Coolpix 7600.

Shot using the standard setting. I'm having flashbacks of "The Cosby Show."

The vivid setting makes for richer colors like you now see in some commercials and television shows or as I've just finished watching "High School Musical 2," I noticed the colors were enhanced.

Nothing makes a photo's details stand out like a black and white print.

Cyanotype leaves only a blueish-cyan hue.

Sepia reminds us of days gone by like prohibition, the mafia, and swing dancing.

I encourage all of you to bring out your inner artist.

As I'll be attempting to blog live from Magic Meets this weekend, I will not have an entry on Wednesday, July 23rd. I'll see some of you in just a few short days!

I wasn't able to find the time or a laptop to be able to post live from MagicMeets so without further ado, here's my Friday recap.

On Friday I arrived around 4pm after spending 9 hours on the road including stops along the way for lunch, gasoline, and restrooms. Highway 78 was shutdown and there were no signs or policemen to redirect traffic. Luckily, my friend Karen realized we were near other highways listed on the directions we had and so we eventually found our way.

The AllEars table was setup so I didn't have any work to do except to deal with a slide show I'd created for a digital frame. The photos would rotate while cued to music at our table. After playing around with photos and moving folders, Mike Scopa got it all working or so we thought at the time.

I joined a group of friends for dinner at Perkins. That was a nice time with good and funny conversation.

That night a bunch of us went to Magic Tunes, a Name That Tune type of game hosted by Mike Scopa, co-created by Trent Schwartz, and engineered by Mike Newell (www.mouseworldradio.com). The evenings contestants were Lou Mongello (www.disneyworldtrivia.com), Deb Wills, Steven Barrett (www.hiddenmickeysguide.com, and Annette Owens (www.mousefantravel.com).

The game worked like this, Newell played an audio portion of a song and you had to guess what movie, attraction or television show it is from. It was a great deal of fun to not only try to guess where the soundbites were from but also to watch all the antics of the contestants who are all good friends with one another.

And now, on with the photos.

Mike Newell at the soundboard. I like to call him Mix Master Mike.

Mr. Mike Scopa as the host of MagicTunes. Is he the next George DeWitt?

You know these crazy kids as Lou Mongello and Deb Wills. Later, Lou moonwalked ala Michael Jackson sans the sparkling white glove.

Steven Barrett and Annette Owens had more of a dry humor about them.

And lastly, my favorite shot of the night: Vicky, Carol, Mary, Linda, and Michelle having a riveting good time.

I have good news and bad news. First the bad news. Sometimes parts are made for cameras that have a shorter life than expected. Occasionally, cameras may overheat or small pieces like the battery door springs and latches may fall off.

The good news is that when this happens in mass quantity, the manufacturers make good with their customers and service to fix these problems is complimentary.

Here's an example for you. My mom's friend's camera suddenly stopped taking photos. She hadn't dropped it or spilled anything on it. Her LCD still showed text and photos she had previously taken but it wouldn't go live. She sent it out for repair via a camera shop and they told her it was sent to Canon per a Service Advisory.

Keep in mind that repairs like these sometimes take longer because there are literally millions of cameras sold and when there's a service advisory out, a good chunk of them go to a small number of service centers. This causes backup but remember, they are making good on their product even if they are 5 years old which far exceeds the normal warranty.

The best way to find out if your camera's problem falls under these situations is to check with the manufacturer themselves.

Here's a list of URLs and phone numbers you can check to see if your camera is on the list.

Canon
U.S. Residents call 1-800-828-4040
Service and Safety Notices

Casio
1-800-435-7732
Support

Fujifilm
1-800-659-3854 x3461
Click on your camera model for up-to-date info

Kodak
1-800-235-6325 (23KODAK), option 12
Search by camera model

Nikon
1-800-645-6678 and select option 1
Service Advisories and Recalls

Olympus
1-888-553-4448
Check for nearby service centers

Panasonic
1-800-211-PANA (7262)
Search for your camera here

Pentax
1-800-877-0155 in the United States
Outside the US

Sony
1-800-222-7669 United States and Canada
International 1-239-768-7669
Enter your camera model here

Amigos, I'm sure that some of you have sailed along el río with The Three Caballeros en México. Personally, me encanta (I'm enchanted) with the attraction even if most of my time is spent searching out that wandering fowl, Donald Duck or Pato Donald. At least I'm not the only one. Panchito and José Carioca are looking for him, también (also).

Photographing these pájaros (birds) is a lot of fun if you are prepared. Are you prepared?

A digital camera with a high ISO setting of 800 or higher and the ability to allow you to control your shutter speed and f-stops is necessary. Don't bother trying to use a flash to photograph the animation because you'll wind up with wasted shots.

Here are a few examples from two separate cameras and excursions. This first set was taken with the Canon PowerShot S5 IS.

ISO 400, f4, 1/80
This image is not only noisy (all that grain) but it's also underexposed due to a ISO of 400, shot at f4 at 1/80. The bad exposure lends itself to the noise.

Here I had set the ISO to 800 and shot at f4, 1/125. The image has noise from the higher ISO but considering the lack of lighting and the fact that I'm photographing a movie, I'm content with the results.

Since I am moving and the cartoon is moving, a faster shutter speed at the widest aperature is most effective.

These next images were taken with the Canon 30D and the Canon 28-135mm USM IS lens.

ISO 500, f4, 1/125

ISO 500, f4.5 1/20

Yes, I just said that shooting with a faster shutterspeed is ideal to capture movement however for this shot, since the boat had slowed down and maybe even stopped, (I forget-it's been a while), that I went for a slower rate of 1/20 and it worked out alright. There's some motion visible but I'm rather pleased with my shot.

Looking for the release of "The Three Caballeros" on DVD? Find it here, packaged with "Saludos Amigos."

Random acts of info: José Carioca is a Brazilian parrot who was created initially for "Saludos Amigos" as Joe Carioca. On the original posters for "The Three Caballeros" his name is still Joe but somewhere in time, he became José. However in Brazil his name is Zé Carioca. Zé being the Brazilian Portugese version of Joe.

One of the things I enjoy most about Disney's Hollywood Studios are the Streetmosphere characters even though I don't always get a chance to stop and watch them. When I do, they always make me smile and/or laugh.

Part of their time on-stage is scripted while the rest is improvised. You never know what they might say or do and that lends itself to the appeal of these roaming "attractions".

During my visit last May, I spotted something rather unusual to my left. Ah huh! This cop was undercover and trying to blend into his surroundings. I tried to follow him as he went from place to place attempting to blend in all the while the spurs on his shoes clicked up and down Hollywood Blvd.

During MouseFest 2007, I came across a director filming a movie scene featuring a young starlett. I was running to a meet so I only got a few quick shots. This is my favorite one.

To get the best pictures possible, be prepared. Have your camera turned on and in-hand ready to shoot. Try using the action mode as these actors don't sit still. I know, I lost the cop!

In an ever changing world of technology, even memory cards are affected. Some of them stop being birthed all together like the SmartMedia card, while others improve in capacity such as the SDHC. I will now rundown the list of current memory cards and which camera brands they work with.

Olympus and Fufifilm cameras record images to the xD card. While Olympus only accepts these cards, Fujifilm now works with SD cards, too. The cards shown here are Type M and Type M+, the difference is that M+ can download images 1 and 1/2 times faster than it's predecessor. Both memory cards come in 1GB and 2GB*.

Sony cameras use Memory Sticks. The difference between these two Memory Stick Pro Duo cards is that the one on the right, reads High Speed. That means it transfers images faster, in this case, up to 80MB**/second. Please be aware that Sony changes their media cards frequently so be sure to check and see if your camera is compatible with their current Memory Sticks.

These are Compact Flash cards and nowadays you only see them being used in digital SLRs . Several years ago they were used by Canon in their point and shoot cameras. The card on the left has 256MB which held a lot of photos on a 4 megapixel camera. Compact Flash cards are now sold in 1GB, 2GB, 4GB, and 8GB capacities.

SD (Secure Digital) cards are the most commonly used memory cards, right now. With the exceptions stated above, these little guys go into every digital point and shoot and a good number of DSLRs. SDHC cards are upgraded versions of SD cards. What's the HC stand for? High Capacity. What does it mean for you? Less time downloading your images to the computer. Be aware that SDHC cards will only work in SDHC compatible cameras.

If you are unsure of what memory card your camera accepts, check your manual or the box.

*GB=Gigabyte, **MB=Megabyte

Hiya kids! Is everyone ready to head back to school? Do you have your High School Musical backpack and Hanna Montana lunchbox? Oh, I see you don't but your children do. That makes sense.

The idea behind today's blog is to get you, the parent, ready for your child's first day of school photo extravaganza! I'm pretty sure it doesn't matter how old your offspring are, you'll still take those special moment photos.

Now the first thing you need to do is make sure you've got the battery(ies) charged and in the camera. Next, be sure the memory card is loaded. Those are the easiest steps.

Please welcome back to the modeling stage, Ciara! She will now demonstrate for you the kinds of photos you can aim for. Teenage facial expressions and body language are 100% natural.

You may also want try try a few of your cameras functions such as the Portrait mode. The way this feature works is the camera understands you're going to take a headshot (head and shoulders) of someone. It will set the f-stop so that the background is softer than the subject.

Your point and shoot may also be equipped with Face Priority or Face Recognition. This is especially handy if you're photographing more than one person. The software will guide the camera to look for the shape of a face or multiple faces and then focus on whichever is closest. This eliminates having the school bus in focus and the kids out of focus.

I used Face Priority for the 3/4 shot.

Another function found in the Nikon Coolpix 7600 is Portrait Figure. Meaning that it will look for the shape of a face even if you are shooting the entire person.

Good luck getting these future nostalgic pictures.

A few other reminders. Make sure your kids remember to take lunch with them.

Homework should be done at home, not at the bus stop.

Kim Possible, Ron Stoppable, and the Red Power Ranger images artistically reworked for comedic affect. Barrie gave me an idea and I ran with it.

There are accessories that help to complete a photographer's outfit and by outfit, I mean gear, and by gear I mean equipment. Get your wallets out because you'll want to go shopping after you finish reading this.

Filters - Predominantly used on SLRs both film and digital, filters can create an amazing range of effects. The most commonly used is the UV, which protects the lenses' glass from being scratched as well as keeping a blue/purple tint out of your photos. You may also want to get a Circular Polarizer which cuts out glare found on reflective surfaces such as glass, sand, snow, and my dad's bald head.

Tripod - If you're interested in shooting at night or doing long exposures you'll want to get yourself a tripod. This three-legged stand will keep your camera perfectly still. All cameras and tripods connect via a universal screw found on the tripod's mount. Tripods come a wide range of heights, weights, and certainly durability.

Monopod - Going on a safari? Shooting from the sidelines? Monopods take up less space than tripods do and are designed for the photog who is shooting with a super telephoto or high power zoom lens. Monopods attach to cameras the same way tripods do and also come in various heights, weights, and durability.

Microfiber Cloth - Keep one handy to wipe fingers prints and nose grease off the LCD screen and particles from the lens. You can also use it on your glasses and sunglasses.

Neoprene Neck Strap - SLRs normally come with a neck strap that feels rough on your neck and doesn't help to support the weight of the camera. Neoprene neck straps are soft, sometimes textured, and help to alleviate stress on your neck. I personally recommend the Boomerang by Tamrac

Memory Card Wallet - Keep your memory cards safe and in a convenient location. You'll find both soft and hard cases available as well as waterproof ones. I have this one by LowePro.

You may also want to read my previous entry, Photography Vocabulary 101.

Product photo copyrights remain with the manufacturers: Hoya, Slik, Slik, Quantaray, Tamrac, and LowePro. Images are used for Educational Purposes.

As I was looking over my photos from previous trips and trying to decide what to write about, I started laughing at some photos I took at the New England Aquarium and the Mystic Aquarium & Institute for Exploration. Why? It seems that since "Finding Nemo" was released into theaters and later on DVD, you will always hear someone (child or adult) mention characters from the movie at aquariums. Suffice it to say, sometimes it's me.

If you're using a point and shoot camera, odds are there is a setting for taking fish photos, however it's for shooting underwater and your camera MUST be inside specially designed underwater housing. Otherwise you could try a setting such as Behind Glass or Sports. The problem is that aquariums are not brightly lit and your camera will want to fire the flash. If your flash goes off then you'll get a big bright light in the shot.

See Exhibit A:

Taken with a Nikon Coolpix 7600.

If you have the capability of controling your shutter speed and/or f-stop then you're free to try a variety of settings to get the shot just right. Be sure to get your lens as close to the tank as possible. I keep mine less than an inch away and try to follow the fishies as they swim by.

Here are a few of my favorites caught with the Canon EOS 30D and 18-135mm USM IS.

Obviously, this was taken outdoors...in my backyard. Yeah, that's it, in my backyard.

This is a full body photo of a...fish. I don't know the breed but he/she is a rather bright yellow and yellow is my favorite color. There's an inquisitive fish on the right heading towards us.

Aren't starfish interesting looking? Apparently in China, they eat them fried on a stick. I'm not kidding, I saw it on "Passport to China" on The Travel Channel. Better Samantha Brown than me.

Candygram!

And last but not least, the photo that makes me burst out laughing every single time (even if it's not perfectly focused).

How many fish have waved "bye bye" to you?

While the Backlot Tour at Disney's Hollywood Studios isn't nearly as exciting (in my opinion) as it used to be, one cool factor is the American Film Institute (AFI) Showcase. The tram drops you off here at the end of the tour. You can also access it via the AFI Showcase Shop.

Here you'll discover costumes, props, sketches, and videos from various movies. The display changes every so often. When I visited last May the theme was Villains and I'm pretty sure it's the same now.

In order to preserve the materials, the Showcase is kept at a consistent temperature, dimly lit, and most pieces are kept in display cases. If you've ever toured a movie studio*, you'll find this to be rather common.

Photographing in these conditions can be tough. A flash would bounce off the glass. There are reflections in the glass anyway from lights and exit signs. You need a high ISO and a semi-long shutter speed. All of these combined can lead to noisy photos which to me is far worse than film grain. But you do what you can with what you have, right? Right!

The Canon PowerShot S5 IS (out of production - new version coming soon) was my tool. In Manual mode, I set my ISO to 800 because 400 would have required me to use a tripod I didn't bring and 1600 looked ghastly.

f3.2, 1/30, ISO 800
This ensemble belonged to the character Nathaniel from the movie "Enchanted." When taking this shot, I steadied myself and held my breath.

f3.2, 1/10, ISO 800
This chariot belongs to White Witch from "The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe." I was able to place my camera on the partition that keeps people far enough away from the props, to help steady the camera.

f3.2, 1/10, ISO 800
Davy Jones' organ from the "Pirates of the Caribbean" trilogy. This was right by the chariot so I shot it the same way. I feared setting off an alarm for placing my camera on the beam but a CM watched me and didn't say anything so I guess it was alright.

*If you visit the Los Angeles area, check out the studio tour at Warner Bros. It's THE best one.

Point and shoot cameras have been boasting about having stabilization for a couple of years now. In the beginning they didn't specify whether the stabilzers were optical or digital and there is a big difference.

Digital stabilization means that the camera boosts the ISO setting let's say from 400 to 1600. This means the camera requires less light to take the photo. When it does this, it increases what's known as noise. These are specs on the photo that make an image look like it's broken apart, so to speak.

Optical stabilization means that either the lens or the sensor inside the camera are moving along with you. This is the type you are looking for in a camera.

You'll find that different camera companies refer to things a bit differently even though they mean the same thing. Here's a quick rundown.

Canon - IS = Image Stabilization (lens adjusts to your movements)

Nikon - VR = Vibration Reduction (lens shifts accordingly)

Panasonic - Mega OIS = Mega Optical Image Stabilizer (lens adjusts to your movements)

Fujifilm - Dual IS = Dual Image Stabilization (their cameras have both moving sensors and a boosted ISO)

Olympus - Dual Image Stabilization (sensor shift and a high ISO)

Sony - Super SteadyShot (lens adjusts accordingly)

Pentax - Shake Reduction (sensor shifts)

It's time once again to peek inside my photo album. Although I hadn't followed a soap in years (after Ricky Martin left "General Hospital"), I thought it'd be fun to check out Super Soap Weekend at Disney's CA Adventure. Let's journey back in time to 2002 when Soap Opera Bistro still existed. All of the actors pictured are or were on "General Hospital."

One important thing I need to express is that these photos cannot be posted elsewhere, saved, printed or distributed in any manner.

