Picture This!

Last week I posted that I wouldn't have a blog for you this week. I'm still dealing with computer issues so I pulled up an old blog of mine from September 2007. Since we do get new readers and reminders are welcome, I thought this was worth re-posting. Enjoy the saga.

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 pixels.

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.

Oy, such choices. Do I vhant to send out cards this year? Should I use the ones we already chave or go out and buy new ones? Vhat about those photo cards they have, should I do that? Decisions, decisions.

Finally, I made up my mind... a yittle bit. I'll buy new cards. I'm not buying presents so why not just get some fancy schmancy new cards. Ohhhh, but what if, what if, I have cards made! Yes! Just for kicks, I'll put one or two maybe three photos on the card. It'll be so nice. The kids will love it and by kids I mean my friends, my family, the mail man perhaps, vhat's-his-face down the street you know the one with the hot rod who drives too fasht.

Did you know there are several, a few, more than one places that print photo cards online? Well, let me tell you, it's true. I saw it for myself. It can give you such a cheadache and who needs a cheadache. Come, sit, eat something. I'll tell you vhat I've learned.

www.Snapfish.com is a division of Hewlett Packard. They're based out of San Francisco, CA
Customer Service 1-800-634-4500 calls are routed to India

4x8 photo cards
printed on glossy or matte Fujifilm Crystal Archive paper
single-sided
envelopes included
available for pick-up at select Walgreens locations
20 cards at 75 cents each, 40-60 cards at 55 cents each, 80-160 cards at 45 cents each

Shipping Fees: 20-60 cards standard delivery $5.99, 2-day $9.99, 80-100 cards standard delivery $8.99, 2-day $13.99

5x7 folded photo greeting cards
printed on cardstock with a glossy front and matte inside
envelopes included
orders must be shipped to customer
1-19 cards at $1.99 each, 20-49 at $1.75 each, 50-99 at $1.55 each

Shipping Fees: 10-19 cards standrard delivery $4.99, 2-day $11.99, 20-49 cards standard delivery $6.99, 2-day $12.99, 50-99 cards standard delivery $10.99, 2-day $14.99

Additional Fees: Writable stationery cardstock cost based on quantity

Notes: Photo resolution chart. The Customer Service rep I spoke with knew zilch about how the cards are printed. He kept referring me to the website no matter vhat question I asked him even after checking with someone else. You'll need to sign-up as a member before creating anything.

Promotion Code: EXPRESS9 for free shipping on orders of 40 or more flat photo cards. No expiration date given.

www.Shutterfly.com is based out of Redwood City, CA.
Customer Service 1-888-225-7159 calls are routed to India

4x8 photo cards
printed on glossy or matte Fujifilm Crystal Archive paper
single-sided
envelopes included
available for pick-up at select Target stores
25 cards at 67 cents each, 50 at 65 cents each, 75 cards at 62 cents each, 100 cards at 55 cents each

Shipping Fees: 13-25 cards standard delivery $4.99, 2-day $14.99, 26-50 cards standard delivery $6.99, 2-day $17.99, 51-75 cards standard delivery $8.99, 2-day $20.99, 76-100 cards standard delivery $10.99, 2-day $23.99

5x7 folded photo greeting cards
printed on your choice of matte or satin finish cardstock
envelopes included
orders may be shipped to the customer or addressed, stamped, and mailed to recipients for an additional 99 cents per card
10-20 cards at $2.19 each, 21-50 cards at $1.79 each, 51-100 cards at $1.59 each

Shipping Fees: 10-25 cards standard delivery $5.99, 2-day $13.99, 26-50 cards standard delivery $9.99, 2-day $16.99, 51-75 cards standard delivery $12.99, 76-100 cards standard delivery $14.99, 51-100 cards 2-day service $20.99

Notes: Take a look at their image requirements. Finding information on Shutterfly was fairly easy.

Promotion Code: SHIP30 for free shipping on orders of $30 or more, no expiration date provided

www.Hallmark.com is based out of Kansas City, Missouri.
Customer Service 1-800-425-5627 calls are routed to Florida

4x9 photo cards
printed on card stock
double-sided
envelopes included
orders may be shipped to the customer or addressed, stamped, and mailed to recipients for 44 cents a piece to cover US postage
11-25 cards at 89 cents each, 26-50 cards at 79 cents each, 51-99 cards at 69 cents each

Shipping Fees: 10-25 cards standard delivery $6.99, 2-day $14.99, 26-50 cards standard delivery $8.99, 2-day $19.99, 51-99 cards standard delivery $12.99, 2-day $22.99

5x7 folded photo greeting cards
printed on card stock
envelopes included
orders may be shipped to the customer or addressed, stamped, and mailed to recipients for 44 cents a piece to cover US postage
11-25 cards at $2.99 each, 26-50 cards at $2.49 each, 51-99 cards at $1.99 each

Shipping Fees: 10-25 cards standard delivery $6.99, 2-day $14.99, 26-50 cards standard delivery $8.99, 2-day $19.99, 51-99 cards standard delivery $12.99, 2-day $22.99

Notes: Hallmark uses the Forever stamps. I suggest reading these FAQs about uploading and editing photos first. You can use Hallmark's stock photos at no additional cost.

Promotion Code: HOLIDAY30 to save 30% on your holiday card order of $30 or more offer valid until 12/31/09

www.Vistaprint.com is truly an International company based out of France. They have a US-based office in Lexington, MA. Cards are printed and shipped to North America from Canada.
Customer Service 1-866-614-8002 calls are routed to Jamaica

4x8 photo cards
printed on glossy card stock
double-sided
envelopes are included
orders are shipped to the customer
20 cards at 60 cents each, 30 cards at 57 cents each, 40 cards at 50 cents each, 50 cards at 48 cents each, 100 cards at 45 cents each

Shipping Fees: 20-50 cards standard delivery $6.15, priority $7.17, 51-100 cards standard delivery $9.52, priority $13.68

5x7 folded photo greeting cards
printed on cardstock
envelopes included
orders are shipped to the customer
10 cards at $1.29 each, 20 cards at $1.25 each, 30 cards at $1.23 each, 50 cards at $1.20 each, 100 cards at $1.00 each

Shipping Fees: 20-50 cards standard delivery $9.52, priority $13.68, 51-100 cards standard delivery $12.67, priority $18.85

Additional Fees: $4.99 per image, logo or collage uploaded, $1.49 for advanced editing, $4.99 full color printing on back side of 4x8 cards or inside 5x7 cards, $2.99 for 4x8 matte white card stock, $2.99 for 5x7 cards with linen finish, pricing varies for matching envelopes quantity, $1.99 per PDF proof requested

Notes: Vistaprint's website gave me such a cheadache. They try to sell you everything and more and you better watch it when you look up shipping fees because they automatically upsell you matte finish and matching envelopes and charge more for shipping if you vhant pretty envelopes. Ech. Look at all those extra costs, it's ridiculous. Look up image requirements here.

Promotion Code:

Keep in mind everyone has a different take on vhat "Standard Delivery" means. For instance, Vistaprint thinks it's 14 days. Hallmark says it's up to 5 business days. People must have different shtandards.

If you're vondereen vhat I deshided to do, I deshided that IF I am going to make cards vith my photos I'm going through Hallmark.

I will not have my regular blog next Wed as I'm dealing with technical difficulties aka the repair guy made my computer go from needing a little work to almost dead. Also, I'll have to miss out on Disney Pic of the Week this week and next week.

If you caught my 3-part series recapping my recent trip to Walt Disney World then you may recall my mentioning that my Canon Powershot SX100 IS gave out during the vacation. Befuddled and sad, I knew it would need to be repaired and that getting it back in early November meant I couldn't take it to California.

Let's backtrack a tad. I'll go on record and tell you the necessary repair was entirely my fault by accident. The camera was sitting in it's case, turned off with 2 spare AA batteries in the front pocket. The whole thing fell about 1-2' to the carpeted floor. The batteries seem to have banged into the lens barrel leaving 2 small dents.

As with cars, digital cameras are now comprised of cheaper materials than when they were first born or even in their toddler years. Also, with computer parts that are itsy bitsy inside, there's more to go wrong than in a 35mm camera.

I've heard it a bazillion times before when I worked in a retail camera shop and tried selling service plans, "I'm very careful." Guess what? So am I. Life happens.

It had been imbedded into my brain that camera repairs take a minimum of 6-8 weeks by my previous employer which is why I thought my beloved Canon wouldn't come home for quite some time. What a bunch of hooey.

Here's the timeline for my camera repair.