Colton Scott portrays Nikolas Cassadine

Marissa Ramirez plays Gia Campbell

Left to right: John Ingle (Edward Quartermaine), Wally Kurth (Ned Ashton),, Jaime Ray Newman (Kristina Cassadine), Alicia Leigh Willis (Courtney Matthews), and Billy Warlock (AJ Quartermaine).

Rebecca Herbst as Elizabeth Webber

Michael Saucedo co-starred as Juan Santiago

Meeting the guy who played Ricky Martin's character's son was interesting because Michael Saucedo is older than Ricky Martin. Interesting casting.

Previous Photo Album - Character Masquerade

I remember reading all about Pleasure Island when I was planning a trip with friends in 1995. It all sounded so exciting with its various themed clubs but we never made it there and I was sorely disappointed. During various trips that came later, mostly alone, I made an effort to explore Pleasure Island but only got as far as 8 Trax, Rock 'n Roll Beach Club, Comedy Warehouse, and the infamous Adventurer's Club. The last two clubs quickly became my favorites as I love improv, singing, and comedy.

I took my cousin Matt to the Adventurer's Club a few times between 2004 and 2007 and it just wasn't his cup of tea. Now, it wasn't the shows but some guests who freaked him out. We did make into a show in the library during a birthday trip and his friend Greg was brought up on-stage to do the Fax Machine Dance. Greg is 6'6" and at the time was 17 years old. The maid who brought him there turned red and referred to herself as Mrs. Robinson when she realized she'd just picked up a teenager. GOOD TIMES!!

Over time I came to pick out favorites at Comedy Warehouse; Mary and Lisa. I didn't have faves at the Adventurer's Club and I think it's because I never saw all of the shows but I did recognize several actors which gave me a wonderful feeling of comfort.

On Wednesday, September 24th, Barrie and I carried our tripods and cameras around Pleasure Island staying outside of the clubs. Things were spookingly quiet for a nightspot that's about to close despite letter-writing campaigns and petitions.
The calm before the storm.

No line, no waiting at Mannequins.

On Thursday night, I returned to PI alone in hopes of hitting the dance clubs to see their interiors at the very least but instead I opted to revisit the Adventurer's Club. My friend told me that Lou Mongello might be there and I figured he may be accompanied by his wife and friends whose company I enjoy. Once inside the Club (pronounced as if it was in Spanish), one could see the crowd downstairs filled the room. Making my way downstairs I poked my head into the Treasure Room and sure enough there was Lou and friends. YES! People I know!

The place was at full capacity on 9/25/08.

Emil carried the Balderdash Cup around and received many a "Congratulation".

A bit of info that is pointless but all the same quite funny to me. As you've seen, the Adventurer's Club was quite hopping and so when I made my way to the Ladies Room I feared the impending line. Much to my surprise, there was no line. Wow! OK so anyhoo, when I left the loo, I saw one of the maids and she passed right by me. I was so happy to see an actor up close that I let out a "YAY!" Well, back into the room I went and quite luckily found myself just to the side of the small platform where Yvette, the French Canadian maid took to the microphone.

As previously stated, I didn't have a favorite actor/actress as of yet but after a few sung notes and jokes, all that changed. Too bad I didn't stay put for her entire performance but I felt like those who visit the Club far more often than myself deserved to have a better view.

I last left off having watched Yvette, the French Canadian maid entertain folks in the Main Salon at the Adventurer's Club. To read Act One, click here.

Once I got back to the Treasure Room, I spent time chatting some more with friends and then made my way over to the bar to try and purchase a special Kungaloosh plastic cup. During my previous visits I was under the impression that the Adventurer's Club mugs and cups were only used to serve alcoholic beverages and yours truly doesn't drink. So when I was advised that one could order soda and get the cup I was elated and made my way to the bar.

Gingerale in an AC Kungaloosh cup: $4.00
Tip: $1.00
My happiness: Priceless

The show in the library had just filled up so my pal Mark Goldhaber said this was the time to line-up for the next show which some of us thought to be the Hoopla (HOOPLA!) but turned out to be Sugar Snapp's very entertaining Maid's Sing-Along.

Sugar Snapp mingles with guests waiting to see her show. She's quite the character.

I'd like to point out if I may that it was a very kind and (no pun intended) sweet gesture that each person found on their chair when entering the library. Inside a shear red drawstring bag was a packet of sugar and a note that read:

Sugar is just pixie dust that makes life sweeter!
THANKS for all the sweet times!
Xo,
Sugar Snapp

After learning all about grey squirrels, there wasn't a chance in...the World...of getting into the final show that night so I made my way out onto the street only to find a doorman summoning people into Comedy Warehouse. Wahoo! It was a great show as always and they kept me laughing the whole time.

Time to head back to the hotel. Awww shucks!

Saturday, the day no fan wanted to reach. The day Pleasure Island and all of it's neon lights, thumping bass, cheers, first dances, smiles, and boisterous laughter came to an end. Two friends of mine planned on getting there in the early evening as Adventurer's Club opened at 6pm. In hindsight, I should have followed suit because I didn't get into AC until Sunday morning but I'm jumping ahead of myself.

Upon arriving at PI, I grabbed some quick shots of the line at Mannequins, the band playing outside, those trying to get into 8-Trax, and as I neared the exit of Comedy Warehouse, comedian/actor Paul Vogt.

Frankie and the West End Boys keep rockin'.

The news going around was that AC was at capacity and people were only allowed in when others left and anyone who wanted to could stay there from open to close. I feared never getting in sort of gave up, another mistake. I got in line for Comedy Warehouse and my friend Robin joined me. It was a GREAT, SUPER, FANTASTIC performance and I was happy to have witnessed all the antics and as a bonus, got to see one last show co-starring Lisa.

With fingers crossed and wishes for a miracle, Robin and I joined the ever-growing queue to get into the Adventurer's Club. Very slowly, people would trickle out and those of us waiting to get in applauded and cheered them. A few of the actors came outside during the night to meet and greet with friends and fans. To me, that says a great deal about how much these folks love their jobs and appreciate each and every person who has ever climbed the highest of mountains, skiid polar ice caps, and proved his/her recklessness, bravery, and most certainly their loyalty.

If you've missed my previous memoirs, you can read them here:
Act One
Act Two

There were a great number of Disney's management team going in and out of the Adventurer's Club. Why? I am not sure but I can tell you that before midnight one of them came through the line and promised that each of us would get inside the Club to take pictures one last time.

At midnight, for the last time, Pleasure Island rang in the new year with 80's pop songs, fireworks, and MCs. Also during the night they had street performers on stilts. I believe it's been a good three years since PI saw a night such as this.

With a television set up, we could watch the final Hoopla (HOOPLA!) while in line. The quality was a bit rough as they were probably using security cameras but we were happy to see something.

My memory of it all is possibly out of order so bear with me. We made it into the Club around 12:30pm. I grabbed some quick crowd shots then made my way downstairs in search of the restroom while everyone else in the Main Salon was watching the Hoopla (HOOPLA!) on a projection screen. I didn't want to distrurb people again so I stayed in the back hallway until the show was over. However, sitting on a couch by the elevator allowed to get quick glimpses of several actors as they ran back and forth and between floors. There were 3 or 4 of us in this area and we just smiled and said "Hello" as they passed by.

I recall Fletcher Hodges coming out of one door and entering into another and stating that he put Slappy away and didn't steal him.

Emil Bleehall Senior came by the most, always with his adorable smile.

I remember hearing someone who I later found out was Emil Bleehall Junior, singing a very heartfelt and sentimental rendition of "When You Go." There was no way those in the Library could see that performance and not tear up.

Once the saints went marching in, a security guard told us that the actors went into the Main Salon to greet fans. I saw no one except guests who were trying to get as many photos as possible and to stop for a moment and just take it all in until we were ushered out. We left via the back exit and went up concrete stairs that brought us back up to street level. At the top of the stairs a CM ( management I believe) asked if anyone would like a letter. My friend Ken got the first one and I very happily was given the other one.

I looked around in hopes of seeing the cast outside but they weren't there. Security was telling everyone goodnight and moving us along. I felt like I'd gone from warm and cozy to cold and empty in a matter of seconds.

Farewell, Pleasure Island. Thanks for the laughs at Comedy Warehouse..

Brian has performed countless shows at Comedy Warehouse.

Thanks for all the fun at Adventurer's Club. Thanks to all the CMs for their energy and wit. Kungaloosh!

Action shots are especially hard to get with most point and shoot camera because they simply can't take photos fast enough to freeze movement. There are however high-end point and shoots which allow the owner to use manual settings which open up a stream of possibilities.

Once again, I picked up the Canon Powershot S5 IS which has a 10x optical zoom, Image Stabilization, and manual modes that allow me to control the camera. I opted to use Program (P on the dial) to see what the camera could do without being given any direction.

This is a tricky show to shoot because the opening is pretty dark and then the actors are in the shadows with bright sunlight behind them while running around the market.

Your location also matters a great deal as to how good your photos will come out. I found a single seat in the second row in the center section. Not too shabby considering I walked up just a few minutes before the adventure began.

f3.5, 1/400, ISO 400

f3.5, 1/320, ISO 500

f8, 1/500, ISO 400

f8, 1/1600, ISO 320

As you can see, the camera made lots of changes according to the lighting situation and where the camera was focused. Certainly the blazing flames in bright sunlight upped the shutter speed and as Indy and his friend ran into the covered part of the stage, they became near-silhouettes.

In the Program mode, you can change your f-stop, shutter speed and ISO. That's what separates it from Auto, as well as more custom controls in the Menu. Give it a try.

Da da da daaaa, da da daa da da.

Lisa here, ready to bring you another installment of Light Meter! (echo, echo, echo) Today we are going to turn our attention to a little something that most moms and dads aren't too familiar with, white balance. Rest assured, this has nothing to do with how many potatoes or how much cauliflower (Blech! TM Lisa) you eat. No, no, it is all about your digital camera, the heat it records, and the lighting in the image you're framing.

My camera records heat? Yes, digital cameras differ from film cameras in that they are made up of computer parts, one of them being a sensor. Sensors capture the heat or "color temperature" (in Kelvin) where as film captured color.

Wait, wait, what IS white balance? The technical answer can be found on www.dpreview.com. The not-so-technical answer is that in order to record colors properly given the lighting conditions, the camera looks for white within the image to adjust off of. If there isn't any white then the image can look dull and flat.

A large variety of point and shoot cameras allow you, the user, to adjust the white balance by selecting one of these options: Auto, Daylight, Cloudy, Tungsten, and Fluorescent.

Let's look at some examples. First we begin with a colorfully painted building. If you're unfamiliar with it, it can be found in Disney's Hollywood Studios. Stand in front of the main entrance to Stage 1 Complany Store. On your left will be what looks like an alley. Head down the alley and look up on your left. Here you'll find Miss Piggy holding Kermy ever so tenderly.

The day I shot this was overcast. I have not made any adjustments to these photos whatsoever.

Here the white balance was set to Auto.

White balance was set to Daylight here.

White balance was on Cloudy.

Tungsten

And finally, fluorescent.

The camera's Auto White Balance did a terrific job of recording color, and not blowing out the white clouds. It's remarkably similiar to what the Daylight mode captured. However, the Cloudy setting picked up bolder colors, adjusting for the lack of direct sunlight. Neither Tungsten or Fluorescent would be able to recreate natural light.

What most people have in their homes is tungsten lighting. These bulbs look yellow/orange in print and aren't all that flattering to skin tones. To provide you with samples, I got some models who were just laying around underneath tungsten lights. Sure, they were in a smaller room than you or I would venture into but you get the idea.

Auto Dwarf

Daylight Dwarf

Cloudy Dwarf

Tungsten Dwarf

Fluorescent Dwarf

While Auto did a good job of eliminating most of the yellow/orange tint, some yellow still remains. Tungsten did the best job of color correcting.

Looking for a Dwarf? These guys are waiting for you to take them home from Toy Story Pizza Planet, first floor.

Want to get even more technical? Check out this webpage.
Scott's previous piece about white balance can be found here.

The Landscape Mode icon on your camera looks like a mountain.
When you use this mode, you are telling your camera that you're photographing a large area of scenery and want everything in focus. Internally, the camera sets the f-stop to allow less light to come through the lens but bringing the entire scope into focus.

Now, you might think you can only use Landscape for horizontal picturesque spots but this is not so. For you see, even a tree takes up massive space and demands attention.

This is a nice photo but look what happens when you turn the camera vertical!!*

Try using the Landscape Mode on other vertical subjects like buildings, giants, enormous icons found at All-Star resorts, gargantuan hats, hotels with falty elevators, etc...

*Results may differ from person to person, camera to camera, neighbor to neighbor
father to son, one for all and all for one!

For some strange reason I have rarely experienced the Tomorrowland Indy Speedway. Maybe it's because I keep calling it Autopia and none of my WDW-loving friends know what I'm talking about. I guess I just lost a point on the WDW Fanatic Measuring System.

It's rather difficult to take photos while driving, trust me on this. Even if your car can't veer off the road because of a guiding track, it's still tough to get good shots. That's why you need a driver. I conned err asked our own Jack Spence to be my personal chauffeur err driver.

My camera of choice was the Canon Powershot S5 IS. With the ISO set to 400 which was A-OK considering how bright and sunny it was and my shutterspeed rated at 1/1000 (using the Tv mode for shutterspeed priority), I let the camera select the f-stop. It averaged f8. All of my photos are sharp. I did try bumping up the ISO to 1000 just for kicks and I can tell you the shots are noisy and I don't like them one bit so you won't be seeing those.

This really was a fun thing to do and certainly different than your average vacation snapshots. In fact, you'll probably be seeing me motoring around again during MouseFest.

When you return from your drive, you'll be directed as to where to pull over so new guests can have a turn. We're in line waiting for a car.

Hey look over there! It's the sign for the Tomorrowland Speedway. It's good to know we're on the right road.

Look kids, Big Ben! Hee hee, I couldn't resist.
Whoa! Space Mountain is a thrill ride, I think I'll stick with Peter Pan's Flight.

It's such a lovely day that lots of folks are out for a drive.

Safety is important. Don't bump the car ahead of you or you could wind up with a not-so-magical memory.

It was a rough and bumpy ride on the Kilimanjaro Safari but lots of animals were out that day which made for an exciting time. Although Little Red really needs to stop fraternizing with poachers. Anywaaaay, after we exited the vehicle in an orderly fashion, I heard a Cast Member say if we took a right, we could see a gorilla. OK! I never knew that viewing area was there.

A few other folks were there as well and we were all trying to get photos of the gorilla who seemed to be watching us and thinking, Now what do you want? Barrie and I patiently waited for everyone else to get their photos and then we moved into the better viewing area to get some snapshots.

I love photographing animals. I'm sure you'll be seeing more of my animal pics and hearing all of my stories and Barrie's version of how I'm weird and talk to parrots. Yay me!

Here are my 2 favorite photos of this gorilla taken with the Canon Powershot S5 IS at f4, 1/60, ISO 400.

Wow, gorillas really are similiar to humans. He's got a twitchy eye just like my dad.

A moment later he was sound asleep and snoring, just like my dad. Actually, he reminded me so much of my dad that I asked him for money.

This blog entry was requested by reader Kim Adele who wrote: I'd love to see a blog about how to get a good replacement camera once yours is lost or stolen at Walt Disney World. It is so hard to get any help from the staff here as there are pat answers and staff really doesn't suggest what to do if you have to go off property.

If you're faced with this unfortunate situation there are several reputable camera shops within a 30 minute drive from Pop Century. I just selected Pop Century as an address on-property to use as an example of distance.

Ritz Camera
The Florida Mall
8001 Orange Blossom Trail
Orlando, FL 32809
(407) 855-4897

Ritz Camera
Special Tee Golf Plaza
1233 W. Sand Lake Road, Suite 8
Orlando, FL 32809
(407) 240-6998

Colonial Photo & Hobby
634 North Mills Ave
Orlando, FL 32803
(407) 841-1485

Harmon Photo
1323 N. Orange Ave.
Orlando, FL 32804
(407) 898-2321

If you simply can't leave property then you can purchase a disposable camera in numerous locations such as the parks, resort gift shops, and World of Disney. Another option is to have PhotoPass photographers grab some shots for you.

For more recomendations as to where to purchase your camera, check out my previous blog entry.

If you've lost your camera, be sure to contact Lost & Found in case someone turns it in. The main number is (407) 824-4245. They receive all items that have been left behind after one day from EPCOT, Animal Kingdom, Hollywood Studios, Magic Kingdom, Downtown Disney (shops and restaurants), and Disney Transportation (monorails, trams, buses, and boats). If you think you've lost your camera at a resort, call their Guest Services desk.