Sat., September 26 - I ship the camera via USPS Priority Mail with tracking and insurance

Tues., September 29 - Canon in IL receives the package, assess the repair cost and e-mails me

Wed., September 30 - I pay for the repair online, late at night

Fri., October 2 - Canon e-mails me to say the camera has been fixed and shipped

Tues., October 6 - I receive my camera by FedEx

That's a total of 11 days from start to finish! Extraordinary service and at $89 plus $10 shipping, that's roughly 35% less than I would have charged my customers.

If your camera or camcorder needs servicce, contact the manufacturer by first visiting their website or check the info packet that came in the box.

On Sunday, October 18, 2009 I participated in a 5K walk through Disneyland and Disney's California Adventure to raise funds and awareness for Children's Hospital of Orange County. Thanks to my family, friends, and readers like you, I was able to raise $880.00.

I'd like to share some photos of the event with you.

Thousands lined Main Street, USA pre-dawn ready to fulfill their promise.

The crowds were well-managed by only allowing a certain number of walkers out at a time.

Minnie Mouse, Donald Duck and a Master of Ceremonies got us pumped up.

Princess Tiana and Prince Naveen from the upcoming movie, "The Princess and the Frog" made an appearance alongside a bluesy jazz band.

Jasmine and a few of the other princesses went for a ride on King Arthur Carrousel.

Informative signs regarding CHOC were scattered along the route as a terrific reminder of why we were all there.

My friend Lisa, her husband Jeffry and their son Logan were a part of Team Fairy Godmothers.

This little green army guy had the best job. He sat and told us to keep marching. LOL

Teams often have custom designed T-shirts made and this is just one example of how Lisa and I were nearly brought to tears over and over again.

The House of Blues had their Sunday gospel singers performing at the end of the walk. This woman had positive messages and blessings for everyone.

Canine Angels proved that it's not just us humans who care about kids.

Feeling inspired? This link will take you to a music player for my friend's band, HERE II HERE. Check out the first song, Waking Journey (Walk with Me). I think it fits the blog.

We have the Disneyland press release with a video about the walk!

Day 5
I forgot to jot down notes so it's possible that things are out of order.

Four days of being out in the heat and thick humidity can and will affect you. We were tired and worn so this morning we slept in. Breakfast consisted of more cereal, mini-muffins, fruit, juice, and other items we'd picked up at the grocery store.

When we arrived at Epcot I steered us to Universe of Energy where we walked right inside and waited 5 minutes for the pre-show to begin. It was roughly 40% filled giving me the impression that we'd have our own row to stretch out on. Wrong! That's something I'll never understand. If there are lots of empty rows, why do people still sit in mine? Anyway, it was a nice cool place to relax and avoid the perils of Mother Nature although escaping dinosaurs can leave you tired as well.

Leisurely we strolled along until reaching Mexico where the sun felt even stronger than it did in the future, odd as that sounds. Inside, my mom and Judi poked around the gift shop and picked up some hard peppermint candies. Panchito and Jose Carioca were having a heck of a time finding Pato Donald so we tried to help. The whole gang was reunited at the end of the boat ride.

Soon after it was time for our reservation at Biergarten in Germany. The timing of our meal allowed for 2 performances by the band. Buffets are difficult for me to select from with my pepper allergry, if you will, along with a long list of dietary restrictions. The chef came out and I found him to be somewhat difficult and giving me a hard time. I've been there before and have been taken care of with far more sensitivity from other chefs. Long story short, I was given a piece of fish, whipped potatoes, and some sort of cheese and pasta dish, the latter of which I couldn't eat. Seems Chef Artur felt how annoyed I was given that I handed him my list of restrictions which he may not have read and the resistence he gave me so he didn't charge me anything. He did request that in the future I call the restaurant directly.

Prior to the vacation my mom asked me a few times if she could meet my friend Amy so we'd arranged to meet up that afternoon. When we came out of Biergarten, Amy was waiting for us. We sat around and chatted then Judi went shopping and saw a line of beer steins singing. I suspected they were part of the Kim Possible World Showcase Adventure and I was correct.

With no real plans or a list of things any of us wanted to do we casually wandred through Italy and American Adventure where we sat and waited for the next showing. I never knew there was anything to look at on the far right side of the room where Voices of Liberty perform. Ask me what's there. I already forgot. A baseball mitt? Had it all been about pop Latin groups I would be able to recall everything. What can I tell ya.

This attraction, American Adventure always makes me want to take a nap. It's dark, the room temperature is comfortable, and the naration sounds monotone to me. So there I am, pushed back into my chair in "nap position," closing my eyes, previewing what I look like while sleeping and my good friend slaps my wrist. Fine, fine, I'll try to stay awake. Meanwhile, to Amy's left, my mom's asleep. Not fair I tells ya!

My mom & Judi checked out the shops in Morocco but came back empty-handed. They weren't too interested in seeing Japan or France so we took a ride on the Friendship Boat over to where the future meets the world. The mothers decided they'd had enough touring and were ready for more shopping on the way out. My mom suggested we go back to Sweet Tomatoes for dinner and invited Amy to join us. We split up with plans to meet up again later.

I'd missed Club Cool the first day we were in Epcot. Before skipping over to MouseGears I took them for some free soda and eagerly waited for one of them to try the infamous Beverly. Judi didn't have anything to drink and my mom never chose the bitter soda. Drat! Foiled again!

A little shopping in MouseGears, a fun conversation with a CM whose name escapes me, and our time together in the parks was over. They rested at the resort and did some packing before we picked up Amy and went out for dinner at Sweet Tomatoes. It was a nice evening.

Day 6
Up early, packed and ready to roll it was back to the airport for the flight home.

Judi & my mom, Sheryl

Notes

Birthday Fun Card - Judi's goal was to buy herself a Minnie Mouse watch. She checked many stores before finding one with easy-to-read numbers. I can't recall what else she bought.

Handy Manny - My mom bought presents for her friend's grandchildren and Handy Manny toys were a suggestion. She wanted me to photograph the character but he was busy with kids so later on in the day I went back and was able to get some photos for her.

Dietary Restrictions - For the most part every chef I've talked to has been great and a few have been absolutely superb. In my reservations I always note an allergy to pepper and advise them of dietary restrictions. For a few trips I faxed my list along with my ADRs to a department that deals specifically with this. Half the time I'd arrive at the restaurant and the kitchen never got the message but was able to make something for me on the spot. Next trip I'll try contacting the restaurants directly if it's one I think will have trouble accomodating me.

Spritzer Fans - This turned out to be a great purchase. It helped my mom to stay cool and thin out the thick humid air she was breathing. The price is ungawdly however at $16.00. Get one at a local store and bring it with you along with extra batteries.

Birthdays - If you make your reservation by phone or online be sure to let Disney know you or someone with you is celebrating a birthday. I had it marked for every reservation. When you call they'll ask for the name and birthday of the celebrant and if you want the restaurant to recognize the event. I'm curious if these questions will be asked next year when the promotion is over.

Drinks to go - My mom had a great idea and put it to work every day. Take an empty water bottle with you or hang onto it after finishing it in the park. Before leaving a restaurant, ask your server for a refill and pour it into the bottle along with ice. Trust me when I say bring a small funnel. Attractions don't allow you to carry drinks in cups but closed bottles are permitted.

Do you have any questions?

The first installment can be found here.

Day 3
Guess who called? Amanda. Yeah, I don't know anyone named Amanda either. She started out trying to be friendly and I finally had to ask who she was. She was from Wyndham Bonnet Creek and wanted to make sure we had everything we needed. Yep, we're all set, thanks. Then came the final attempt to convince us to attend the sales pitch breakfast. When it just wasn't sinking in with her that there was no way on Earth we were going I finally said, "Look, we don't meet the minimum financial status you require." Now she was backing off. I also informed her that I was laid off 2 months after I booked the vacation. Ohhhh. She gave up and hung up. Crikey!

For the next few days breakfast would be eaten in our unit. We had fruit, cereal, mni-muffins that my mom had picked up at Sweet Tomatoes, water, juice, etc... Plus we had snacks to take along to the parks or munch on while vegging out.

The park of the day was Animal Kingdom, a place that neither of them had been to before. I slowly lead us through The Oasis so we could stop, watch and photograph the animals. Before walking into Africa I showed Judi another angle of the Tree of Life. My mom rested and people watched while we were doing that.

I picked up some FastPasses for Kilimanjaro Safari before roaming the Pangani Forest Exploration Trail. As we were looking at Colobus Monkeys a CM started talking about them and then Judi & my mom noticed the guy was from a town near us. Well wouldn't ya know, they knew some of the same people. Then from across the way we heard a tire pop on one of the safari vehicles. I think I'm correct in saying the truck had just left the loading dock when it happened and was maybe 50 feet into the ride. We moved on so I couldn't tell you what transpired afterwards but my psychic-ness says the tire was removed and replaced with a new one.

Once we'd seen all the animals who wanted to be seen, we used the FastPasses for Kilimanjaro Safari. A good assortment of mammals were out and about. The driver did his schtick as usual and that baby elephant was saved once again from the poachers. When is Little Red ever going to learn his lesson?! But the bigger question is how did those poachers get their vehicle inside Animal Kingdom? It's because of people like them that we have to have our bags checked before entering the parks!!

After our safari we found this guy pondering life.

Time for lunch. Time for air conditioning! Luckily Yak and Yeti was taking walk-ins and we had a fairly short wait. I'd never been there before so everything was new to me as well. We were seated upstairs in a long narrow room overlooking part of Asia.

Remember my mom thought I should wear my birthday pin? Well, I wore it on this day. Our server Dee and Chef Rena who made me a special meal due to my dietary restrictions both wished me a happy birthday. OK, we were off to a good start and then we stalled. We decided the 3 of us would split the mango pie. It came out by itself. Meanwhile, a fellow at the table beside us was also wearing a birthday pin and he got a scoop of ice cream with chocolate sauce and a candle. Now my mom was ready to address the situation and very politely asked Dee if I was also going to receive ice cream. Her answer was that the guy's wife had pre-ordered it downstairs with the hostess and paid for it. Oh really?! I wound up talking to someone at Disney Dining who told me that that was completely false. Yeah, I know. Now before you say it wasn't actually my birthday, the point is people celebrate at Walt Disney World when time allows and sometimes it's the actual day and sometimes it isn't. A CM can't discern one from the other and this year the big promotion is "What will you celebrate?" I feel bad for any other guests who were let down this year.

Moving on, we watched the brave souls on Mt. Everest come down the tracks then we poked around the gift shop before sitting down for Finding Nemo the Musical. Is it just me or is Nemo swimming around in the bubbles on either side of the stage pre-show new? It certainly kept all the kids occupied. Every few minutes you'd hear a crowd of young voices shout "Nemo!" It was very cute. I loved the show as usual and my mom & Judi enjoyed it as well.

On to Festival of the Lion King where we became part of the lion section. Roooaar! They loved this show, too. How can you not? It's incredible.

We'd hit everything we wanted to and so we got back into the car and my mom wanted to show Judi the town of Celebration. If you haven't taken a drive over there you really should, it's so quaint and charming and looks like a scene out of "Pleasantville." When I win the lottery, I'm moving there.

After driving around a bit it began to pour and we needed somewhere to grab dinner. My suggestion was the food court at Pop Century so that Judi could see another Disney resort and my mom could revisit the one she and I stayed at back in 2004.

The joint was jumping probably due to the weather but we easily found a booth and there was plenty to choose from on the menu. Judi was going through her pack and realized she was missing a $50 bill. She thought she'd put it back after paying the cashier. We went looking for it, retracing her steps and luckily I found it on the floor, due to gravity. I'm amazed no one either saw it or took it even if it was to the front desk. Phew! A major sigh of relief from Judi.

The rain stopped so we walked down to the 50's section to show her how detailed and fun the buildings are as well as the bowling pin-shaped pool. I think this may have sparked an interest in returning to Walt Disney World in Judi. Thus ended another night of vacation.

Day 4
Today was Judi's birthday so she picked out which park we'd visit and where we'd have lunch. Her choices were Hollywood Studios and the 50's Prime-Time Cafe. Soon as we arrived she went to the ticket window to pick up the Birthday Fun Card because she already had a multi-day Hopper ticket. She also got her birthday pin at the same time.

The humidity had been taking its toll on my mom all week and the temperture was in the high 80's so as each day went on, taking breaks from the elements became more and more important. Since I had planned on obtaining FastPasses for Toy Story Midway Mania and then turning around and taking them to The Great Movie Ride, I left my mothers (Judi's like a 2nd mom. I've known her my entire life) in the gift shop across from Playhouse Disney Live!.

Traveling through movie sets can cause hunger so I went to grab my favorite snack, an apple stuffed pretzel at Min and Bill's Dockside Diner. No more pretzels! Agh! Not even regular pretzels. I took a big girl pill and carried on about my day.

We got 3rd row seats for Indiana Jones Stunt Spectacular. Pretty darn good considering we never stood in line. Am I a good tour guide or what? That was rhetorical. Another fabulous job by the actors and crew of this show.

Our reservation wasn't for another hour or so but we were already hungry so we asked if they'd be able to take us early and as luck would have it, they were. Now, I always ask to speak with a chef due to dietary restrictions and what borders as an allergy to pepper. I've never had a chef come to my table at Prime-Time and I've been there 4 or 5 times. I vowed last year to never go there again but for Judi's birthday I would. I don't know if it was our server Sabrina or Chef John who was on duty but the curse was finally broken.

Sabrina not only brought Judi a birthday cupcake but she had everyone in the room sing to her. There were 4 tables in our room in the back of the restaurant and at one point everyone except for Sabrina was from Massachusetts. It was hilarious.

We took on the Muppets 3D show and walked into the waiting area a mere 4 minutes before the theater doors opened. They got a real kick out of the show with the interaction between the movie and the characters, both those who walked freely and those bolted to their seats.

In the Writer's Stop I met George, a CM who has been with Disney for 14 years. Next time you're in the mood for coffee or dessert, pop in, get some treats and say hi to this little face.

The last thing on our agenda for Hollywood Studios was Toy Story Midway Mania. You know how fun it is. Does anyone else get an elbow cramp? It could easily just be me. They did some shopping and then we went back to the resort for some rest. I watched "Supernanny" and "Clean House," 2 shows I'm totally addicted to.

Rested and rejuvenated we took on Magic Kingdom. The request came through for Country Bear Jamboree and Pirates of the Caribbean. We tried to escape before the fireworks ended and we came close. In need of dinner we ventured back to our restaurant of the week, Kona Cafe. We saw the same girls at the desk every time and we assured them that this was the last they'd see of us. I forget who my chef was but everything was fine and since my mom decided to put her birthday pin on one more time, both she and Judi received dessert. It looked like cream puffs with chocolate drizzle and Lilo & Stitch stenciled in chocolate on the plates. I had the coconut cream kiki tart. Yum! It was a long and glorious day that ended at 11:45pm when we got back to the unit.

If you're wondering why I don't have more photos, my Canon Powershot SX100 IS barely worked on the trip. It's the result of a short fall it took once. I'll have a blog regarding camera repairs later.

Next week: Day 5 and Notes - Mom falls asleep at an attraction

Dear Readers,

This Sunday, Oct. 18th I'll be walking in a fundraiser for Children's Hospital of Orange County, the CHOC/Walk in the Park at Disneyland. That's right, I'm in California!

When I was in CA this past March celebrating my birthday, my friends told me I'd have to come back in October for the CHOC Walk. It's funny because I got them into it just 2 years ago. They've latched onto it since and we've gone from a group of 6 to a dozen plus as they keep recruiting more of their co-workers, family, and friends to take part.

I'm writing to ask if you'd be interested in sponsoring me. They have hospitals in Orange and Mission Viejo and are highly recognized for having fantastic care, doctors, and nurses. CHOC treats every patient regardless if the family has health insurance and can afford medical treatment, surgery, and so forth.

This will be my 3rd time participating and my goal is to raise $1,000.00. I'm at 70% of my goal right now and the event is THIS Sunday morning. In an effort to get more people to donate, my cats have pledged to donate $1.00 for every individual human or animal who sponsors me. Don't ask me where they get their money, I'm still trying to figure out how they learned to speak English.

It truly amazes me when I get in the midst of the crowd and see everyone from babies to grandparents taking part. It blows my mind when the parents who have lost their little ones to disease hold up signs and wear T-shirts in memory of and keep up the good fight for others.

I know firsthand that times are tough financially. If you can spare a few dollars you'll be helping a wonderful cause and will have my thanks and appreciation.

http://www.chocwalk.net/faf/donorReg/donorPledge.asp?ievent=314791&lis=1&kntae314791=FD8A4907DF3946C78608E061374C0144&supId=263896053

With Grace and Gratitiude,
Lisa

Who
Yours truly, the self-appointed Disney fanatic with 20+ visits to Walt Disney World. My mom Sheryl whose last visit was in 2004. She'd never been to Animal Kingdom before. My mom's best friend since they were 16 years old, Judi. She's like my 2nd mother. Her last visit to WDW was in the early 80's.

Why
Last year my mom surprisingly announced that she wanted to go with me to Mousefest. Sorry, but Mousefest is no place for parents. I knew I'd be running all over the place, up early, and out late which would leave her on her own and that's not the makings for an enjoyable vacation.