A great way to help get your camera back is to put an address label on your camera. Try to include your cell phone or home phone number as well. You might also want to "etch" your name onto the camera with a specialty tool like a diamond tip engraving pen.

When you buy a new camera, be sure to keep the warranty card as it should be imprinted with the camera's serial number and model. If not, write them down somewhere so when you get home, you'll have that information to identify your camera.

If you have an idea for a blog, please contact Barrie, Scott, and myself by using the Comment link provided below.

Whether you're setting sail on the MouseFest cruise in 4 days (you lucky ducks) or you're planning to cast off in the future, this blog's for you.

MouseFest Cruise

1. Take the walking tour around Nassau with Dave Marx. He really does an excellent job of showing you the highlights in the area. Make sure you take some cash with you and know that the only restroom you'll stop at is at Fort Fincastle near Queen's Staircase.

Nassau, Bahamas/Castaway Cay

2. Want to mail your postcards with special stamps? You can buy Disney Cruise stamps on Castaway Cay and Bahamian stamps at a small counter in the port terminal. When you enter the building, turn right and there's a small grated window with one employee.

3. Have your passport stamped. Exit the terminal, walk to your left and you'll see a black metal gate surrounding a building. Tell the guard you want to have your passport stamped. He'll buzz you in. Go into the building, turn right down the hallway and I think it's the 2nd to last door on your right.

General

4. Take the time to stroll the many decks and see the detail in the ship and all that it has to offer.

5. Get a waterproof disposable camera for snorkeling, swimming, and for Castaway Cay. Tossing your camera into the same bag that was at the beach can lead to a repair. Sand goes everywhere!

6. Carry a camera with you at all times. It's easy to come across characters when you least expect it, including Port Canaveral. You may also find that you'd like photos of a cruise employee, a new or old friend. Don't let that special moment slip away.

7. Learn what your camera is capable of before you leave for the airport. If your camera has Manual, Aperature Priority, and/or Shutterspeed Priority then you can photograph the musical productions (highly recommended) without the flash as flash photography is not permitted.

8. Remember to change the white balance settings as you go from inside to outside as well as the ISO.

9. Double check that you have packed batteries, the charger, the camera, multiple memory cards, the manual if you need to reference it, adapters and/or converters if you are coming from outside of the United States.

10. DO NOT place your camera in your checked luggage. Keep it in your carry-on or handbag.

Have fun. Tell Hercules and Jack Sparrow I said "Hi."

Several years ago, I brought my grandparents to Walt Disney World. Since they are season ticket holders to the local theatres I knew that bringing them to Beauty and the Beast was a good idea. They loved the dancing, the singing, and of course the music. We sat in the very back of the theater but they were quite content and impressed with the show.

Watching a show and photographing a show are two different things for me. Sometimes I even do a little of both. When that happens I get to the venue early if I'm with friends so that we can get close to the stage. If I'm alone then locating a single seat is pretty easy and I'll wait until 5-10 minutes before the show starts to head over. Each time I go, I try to sit somewhere I haven't before, giving me different perspectives.

On my last trip I used 2 different cameras so I could provide you with comparisons. The first camera is a Nikon Coolpix 7600 with a 3x optical zoom (38-114mm) and 7 million megapixels. The second camera is a Canon PowerShot S5 IS with a 10x optical zoom (38-380mm) and 9 million megapixels. The Nikon is a compact point and shoot and several years old while the Canon is a high-end point and shoot and perhaps 1 and 1/2 years old with a faster processor. Both cameras were powered up with rechargable AAs. Let the competition begin!

Here we have Cogsworth offering advice to the other inanim...animate objects. He's not moving much and the shot is still a little soft. He does have too much "headroom" however.

Belle is happy because her library card was discoverd and turned into Lost & Found. Alright, she's singing and making her way from stage left to right to left.

Gaston is blurry because he's too quick for this camera and so is his expectorating.

Here the hunk is surrounded by his admirers and the faster system caught their fawning.

As I said, the Nikon can't keep up with action even when using the Sports Mode. It grabbed the shot so late that it appears as if Lumiere is giving Belle a noogie and burning her arm.

All is well again as Cogsworth oversees their reconciliation and the safe return of Belle's book, less a few gnawed pages.

Last year around this time, I went over a list of digital cameras for kids and teens. Now, I'll turn the attention to Disney cameras which are of course, designed for kids and a few adults who like toys.

Film Cameras

Walgreens carries disposable 35mm Disney themed cameras. I've found Princesses, Winnie the Pooh, and Mickey cameras for about $8.00 each.

35mm flash cameras are still available. Themes include Cars, Princesses, and Tinker Bell. In addition to finding them on eBay, check out the manufacturer's site for direct purchasing.

Digital Cameras

For the 3+ crowd, an adorable Mickey camera. Designed to be held with both hands with a dual viewfinder, and big buttons, it's easy to handle. Photo quality is ideal for computer screens and 4x6 prints or smaller. But wait, it gets better! It's on clearance!
www.disneyoutlet.com Item #L6233C0001-MT-D00P

For the kids who are a little older there are a series of cameras with different characters by Digital Blue called Disney Pix Click 2.0. These 1MP and have an internal memory that will hold 300 photos. They have a flash for indoor photography. Retail price is $40.00.

Digital Blue makes Disney Pix Micro 2.0 cameras. These are about half the size as those previously mentioned. These little guys hold 40 photos in VGA 640 x 480 and come with a software bundle. Styles include Jonas Brothers, Camp Rock, and Tinker Bell. These sell for $20.00.

Last but not least is the Disney Pix Max with 5MP, a 2" LCD, expandable memory which will accept up to a 2gb SD card, and a built-in flash. These new models go for $80.00.

The above three digital cameras can be found on www.amazon.com, at Toys R Us, and Target among others.

Scott, Barrie, and I often toss ideas around regarding the Picture This! blogs. What themes should we have, what topics should we write about and revisit, whose turn is it to be picked on, etc... It was maybe a month ago that I suggested we each create a Top 10 list. It can be anything Disney oriented but it has to be the people/places/things we like best to photograph. We have not seen each other's lists as of my starting to write this on 12/25 so it'll be interesting to see if any of our picks criss-cross.

Without further ado, here's my Disney Top 10 List of Who and What I Love Photographing:

10. Animals

9. Characters in Various Outfits

8. Morocco Pavillion - EPCOT

7. Heroes, Princes, and Pirates

6. Fantasyland - Disneyland

5. Cast Members

4. Main Street - Disneyland

3. Musicians/Theatrical Performances

2. Face Characters - Disneyland

1. Friends

Thank you all for a fantabulous 2008 (I just wrote 1998 and fixed it LOL). Thanks for all of your letters, support, attendance to our photowalk, and kind words. I hope the new year brings you great health, happiness, and lots of laughter.

Peace Out,
Lisa

(Lisa clears her throat)

How I Spent My MouseFest by Lisa K. Berton

(Lisa looks around the room and sees Jack Marshall sticking out his tongue. She rolls her eyes and looks back down at her report.)

Wednesday

I packed up my car with my suitcase, a carry-on bag, and my camera bag and headed to work. For the next five hours, I became fidgety and kept looking at the clock so that I could break free and head to the airport on time. Finally, the clock struck 2:30 and I put on my coat, grabbed my bags, headed out the door and straight to Panera Bread which was less than a minute away. I got a grilled cheese sandwich to go, piled everything back into my car and headed down the highway while eating lunch.

I arrived at the airport with an excessive amount of time to spare so I played a few games of Ms. Pac Man and Gallaga in the airport arcade. Due to storms South and West of Rhode Island, our plane coming from Philly was delayed. Long story short, we left and landed more than an hour late in Orlando.

I'm going to skip ahead to the search for my Owner's Locker.

(Lisa looks up at Erin Blackwell who is bouncing up and down in her seat with her hand in the air.)

Yes, Erin?

What resort did you stay at?

All-Star Movies.

Do you like dogs?

(A puzzled look comes over Lisa's face)

Suuuuure. Anyhoo, as I was saying, I'm going to tell you about the search for my Owner's Locker. Since my flight was delayed, by the time I checked in it was roughly 11pm and the luggage service was closed. The very kind people at the front desk tried to locate my purple container but after making several treks to the back and a few phone calls, they came up empty.

Thursday

In the early morning hours, I called for luggage services and was told they didn't have it nor did Music or Sports and that I should call Owner's Locker. I texted John who got back to me immediately, promising that he had not only delivered it but placed it on the shelf himself. I called the front desk, was placed on hold and many minutes later told it could not be located and a manager would call me. Thirty minutes went by and I called back down, talked to the manager in that department, Jennifer, who in a rather unprofessional manner, informed me that they had delivered my container Wednesday morning to the room my friend was originally assigned to prior to her checking in. Reservations changed the room assignment BEFORE she checked in. The box was delivered BEFORE she checked in. I've never had anything delivered to my room without calling down for it and having to be in the room upon delivery. Have you?

(She looks up and sees everyone shaking their heads "No.")

In the end, my container was deIivered to me as we were leaving to check out. I spoke to Rodney at the front desk, who must be a manager or supervisor. He apologized several times, deducted one night's stay at Music from my bill (I switched resorts in the morning) and gave each of us 2 special FastPasses. He's a good employee; very professional, courteous, honest, and engaging.

With all of that behind me, my BFF Tracy, her son Zach, and I headed out into the pouring rain and drove to the Beach Club for our breakfast reservation at Cape May. The food was terrific, the character interaction was swell, and we were seated an entire minute after we checked in. Awesome!

With the weather being promiscuous, we decided to see if we could catch anyone at the Contemporary after the MF kickoff event. We found some of our friends, hugged them, then headed to the gift shop. Zach and my BFF Tracy went off on their own and I headed to the Magic Kingdom via monorail with Byron, Melanie, and Noah.

I'll go through this quickly. I popped over to the Dole Whip meet where I located my Pop and more friends. Michelle Scribner-MacLean very kindly offered to carry my poncho and packet of pins & lanyards for me. I almost tossed in my car keys but held back. This would later prove to be a wise decision. Then it was off to enjoy Carousel of Progress, the People Mover or whatever you want to call it with some online pals. We split up into another group and ventured off to the Haunted Mansion, Big Thunder Mountain, and Pirates of the Caribbean. While they were railroading, I called Michelle. She was back at her hotel room and not returning to the Magic Kingdom for a little while. See, this is why it's a good thing I didn't toss my car keys in the bag. Phew!

I was invited to join the girls; Susan, Karen, BetsyAnn, Kristen, Pam, Lynne, Gloria, and my BFF Amy for dinner at Kona Cafe but before that we checked out the decorations and gingerbread house in the Grand Floridian. While we waited for the monorail, my pal Lynne and I talked to Jack Marshall, Laura Gilbreath, and Deb Koma who were tossing paper airplanes off the balcony or so I suspected.

Any questions?

(Mike Scopa stands up and places his hand over his heart)

Lisa, did you partake of the glory that is the Dole Whip?

No, I did not.

(Mike places his hands on his hips)

Why not?

I really wasn't in the mood.

(Mike shakes his head in disbelief, sits down and begins to sob. Deb Wills comforts him by singing a lullabye about a pineapple plantation in Hawai'i owned by Belle)

Friday

Up early, my BFF Tracy, Zach, and I got ready and drove over to Animal Kingdom. They went to another meet while I joined my fellow AllEarsers for our event at Harambe Fort. The weather held off while people went in search of items to photograph in a scavenger hunt-like game.

My job was to stand on a chair and take photos of peoples' heads. The place was filled with Disneyphiles who stood rather close together. If only I'd thought ahead, I could have played ring toss.

At one point Linda and I snuck off to have our picture taken with Baloo and King Louie. Ha! Ha! We didn't even clock out.

(Deb Koma squints and gives Linda and then Lisa the evil eye. Linda just laughs at her.)

Time to head over to Hollywood Studios. My friend Mary and I had lunch at the Sci-Fi. We sat in the front of the car with a bunch of strangers behind us. When the parking ticket arrived I asked for a new license. I didn't even know they handed out licenses! I overheard the server asking a kid if she wanted one. Now you know, too, and knowing is half the battle.

As soon as we left the drive-in, we ran into Mary's hubby, Mike, and his sidekick, Len. Maybe we ran into Len and his sidekick, Mike. Well, no matter, I ran off to Toy Story Mania where about 60 of my closest friends were getting ready to take over the attraction. We could have been in line for 4 hours and I wouldn't have noticed because we were having so much fun chatting and taking crazy photos of each other.

I rode with my BFF John but something went terribly wrong and we passed the first game all together. Then we stopped just short of the second game. The third game didn't work at all so by the time we were back at the loading dock we'd missed most of the games. Some others had experienced the same problem so we all got to ride again. It worked perfectly this time except that my BFF John won again.

A little while later I went in search of Citizens of Hollywood. Rumor had it that some Adventurers might have moved. Although I didn't "recognize" anyone, I was left laughing and with many thanks for being able to record such special and gifted Citizens.

My BFF Rental Car and I made our way to see what was left of Pleasure Island. While a few clubs like Soundstage, Comedy Warehouse and the holy grail - the Adventurer's Club looked to be in tact from the outside, other structures seem to have been demolished or I've lost my mind. Signs were up regarding an International food court of some type being built. Very few people were wandering about. I talked to an employee at Harley Davidson who told me that sales have dropped drastically since Sept. 27th.

Then Erin Blackwell called to take me up on my offer to drive her to the AllEars Team party that night. She had good timing because my BFF Rental Car and I were just about to leave. We got Erin at Hollywood Studios and headed back to All-Star Music so I could change and wrap presents for another meet later that night.

Meanwhile, back at the ranchero*, I had a fashion emergency. My plum colored silk pants had been ruined. I don't know what, who, how, when or why but they had stains and so they met their fate in the trash can. I wound up in all black except for some neon green socks. I simply can't wear all black, I'm not Johnny Cash.

The party was very classy and set in a Spanish fort at Gaylord Palms. I wanted to be sure that plenty of photos were taken to capture all that went on so I grabbed Deb Koma's camera and took some shots. Then I got ahold of Deb Wills' camera but the batteries were kaput. I also took over another camera. My memory is foggy but it may have been Scott's.

(Scott Thomas waves)

I have a Nikon.

I know, dear.

It's a D-SLR.

That's correct.

(Barrie Brewer jumps up)

Me, too! Me, too!

(Lisa slap her forehead and mumbles to herself about Nikon users being crazy)

I left the party as everyone headed to Ice. I had another meet to attend, a gift exchange. In order to not appear overdressed I threw on a hooded sweatshirt. Strangely enough, no one commented on the fact that I was wearing makeup, something I rarely do.

Saturday

I was up at 5:15am, 15 minutes before the alarm clock was set to explode. After getting showered and dressed, I gathered everything I needed for the day including but not limited to: a long sleeve shirt, Photowalk pins, 2 bags of candy, the door prizes from Scott, Barrie, and I, tape, scissors, gift wrap, bottled water, and other things I can no longer recall.

My BFF Rental Car and I parked at Beach Club and found other early risers attending the photowalk in the lobby. I was the first one to arrive at our gathering place, the wedding pavillion, Sea Breeze Point. Barrie, Scott, and I welcomed about 23 folks to our first ever Picture This! Photowalk.

Over the next 2 hours we slowly made our way all the way around Crescent Lake, ending at Boardwalk Bakery all the while stopping to take photos.

All I could think was, Dang! It is cold! But we had fun and I know I got a stellar photograph because Barrie told me, "You suck. That's awesome!"

Next up was the Mega Mouse Meet. If you were there then you already know that lots of people stopped by, I bought a copy of Orlando Attractons magazine, Erin did an infomercial on first aid kits, Scott jumped into my shot of Dave Marx, and Jack Spence has the coolest nametag ever.

(Jack nods in agreement)

My BFF John, his wife Cathy, and I played a round of mini-golf at Winter Summerland. We opted for the Winter course. We had lots of fun at each other's expense. If you ever play with me, wear a helmet and a wetsuit cuz the ball is either going to ricochet off something or land in a body of water.

I hadn't eaten lunch yet, I was tired, and I needed something that I forgot then and forget again now. As luck would have it, my roomies arrived at the hotel room just a few minutes after me. I had called my BFF Tracy to find out where they were just a few minutes prior. Turned out that her son was sick. We left him in the room to sleep while we had a late lunch/early dinner in the food court. It was a much needed long break and meal for both of us.

He felt better so we headed to EPCOT for a private party. I've never partied so much in my life, wow. Two nights in a row, I just set a new record. The three of us rode Spaceship Earth and Gran Fiesta Tour before hooking up with the other party maniacs. I made an effort to teach Zach how to say "caballeros" because he's taking Spanish in school and I'm good with pronunciations. The festivities ended after Illuminations and so we called it a night and went back to our room.