I offered to take her to Walt Disney World as her 60th birthday present instead. A few months went by and I brought up my offer again, before her birthday. I knew we wouldn't be able to go on her birthday because Passover was close to it.

On my mom's birthday we went out to dinner with my grandparents and Judi. I brought along a calendar (thank you, thank you) and told her and Judi to pick the dates they wanted to go. I should back up real quick and let you know that I had invited Judi to join us for the trip and to pay for her airfare. They selected a week in September that included Judi's actual birthday.

Where
Making use of my parents' soon-to-expire timeshare week by extending it for 6 months, I tried, and tried, and tried to find a Disney Vacation Club resort, no matter which one it was. Nothing was available so I exchanged the week for Wyndham Bonnet Creek.

We had a 2 bedroom, 2 bath unit with a full kitchen, living room, washer, dryer, and balcony facing parking and another building. It was very comfortable and enjoyable except for the phone calls which I will get to later in the What section.

How
We flew Southwest from Warwick, RI to Orlando, FL. I rented a car using Priceline's bidding option and saved money over the cheapest rental I could find.

I had 4 yard sales in 3 different locations prior to leaving. Those gave me enough cash to pay for my meals and most of my mom's.

What
Our morning began just like any other except for our alarm clocks going off at 5am, dragging luggage downstairs and then placing them in the trunk, picking up Judi, driving to the airport one state over, and flying to Orlando.

As we waited in the comfy, stuffed chairs (I went all out on this trip) until boarding, I handed to my mothers, one goodie bag each. While most parents give their kids treats before/on flights to keep them happy and add a little pixie dust early on, I had reversed the roles. The bags contained Mickey Mouse raisins & dried cranberries (Target), Cars tissues (Christmas Tree Shop), Tic Tacs, trail mix (coffee & chocolate for Judi, caramel for Mom, Target), an individually wrapped character cookie (Building 19), and a Mickey Mouse thin tip marker (local dollar store). They loved them. Judi even took a picture of my mom & I with it.

:pretend you see the photo here:

The flight was fine except for minimal turblence like the tiniest drop on Splash Mountain. Dude, the bathrooms are itsy bitsy on planes these days. Who is putting airplanes in the dryer for too long?! The lead flight attendant kept trying to crack jokes. My mom didn't find her amusing. After we landed she reminded everyone to stay seated until we'd reached the gate and the pilot had turned off the seatbelt sign followed by "Not yet," "Not yet," "Not yet," "Not yet," "Not yet" to the point that when the light went off I leapt out of my seat just for effect.

After the tram ride I went into the Disney shop to buy Disney Dollars. My nearby Disney Store was all out. They do things a tad bit differntly and rather strange, in my opinion at the airport shop. Normally I would ask for x amount of Disney Dollars, the Cast Member takes them out of a drawer behind the register, scans the barcode from a book, rings it into the register, I pay, and I'm given a receipt along with my purchase. At the airport they acted like I was buying bars of gold by going into the back, getting someone else to bring out a burlap bag, asking for my money upfront, and handing me the Disney Dollars. Nothing was rung through the register. I left feeling like I'd just robbed them because the steps they took were far from anything relating to a sale.

In the garage we checked all options for a midsize car and just as we were about to load up, a freshly returned vehicle made it's way towards us. A pale mint green Pontiac G6 with 4 doors and a good sized trunk. When you rent a car, it's a tremendous advantage to have a color that stands out amongst the rest.

With my trusty Sunpass we zipped by all 2 of the tolls on 417 and checked into the resort around 1:15ish pm. The unit was ready, we were given keys, maps, directions, and info on dining options (which were pathetic for a place of such magnitude), and told to pick up a parking pass. Ah yes, the "parking pass." It exists and it comes with a free non-stop attack from 3 sales people trying to schedule you for the "breakfast" which is accompanied by a sales pitch. No thanks. Suffice it to say after my mom and Judi very graciously declined repeatedly and the guy wouldn't quit, I finally looked at him and said, "We're here on vacation to celebrate their birthdays not attend meetings. We have to go." :sigh: Don't worry folks, the pushy sales tactics continue for the next 2 days.

Settled in, unpacked, the air conditioning fixed before we even had a chance to call down, and hungry, I made the executive decision to hit Epcot. Judi said it didn't matter where we went, she was starving. Based on approximation to the front entrance, we ate at The Electric Umbrella where I finally realized they actually have electric umbrellas for lighting decor. What a strange new world. In an effort to demonstrate "Disney magic," I showed them the talking trash can. They thought it was funny and silly and it somehow mesmerized my mom because from that moment on, she waited to see if every other recepticle would speak to her and when they didn't, she voiced their thoughts for them. Ha! And you thought I was weird.

As the tour guide, I lead them to the attractions they wanted to see but in a manner that didn't involve any criss-crossing of the park. Our first attraction of the trip was Spaceship Earth and as we ascended into the long dark tunnel, I leaned forward between the seats and directed my mom and Judi to put on their seatbelts.

Then we walked down to the Living with Nemo and His Friends in the Seas building. It was a total walk-on. Then we went to wait for the next Turtle Talk with Crush show and as we looked around, Judi in all seriousness asked me if the stingrays were real or animatronic. Whoo! I'm still laughing over that one. That was some funny...stuff. They even became interested in Bruce's Sub House and poked their heads into Bruce's mouth for a photo. I used Judi's camera so

:imagine that picture here:
Two Jews walk into a shark...

I need to rethink this trip report because at this rate I'll be writing a separate blog for each day and I'm leaving for CA in 6 days, 2 days from the time this posts. And now, the Edited Version which is still long but not as long as it would have been had I not made an effort to not write a paragraph about nearly everything that we ate, saw, did, and thought...starting now!

Over in the Land edificio we watched Circle of Life then I expected to grab FastPasses for Soarin' but the posted wait time was 10 minutes so we waited. They're both afraid of heights so I requested row 3. They did OK, my mom had to keep looking straight ahead, meanwhile I'm looking down, and up, and over. I lived in CA for 4 years and was at Disneyland all the time so when that final scene came up I pointed to the screen and said to my mom, "There I am!" She laughed.

It was pouring out so we waited a bit until it stopped and visited with Figment then as we walked along the path to World Showcase we heard thunder and cringed. We explored Canada, watched Martin Short's new panovision movie, and tried to get into Le Cellier but they weren't taking walk-ups and I couldn't get a reservation over the phone. My brilliant plan was to get a little nosh to hold us over as a late dinner seemed to be on the horizon. Root beer floats for everyone at Fountain View Cafe. During our sugary appetizer I called Disney Dining and got us in at Kona Cafe where we had a lovely dinner, Chef Noah took care of my dietary restrictions, and the subject of the next day's breakfast came up followed by a review of Kona's breakfast menu and me running downstairs to Guest Services where they booked us for the morning. Say all of that in one breath!

If you'll excuse me for a few minutes, I need to go harvest my grapes.

Day 2
Our morning began with a phone call from Bonnet Creek's office. Long story short they tried once again to convince my mom that we should all attend the free breakfast and seminar. She told them she wasn't interested in owning another timeshare because one was more than enough and some years it goes to waste.

Where did we go for breakfast? Kona Cafe. That's correct! Thank you for paying attention. I had the blueberry pancakes, Judi had Tonga Toast, and my mom tweaked her meal so much that I can't remember what it started out as. A hearty breakfast is a great way to kick-off a day in the parks.

Today we explored Magic Kingdom beginning with taking my mom to City Hall for a birthday pin. Heh heh. It took her awhile to get into the flow of strangers wishing her "Happy Birthday" but she was cool. Later in the day she tried to scare me by saying I should wear one the next day. Pft! I'd wear one nearly every day if I could.

Characters were out and about on Main Street, U.S.A.. I got wicked excited because I'd only seen one of them before.

We continued along, turned right by the castle, made a left at Fairytale Garden, and up and into Fantasyland. I picked up FastPasses for Peter Pan then we enjoyed Mickey's Philharmagic which suddenly had a long line because a tour group was ahead of us. From there we sailed thru it's a small world where I pointed out the living dolls I had previously interviewed and then back to Peter Pan to use the FastPasses. A woman ahead of us was on the moving sidewalk and going back and forth between 2 ships unable to decide which one to board. This stalled the rest of us. Yes, it took her that long. Truthfully, I was waiting for her to either fall off or crash into the Cast Member who is at the end checking safety bars.

Next thing ya know we were in Tomorrowland zipping around on the Tomorrowland Trans...People Mover. It is really cool and spooky to ride through Space Mountain with the lights on and the narration turned off. It's like being in a sci-fi movie as you fear what's around the corner. Also, it was on this attraction that the auto focus on my camera began to wane.