Sunday

My BFF Tracy and her son Zach left early that morning and took the bus to the airport. I tried to go back to sleep but didn't. My first event for the day wasn't until 1pm so since sleep wasn't happening, I got a lot of packing done and put myself together and went to the Magic Kingdom.

Wandering through Fantasyland I kept looking to my right in hopes that the Matterhorn would suddenly appear.

(Laura gives Lisa the "I know how you feel" look)

I bravely took on Peter Pan's Flight, Snow White's Scary Adventures, Philharmagic, and it's a small world by myself. Then I ran into more online friends: Margaret, Sheryl, Alicia, Tina, and Fran at Haunted Mansion.

At 1pm Team AllEars gathered in the Rose Garden to set on the most funnest, silly, timed adventure known to man, Capture the Magic. It's a photographic scavenger hunt hosted by www.Tagrel.com. The Team consisted of Laura, Andrea, Linda, Gloria, Deb, and me. I was the photog and Linda was the clue reader.

(Gloria raises her hand)

They tried to drag me on Splash Mountain.

It was part of the game.

I know, deary. I was making a joke.

Oh. I knew that.

(Andrea stands up)

My Team shirt came with a stain on it.

(Everyone points and laughs except Linda who didn't inspect shirts upon arrival)

Afterwards we all had lunch at the Plaza Restaurant not the Plaza Inn. Those are two very different eateries. It was nice to sit, talk, and especially fill up after all that running or in my case, walking around. We had a delightful time together even though Deb Wills kept trying to make me much older than I am.

I joined up with my BFF Karen later that night. We left MK after a few rides and headed to Celebration. As it turned out they were having a street party. That makes 3 parties in a row. We wandered about, bought chocolate covered pretzels, poked around gift shops, visited Celebration Hotel and then collapsed at Market Street Cafe. The service was extremely poor as my dinner and my BFF Karen's dinner both arrived cold. Our server checked to see if I could have the turkey and veggies because I can't have pepper. They were fine but the plate was covered in gravy that contained a large amount of black pepper. We were delighted to leave even though we were still hungry.

Monday

My bags were packed, I cleaned up the room, and headed to the front desk to check out. I met up with 7 friends at Kona Cafe for lunch. Erin, her hubby Johnny, Sid, Carol & her hubby Gary, my BFF John & his wife Cathy shared lots of laughs that afternoon.

I spent the rest of my day in EPCOT with my BFF Karen. We saw the new show, What's Your Problem? at Innoventions, tested out cars at Test Track, and soared over Cali. The next few hours were spent wandering World Showcase. It was a nice leisurely stroll and just as we started walking we ran across Mike Scopa, Mike Newell, Fred Block, Jeanine, Beci, Michelle, and International superstar, Masayo in Mexico.

My trip came to an end after an early dinner at Yakitori House and some pin shopping. My BFF Rental Car and I stopped at the gas station and filled the tank before returning to the airport for an evening flight home.

The End.

*"Meanwhile, back at the ranchero" is a line I stole from my co-worker, Paul. He's a ninja so I'd better give him credit.

Did you really read the whole blog? My goodness, you deserve a pat on the back.

There's a fun interactive show that may not appear on the entertainment schedule you pick at the Magic Kingdom, Captain Jack Sparrow’s Pirate Tutorial. Performed every day to the left of Pirates of the Caribbean you'll learn from Captain Jack Sparrow just what it takes to be a pirate, and you'll discover what it's like to be a firstmate like Mack. The show is a lot of fun to watch and kids may be chosen to battle Mack and become pirates themselves.

Now that you know, you'll want to get some photos. This is a fairly easy show to capture and if you plan ahead, you'll be in the "front row" before anyone else even knows what's going on.

My new camera (for me anyway) is a Canon PowerShot SX100 IS. My settings were ISO 200, f4, 1/200.

Now, let's concentrate on lighting. This particular day was partially sunny. With clouds diffusing sunlight, there's a softer tone to everything. Shadows are minimal and highlights can make make flat lighting pop. This type of lighting is great for days in theme parks when most of your photos are of people, there are no raccoon eyes to worry about.

If you look under the wheelbarrow, you'll see weak shadows underneath as well as short shadows under the wheels.


Another nice thing about overcast days is you can see more detail in your subject. Take a good look at Mack's face. Now take a gander at the rope and his ear. See those highlights? There's some sun poking through the clouds.

Jack Sparrow is resting amongt his treasures, which places him in the lighting seen in the first photo. I'd prefer if some sunlight was coming in from the right, it would have opened up his eyes a bit and created more separation between Jack and the backgroud.

Now you can really see the difference between where the sun is poking through (where the kids are) even though it's not intense sunlight and where Jack Sparrow is once again, taking it easy.

Want to check out Captain Jack Sparrow's schedule before you sail off to WDW? Visit Steve Soares' website and you'll uncover even more hidden treasures.

If you're like me then you're always trying to find new ways to photograph things, especially in the parks. Although countless others have done what I'm about to suggest, you might not have, yet.

One way of getting a different perspective of Frontierland is to shoot from the Liberty Belle steamboat. Not only will your view change of Big Thunder Mountain, but you'll pass Splash Mountain, Tom Sawyer's Island and the Haunted Mansion as well. I have to warn you that if your camera has a short zoom of 3x or 5x optical then you might not be as impressed with the results but, it's worth trying something new.

If your camera doesn't offer manual settings which allow you to adjust the shutterspeed and aperature, then use the Sports Mode.

For this project I used the Canon PowerShot S5 IS (10x optical zoom) and set the camera to Manual. The ISO was 200, f7, 1/250. This kept the camera from washing out highlights from being confused by the partially cloudy skies. The shutterspeed was fast enough to catch still and moving objects while we sailed past. The aperature was closed down enough to help keep things sharp even at great distances.

Let's take a look at my results and keep in mind, at most I took 2 shots of the same thing and I stood in the 2nd row of people.

A nice clean shot of Splash Mountain, very simple and colorful.

Here comes a train. I enlarged this and it's still pretty darn sharp.

I was just amazed with the fact that no one was on the bridge so I grabbed the shot before someone came along.

This is my favorite shot from my cruise. I can see lots of detail, it's framed just right (my only shot) and is something that I think is only visible if you sail the Liberty Belle.

A family of Native Americans was visited by a turtle. I don't know if you can make him out in this picture.

Being able to zoom in on different sections of the Haunted Mansion was really cool.

When I disembarked, my view of Haunted Mansion was "fogged" by all the steam coming from the boat. I took a few shots and waited for the boat to release more steam. It would have been even spookier around sundown with some purple highlights, I'm just saying.

It's time once again to expand our knowledge of photography terms. If you haven't familiarized yourself with my previous blog entries on this subject, I've provided the links for you.

Photography Vocabulary 101

Photography Vocabulary 102

Today we will steer our attention to words and phrases commonly used in photo labs.

Glossy - A photographic paper finish that is reflective and shiny. Glossy paper shows fingerprints.

Matte - A photographic paper finish that is dull and flat. Matte paper rarely shows fingerprints and is commonly used for enlargements being framed.

Enlargement - A photographic print that measures 5x7 or larger.

Full-bleed - An image printed edge to edge, also referred to as borderless.

Develop - The act of film going through a series of chemicals in order to make the latent images visible.

Negative - Film that has been developed

Cropping - Adjusting the proportions of an image (in a darkroom or with software) so as to eilimante part of it for printing purposes.

Index Print - Thumbnail size images from a roll of film, memory card or CD shown as a set.

As of this very moment my home sits in a Winter Wonderland surrounded by snow and ice with freezing rain falling from the dark skies above. It is unlike Alice's Wonderland, although today is my unbirthday. There's no Mad Hatter in sight nor the White Rabbit zipping by with or without a watch in hand. There are, however, two cats who "meow" at me from time to time and tap me on the leg while I sit at the computer desk. Undetermined what to write for my blog and chilled by the storm outside, I decided that a nice stroll down memory lane (vs the plank) would warm me up. I hope you enjoy these photos from my very first cruise.

Disney Wonder, December 2007

Before departing the stage, Captain Mickey high-fives Goofy.

On the walking tour of Nassau, we stopped into a church. I found this chandelier to be the most interesting item.

Disney's private island is Castaway Cay. This reminded me of Cape Cod.

My friend Ray got a surprise smackeroo from Ms. Dee Vah.

I loved the musical productions. Tarzan had very little lighting and most of it was green and blue. It certainly made you feel like you were watching him in the jungle.

I find that there's an epidemic happening with digital camera users, people placing their fingers or thumbs in front of the lens. Certainly this has to do with the shape and design of cameras, most commonly those with internal zooms. For example, the Sony DSC-T77.

Since the lens is very small and in the upper corner vs the center of the camera's face, it leads to incorrect and even uncomfortable handling. There are also folks who place their finger or thumb in front of a normal lens. This is due to incorrect handling and the fact that the lens is not quite centered, either, such as Nikon's S610.

Pictoral examples:

Here we have your average run-of-the-mill pixie, Katrina, holding her cameras incorrectly.

That little finger of hers is over the lens. Sadly, this is the photo she wound up with.

Now, she's moved her finger and is holding the cameras the right way.

Take a look at this shot. You can clearly see the gorilla. Hooray!

Remeber, keep your fingers and thumbs away from the lens at all times.

Sony DSC-T77 image ©Sony. Nikon Coolpix S610 ©Nikon. Used with permission for educational purposes.

No animals or humans were harmed in the making of these images.

Who wouldn't want to be able to pull off a quick nice portrait while vacationing? Scott, that was rhetorical. There are those moments when you and your friends and family have stopped moving and you think, ooh, time for pictures!

Let's examine this photograph closely. I'll point out what you want to avoid and what can be approved upon. Today's model is mild mannered reporter Clark Kent, oh wait, no, he was busy. Today's model is well-mannered Disney fan Deb Wills*.

1. Always look to see if there are other humans, animals, polls, street lamps, etc... behind your subject. This woman is sticking out of Deb's shoulder. That can't be comfortable.

1 1/2. Part of a person doesn't help either.

2. Lighting is extremely important. Racoon eyes and squiting isn't attractive, unless you're a racoon with glaucoma. Look out for harsh shadows.

3. Posing is another super duper important part of a great portrait or headshot. Facing straight on is OK but less desireable.

4. The background should be simple without much going on as to not distract from the subject. Snacks huts aren't exactly picturesque even if they're themed.

I moved Deb (not literally, she walked herself) several feet to the right of where we were and turned her back so that the sun was behind her left shoulder. The only background is the wall and the plantlife. This allows Deb to stand out without having distractive people and things behind her. The lighting is now more even and the sun is diffused by clouds, which I had no control over, try as I might. By turning Deb's shoulders at an angle, it creates a more pleasant and complimentary look.

See, with just a few simple steps, you too can create portraits on the go and once you have that, you can have all sorts of fun with photo editing software.

Deb gets darker at night.

*For the purpose of these photos I had to ask Deb to remove her x-ray vision glasses.

Did you ever imagine a time when a photo could be taken without film? I sure didn't. Walt would call it progress. Our friend John and his family have been around a long time and their Cast Member friends will tell you that flash photography is not allowed in their theatre. That's not a problem because with a digital camera, you can see on the LCD screen just how good or bad your photo will be before you even depress the shutter release button.

The lighting for Carousel of Progress is excellent with the exception of when the kids and Mother are behind mesh screens. Since camera features vary slightly, some might do a better job than others when it comes to shooting indoors without a flash. Try using a Scene mode such as Candlelight or Museum. You might also be able to use Auto and turn off the flash. Refer to your user's manual for step-by-step instructions on how to override the flash. If you're comfortable manually controling your f-stop and shutterspeed, you're more likely to get better shots.

For these photos I used my Canon PowerShot SX100 IS and controled all of the settings myself. I began with an ISO (film speed) of 800, a shutterspeed of 1/80 and the aperature f4. I am content with how well ISO 800 held up. The CM that day was booming all kinds of no-no's over the microphone so I put my camera away after a few shots.

Here's an overall shot of the first scene.

I zoomed in for a much closer look at Father. He looks fantastic for his age, gotta love cosmetic surgery.

By the time the final scene rolled around, uhh, we rolled around the final scene...I decided to take more photos. I hadn't broken any rules and the CM seemed to have mellowed out a bit, so why not.

I had changed my settings to ISO 400, a shutterspeed of 1/50 and f4 prior to putting my camera away. Although the final scene didn't seem as brightly lit, I decided to leave things alone. They came out a smidge underexposed but nothing to cry over.

Dad's made it into the new millenium or the early 90's, I'm not really sure.

Grandma kicked butt on a virtual video game, good for her.

For more advice on photographing animatronics, check out our Disney Pic of the Week beginning on March 17th. Oooh I just remembered an arcade that has Pac-Man. See ya!

Spring is in the air, my friends. Flowers will bloom, birds will sing, and insanely expensive outfits that no one will ever wear will stroll the runway. Ahh, yes, I can envision it all now and that hat is ridiculous.

Surely, a good number of you will journey to the Flower and Garden Festival at EPCOT starting in as little as 14 days. Get your cameras ready to capture all those glorious colors.

For close-ups, you'll need to use the Macro setting on your point and shoot. The symbol for Macro is a flower. That's easy to remember. By using this setting, you're informing your camera that you're going to be very close to your subject and need it to focus at close range. Make use of natural lighting as much as possible.

As much as this photograph is near to the center of the flower, it's possible to get even closer. The only croping I did was the way I shot the image. Nothing was changed later on.

These photos were taken with the Nikon Coolpix 7600.

For even tips on photographing topiaries, take a gander at my blog from last year.

Home Printers

Laser Printers

Laser printers are designed to print text, charts, and graphs. They are not to be used for printing photographs.

Inkjet Printers

Inkjets are by far the most popular of home printers. They print quickly, are inexpensive, and may include other features such as copying and faxing. Inkjets emit droplets of ink onto photo paper using ink cartridges. Prints often come out damp and need to dry before they can be handled. Ink can and will smudge and prints are ruined by liquid and long exposures to heat and light.

Ink tanks vary by printer. The best color reproduction comes from having individual color cartridges. Photo paper designed for inkjets range in paper weight, surface, and size.

Printers can be purchased in office supply stores, wholesale warehouses, camera shops, and computer/electronic stores.

Pricing:
You can purchase the HP Custom 95 Series 100-Sheet Photo Value Pack for a HP Photosmart C4180 printer. It includes 100 sheets of 4x6 photo paper and a multi-colored ink tank for $32.99. That's 33 cents per print however, you still need to buy the black ink separately for $23.99. Now you're paying 57 cents per 4x6 print.

I'm not even going to attempt the math on a printer that has 6 ink tanks.

However, the Canon PIXMA iP4600 takes 4 different inks. You can buy the multi-pack for $47.99 then buy paper. Get the Photo Paper Plus Glossy II package of 100 4x6 sheets for $18.99. You're now spending 67 cents per print to produce 100 pictures.

Dye-sublimation Printers

Dye subs, as they are commonly referred to, are quite different than Laser and Inkjet printers in that they heat up the photographic paper and colors are released as a gas. The papers have a laminate-like coating which when heated lock in the dye, making the photograph less susceptible to fading and also water-resisitant.

Dyes and papers are sold as a kit and state exactly how many prints it'll produce.

You'll find high-end dye-sublimation machines for customer use in drug stores and camera shops as they are faster alternatives to mini lab printing. Kodak and Fuji machines are the two manufacturers most frequently found in these locations. Smaller printers for personal use are sold in office supply stores, camera shops, and by computer/electronic retailers.

Pricing:
Kodak sells directly to the public on their website. A color and paper kit that will give you 80 prints sells for $39.99. That's 50 cents per print.

Epson's PictureMate 200 Series Print Pack costs $37.99 and delivers roughly 150 prints. That's 25 cents per print.

Minilabs

Tradtional photofinishing labs offer the highest quality print possible. Maintenance is extremely important in regards to how well these multi-million dollar machines operate. Manual color and contrast corrections can make nearly any image better or worse, depending upon who is printing - a person or auto pilot.

Minilabs print digital images by using a laser which exposes the photo paper which is then run through a series of chemicals to develop the image. This process is extremely similar to how negatives are printed. Those family photos you have from generations ago have lasted so long because of how they were printed.

Pricing:
Ritz Camera/Wolf Camera/Inkley's 4x6 print prices are 27 cents for 1-24 prints, 21 cents for 25-59, and 19 cents for 60 or more prints.

Target pricing is 25 cents for 1-30 4x6 prints, 31-99 for 20 cents and 100+ prints at 15 cents each.

Conclusion:
1. Print your photos. Computers crash, CDs are being replaced by DVDs for storage, and memory cards can become corrupt but prints are highly visible and easy to obtain.

2. Nothing compares to the quality of a minilab other than a professional lab that does custom printing.

3. It's actually cheaper to print your photos in a minilab than it is at home.

I've recently returned from a week-long vacation in California to celebrate my birthday with friends. Over the next few weeks I'll recap my days at Disneyland including Club 33, Paradise Pier Hotel, and my favorite things to see, do, and where to dine. I was baffled as to where to begin this blog until Linda (LindaLou to you) advised me to begin at the beginning. That's what friends are for when your mind is out the door.

Hotel and Airline Reservations

Generally speaking, I have a price already in mind for what I'm willing to spend on airfare whenever I travel. My goal is to find the flight that meets my needs and comes as close to that dollar amount as possible. www.sidestep.com is the first website I check as they pull multiple flights and pricing at once, it's a terrific tool. Then I begin checking individual airline sites that aren't included and sometimes those that are because there may be better flight times and routes that don't come up on Sidestep. Also, I keep constant tabs on specials through various e-mail lists like www.travelzoo.com and www.smartertravel.com just to name a couple.

Eventually, I locked down an outstanding deal on Virgin America. I flew roundtrip from Boston to Los Angeles, non-stop, for a whopping $206.20 including all fees and taxes. Thank you, thank you!

As this was my birthday extravaganza, I decided to treat myself to 2 nights in my favorite on-property hotel, Paradise Pier Hotel. The nights preceeding and following, I stayed at my friend Yoli's house.

Paradise Pier Hotel is one of the few places where you can stay on the 13th floor.

The last time I did this was in 2003 and I paid $79.00 for the night using the Passholder rate. When I called for current rates I nearly had a corronary. Sit down, are you ready? The regular price was $245.00, the Passholder rate was $199.00, and the military rate was $119.00. These increases are outrageous, it's the same standard room. Lucky for me, Yoli is retired from the military and I could use her discount since she stayed with me.

Tickets

It cannot be stressed enough that if you put the time into preparing for your vacation, no matter where you go, that you'll find deals. Unsure as to whether I wanted a multi-day ticket or an Annual Pass I checked out all options online. In the end, I dragged Yoli to Costco the day before my birthday as they were offering the Deluxe Annual Pass at the normal rate of $269.00 but once you took your voucher to Disneyland's ticket window, you received a $50.00 gift card good for anything in the parks. Nice! I'll tell you how I spent it another time.

You're all familiar with Disney's ad campaign regarding free admission to Disneyland or Walt Disney World on your birthday, right? Due to the fact that I had bought my Annual Pass, I was now qualified to receive a Birthday Fun Card in the amount of a one-day, 1 park ticket which is $69.00. It can be used to buy merchandise and/or Photopass prints and CDs. In a future blog, I'll tell you how I made my Birthday Fun Card go even further.

Party Invitations

With my hotel and airfare booked and the knowledge of what my AP blockout dates are, I began creating invitations to my birthday party. The funny thing is that I have more friends in CA where I lived for 4 years than I do here at home. By incorporating photos I'd taken at Disneyland over the years along with pics of friends, and former members of Menudo, it made my invitations very personal and unlike anything available in stores. Printing on 5x7 card stock at home was simple and I already had a box of envelopes from photography promo pieces I had made years ago.

Here's the end result. The collage cover.

The inside of the invitation.

Goodie Bags & Treats

What's a birthday party without goodie bags! With a maximum of 12 "adults" attending, I bought enough of everything for a dozen people. At Target's dollar section I found packages of 4 colored pencils in Toy Story and Monster's Inc themes, tiny Strawberry Shortcake highlighters, temporary Incredibles & Toy Story tattoos, Cars magnets, and Cars kid's socks (for my friend's son). They also had Cars goodie bags packages of 8 for $1.69 and Finding Nemo gummi candy. Over at The Christmas Tree Shop I picked up a 16-pack of Cars tiny tissues for about $4.00, High School Musical stickers, and Care Bears chocolate balls with toys inside - 4 for $1.00. In addition to Disney, I respresented my childhood from the 80's.

After Valentine's Day, when all the candy was 50-75% off I picked up a bag of Blowpops. If you look at the cover to my party invitation, you'll see a "Lisa's Birthday Party" logo. I printed that design out on a sheet of paper, maybe 1.5 x 1.5". I took those tags, punched a hole in the corner, ran a Happy Birthday ribbon through them and tied them to the Blowpops. These were for Cast Members I'd come across on my birthday. As I handed out each one, I said, "Thank you for coming to my birthday party." They loved it!

Next week: Paradise Pier Hotel CM makes my day & Club 33 staff/celebrity sightings

Birthday party invitation pics, top row left to right: Me & my friend the other Lisa, logo, Paradise Pier from hotel window in 2003, my friend Yoli & I teaching Eeyore some classic Menudo dance moves, Pluto's close-up.

2nd row: Dana Daniels & Luigi at the Golden Horseshoe, MDO, sign for DL bday party, Nemo subs, Billy Hill (Kirk) of Billy Hill and the Hillbillies at the Golden Horseshoe.

3rd row: Goliath buying drumsticks, Sleeping Beauty's Castle, Wendy & Peter Pan, Sergio Blass, me & my fave Aladdin.

4th row: Club 33 mark, Ricky Martin (& Joselo for the fans), El Reencuentro, Mickey Mouse rockin', Pigs in Space aircraft, and Robi Draco Rosa.

As I briefly mentioned last week, a cast member at Paradise Pier Hotel made my day, my birthday. It also marked the first time I dined at Club 33 and rode in the Lily Belle car on the train. My actual birthday, March 6th, was filled with friends and fun. Come, let me show you.

Yoli and I went straight to Paradise Pier Hotel that morning to see if we could check-in early. The only people in line ahead of us were two teenage girls who were just hanging back from their parents at the front desk. I was waved over by Brian, a handsome and friendly fellow. As Brian was pulling up my information, I put the Blowpop on the counter, smiled and said as I would many times during the day, "Thanks for coming to my birthday party." He seemed surprised and delighted by my gesture. As he typed away, I handed them out to the two other girls working the front desk and a CM who was cleaning right next to me.

Brian told me he had some surprises in store for me. The first of which was that I had been upgraded from a Standard Room to a Park View. Awesome! I absolutely love seeing CA Adventure all lit up at night and sometimes you can hear the oceanside amusement park music they play. Then Brian disappeared for a while. Yoli and I chit chatted with the girls while we waited and tried to locate Drina who was also staying with us and the other Lisa who was waiting for us over at Disneyland. When Brian returned he was carrying 4 Mickey Mouse helium balloons, a CA Adventure mylar balloon shaped like one of the fish from King Triton's Carousel, and my birthday button. How incredibly cute!

As he handed me the keycards to the room, he said the room was on the 13th floor with a park view and a little more space. There's no way I wasn't smiling and nodding at the amazing news. Yoli & I quickly went up to the 13th floor and found our corner room. I opened the door and yelled out something positive. I don't remember what it was but take your pick from these possibilities: Yes!, Score!, Yeehaw!, Wepa! or a hearty laugh followed by "Nice!"

Brian gave us a sweet suite. The living room is composed of a sectional sleep sofa, an entertainment unit with a TV, DVD player, fridge, microwave, and coffee maker. There are 4 chairs and a circular table for dining and a full bath with a large glass encased shower.

The bedroom holds 2 queen size beds, another entertainment unit with a TV, and plenty of drawers and shelves, a desk with Internet connection, and another full bath with a tub, and dual sinks.

The room we had was 1322.

It was and is genuinely awesome! I prefer this hotel over the Disneyland Hotel because of it's decor. The colors are soft greens, blues, rust, and yellows with beach themeing and they use the same stripes in the comforter, window curtains, and shower curtain. Everything is very cohesive. I find the Disneyland Hotel uses darker colors and has far too many patterns going on at once and it makes me feel rather uncomfortable.

I'll try to shorten up all the things we did before lunch and after lunch otherwise this blog entry might take several days to read. Then again, you the reader can request that I write in more detail. Wink, wink.

We met up with the other Lisa, her son, my friend Drina, and Yoli's Club 33 pal at the Grand Californian. At CA Adventure we rode Soarin'. They flew up and down on Tower of Terror (Lisa and I are both chickens. Bawk! Bawk!). Then it was off to Disneyland and while part of the crew went one way, Drina and I had our photo taken with Mickey Mouse. Also, Flat Stanley had his photo taken with Mickey as Drina was trying to outdo her brother for her nephew's project.

Before we knew it, it was time for our reservation at Club 33. Yoli, Drina, and I were the ones dining. Yoli's been before but it was the first visit for Drina and myself. Yes, we were very excited and even a little nervous due to all the "secrecy" behind Club 33, its rules, and elite status of its members.

Have you ever walked past this door in New Orleans Square? It's the entrance to Club 33.

After being buzzed in we waited in the lobby until our table was ready. We took photos and had a nice conversation with Nadine who is the receptionist. When our table was ready, we went upstairs, were greeted by a hostess, walked passed the buffet, and taken to our table against the wall on the far end of the room.

This wasn't our table but it looked just like this.

The End.

Fooled you!

Our server was Robert, an adorable guy who picked up on our crazy sense of humor right away while still maintaining his dignity. Good job, Robert! He went over the important things like first we should visit the appetizer buffet, then our chosen entree would be served, and then try everything in the dessert buffet. He took care of my dietary needs which weren't much of a big deal based on what I ordered, the pan seared chateaubriand, truffle vintage port reduction. Mine was plain with vegetables and cinammon couscous. It was delicious. Yoli had the same thing but as it appeared on the menu. Drina had the Maine lobster melt with avocado relish, and house made Yokon Gold potato chips and she LOVED it.

The girls tried most of the desserts. I can't have chocolate so you'll have to ask them how good they were.

Servers appear to work as a team where someone is always standing by to help guests, refold napkins, and refill water glasses. I must tell you that I was extremely surprised to see SmartWater being served and not something of a fancier nature like Evian or Panna. When the Vintage Room still existed, they served Evian and you don't have to pay upwards of $10,000 to become a member. As I was saying, servers work as a team, and one guy stood out, Chase. With a dry sense of humor, an outgoing personality, a steady handsome face, and the body of a Chippendale, Chase became our new friend. When Yoli asked for more bread, he brought it but only after pretending there wasn't any more and surrendering defeat to her.

We'd hoped to see celebrities of any sort at Club 33 given the list of clientele. I spotted a blonde gentleman with a goatee or beard (how quickly the memory goes) who looked familiar but I couldn't quite place him. Therefore I decided he was either a wrestler or a country singer. Hulk Hogan? No, he was far too young and deflated to be Terry. John Schneider? Sadly, no, I'd recognize a good ol' boy never meanin' no harm.

The party beside us left not too long after our arrival. During our meal, it was filled with what looked like a family of four; mom, dad, and two daughters. After much oogling and whispering we couldn't put a name to "dad". I told Yoli, 9 o'clock. Alas, poor Yoli didn't understand and turned the wrong way. I suggested 11 o'clock. She's not very subtle and turned around 45 degrees. OK! I give up! The family got up and headed to the buffet so Yoli followed so she could get a better look. Upon returning to our table she said, "Kevin Pollak." I swear the next 2 tables all went "Ohhhhh riiiight." at the same time. You had to be there.

When the girls came over to ask Yoli where she got her ultra cool zippered Snow White hoodie (from me), I handed the younger one a Blowpop because it was her birthday, too. My psychic powers told me so and the birthday button might have helped.

There's a second room they use for large parties and for overflow. It's called The Trophy Room.

After lunch we somehow missed out on buying souvenirs. I'm not sure how we managed that but we did. Remember this in a week or so when I recall my second experience at Club 33.

You can walk around the verandahs outside Club 33.

We met up with Lisa and her son and headed over to the train station as we had the chance to ride in the Lily Belle car. I never even knew it existed. What's wrong with me? Luckily, we were able to get the last ride of the day (with that car) as a conductor has to be available to ride with us and give us a very detailed history about it. I'd offer to tell you what I was told but my memory is terrible. I do recall he said the EP Ripley is still a working train and is somewhere in a more northern part of CA. The car is named after Walt's wife, Lily.

The feeling in the car is that of high class with its warm woods and dark woods, velvet reds, and stained glass windows of gold, crimson, and green.

After a complete trip around Magic Kingdom we took on the refurbished it's a small world. This has always been one of my favorite attractions but now...eh. They changed the lighting and it's overly dramatic. This is a family attraction, not a rock concert. They've added Disney characters to scenes and they don't all blend in the way they claimed they would. When was the last time you saw an alien (Stitch) riding a surfboard? Don't get me started on the America or United States room. It's a bad combination of gaudy twinkling lights, cowboys, Indians, and children of the corn...uhhh... with corn.

Here's the newly enhanced Africa room. Do you spot Pumba and Simba? To their right popping out the top of a cone-like object is Timon.

And now, a very short description of the rest of the day/night so you can actually get to work on time. Is it too late?

Lisa and family left to meet her sister and nephews. Yoli and Drina grabbed snacks while I turned in that Deluxe Annual Pass voucher I got at Costco. Why now? How did I get into the parks without it? Guests at Club 33 are given 1-day Hopper tickets. As an AP holder I was also able to get the free Birthday Fun Card worth $69.00.

We went back to the hotel. Yoli was suffering even more from her crappy cold so she ordered room service. Our friend Jen came over with her teenage son, Corey. After much goofing around, we left Yoli to hit the hay while we went back to Disneyland to run amuck.

First stop was Buzz Lightyear Astroblasters followed by dinner at Tomorrowland Terrace while listening to and watching the cover band, Sandbox. Then it was time for the main event, my rematch against Corey on Dance, Dance Revolution. I lost, again. I also lost my balance and the power to jump on 2 squares at once. We took the late night cruise at it's a small world where I mistakingly called Jiminy Cricket, Ghepetto. Jen's never going to let me live that down. We caught the last sailing of the night at Storybook Land Canal Boats. It was now after midnight and the park was closed except for shopping on Main Street. We lolly-gagged about taking silly photos of one another before finally calling it a night.

What a birthday!

To learn more about Paradise Pier Hotel, click here. If you'd like to see more photos of suite 1322, click here.

After an extraordinarily funtastic birthday at Disneyland, Yoli, Drina, and I slept in a little bit. When we finally began dragging ourselves out of bed, I put a concert DVD into the player. Now, just imagine it was whoever your favroite band or singer is, and the concert is from 23 years ago when you were completely, (and perhaps still are) in love with them/him/her. Now, imagine you and your friends dancing and singing along and having too much fun for words. That was us. (I'm smiling just thinking about it)

Ready to hit the newly poured pavement at Disneyland, Yoli & I decided we had to take Drina to see things that were about to disappear and/or be built. Our first stop was to watch "Disneyland, The First 50 Magical Years." The film is hosted by Steve Martin, who worked at the magic shop on Main Street as a youth. It's rather cleverly done and it's also no longer showing as the venue is being prepared for Abraham Lincoln's return.

With rumblings in our tummies, breakfast was a high priority. However as we made our way into Adventureland, I caught Aladdin out the corner of my eye, stopped, yelled to my friends and waved my arms in the air. They know what that means, picture time! Some people collect animation cells or stuffed animals. I collect characters, especially Aladdins.

Flat Stanley is always dressed to impress. Allllladdin!

My favorite place to find hearty and healthy morning nourishment is River Belle Terrace. Drina had the cinnamon roll, a side of potatoes, and a fruit plate which she kindly shared with me. Yoli had eggs, pancakes, and sausage, along with orange juice, milk, and water. I swear this is the only place where she actually eats an adult-sized meal and cleans her plate! I scoffed down the Mickey pancake. Oh boy! Yoli bought me breakfast. Woo hoo!

Feeling much better we went straight over to Pirates of the Caribbean. I got splashed more from the cannons than I did from either drop. It's always fun to see if the Imagineers have moved things around since my last visit. Those darn pirates never ever learn my name they just keep yelling, "We want the redhead!" Sheesh! If you've never experienced Pirates at Disneyland, you need to. That's an order.

After climbing out of the boat we stumbled across a celebrity waiting to take it over, along with his family. It was none other than Will Turner himself, Orlando Bloom. He posed for photos, too. April Fools!

The girls and I left Disneyland, crossed the promenade and entered California Adventure. This park is truly amazing. It really feels as though you're in California!