Lines were short everywhere, it was fantastic. We defeated Emperor Zurg and rewarded ourselves with lunch at Plaza Restaurant. Now, as you recall my mom was wearing her birthday pin. Our server and the chef who came out both wished my mom a happy birthday. We saw that someone at another table was given a cupcake for their birthday. Our server Salvador didn't bring my mom anything. On the way out I asked the hostess if they still do that or is it one of those random things. She reassured me that they do indeed celebrate birthdays and wanted to know who the server was and asked us to go back and sit down but we were already packed up, paid, and leaving so we left.

The parade was passing by so I motioned for them to wait so I could try to get some photos not knowing if or how my point and shoot would continue to work. I'll tell you now that it finally gave out a few days later.

Aladdin wants me to call him!

We spent the rest of the afternoon at the outlets, grocery shopping, and resting. They wanted to have dinner off-property :faint: so I drove us over to Crossings at Lake Buena Vista to see what was there. The twinkly lights caught my mom's eye and upon further inspection realized it was a mini-golf course. Alright, that's not going to work. Finally, we wound up at Sweet Tomatoes, a place we'd never been to before. I give it a thumbs up for value. After dinner I dragged them to Pleasure Island so I could see what changes had been made in the past 9 months.

There's a new restaurant called Paradiso 37 where the live act butchered Ritchie Valens' La Bamba. The speakers carried the music loudly out into the street and into the Harley Davidson shop. Local police officers were out in higher numbers than I'd seen before but they were all in the same general area and nothing peculiar was happening.

That was about it. Time to call it a night.

Next week: Days 3 and 4 Another birthday goes without dessert

Dear Readers,

I can't believe it's already October and very soon I'll be flying to California for 10 days worth of sun, fun, friends, the first AllEars.Net Disneyland meet, the CHOC Walk, and of course Disneyland.

When I was in CA this past March celebrating my birthday, my friends told me I'd have to come back in October for the CHOC Walk. It's funny because I got them into it just 2 years ago. They've latched onto it since and we've gone from a group of 6 to a dozen plus as they keep recruiting more of their co-workers, family, and friends to take part.

I'm writing to ask if you'd be interested in sponsoring me. CHOC is the acronym for Children's Hospital of Orange County. They have hospitals in Orange and Mission Viejo and are highly recognized for having fantastic care, doctors, and nurses. CHOC treats every patient regardless if the family has health insurance and can afford medical treatment, surgery, and so forth.

This will be my 3rd time participating and my goal is to raise $1,000.00. I'm at 40% of my goal right now and the event is on October 18th.

It truly amazes me when I get in the midst of the crowd and see everyone from babies to grandparents taking part. It blows my mind when the parents who have lost their little ones to disease hold up signs and wear T-shirts in memory of and keep up the good fight for others.

I know firsthand that times are tough financially. If you can spare a few dollars you'll be helping a wonderful cause and will have my thanks and appreciation.

http://www.chocwalk.net/faf/donorReg/donorPledge.asp?ievent=314791&lis=1&kntae314791=FD8A4907DF3946C78608E061374C0144&supId=263896053

With Grace and Gratitiude,
Lisa

Good morning. Good afternoon and good evening. Did you know that many a point and shoot camera allows you, the user, to adjust how much power the flash gives off? That's right. You've got the power in your hands. When you learn to control that power you will be a force to be reckoned with. Do you know what I'm sayin'! Can I get a "silver halide?"

Now, normally I'd show you what the back of the camera looks like so you can see the settings however mine is currently waiting to be repaired. I'll try to walk you through the steps based on my memory. Ha! Ha! Memory. OK now follow along.

These steps pertain to the Canon PowerShot SX100 IS. Check your manual for step-by-step instructions and to see if your camera can do this, it is called Flash Exposure Compensation.

1. Turn the dial on the top to P (Program) or M (Manual). Program is most like Auto but with more options.

2. Press the Function button on the back.

3. Scroll down until the flash icon
is lit up and on your LCD screen is what looks like integers. The bar will be in the center underneath the 0.

When you use the dial and move the green bar left, you're telling the camera to put out less light. That is why it reads -2 and -1. If you move the bar to the right, where it says +1 and +2 the flash will give off more light. Each point is 1/3 stop. -1 means one stop less light or underexposed.

I will tell you that I've found that my photos are coming out better by shooting with the flash at -1. Too often, features were being blown out.

Here are some examples taken in Yak and Yeti at Disney's Animal Kingdom.

Flash set at -2
The photo is dark and underexposed due to a lack of sufficient lighting.

Flash set at -1
One stop makes a difference. You can see the statue better now.

Flash set at 0
This is considered the normal or proper exposure.

Flash set at +1
The flash gave off a stronger amount of light and is washing out highlights.

Flash set at +2
This picture is overexposed by 2 stops and most of the detail is blown out.

Now you give it a try at home and see the chages for yourself.

I ain't too proud to beg. My goal is to raise $1,000.00 for Children's Hospital of Orange County (California). I'll be participating in a walkathon at Disneyland in just 18 days. CHOC is special in that they don't turn away any kid who needs medical care, regardless of the family's ability to pay. Surgery may be required the very day the child is brought to the hospital. If you would like to make a donation please visit my sponsorship page. Any amount is greatly appreciated. To learn more about CHOC and the children, follow this link. Thank you.

Located in the shadows of a pathway that'll lead you to an outdoor cash register between Le Bat en Rouge and Pieces of Eight in New Orleans Square, Disneyland, Fortune Red awaits. Hand over your coins and he'll acknowledge your existence and entertain you with some piratical music before dispensing advice in the form a printed card.

I took only two photos of Fortune Red and I did so without a flash because it would just bounce off his reflective glass case. In dealing with whatever daylight trickled in I set my camera to Program which is like Auto but with the ability to change some settings. The first picture is ...

Canon PowerShot SX100 IS, Program, f2.8, 1/40, ISO 400

I had to take a deep breath and hold very still because the shutterspeed was a tad slow.

My image is darker than I wanted and slowing down the shutter even more to 1/30 or 1/20 would mean I'd have to be extra still. I can't open the aperature (f-stop) any more because 2.8 is the limit on my camera's built-in lens. My only alternative was to increase the ISO (film speed) to 800. This is the picture I got.

Now it's much easier to see Fortune Red and even make out his skeleton friend. If I wanted to, I could use a software program to play with the contrast and brightness but these photos have not been edited at all so you can see the true difference between them.

October 18th marks the annual CHOC/Disneyland Walk in the Park, a fundraiser for Children's Hospital of Orange County. I'll be taking part for the third time in this fantastic fundraiser. CHOC treats every patient regardless of the family's ability to pay. These are kids who may require regular treatment, testing, and medication. Please consider supporting me as I walk. Any amount you can contribute makes a difference. Thank you. Click here to donate. If you'd like to walk and join my friends and I, select Team Fairy Godmothers when you sign-up and then drop me a note.

Who doesn't love a live concert! Something that Disneyland does extremely well is to bring in local bands to perform in Tomorrowland. They all cover popular songs that you've heard on the radio since the dawn of rock 'n roll. Each band has their own set of fans and you'll find them along with everyone else dancing and singing along.

Have you ever tried to photograph a concert with a point and shoot camera? It's not very easy because the lens doesn't focus fast enough and there is a slight delay from the time you depress the shutter button until the image is recorded. In the end the result is usually a blur.

Here are a few tips to help you get better shots.

Get close
If you're allowed to walk right up to the stage, do it. The closer you are to the action the greater your chances are for a clean shot.

Don't use a flash
If the band is decently lit with spotlights from the front and the colored gels are behind him/her try shooting without the flash. The result is a more dramatic image with colored rim lighting.

Canon PowerShot SX100 IS, Manual control 1/60, f4, ISO 800, no flash

Wait
Timing is everything and you'll need to anticipate what's going to happen. When the musician stops hopping about and calms down, grab the moment. Slow down the shutter a bit if you have manual controls to allow more light in through the lens. If you're on Auto the camera will make decisions for you and there's only a 50/50 chance that it'll get it right.

Crank up the ISO
It's true that when you boost the ISO (film speed) the photo will have noise (rougher looking than film grain) but you can fix some of it in post production. A faster ISO makes shooting faster in low light.

Canon PowerShot SX100 IS Shutterspeed Priority 1/60, f3.5, ISO 800, no flash

These photos are of the band Sandbox.

October 18th marks the annual CHOC/Disneyland Walk in the Park, a fundraiser for Children's Hospital of Orange County. I'll be taking part for the third time in this fantastic fundraiser. CHOC treats every patient regardless of the family's ability to pay. These are kids who may require regular treatment, testing, and medication. Please consider supporting me as I walk. Any amount you can contribute makes a difference. Thank you. Click here to donate. If you'd like to walk and join my friends and I, select Team Fairy Godmothers when you sign-up and then drop me a note.

First, I have to give credit where credit is due. I asked my AllEars teammate Erin Blackwell for blog ideas and where to find manuals was one of them. Thank you Erin, Queen of Menus.

Can't find the manual that came with your camera? Search no more. I have compiled a list of where you can download and/or purchase them.

AllEars does not support or promote any of the following businesses. All links have been marked safe by McAfee SiteAdvisor.

Direct from the Manufacturer

Canon

Casio

Fujifilm

Kodak

Konica Minolta

Nikon

Olympus

Pentax

Ricoh

Sony

Retailers and Private Sellers

R.G. Lewis

Manuals for All

Xtra-range

Vintage Camera Manuals

Digital SLR Camera Manuals

October 18th marks the annual CHOC/Disneyland Walk in the Park, a fundraiser for Children's Hospital of Orange County. I'll be taking part for the third time in this fantastic fundraiser. CHOC treats every patient regardless of the family's ability to pay. These are kids who may require regular treatment, testing, and medication. Please consider supporting me as I walk. Any amount you can contribute makes a difference. Thank you. Click here to donate. If you'd like to walk and join my friends and I, select Team Fairy Godmothers when you sign-up and then drop me a note.

This week I open up my photo album to share a few photos.

A trip to Epcot just isn't complete without seeing Off Kilter rock the stage. They have legions of fans who watch every show they can manage. If you've yet to experience the bagpipe blowin', guitar riffin', Celtic-rock quintet then you're missing out on awesome music and fun for the whole family.

You'll find Off Kilter donning kilts on the stage beside the Canada Pavillion several days a week. Check the Entertainment Guide for days and times.

Tony Escapa is the band's keyboardist.

The band got a kick out of John Ball who was rockin' out during the concert and invited him up onstage.

Randy Holbrook, lead guitarist

Jamie Holton is the lead singer and piper.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, heroes in a halfshell. Turtle power! I've lost my mind. I just spent far too long in Hot Topic looking at neon clothes from the 80's that don't fit me and being forced to listen to deep, angry screams coming through speakers. Allegedly it is music. Okaaay. Let's face it, we've all been there before. No, not the store, teenage years.

I don't have any offspring so I borrowed a few. What I discovered is if you give them limited freedom, meaning they can run off on their own for a specific amount of time then they're much happier during the vacation as a whole. Now, I'm not here to tell you how to raise your kids or how to handle their mood changes. No, I'm here to show you how I had fun with them by showing you my photos. And by having fun, I am including torture and embarassment.

For 6 months I lived in Miami with my cousins. During that time I "kidnapped" Matthew, my 15 year old cousin and dragged him to Walt Disney World. I wanted to do a few things that would be special for him so we stayed at All-Star Sports because he's a bowler and plays basketball. Matt's pretty easy-going and was up for anything I wanted to do although he probably grew tired of all the photos. Heh heh

Here we are in March of 2005. Just a couple of cousins having fun.

As a gift for his Studly 16 (Sweet 16 doesn't work for boys) I planned a surprise element to his next kidnapping. I invited his best friend Greg aka Greggy Poo (he's 6'6") to join us and we kept it a secret from Matt until a few days before the trip. I had to tell Matt because he wouldn't tell me which WDW park he wanted to visit and Greg's aunt was generously signing us in as guests since she's a Cast Member.

I don't know what Greg said to Snow White but it made her nearly fall down from laughing so hard. The scan blew out the highlights. I fixed them as best I could.

Now that Matt had his best friend with him, he wanted the freedom to run around. With instructions to call me and an alotted time frame, I let them take off. I think all they did was have lunch at ESPN Club and hit a few attractions. The rest of the time they were with me at both Epcot and Universal Studios. I split our trip between The Crowne Plaza near Universal and another hotel that I'm totally forgetting.

I returned to Miami in 2007 for Matt's high school graduation. You'll never guess what my present was to him. Oh darn, you figured it out, I took him to Walt Disney World. It was just Matt & I again on a cousins trip. This time we stayed at Pop Century in the 50's.

Teen angst, it's a keeper. We watched The World Showcase Players perform in Italy. Not only are teens fun to photograph, but they also make good backpack carriers.

The third teen I borrowed is Zach, my friend Tracy's son. Zach doesn't ask to take off by himself but rather to spend time with his mom's friends. Torturing Zach isn't easy, unless you (me) and his mom are wearing matching Tinker Bell shirts and you threaten to get one for him as well. We were only kidding about making him wear it but the response we got was priceless.

If your teen or the one you're renting enjoys the parks and the characters then you're lucky. Enjoy the time you spend with your family because before you know it the kids are all grown up and then you have to wait until it's time for you to lead your parents through the parks. I'll be doing that in September. Be on the lookout for my trip report as I take my mom and her best friend for their birthdays.

No teenagers were permanently emotionally scarred in the making of these photos.

One of Walt Disney's most famous attractions of all time, it's a small world, conjurs up colorful, happy, and positive images of all the children of the world singing together in harmony. Whether you enjoy the soundtrack or it plays endlessly in your head, you can't deny it's message of peace and unity. While we know there are endless Imagineers who have worked on this attraction in Walt Disney World, Disneyland, Hong Kong Disneyland, Disneyland Paris, and Tokyo Disneyland but never before have the living dolls, the true stars of the show been given their turn to express themselves, until now.

I had the pleasure of sitting down with "Cast Members" from both Walt Disney World and Disneyland. Each one has an interesting story about their job and even how they were hired.

It's 2:11pm and a normal humid day in Florida, specifically at The Waldorf Astoria Orlando. Wearing faded blue jeans, a T-shirt that reads "May the Schwartz be with You," sandals, and sunglasses, Adam Rosenbaum walks in smiling and waving the moment he sees me in the lobby.

Adam, let's start at the beginning. How did you get your job with Disney?

My roommate saw that Disney was looking for college students to be part of a special program. I hadn't given any thought into working for them but I agreed to go with Ryan. It was interesting enough and I could get credit for participating in the program so I signed up. The first job they gave me was playing the groom in the Israel portion of it's a small world. Ryan works as a line cook at Chef Mickey's but he should be getting promoted soon.

Where do you work now?

Well, I had the opportunity to study art in France once my committment to Disney ended so I left for two semesters. When I returned I went to Casting and was rehired for the same attraction only now I'm the gondolier in Italy. You know, what's really funny is that the wig I had to wear as an Israeli didn't cover my eyebrows which are black and the wig was a medium brown. Man, did my friends make fun of me! But it's all good, ya know. Now it's just me in a hat...yeah, well, and a costume. I don't think I'd get to keep my job if I just showed up in the hat. (laughs and applauds himself)

What's the best thing about your job?

Making people smile is the highlight of my day, for real. Oh, and seeing them try to fight off the temptation to sing along. Don't fight it, man, it's all good. (laughs)

What's the worst thing about your job?

Trying not to fall out of the gondola! My calves are rock solid from standing like that all day. Seriously, feel my legs.

Wow! They are solid. It's almost like they're made of wood.

Real funny. Har dee har har. I'm a real boy! (winks)

Thanks for your time, Adam. Is there anything else you'd like to add?

Yes, a message to the Guests, you wouldn't like it if I tossed wrappers, cups, bottles, and such in your house so don't do it in mine (referring to the Magic Kingdom).

Later that evening I returned to The Waldorf Astoria Orlando to meet with brothers Blake and Cassidy Trenton. Looking very dapper in a pin-striped navy blue suit with a white shirt, navy blue tie, and black dress shoes, Blake is the first to arrive. We make small talk about tourist attractions on International Drive until Cassidy arrives. In a navy blue Surfrider Foundation hoody, ripped jeans, flip flops, and his hair pulled back into a ponytail, Cassidy looks like the laid back California surfer dude that he is.

Thank you for joining me, gentlemen. I understand that you both were working at Disneyland. Why did you transfer to Walt Disney World?

Cassidy: Right, see we've been part of it's a small world since we were 19 years old so that's like what...5 years. Then they decided to redo the attraction so it closed for like a year, dude. Our boss offered everyone the opportunity to transfer to Florida, Hong Kong, Tokyo or Paris. So we chose Florida, dude!

Blake: Actually we were very lucky in that because Cassidy and I are identical twins, they knew they'd have two people to play one part. My girlfriend Peggy transferred to Walt Disney World as well but she's since moved back to California and is one of the new characters in it's a small world.

What's a typical day at work like for you?