Blue Sky Cellar, housed in a small stone house-like building in Golden Vine Winery offers a glimpse into the park's future. An on-going film featuring Imagineers shows you what Cars Land will be comprised of, what the Little Mermaid ride will look like, and how Paradise Pier is being Disney-fied. There are also models of the boardwalk games' makeovers. I'm excited to see it all, especially World of Color, a water and light show that'll give Fantasmic! some competition. That was our first stop and Yoli's only, as she had to get home to la familia.

Drina and I were excited to try out Toy Story Midway Mania for the first time. The wait was 45 minutes long hence we opted for the single rider option. We waited 12-15 minutes max. Totally radical, dude! What a blast. I've played the one at Hollywood Studios but even with some experience I was still beat by a newbie, the guy they sat me with. Drina loved it, too. She bought something in the gift shop, but I forget what.

We strolled along, all the way up to the pier then down the pier and over to some seats near a coffee and pastry stand. I had a blueberry muffin and Drina had some snacks she'd brought along. It was a good place to people watch as the space was narrow due to construction walls.

The water has been drained and all of the elements required for World of Color are being put in.

Seating is being constructed for World of Color. Hopefully, they'll bring back big name acts to perform here as well. Years ago I saw the Beach Boys and the Monkees.

Back on our feet, I dragged us over to Hollywood Pictures Backlot. The wait was 30 minutes for Monsters, Inc. but we got in line annnnd then we got out of line. Honestly, when you visit a park regularly (I lived in CA for 4 years) and you're use to short waits and walk-ons, you're spoiled. Tired, we sat down early but found front row seating for the shoe, Drawn to the Magic. There are lots of odd items from Disney movies strewn about the stage and scaffolding.

It's an enjoyable show with singing, humor, and characters. My hopes were high to see Hercules as he's a semi-regular but as it turned out he was busy elsewhere. Cinderella, Mickey Mouse in his Sorcerer's Apprentice outfit, and Woody all joined in at the end of the show and then met with guests for photos and autographs.

Hilarious! I wonder if he's available for parties.

I found Cinderella to be most amusing as she clearly had eyes in the back of her head and was able to not only handle her own crowd but also keep a lookout on everything else going on. You know she's running the castle! She also had the pleasure of being photographed with Flat Stanley and called him by name.

Once we had taken all the photos we needed we headed back to Monsters, Inc which now had a much shorter line so we stayed. This is another must see attraction. If we didn't have dinner plans, we'd have gotten back in line again. My favorite part is the end where your cab stops in front of Roz and she has some smart-alecky thing to say. I wasn't certain until that day if her response was live or not.

Roz: Oh look, another camera (to me). Get my good side.
Me: I'm not a miracle worker.
Roz: Whatever.

The cab behind us got an even better exchange but I can't recall what it was.

Oh no! Which door is Boo's?

Oh Roz, you so funny.

The time had come to bid adieu to CA Adventure and head towards Paradise Pier Hotel where we had dinner plans with my former co-workers. We actually caught up with my friend Lisa (from the previous blog) and family and Tina (co-worker and roomie) outside the Lego shop. I haven't seen Tina since maybe 2004 or 2005. It's been a long time.

We were seated at a long table at PCH Grill. I sat at the head of the table, hey this whole gathering was my idea. To my left sat Drina, Hector (cutest manager), and Jeff (Lisa's husband). To my right, Katrina (best manager ever), Tina, Lisa and her son, Logan. It was so great to see them all and just like with Tina, it's been years, far too many years. We had lots of fun remembering "the good old days" and catching up with each other. It was over much too soon.

There were some minor disappointments at PCH Grill. Hector's sandwich was sent back because the menu stated it came with certain things and yet it didn't. It took a long time for our food to come out of the kitchen and drinks weren't refilled without prompting. Actually, Katrina's never got refilled. We never said a word to the server but when she brought the bill she had deducted all beverages and took 20% off the total. That was great customer service.

Special thanks to Katrina and Tina for driving 15 hours roundtrip to see me and the gang. I feel so honored. Aren't you glad that I didn't cook?

Left to right: The other Lisa, Katrina, Tina, Moi, and Hectorrrrrr.

A few of them came up to take a quick gander at the suite and the view. After they left, Drina and I collapsed on the sofa. It's very comfy and good for plopping on after a long day of merriment. I thought she wanted to head back to San Diego early but it turned out she was ready to revisit Disneyland. Psych!

First stop was World of Disney which was very busy but also out of the pirate keychain she wanted. I suggested trying Pieces of Eight, the gift shop over by Pirates of the Caribbean. There was plenty of time for shopping so first I lead us to check out the band at Plaza Garden Stage. There's usually a swing and/or jazz band playing on Saturday nights and lots of dancing. People come dresed from that era which just makes it even more fun to watch.

The drummer from Jump, Jive, Boogie Swing Band.

Fantasmic! was playing on the Rivers of America as we made our way over to Pieces of Eight. We saw a few glimpses of it. I love this show a zillion times better than the one at Hollywood Studios but didn't plan on seeing it this trip. You are a lot closer to the action, the story is better, and well...you'll just have to go see for yourself.

The shop was packed, too, but I could see the pirate keychains hanging by the registers and pointed them out to Drina as I made my way to an open area and began chatting with a Cast Member. With purchase in hand, Drina collected me and we went in search of the #1 consumable I must have on every trip, a mint julep. It's so delicious. Now I want one. Phooey, I knew this would happen as soon as I started typing about it. Anyhow, Drina got one for herself, her first one ever and we split an order of New Orleans fritters.

There was another performance of Fantasmic! that night so I found a decent spot behind the soundboard after coming up short closer to the front, on the ground. As luck would have it, the lights go up another 12 feet or higher, giving Drina a much better view. Not only was she sipping her first mint julep, she was seeing Fantasmic! for the first time. WOW! I need to visit CA more often and she needs to hang out with me.

We did some shopping on the way out, shuffled through Downtown Disney, the Grand Californian, across the street and back to Paradise Pier Hotel. We said our goodbyes and I headed up to the suite all by myself. :sigh: Aladdin? Aladdin?

Did you miss my previous installments?

The Big Day and Planning

Next week: Back to Club 33 as the party continues with more friends.

All alone in my one bedroom suite at Paradise Pier Hotel, I contemplated having breakfast delivered by room service. Then I looked at the prices and that was the end of that thought. Once I had everything packed up, I got ready for the day and exchanged phone calls and text messages with Yoli, Jen, and Virginia.

The change in time threw Jen and Yoli's Cousin Jenny off course so both of them were running late. This gave me extra time to run around and take photos of the resort and menus for the website. I even had time to pick up some shots at the Disneyland Hotel and grab a Mickey cookie for breakfast. Yes, while on vacation some of my rules go out the window.

Being the true Disney fanatic that I am, I know when characters rotate at Goofy's Kitchen and where they exit/enter. I caught a few quick photos of Goofy heading inside the restaurant. My time was running out and so back to my room I went. Jen arrived soon after, grabbed a set of toiletries and helped me schlep everything down to bell services. I couldn't believe how much stuff I had for 2 nights. Check this out, a carry-on bag, a duffle bag with food, plates, napkins, etc..., balloons, gift bags with birthday presents, plastic bags with miscellaneous items and my tripod and camera bag, which I kept.

When not cooking up a storm, Goofy takes 5 minute breaks. It must be a restaurant owners' union rule.

We still had time to kill because Cousin Jenny pushed her and Yoli back well over an hour. Jen and I got more menu pics at the Grand Californian before the search for a locker big enough for my tripod ensued. If you ever need to store a lot of stuff like luggage, your collection of Stitch pins or a small army, rent a locker in the picnic area. They are enormous! I could have stored at least 9 tripods in there and still would have had enough room to set up a studio.

Disneyland trumps every other park in locker locations and sizes.

Yoli and Cousin Jenny arrived, picked up our Hopper tickets that came with being Club 33 guests and I found Virginia (former co-worker) over by the bag check. Woo hoo! The only one missing was Lisa and she'd meet up with us just before our lunch reservation.

First we headed into California Adventure so the girls could check out Blue Sky Cellar. While they went in, I grabbed some photos of menus of the Wine Tasting for the site. I know I've already said that I'm looking forward to Cars Land but I'll repeat myself, I'm really looking forward to Cars Land, especially Luigi's attraction of flying tires.

As we headed to the exit, the High School Musical 3 performers were coming towards us so I was able to snap some quick shots. No clue which song they were singing as I wasn't really paying attention, just taking photos. Saw the movie, it was cute but I'll put money down that there's going to be a spin-off on television with those three new characters introduced during the movie and Ashley Tisdale as a recurring guest.

What's black and white and red all over? The above photo. Boy, that joke stunk.

Once inside Disneyland, we thought about going on a ride but we didn't have enough time before our reservation at 2:15pm. Lisa (the other one, not me) met up with us in front of the entrance to Club 33. Yoli went to check us in but our table wasn't ready yet. While we were hanging around, Jen chatted up a CM who would be tossing beads out later on with the band. He told us to stand on the balcony at such and such a time and he'd toss them up to us. New Orleans Square, beads, and a balcony...in Disneyland. Nothing happened other than a few jokes.

Eventually the band played and as they were heading down the streets and backstage, Jen went after her new pal and got us all beads. We were still waiting to be let inside Club 33. maybe 30 or minutes later we were buzzed in by Nadine who we'd met just two days prior. Today the lift was working and could accomodate 3 adults at a time. Virginia, Lisa, and Cousin Jenny went up first followed by Yoli, Jen, and I.

Here we are, a 6-pack of sillyness: Virginia, Lisa, Jen, Me, Yoli, and Cousin Jenny.

This time around the girls and I were seated more towards the center of the room. Oh yeah, we were about to become the center of attention. Our server was Brenda, she was nice. Robert, our server from lunch two days prior was working tables beside us. Before we got too settled in and a chance to take a good look at the menu, Mickey and Pluto made their last round greeting diners. They took to the girls right away. See, we talk to the characters and tell them how good they look, inform them of how badly our friends behave, you know the regular stuff.

Jen's feelin' the love from Pluto and Mickey.

On Sundays, you are offered a choice of apple cider or champagne. We made a toast to friendship and I chugged down my water. Just kidding. I drank like a lady. That Smart Water will sneak up on ya!

Our selected entrees were: Lisa & Virginia - Pasta three by three, Cousin Jenny - Seared Muscovy duck breast, Jen - Maine lobster melt, Yoli & I - Pan seared Chateaubriand. Before those were served we helped ourselvs to the appetizer buffet of shrimp, crab, lobster, salads, pasta salads, deli meats, teeny pickles, cheese and crackers, breads, and vegetables.

Cousin Jenny would later come to regret ordering duck.

We didn't recognize anyone else there as being famous but that was fine because we had such a good time together that it would have been hard to top. For instance, Lisa had her very first mommy-free afternoon (a few hours anyway) since her adorable son was born 16 months ago. She was footloose and fancy-free and I'm so happy she got to hang out with just the girls. It reminded me of the crazy good times we use to have at work. Another example is Jen trying to photograph something small with the Club 33 logo on it and her photos were coming out blurry. I asked if she was using the macro setting and she didn't know what that was so I turned towards Virginia who was sitting beside Jen, and in my "managerial work voice" I asked her if she would please show Jen how to use her camera. Lisa got into it and kept reminding Virginia of all the extras we were taught to add onto sales. Trust me when I say it was downright hilarious.

The couscous I'd had before was substituted by request for pasta. I wish I knew the brand because that was THE best pasta I've ever had. It's the same kind they use for the Pasta Three by Three dish that Lisa & Virginia had. However, poor little Cousin Jenny wasn't so lucky. One of two duck breasts was raw, bleeding raw and she'd already eaten the cooked piece that touched the raw one by the time she realized it She called Brenda over to show her and I made a half-joking remark that we needed to speak with Mickey Mouse. Brenda brought her some mahi mahi but the girl was so grossed out that she didn't want to eat anything else. Cousin Jenny thought Brenda said her meal was coming off the bill but when the check came, it was still there. No one said anything because we didn't want to cause a commotion being guests and not members and all.

The other girls got their hands on all of the desserts. There was so much chocolate on the table that a chocoholic would have been in heaven. As we were still celebrating my birthday, I was given Mickey Mouse mousse and a dish of vanilla ice cream. Mickey made his way around the table and the gals said he was delicious. No chocolate for me for health reasons.

M-I-C K-E-Y M-O-U-S-S-E See the plate in the background? That's my dessert of marshmallows and flakey...stuff.

I used my $50 gift card towards the cost of my meal. Remember, it came with buying the Deluxe Annual Pass at Costco in California.

After stuffing ourselves, we took photos everywhere and picked out what souvenirs we wanted from the china cabinet. The one thing I wanted more than anything else was the pin. Guess what?! It was sold-out and so was the keychain and a few other little items. Everyone all together now, awww maaannnn that stinks. Tell me about it, stud.

While waiting for souvenir orders to be taken and delivered, our old buddy Chase appeared. Yoli introduced him to everyone and we took turns taking photos with him. I guess Chase was our celebrity sighting. There's another guy who we met on my birthday at Club 33 whose name, I am completely embarrased to say, I forgot. He was tall, handsome, super sweet, always smiling, and full of hugs. He worked in the kitchen and was the one who got me vanilla ice cream that day. If anyone knows his name, please tell me, I'd love to include him in my letter to the manager.

Yoli is extremely shy and had to be forced into this pose with Chase. :cough:

Hours later after we sat down, we finally left the restaurant and went back to touring the parks. Lisa found her husband and son and went back to being a mommy. Her hubby went home as he didn't feel so good. Regrouped, we headed towards the Hub when I remembered that Sleeping Beauty's Castle had re-opened the Walk-Thru. Yippy skippy! It had been closed for years and some of us had never seen it. Apparently it's a bit different than before but everyone liked it.

It's darker than this looks inside my, uhh, Sleeping Beauty's Castle.

Shhh, she's dreaming about ticket prices going down in price.

Throughout the passage ways there are pages from the fairy tale open for you to read. There are also dioramas of various scenes from the movie and some cool light and shadow effects. If you're afraid of the dark or claustophoric, you might want to look for a video of it online first.

The next attraction was Snow White's Scary Adventure. Just getting into the mining cart was scary cuz I didn't realize Lisa was climbing in beside me with Logan while Virginia got into the back and the CM was trying to lower the security bar so we didn't fall out and become victims of the Old Hag and her poisonous apples. After hunderds of rides, I noticed for the very first time that the gates in the queue have apple shapes in them. You'll have to go see for yourself. It's wicked neat-o!

Nice little old lady, my tuchas!

Pirates of the Caribbean was calling our names. They had two lines going and we tried to figure out which one was actually the shorter one and we guessed right. The line moves pretty quickly anyhow. It was funny and cute to watch little Logan turn around left and right in his carrier to see everything. He didn't get fussy or frightened one bit. I think he even barked at the dog.

From pirates to ghosts, Haunted Mansion was the follow-up attraction. Ya know those people in the Stretching Room who know all the words and recite them out loud? That was the entire room. Strangely enough, I was the only who let out the evil maniacal laugh after, "Of course, there's always my way." Yoli and I shared a doom buggy, the one beside us held the trouble-making Jennifers who screamed repeatedly. Kids!

What could possibly brighten things up after such a gloomy scene? Why, The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh, of course! Six, uhh, seven to a honey pot and we fit just right. Did you know that a few friends from Country Bear Jamboree are still hanging around? Write this down, as you come out of the psychadelic Heffalumps and Woozles room, look up and back quickly.

Some shopping took place and snacks were bought in Pooh Corner. Virginia got a block of ice cream squares that Logan loved. For the life of me I can't recall what anyone else bought. I didn't get anything. My body was too tired and my small tootsies hurt, so carrying anything else was pretty much not going to happen.

My posse make a group decision to head back over to CA Adventure and check out the wait at Toy Story Midway Mania. Again, we opted for the single rider line. Lisa was told to use the baby swap deal so she waited off to the side for the rest of us to ride and come back. I rode with another guy who hadn't played before which allowed me my first victory. Yeehaw!

When I got back, Lisa was waiting for me. I thought she had to have someone watch Logan but they said she could take him on but he had to sit on her or next to her. She couldn't wear him in the carrier. He looked all around as we spun and faced the screens to shoot at. It dawned on me that what Logan saw was just blurs because he wasn't wearing any 3D glasses so I put mine on him. It quickly became apparent that he noticed a huge difference in things. He even kept them on most of the time only moving them to double-check what he saw with and without them. We (both Lisas) couldn't help but laugh.

As the evening events were drawing near, we split up. Jen went home to her teenage son Corey as he'd been home with a pile of homework all day. Lisa and Virginia slowly made their way out and to the parking structure. Yoli and Cousin Jenny got a few more attractions under their belts and I went and retrieved my jacket and tripod from the gargantuan locker. I was moving painstakingly slow (yes, even slower than my regular turtle pace) and got into the park pretty late for the greatest nighttime show ever, Remember...Dreams Come True. Somehow I found enough space for myself towards the front of the crowd but too far to the right for a clean shot. Also, I couldn't set up my tripod as there wasn't enough space so my fireworks photos are terrible. At least I got to half-watch the show.

I don't know if it's the music, the pretty colors, or the lasers that distract me from the kabooms but I never completely acknowledge the noise from the fireworks. I bring this up because at every other park I wear earplugs because I dislike loud explosions so much. Maybe the Disneyland fireworks are quieter? I have no idea.

When the show ended and people began to may their way down Main St., I found a bench to melt into. Knowing Yoli knowing me (you can thank me later for getting Abba's song stuck in your head), she knew I was sitting down, waiting for the crowd to disperse, giving her and Cousin Jenny more time to play. When I met up with them in the Grand Californian lobby, she confirmed what I knew I knew. Then once again, I found a place to sit and poured into the chair. We were so tired but I was the tiredest after 3 consecutive fun-filled, laugh riot, memorable days in the parks.

As we walked into the lobby at Paradise Pier Hotel we saw Brian, the CM who had given us the double upgrade and my balloons and birthday pin. He introduced us to his co-worker and asked where we were headed. I told him we were going back to Yoli's and quietly thinking to myself, give us the room for another night- for free. Yes, I'm silly. It took so long to find someone to get all of my bags from bell sevices that Yoli and Cousin Jenny had gone out to the parking garage, got the car, and drove it around to the loading area. Yoli was so full of energy that she was prancing and hopping about. She was Tigger and I was Eeyore, less the "woe is me" attitude. Anyhow, we loaded up the car, drove her cousin Jenny home and then back to Yoli's.

The plan was to visit Los Angeles and Hollywood the next day, San Diego Zoo's Wild Animal Park on Tuesday, and revisit Disneyland on Wednesday before my red-eye flight home. Well, I decided that I had to get good photos of the fireworks and make certain I knocked off a bunch of stuff on my To Do List for the Disneyland section of AllEars.Net so the plans were changed and we were going back to Disneyland tomorow.

Tune in next week to find out how I made my Birthday Fun Card go further, why you should check your camera gear before you leave home, and if I got the fireworks photos I wanted.

Oh and one last thing before you close this page. THANK YOU for reading my trip report blog.

My vacation only had three days left, including this one. With our camera equipment, snacks, and lists packed up and ready to go, Yoli and I headed back to Disneyland one last time for the week. Our mission was to run around like lunatics (that's our norm), hit the attractions and get work done for AllEars.Net.

Since we'd been staying at Paradise Pier Hotel the past few nights, this was the first time we had to park in the Mickey & Friends Parking structure vs the hotel parking garage. We were directed to Minnie's level, the roof. Uh-oh this could mean the parks were swamped. Down the escalators and left to wait for the tram it became apparent that it could, in fact, be very crowded. Phooey! I hadn't been able to do my "there's no one here" spin in front of Pirates of the Caribbean yet.

It was better to get the CA Adventure list done first so that we could easily end the night at Disneyland and not have to criss-cross parks. First we headed into Hollywood Pictures Backlot so I could gather what I wanted from the Animation building. There was an a capella group performing out front but I was watching the clock so we headed on inside.

The art deco design is cool and there will be more of it after California Adventure's facelift.

Here you'll find Turtle Talk with Crush, Animation Academy, the Sorcerer's Workshop, and Art of Animation Gallery. Both Crush and the Academy were showing at the same time and I was going to send Yoli to one while I hit the other, however, after taking a photo or two of the zoetrope in the Gallery, her battery croaked. Learn from my friend's situation and check your batteries the day/night before you go out shooting. The poor thing was completely saddened by her oversight and punished herself by carrying my tripod around all day. OK, it wasn't a punishment, she's just an awesome friend & is always helpful.

It looks even cooler when it's spinning!

I decided to skip both shows and head into the Sorcerer's Workshop where Lumiere and Cogsworth help you to find out which Disney character you are most like. In the Workshop you can also lend your voice to a Disney cartoon before that 8-tentacled, devious Ursula swipes it from you. In another room you may bestow your eyes upon Magic Mirror on the wall.

The next thing scribbled in my notes says "characters." I uh, suppose that this, uh, means we uh, saw characters. Ooh! We did, we saw Donald Duck and Minnie Mouse in Sunshine Plaza. I have a visual now.

Well, let's move onto Flik's Fun Fair, a section of the park created specifically for little grubs by Flik and his insect pals. The funniest thing that happened here was when I casually and kiddingly tried to convince a Cast Member to run through the sprinklers in Princess Dot Puddle Park so I could take an action shot. Hopefully, he didn't give himself whiplash by shaking his head "no" back and forth so rapidly.

Put your hands up in the air cuz we're going through a watermelon and it has seeds!

Time for a lunch break. I grabbed an order of fish and chips at Farmer's Market & Yoli ate whatever it is that she brought from home. Me thinks it was peanut butter and jelly but I might be thinking ahead to Tuesday. From here we crawled over to Pacific Wharf to grab menu pics. Yoli and I were kinda pooped out from running around with our friends and she had put in double time at work for over a week before my arrival. But we perservered in the name of magic, dreams, wishes, and all of the other words that Disney repeats.

Content with what we were able to do, we marched over to Disneyland, albeit, after stopping at the kennel to get some photos and info. That's when it dawned on me that I could hand my point and shoot over to Yoli and we could get back to the original plan of divide and conquer. Hooray! My brain was functioning again!

How many fairies does it take to create and install a sign larger than their homes?

Pixie Hollow was of the highest priority but the wait said it would take an hour. I was trying to make a Billy Hill and the Hillbillies show and gather what I needed from Toontown as well. Divide and conquer! Yoli waited in line to meet Tinker Bell and Iridessa while I tried to see what was going on by looking through the blades of grass. That didn't work so I sped off to Toontown and grabbed most of the photos I needed. Meeting Mickey Mouse while he was filming a movie was going to take too long so I bailed.

Tinker Bell caught me and a few others peering through the grass. We split before she got upset. She's got quite the temper, you know.

When I returned to the line I excused myself all the way to the front where I asked the CM where Yoli was. She'd just finished meeting the fairies. Now, you're thinking that it took me about an hour to do what I had to do but the truth is the wait for Tinker Bell was only 40 minutes at best. The CM let me go through the meet and greet and I did so very quickly. When I exited Yoli and I were calling each other to see where the other one was. I suggested to the CM at the entrance that the wait time be changed and was astounded by his response of, we post it longer than it really is so that only the people who really want to meet Tinker Bell get to. Excuse me?

No visit to my park is complete without a riveting performance by Billy Hill and the Hillbillies. She found a perfect table at the far right end of the 2nd row. For the first time, I videotaped their show and I wished I had multiple cameras set up around the Golden Horseshoe for various angles. Now I can watch them any time I want. Yeehaw! To top it off, Billy Elvis did a medley of hits.

Having spent 3 consecutive days in the parks you'd think I would have done most of the attractions or at least my favorites but alas, that didn't happen until today or the day I'm writing about. Making a u-turn into Adventureland the first item was the Enchanted Tiki Room. We sat below Jose, in the front row. It's always a great show and one that both my mom and I favor. Have you ever heard of Maynard, a cast member? Sometimes he works in this attraction as Tiki Boy. He cracks me up. I'm laughing right now.

Note: The original Jose is retired but is perched in the room. As you walk in, go straight, staying to the left, and he's kind of in the corner.

Raise your hand if you LOVE Jungle Cruise. Good, now raise your hand if you know all or at least most of the jokes. You are my people. Take a bow.

Tim does the best sound effects out of any other skipper on our boat.

We embarked on a river tour led by Tim. He fought off hippos, steared us away from piranhas, and had to deal with me mouthing punchlines. I can't help it. Just give me the outfit and put me in a boat.

Yoli and I wisely chose to use the Single Rider offer at Indiana Jones Adventure. We got to our jeep in less than 10 minutes. If you've never ridden this, you've got to, it's one of the best attractions in any Disney park even if you might get squashed by a gigantic boulder or pierced by poisonous arrows.

Determined to photograph Remember...Dreams Come True, we went to stake out a spot in front of the castle. People had already grabbed seats on the benches and on the curb but there was still plenty of room to set up a tripod. I kid you not when I say I offered $5.00 to a family to hold a spot for me. Too bad they thought I was joking.

Since we had time and I felt confident that I could still get the location I wanted, we went to Rancho Zocalo for dinner. I can't eat anything spicy but it was close by and Yoli was happy with it, plus I was buying. I don't recall what she had but I got a bag of cinnamon chips. I'm trying to remember if I ate anything else later but I'm drawing a blank.

When we got back to the Hub I grabbed a space next to a bench and had plenty of room to set up. I wanted to make sure I got both Sleeping Beauty's Castle and Matterhorn in the frame. Why the Matterhorn? Because it fires back, baby! Remember...Dreams Come True is truly like no other. I won't give it all away but fireworks are only a part of this spectacular show of choreographed sights and sounds.

See, I told you it was awesome!

Leaving Disneyland until my next vacation is a real downer. That's why Main St stays open an additional hour, right, to elongate the happiness I'm feeling just a bit more. Fine, it's so that I'll spend money and guess what? It worked!

There was a $69 Birthday Fun Card burning a hole in my pocket. Yoli and I checked out a few shops before I settled on getting everything at the Emporium. I picked up a pin to represent the trip, a hooded zippered sweatshirt, a small tray, postcards (which I have yet to mail), and a set of coasters with pop art from the 50th anniversary series. Combined that added up to almost $69.00 but my friend Lisa had given me a coupon. Annual Passholders received 20% off their total purchase at certain locations. Neither the coupon nor the Birthday Fun Card stated they couldn't be used together so I saved about $13.00 and that moolah is still sitting on my card which doesn't expire. Tadaaaaaa!

Little Yoli was so wiped out that I drove us back to her house. It felt great to drive the roads I navigated for several years.

In the morning we packed ourselves up again and met up with Lisa and Logan at San Diego's Wild Animal Park. There's lots of walking and plenty of animals to see as well as gorgeous views of the mountains.

We parked in Lion, row 11.

Wednesday we were going to meet up with our friend Jenn (another Jennifer, we know several. Yo, Figgy!). Well, Yoli did something bad to her back and could barely move. After her hubby and I taunted her, stretched her out, and he tried to fix her, we decided to see if Jenn would come to us. Luckily, she did and she drove me to the airport later. Thanks Jenn!

This my faithful readers, is the end of my trip report. As you can see I had a wicked awesome time with my totally radical friends.

Are you going to Disneyland? Be sure to read up on it and CA Adventure here at AllEars.Net If you've never been, go. Go now! You'll love it. My friends and I do.

Would you go to Disneyland if AllEars.Net hosted a meet or two?

In honor of Earth Day, I'm recycling my first two AllEars.Net blog entries. Wait, it gets better. I'm recycling battery blogs. Thank you, thank you.

We bloggers have had an incredible increase in the number of readers and so a good percentage of you may have never read what I am re-posting. For those of you who have read this before, I've added updates.

There are a variety of things to consider when shopping for a digital point and shoot camera. In my experience I have found that people make the choices that are best for them and that's the right thing to do. If you do your research, without making yourself crazy, and ask a few friends what they like/dislike about their cameras you will be a better educated consumer. Let's get you started on the road of knowledge.

Batteries: Positive and Negative (get it? a ha ha hmm) **This joke still makes me laugh**

A digital point and shoot will either run on AA batteries or a lithium-ion battery. Some cameras will allow you to substitute a CRV3 lithium or lithium-ion for 2 AA batteries. AA's are what we're most familiar with. We use them in toys, walkmans **flashlights**, discmans, and those water bottle/fans that Disney sells. Well, I'm assuming they take AA maybe they use AAA batteries. I'm **still** too cheap to buy one. Moving on, lithium-ions are what is in your cell phone. It's that square or rectangular flat battery that keeps your phone powered so you can talk till the cows come home from a rollicking game of bingo.

I've compiled a list of pluses and minuses to both types of power.

AA

Pluses:
+ Easy to find in gift shops, drug stores, and even gas stations should you forget to pack them or they wear out. **You can buy them in bulk at wholesale warehouses.**
+ Most cameras take 2 and most chargers will power 4 at a time. This gives you a spare set ready for action
+ Rechargeables will allow an average of 250-300 shots per charge. **As cameras now have bigger LCDs and longer zoom lenses, rechargeable AAs will get you 150-200 photographs per charge.**

Minuses:
+ Alkalines can last as little as 20 minutes. **Make that 10 minutes. I've seen it happen.**
+ Spend more money on alkaline and lithium.

Plus and Minus: Chargers can take anywhere from 15 minutes to 8 hours, depending on the charger and strength of batteries.

Lithium-ion

Pluses
+ Available in camera stores and electronic stores
+ Average battery will take 400 shots per charge **Make that 300 photos for the same reasons stated previously.**
+ Chargers are compact

Minuses

+ Average manufacturer's price is $30-60 for a spare. Off-brand lists for about $20-40. **Manufacturer's battieries can go for $70 these days and the off-brands, up to $50.00.**
+ Like your cell phone battery, some last longer than others

Lithium-ions (left and center) come in a variety of shapes, sizes, and colors. They are also designed to work with specific cameras. AA's are always the same size but are either alkaline, lithium, oxyhydroxide, NiCad or NiMH.

Disposable

Alkaline - Bar none these are the ones we've all used. They're easy to find in your local supermarket and wholesale warehouses among many other locals. While they may be the most common they don't last very long. Alkaline batteries actually lose power sitting around waiting for you to buy them and while sitting idle in electronic devices. My recommendation is to only use them in a pinch. A 4-pack averages $5.00.

Oxy nickel hydroxide - What? I know, I know...most people haven't heard of this species. It's a new cross-breed of throw away batteries. They're not as easy to find as they should be. In comparison to alkalines, oxy nickel hyroxide batteries last twice as long. A 4-pack goes for around $6.00 and are avaliable in electronics stores as well as discount department store chains. **I've seen 12-packs by Panasonic for about $3.00 at Ritz Camera.**

Lithium - Energizer is producing these and advertising them everywhere. These powerful little guys last 5-7 times as long as alkalines. In fact they can outlast rechargeables however once they're kaput, they're kaput. Look for them in camera shops, hardware stores, and online. A 4-pack costs $15.00. **They've come down to roughly $12.00 for 4 batteries.**

Rechargeable

Nickel-cadmium (NiCd) - An alternative to the previously listed batteries are rechargeables. Since they can be used over and over again, you'll save money in the longrun. NiCd's are a great option in this regard. There are a variety of companies making them. Ideally they are for those who use their cameras often because these batteries can develop problems if they are not properly discharged before recharging. A 4-pack of AA's with a charger sells at $20 -30.00.

Nickel-metal hyrdride (NiMH) - As more and more consumers are purchasing their 2nd, 3rd or even 4th digital camera they've learned that NiMH batteries are the way to go. Unlike NiCd's, they can withstand random charging . Available for purchase nearly everywhere you find alkalines, a set of 4 can be bought for $10.00 or with a charger for $15-40.00. Also, there's another breed elbowing it's way into town. These are ready-to-use AA's made by Sanyo and Rayovac among others. Typically they cost $12 for a 4-pack. ** Sanyo's Eneloops are very popular nowadays and come in a variety of packages.**

Important things to remember:

Never mix battery types in a camera.

Store batteries in a cool dry place. They are perishable; extreme heat or cold can ruin them.

Don't attempt to charge alkaline, lithium or oxy nickel hyroxide batteries. **They will leak and/or explode. You can ruin the charger as well.**

New NiCd's and NiMH's need to be fully charged before their first use.

Don't leave your charger plugged in for an excessive amount of time.

Always follow the manufacturer's instructions.

Check out our Camera Section of the AllEars Amazon.com Store!
Camera and Lens
Accessories
Photo Books and Magazines

Say you're walking down Main St. in Disneyland and a simple yet intriguing window display catches your eye. It's late morning and the sun is already strong. You notice that people, gas lamps, signs, and even the wooden Indian statue you've dubbed Tecumseh because you've seen "Cheers" a zillion times, are reflecting in the glass. The only camera you are armed with is a point and shoot so there's no circular polarizing filter for it to cut out the glare. You tell yourself that you'll return later when it's dark outside and then skip off to Adventureland reciting one-liners from Jungle Cruise and laughing like a hyena.