Blake: I tend to get the morning shifts. On those days I'm up at 6am and out of the apartment by 7 o'clock. It takes 25-30 minutes to get from my front door to where I pick up my costume. I've got short legs obviously so instead of walking to the attraction they drive us all in golf carts. After a quick meeting, everyone's in place the moment the gates open and that changes according to the season and Extra Magic Hours but normally Magic Kingdom opens at 9am. Lunch breaks are scheduled for us. Mine is at 1pm and that's when Cassidy starts. So we spend the rest of the day switching back and forth covering breaks and I leave at 5 and he works until closing. If the park stays open late whether it's Extra Magic Hours or a private function, then a third guy will come in around 6 o'clock, switch back and forth with Cassidy and then finish the late shift.

Cassidy: I couldn't have said it better, dude. But you didn't tell the people who we arrrrrrre. Look for us, we're the blonde cowboy in the shiny duds, dude. Yeah, we're totally like rhinestone cowboys. (pretends to crack whip) Yeehaw! Get along little doggy. Ruff!

Is there any way for Guests to tell you boys apart?

Blake: No, we're identical. If we spoke to Guests then it would be clear but just from looks, no, you can't.

Cassidy: No way, you can totally tell us apart!

Blake looks completely puzzled and skeptical of what Cassidy is thinking.

Cassidy: I am tan and you my brother are pale. Annnnd, Mr. Suit and Tie falls asleep on the job.

Blake: Oh, thanks. It only happened once and I was heavily medicated with Benadryl for Children.

Cassidy: P'shaw!! Remember the time you fell asleep and tied yourself up cuz you dreamt train robbers tied you to railroad tracks?! (laughing hysterically) Whoooo. (wiping away tears)

Blake looks sternly at Cassidy who raises his hands in a "don't shoot" gesture.

It's been a delight talking with you. Would you care to add anything?

Cassidy: You might want to talk with Peggy. She plays Cinderella at it's a small world in Disneyland. She'd be stoked for an interview.

Blake: We're trying to transfer back to Disneyland. We've put in our requests and are waiting for a couple of openings.

Cassidy: This is really important so make sure you tell everyone, don't touch the water or the pirate water (Pirates of the Caribbean). Keep the water clean dudes!

I flew to Disneyland to speak with several Cast Members regarding their roles in the newly updated attraction. Blake Trenton connected me to his girlfriend Peggy Donovan. We met up after her shift ended and I drove us to Ruby's Diner in Fullerton.

What do you think of the changes made to it's a small world?

Overall I do like what they've done. The boats are a huge upgrade as well as the tubes they float in. Everything will last another 50 years, hopefully.

Where did you work prior to the closing, while in Florida, and what are you doing now?

First I was a Can Can dancer in the White Room. That's where Blake first saw me. He's a leg man. (giggles) While the Imagineers worked on the attraction I transfered to Orlando along with the boys and some of our other friends. Paris sounded wonderful but being away from the United States for 11 months just wasn't something I could handle. While we were in Orlando I worked in the White Room again but this time as a Scandanavian. When the calls came in for us to head back to California, the boys didn't act quick enough, that's why they're still in Orlando. You know how boys are... But, now I'm Cinderella! And I don't have to dance all day long. It's soooo much easier. I just have to stand there and look cute! (primps hair)

Are there any behind-the-scenes stories or secrets you can share?

Let me think. Oh! I know! One year for April Fools' about 15 or so of us went out and picked up the ducks that wander the park and put them in the attraction. You know, in the water. OMG! It was sooo funny. I think we had almost 30 ducks swimming around, quacking. You should have seen it.

Did anyone get in trouble?

We came close to being written up but we got the ducks out in time for opening. We just brought them over to Storybook Land Canal Boats and now thanks to Peter Pan they're called "really big ducks." Get it, cuz everything in Storybook Land is miniature...(giggles)

That is pretty funny. Is there anything else you'd like to say?

Yes, I'm not animatronic. All of the animals in my ride are animatronic and there are some actual toy dolls that you see but the rest of us are real. We like to call ourselves living dolls.

I had one more interview scheduled for this piece. After rescheduling a few times, the Kennsington Kids as they're fondly referred to and I finally got together for a quick chat and some dessert at The Block at Orange. The Kennsington Kids are dropped off by their parents with instructions to call as soon as they're done. The family is going to do some back-to-school shopping. All three teens are wearing khaki shorts and sneakers. The boys have matching green and black striped collared shirts on and Beth is wearing a purple top.

Before we get started can you each introduce yourselves?

Wally: I'm Wally, short for Walter. I'm the oldest. I'm a senior in high school, class of 2010. I've worked at Disneyland for almost 3 years now. I started out doing landscaping at Storybook Land Canal Boats and met some CMs from it's a small world when they were running around with ducks, as weird as it sounds. They told me I should work with them because they're crazy fun.

Willie: I'm Willie, my full name is Wilson. Technically I'm the second oldest but I'm not sure how you can differentiate time of birth for Siamese Twins! (glaring at Wally who is snickering) It's been about 2 years now since I've worked at Disneyland. I began as a Window Dresser on Main Street., U.S.A. and actually I still do that, too, in addition to working it's a small world.

Siamese Twins?

Willie: It's true. We were separated as toddlers. We were joined at the hip so it was a fairly simple surgery as far as those types go.

Beth: Hi, I'm Beth, I'm the baby of the family. I'm 17 and starting my junior year of high school. I'm a cheerleader. I work with my brothers but right now I'm being trained to fill-in for Cleopatra, Alice, and Jasmine. I know that sounds strange but we have a great hair and makeup crew.

You currently work together as the same character. Tell us about that.

Willie: Yes, we're all playing tin soldiers on the outside of it's a small world. When the clock strikes, several doors open up. On the left are 3 tin soldiers. In the middle there's a parade of nations, and then on the right there are 3 more tin soldiers and that's us.

Beth: I'm on the left, Willie is in the center and Wally is on the right. Playing the drum is so cool. I'm taking piano lessons in school but I want a full drumkit so I can ROCK!

You've got quite the view. Seen anything interesting?

Wally: Somehow people think if they're on a boat no can see them. Guess what? We can see you and all the things you do. Not only that but there are cameras in the attractions. You learn more while working at Disney than in Health class if you get my drift.

Will you continue working for Disneyland after you graduate?

Willie: Yes, I think I will. It's a lot of fun meeting Cast Members, making new friends, dressing the windows and you can play basketball inside the Matterhorn. C'mon, that's insane! I do want to go to college but work at the same time.

Wally: After graduation I'm going to travel. I'm thinking of asking for a relocation to Hong Kong or Tokyo. I need to check into it and get all the details before I talk to my parents.

Beth: I've got 2 more years before I graduate so I'm not sure. Maybe I'll be a rockstar by then.

Thanks for your time kids. Any final thoughts or advice for Guests?

Wally: Try a mint julep in New Orleans Square, they're killer.

Willie: There are two lines for the Matterhorn on either side of the mountain.

Beth: (in a deep scary voice) Beware of strollers. Baw ha ma ha nya.

On a serious note...

October 18th marks the annual CHOC/Disneyland Walk in the Park, a fundraiser for Children's Hospital of Orange County. I'll be taking part for the third time in this fantastic fundraiser. CHOC treats every patient regardless of the family's ability to pay. These are kids who may require regular treatment, testing, and medication. Please consider supporting me as I walk. Any amount you can contribute makes a difference. Thank you. Click here to donate. If you'd like to walk and join my friends and I, select Team Fairy Godmothers when you sign-up and then drop me a note.

This time last week I offered tips on where to pose groups of Guests and who would be willing to take the photo so you can be in it as well, at Walt Disney World. Now it's Disneyland visitors' turn to learn and hopefully they won't get burned by...the sun. Ahem. Yeah so, there are a few things that remain the same no matter what side of the country you're on such as who's available to take photos so I'm going to give you the condensed version, just add water.

Who

A Disneyland Resort PhotoPass Cast Member's job is to take photos of Guests. Ideally, Disney wants you to buy photos from them but you don't have to. Heck, you don't even have to look at them. Feel free to ask any PhotoPass CM to take photos for you with your camera(s).

Character Hosts will also help you by taking photos of you meeting heroes, villains, and everyone inbetween. Face characters like Mad Hatter may not have a Character Host because they can control a crowd themselves. They also make for hilarious conversations and moments like when I ask Jasmine to take a photo of Aladdin and I. Good times. Good times. Grab an entertainment schedule for a listing of most meet and greets. If you're looking for someone specific, ask at the attraction time board located just beyond Coca-Cola Refreshment Corner.

As is true at Walt Disney World, any Cast Member (including suits) will be happy to snap a shot or two of your crew at Disneyland and/or California Adventure. Don't forget about other moms and dads. They too might be willing to set up your shot, afterall, they've been through the very same situation.