As you and your friends make your way out of the park you pass by the window again and stop to take a photo of the entire display. What you see is this...

Using a Canon Powershot SX 100 IS, I put the camera on a night setting. This disables the flash and slows down the shutterspeed. Normally we recommend using a tripod but I didn't have one and I'm fairly good at hand-holding. The camera set the following: ISO 400, f2.8 at 1/50

Again, without a circular-polarizer you have to deal with reflections but at least there aren't as many, so you pick and choose which merchandise you want photos of the most. You like the logo on the sweatshirt so you begin with that. Using the zoom lens will offer more detail in the design. Be sure to get the lens as close to the glass as possible as this can also cut down on glare.

The other merchandise you want to photograph are the frosted glasses. You set up the shot, take the photo and upon playback, realize that the lights from the theatre across the street are ruining the picture. Phooey!

By changing your stance, you are moving the reflections, so to speak. Sure you might look odd walking back and forth in front of your subject as you check out the lighting but that's all part of being a better photographer. Look at the difference it makes just by changing your positioning.

Sure, the lights are still in the shot however they add a dramatic effect and you can tell which bulbs have burnt out and need to be replaced.

No flash was used in the making of these photos.

Disneyana collecting is a happy hobby for some folks but sadly no one can have everything. Whether the figurine is out of your price range or the original costume from "Mary Poppins" simply isn't for sale, there's still one little way of adding that special piece to your collection, take photos of the piece(s) you so desire.

Try putting your camera on Manual or Program so that you can change the settings yourself. Not ready yet? Your camera may have a setting for taking photos thru glass. If the option is there, it can be found under the Scene menu. If your camera doesn't have that option, place your camera on Auto and turn off the flash.

For the following set of images, I used Auto and turned the flash off for most of the pictures.

Game Rule No. 1
Get your camera lens as close to the display case as possible. This will help to elimimate reflections and get you a sharper image.

Game Rule No. 2
Don't use a flash. You can easily wind up with a big bright white spot in the photo.

By using a flash, Disneyland's original layout looks ghostly and washed out.

Game Rule No. 3
Your camera has various options for setting the white balance. Your best bets are Auto, Fluorescent, and Tungsten. It's a 50/50 shot at which light bulbs are being used in the room.

Set to Auto White Balance, the camera tries to find the right color combination. There's lots of yellow left from tungsten bulbs.

Game Rule No. 4
You can always adjust the picture's color with photo editing software once you get home.

I manually adjusted colors, saturation, and contrast with Photoshop.

If you have a digital camera then chances are you have transferred your photos from your camera and/or memory card to your computer at least once. It's possible you had little 9 year old Albie from down the street help you but don't feel bad because you're trying and that's all that matters and you are not alone in this new digital world.

I'll now show you that there are 3 different ways to transfer your images to your PC or Mac and explain which methods are better.

USB Cable - Every camera comes with this cable. You might also have a dock in which you place your camera before connecting the cable from your camera to your computer.

USB cables connect via a connection on the camera or dock to the USB port on your computer. Computers nowadays have multiple USB ports, most of which are on the front of the computer. Laptops also have them.

The upside is that the camera manufacturer supplied the cable. The downsides are that this is the worst way to transfer photos because it takes the longest amount of time and it uses up battery power from your camera. Wait, it gets worse. If while you are transfering images, your camera loses power, it can/will damage the memory card causing future failures and the possibility of losing precious memories.

Card Reader - These devices have gotten smaller and smaller over the past few years. You can choose from one that takes a specific type of card such as SD, XD, Compact Flash, and Memory Stick or a reader that accepts all types of cards.

Readers are a much faster solution than cables. Simply place your memory card into the reader and then plug the reader into the USB port. It's just that easy. You may also use a software program to assist you and to place the images into a photo gallery on your computer.

Built-in Computer Media Card Reader - If your computer accepts memory cards directly then you are golden! See the poorly drawn yellow circle on the image above? Inside the circle are the media card slots found on many computers.

No cables. Nothing additional to buy. You've got what you need already. Generally speaking once you place the card into the slot, your computer will offer you a variety of options on how to open the files and where to store them.

Be watchful for a message from your computer. It may ask if you'd like all of your images deleted after transferring. Click NO. When you're ready to wipe out the card, do it in-camera using the Format process.

USB cable photo © Canon. Card reader photo © Lexar. Computer photo © Hewlett-Packard. Images used for educational purposes.

Shhh. I had to get creative with the blog entry title so that you-know-who with the big black ears and the mix matched tuxedo wouldn't catch onto me. Alright, I'm going to have to whisper this time so listen closely.

Last year Barrie and I went to Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure and to top it off, we had a good time and we made money. No, we didn't pawn Scott's camera but that's something we'll keep in the back of our heads. Thanks for the suggestion. We stumbled upon multiple opportunities to do surveys and get paid. One gig had us watching segments for that Christian Slater show that got canned after a few episodes and the other was to try out new storage containers. I know, right, in a theme park, but it's true and it (including Popeye money) paid for lunch at Lombard's Landing.

The best thing about our day was that the parks were practically empty. At one point we thought we might be the only people there. The worst part was the heat but we carried on.

This is a mini trip report with some photography tips tossed in for good measure. All of these photos were taken with the Canon PowerShot S5 IS. I didn't ask Barrie for any of her input on this blog because I'm just typing this up as I go so any comments you read by Barrie is just me using my ventriloquist skills and a Barrie dummy. Off we go.

The first attraction we hit was Shrek 4-D and as we waited outside in a covered area with TV monitors and lousy fans we initiated our slogan for the day, It's not Disney. To be fair, Disneyland has outdoor queues as well but there's no humidity or spontaneous rain storms in California, only wild fires, earthquakes, and bad cosmetic surgery. It's a fantastically fun simulated ride-sort of attraction. The guy in the pre-show was perfectly in character with his given script and who doesn't love seeing fairytale characters just hanging around!

ISO 400, f3.5, 1/5
Gingerbread Man is coming to you live from the dungeon. Listen to him, people, he knows the muffin man.

We skipped Jimmy Neutron cuz neither of us knew much about him. We also skipped Twister and The Mummy but I did see an Egyptian hunk walking around on stilts. I'm guessing they were stilts. I suppose he could just have crazy long thin legs. Barrie says I took off running when I saw...what's-his-name.

ISO 200, f8, 1/200
When photographing someone with mixed lighting (sunlight and shade) use fill-flash to brighten up the shadows. I didn't so you see what the natural lighting looks like and the extreme contrast it creates.

After following, I mean photographing Kronk we caught a good show by the Blue Brothers. Universal has an awesome "backlot" of city streets. It's the one thing they trump over Hollywood Studios and it's right on the street and front steps that Jake and Elwood performed. When I wasn't paying attention one of them tried to get me to join in and dance but I declined. They also had their car with them complete with an enormous bullhorn strapped to the roof.

ISO 200, f5.6, 1/100
When photographing singers, avoid shots where the microphone is smack dap in front of the mouth. Shoot from the side or wait for them to move the mic out of the way.

If you've ever been to Universal Studios Hollywood then you've escaped from Jaws while enjoying the backlot tour. In Florida, things are different. You'll have to head out on a boat tour or fishing expedition in order to narrowly escape him. We did and we put our cameras away, too, cuz the captain that we saw come back before we left was 80% soaked.

Barrie says: Men in Black was so fun that we rode twice by using the line for single riders. The staff even encouraged us to make faces and heckle those waiting in line.

I gotta tell you something. I'm just going to mouth it so you-know-who doesn't hear this either. Disney needs to completely change Star Tours because Universal has THE smoothest motion simulator ride on the planet and it features The Simpsons. OMG! I love this ride. I can't wait to ride it again and again. It's beyond words just how funny the storyline is and you can't possibly catch all of the visual jokes in just one shot.

ISO 200, f8, 1/100
Offering to help diva-fy his little sister, Bart hat shoplifts.

With one park down it was time to check out Islands of Adventure. Barrie says: I loved all of the Christmasy decorations they had at a shop near the entrance. The character actors fighting over the last Three-Legged Race Elmo was a nice detail.

We mostly walked around this park and took...photos! It was fairly quiet here too and we walked onto The Amazing Adventures of Spider-Man. Gee, there is a first for everything. We saw the Marvel characters arrive and then spread out to meet with folks. I told Wolverine that my friends named their son Logan after him and he wasn't the least bit impressed. Fine! Next time they'll name their kid Peter and I will let Spider-Man know he's their new favorite.

ISO 200, f7, 1/800
Hulk say, be creative with framing. Aghhhhhh!

By late afternoon I think we were both pretty pooped out. I pointed to what they had, explained it, and then told Barrie if I thought it stunk. Sinbad - skipped. Poseidon's Fury - skipped. Jurrasic Park - Barrie didn't have her camera bag with her.

ISO 200, f8, /200
Had I done the thinking instead of the camera, I'd have gone with a small aperature like f16 for such a grand-scale subject. I am happy with the detail captured, however.

We interrupt this blog to inform you that while Lisa has visions of Seuss Landing in her head, the theme song to "The Wuzzles" is playing in her brain.

Finally we arrived at Seuss Landing, my favorite part of Islands of Adventure. It's not because of the theme but for the colors that I see. Behold the yellows and the blues. The greens, reds, and oranges, too. Everything is bright and shines in the light. Come let's take a train ride. Can we fit side by side? Ooh they got originality, living with a split personality.

ISO 200, f8, 1/1600
An aerial view can be achieved via the High in the Sky Seuss Trolley Train Ride. Shoot super fast to grab the shot. Try using the Sports mode on your point and shoot camera.

So there you have it folks, even Disney fanatics enjoy a splendid day at Universal Studios as I'm sure you all know. See you next time!

They're the Wuzzles. Oooh yeah! They're the Wuzzles. Whoa oh yeah! Two times the fun wrapped up and rolled...into one!

Frequently Asked Questions will be a sporadically ongoing series. I encourage all of you to send in your questions by using the Comment submission form below.

1. What is a UV filter?
A UV filter is made of clear glass that is specially coated to absorb Ultra Violet rays. Filters are threaded to fit into the threading on the front of a lens. It blocks out UV rays which cause a blue/purple tint to photos. It also protects the glass of your lens from being damaged. Every SLR lens should have one. There are some point and shoot camera that can use filters as well. The filter size and lens cap size are the same. You can always look at the inside of the lens cap to check the size. It can also appear near the base of the lens or on the front. Look for the number beside a circle with a line thru it.

2. How long do batteries last?
Lithium-ion batteries in an SLR average 500 photos per charge. Lithium-ion in point and shoots should take 300 photos. Rechargeable AA batteries will take about 200 shots and alkalines can give out in as little as 10 minutes. As for how many months or years the batteries last can depend upon how they're treated. Lithium-ions should last a few years just like your cell phone battery. If you let it drain completely before recharing it, it'll live longer. Rechargeable AAs can be charged up to 100 times.

3. Will my memory card be ruined by airport security scanners?
No, they won't be affected. Remember to pack your camera in your carry-on or in its own camera bag and to keep it with you at all times. Unfortunately, airport and airline employees do steal from checked luggage.

4. Why is part of my photo cropped out of the print? I can see the entire image on my camera's LCD and my computer monitor.
Point and shoot camera sensors are smaller and proportioned differently than 35mm negatives. When you print 4x6's, the top and bottom of a horizontal shot and the left and right sides of a vertical shot are automatically cropped out. In order to get the entire image you'll need to print 4.5x6.

5. Why does it take so long inbetween photos?
Digital cameras have computer parts, including processors. These processors have to send the information to the memory card where the information is recorded, ie: your photo. They have gotten faster over the years. If you are using the flash, that needs to recharge as well. The LCD screen may go out for a brief moment while this is going on, too. Digital cameras require more power than traditional film cameras.

My personal comment is that I find it rather funny and interesting that people constantly complain about their cameras taking too long between shots when 35mm point and shoots take 8 seconds for the battery to recharge and I don't recall nearly as much frustration from folks. Digital point and shoots take less time to recycle battery power and record the image. If you want zero lag time then you'll need to purchase an SLR (Single Lens Reflex).

When you visit a place so vast as Walt Disney World it's very easy to bypass the little touches of things like color and humor that are sprinkled throughout the parks. If you're lucky enough to enjoy your favorite vacation spot often, slow down and try to look at what's around you, in detail. You might discover something new. Here are a few spots that caught my eye.

Canon PowerShot S5 IS, ISO 200, f4, 1/200

I remember this day as being mostly overcast which is a photographer's dream. All of the detail comes through, including the textures from the door and brick wall. Not sure where to find this colorful gem? At Disney's Hollywood Studios, in an "alley" to the left of the main entrance to Stage 1 Company Store.

Canon EOS 30D and Canon 17-40mm IS L, ISO 400, f10, 1/250

While waiting to board my boat for a cruise down the Nile, through the Amazon and avoiding hippos in trees, I located this map. There are lots of treasures to be found in Adventureland, you just need to be on the lookout.

Hello friends. I thought it would be important to talk about our good, reliable pal, the 35mm camera.

Some folks fear that film is no longer being made. Put your fear to rest. All of the major maufacturers are indeed producing rolls of negatives as well as slide film. It's true that film might be harder to find than in years past but they're out there waiting for you to buy them.

Fujifilm Reala 100.

Fujifilm's array of 35mm consumer and professional film as well as APS.

Kodak offers 35mm print & slide film and APS film, which they invented.

Ilford Photo produces B&W 35mm and 120 roll film.

AgfaPhoto, a German company, produces 35mm consumer film.

Sadly, it is rather difficult near impossible to locate 35mm cameras. I say, if you find one, snatch it because 35mm cameras will outlive any digital camera. It's true, especially the cameras built in the 70's. Those cameras are built to last and they have.

Nikon only makes the F6, a professional top-of-the-line 35mm body. Canon makes the pro body, EOS-1V. Yashica has 4 point and shoot models available. Leica, an extremely well-respected European company has several options for the film enthusiast. Pentax, Olympus, Kodak, Ricoh, and Fujifilm have stopped production of analog cameras with the exception of some disposables and instamatics.

Hold onto your cameras because when your digital is out being serviced for a month or longer at a high fee, you're going to learn to love your 35mm or APS camera all over again.

Photo © Fujifilm. Used for educational purposes.

In my quest to show, explain, and offer tips on how to make the most of your camera, I make use of the modes, settings, and options on whatever camera I can get ahold of. However, this time, I have stumped myself.

These photos of Swiss Family Treehouse were taken last December as I ran around grabbing shots for this website's attraction pages. I didn't take any notes in this instance and I've been unable to reproudce the results in my Canon PowerShot SX100 IS, which doesn't offer Color Swap or Color Accent I even pulled out the manual and read it just now. :gasp: I've searched high and low for answers online and I'm still coming up short.

All I can say is I hope you enjoy this beautiful disaster as much as I do.

Lining up your subject in a way that's pleasing to the eye is simple if you just give yourself a moment to think about the photo you're taking rather than shooting something off quickly. When you are working with a collection of shapes and lines you'll find that by changing how much of the subject you include in your shot as well as where you crop will alter the feeling you get when you look at the photograph.

A great example of shapes, colors, leading lines, and even movement is Astro Orbiter. Climb aboard futuristic rockets in Tomorrowland in the Magic Kingdom.

This is my first shot. It's fairly clean in the sense that there's nothing taking away from all of the circles, colors and lines. It all works together and there's just one rocket making it's way around.

In this picture, I've incorporated the top of a tree and more of the base of the towering geometric structure. This takes away from the fantasy of Intergalactic travel and plants it firmly in reality.

Finally, there's no sign of the base and very little of the tree. I've changed my angle so as to show part of the planet on the right and less of the rings encircling the planet on the far left. In doing so I've created a more dramatic leading line by cutting into the arc on the left and making it feel like it's closer than it actually is.

So as you see, there's a change in how we feel about each image. Which one do you like best?

These were taken from behind the Astro Orbiter, over by the restrooms and arcade with the Canon PowerShot SX100 IS.

Everyone needs an escape from their own reality. If we didn't then Disney parks would be empty and movie theatres would never sell tickets. I was ready for an escape myself and when I found out that Disney was bringing some Pixie Dust to Boston I asked if any of my fellow Disney fans were going and willing to take me as a guest. The event was for Disney Vacation Club Members, something that I am not. As luck would have it, a few gals were going and Cheryl and Keith offerred to let me tag along.

In a medium sized auditorium at Seaport Hotel we were razzle dazzled by Disney in a way that only Disney can all with the ultimate intent of getting DVC members to buy more points. Trust me though, this was the greatest sales pitch I've ever seen.