Where in Disneyland

Be careful that you're not blocking any paths. Disneyland does have lots of turns and bottlenecks that lead to being run over by strollers. My foot knows from experience.

Innoventions' exterior ramps make for a great view of both what's in the distance and below, meaning this location has dual possibilities. You could smush your gang together on a ramp and have someone take a photo, perhaps with the Matterhorn in the distance or stand on the ground close to the building and have someone shoot down. Of coure you could reverse this and have someone take the photo from the ground aiming up but it's not generally a flattering angle.

Depending upon how long the line is at Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage, there's a great spot along the fence that places the subs and waterfall in the background. Matterhorn will be behind you, foliage to your left and down the incline on your right, Tomorrowland Terrace.

Dive! Dive! Dive!

On Main Street, U.S.A. there's a small porch with seating. If you're heading towards Sleeping Beauty Castle, it'll be on your right. It's a very popular place to sit, eat, people watch and to view the parade. If by some miracle you find it unoccupied, set up your group using the furniture, stairs and all the space inbetween. Remember to make rows or layers so everyone can be seen.

Where in California Adventure

There's far more open space in CA Adventure and very few traffic jams. There's also little shade so remember to use your flash to eliminate harsh shadows.

As you make your way up the pier into Paradise Pier, you'll get to a flat surface with a shop on your left and Ariel's Grotto restaurant on your right. Pass them both and you can get everyone together over in a sort of corner with California Screamin's loop in the distant background.

In Sunshine Plaza you'll see a few large icons such as the Golden Gate Bridge and the sun that make for popular backdrops. Thinking outside the box a bit, I'd like to offer this suggestion, the silver train that houses Bur-r-r Bank Ice Cream and an entrance into Engine-Ears Toys could make for a fun location. The front of the train faces some seating but also the rocks supporting the sign for Condor Flats.

Over at A Bug's Land, there's a small stage that looks like part of a barn. Flik and Atta perform Ugly Bug Ball here. There are crates you can move around and picnic tables that you can't. It's a cute out-of-the-way setting and there's lots of stuff to look at and possibly climb on in the area as well and it's called Bountiful Farm. Don't offer milkshakes to the plastic cows, it's just cruel and will make you laugh so hard that ice cream will come out your nose or so I've been told.

Happy picture taking. Now where did I leave my posse?

It's very exciting when people comment on our photography blogs and ask questions because it means that you are not only reading us but you take the time to contact us and we're truly grateful. Recently we received a letter from Kathy Bonutti. She wrote:

We are visiting WDW in late August - all 11 of us! My son has a Canon Rebel XT. What places would you recommend we go for a great family photo? How would we go about having, perhaps, a cast member take the photo for us? Looking forward to your recommendations for these family photo memories! Thanks.

I loved these questions so much that I immediately wrote to Scott & Barrie and called dibs on writing an entire blog entry in response. Yeah, baby, yeah!

Finding a Photographer

Let's begin with an easy way of doing this, using Disney's PhotoPass photographers and/or program. These camera-armed Cast Members work in all four theme parks in specific locations including several that will place large icons like the Tree of Life or Sorcerer Mickey's Hat in the background. For a list of locations, click on the above link for details.

You'll be given a PhotoPass card the first time you have a photo taken by one of these Cast Members. Present your card to each photographer whose services you use so that all of the images are loaded onto the same account. While Disney's goal is for you to buy prints or a CD from them, you are under no obligation whatsoever to do so. PhotoPass photographers will happily take photos of your family and/or friends with your camera(s) too.

Another special crew of Cast Members you'll encounter are Character Hosts. Their job is help both Guests and characters by keeping crowds orderly, answer questions, escort characters, and assist with the meet and greet process. They will also take photos for you with your camera(s) of your party with a character. The image in my head of a Character Host has them wearing black pants and a white button down shirt with character sketches on it and yellow patches about the shoulders.

Check the daily entertainment schedule for a list of character meet and greets at each park. You can also research the info ahead of time at Steve Soares' website. I do.

By no means are Guests limited to asking a PhotoPass photographer or Character Host to snap a picture. The great thing about Disney is they want to make you happy so you can ask any Cast Member you see for assistance even the ones in shirts and ties.

I can't count the number of times I've been asked by other visitors to take a photo for them. If you're on the lookout for someone nearby to take the photo, your best bet is to find someone who is also carrying a SLR like a Canon Rebel XT. Why? He/she already knows how they work and you will (hopefully) get a better photo.

Where to Pose

Since there are lots of great locations already staged with PhotoPass CMs, I'm going to suggest other options that will accomodate large groups and hopefully not block foot traffic.

Magic Kingdom

Walt Disney World Railroad station seems to only be crowded when the parade marches passed. If you climb up the stairs, there's a great empty platform that looks out over Main Street.

The Invisibles from left to right are: Marcelo, Susana, Marie, and Doña Tecla.

In the back of Casey's Corner there's a small amount of stadium seating where folks can enjoy a hotdog and watch Goofy cartoons. It'd be a cute place for a group photo on a quiet day. If anyone completely lucks out and this idea of mine works out, let me know.

There's a lot of open space in Tomorrowland between Carousel of Progress, Tomorrowland Transit Authority (People Mover to me), and Space Mountain. It would be pretty easy to find a location you like and have everyone pile into the shot. With all that room, you could get a variety of angles and backgrounds.

Hollywood Studios (aka MGM)

There are so many creative photo opportunities on Streets of America that you could probably spend a good hour running around, having fun, and taking lots of silly group pictures. Ever try to cram a whole family under the umbrella? I haven't but I bet it'd be pretty darn funny.

After you pick up the dry cleaning, can you stop by the post office and mail this package.

While you're seated, waiting for Beauty and the Beast, Indiana Jones Stunt Spectacular or Lights, Motors, Action to begin, why not ask someone to take a photo of your group seated together.

Sorcerer Mickey's Hat covers a pin shop and the whole thing is built up from the ground as a circle surrounded by a few steps. Stagger your group on the ground and steps and have your photographer either leave lots of room to include the hat or aim up, which isn't always a complimentary angle.

Animal Kingdom

Bare with me as I try to give directions here. After you enter the park and walk through the Oasis, you'll be on Fantasy Island, I mean Discovery Island. Just before you cross the bridge into Africa, take a right. You'll head down a path with a body of water to your left. Keep going and you'll find several macaws perched. Set up your group around their "habitat."

To the left of the theater where Finding Nemo - The Musical is performed, you can see Expedition Everest. There is plenty of foot traffic here but it's still a doable location for a group photo and lots of people passing by means you'll find yourselves a photographer.

Ask your tour guide on Kilimanjaro Safaris if when you finally return from your venture if he/she or another Cast Member can take a photo of your group once all other guests have vacated the jeep. If the park is busy, don't be disappointed if they can't accomodate your request.

When all else fails just photograph your driver.

EPCOT

Walking to/from International Gateway you'll see a body of water, a bridge, a parked bicycle, some art supplies and behind that, France. This walkway, across from World Traveler gift shop, is wide enough to let crowds pass while your group lines up in front of the black metal gate. All that I mentioned will serve as a backdrop.

In Future World over at the Imagination Pavilion there are jumping fountains. Also, if you angle it right, you can see beautiful flowered landscaping in the background. Turn another direction and the vibrant colors of the building housing Journey into Imagination with Figment is the background.

Last but certainly not least is United Kingdom where you can play around or maybe even inside the red phone both. Follow the street and it'll take you to a courtyard complete with a gazebo and various types of architecture. Be careful not to lose your loved ones in the hedge maze!

Thank goodness Yankee Doodle Laura put a paper feather in her cap.

Additional Reading

A few months ago, Barrie, Scott and I did a series on group photos. We each offer advice regarding posing, lighting, and composure. You'll find our entries here: Barrie, Scott, and Lisa.

This blog was so much fun writing that I'll be doing one for Disneyland next week.

I previously posted a blog regarding Ritz Camera stores imprending auction.

Reuters reported on July 21st that the auction of remaining Ritz Camera stores lasted roughly 24 hours beginning on July 20th. In the end, David Ritz, CEO of Ritz Camera Centers, Inc along with financial backers collectively set up as RCI Acquisition LLC won with a bid of $33.1 million.

They are stating that they will keep at least 163 of the 375 stores still operating. Lease contracts and fees will no doubt determine which stores close. Business will continue as usual under the name Ritz Camera & Imaging, a name that employees were told to use when answering the phone, earlier in the year.

Law360 reports that creditors such as Canon USA filed an objection to Ritz Camera Centers, Inc asset sale to RCI Acquisition LLC.

Ritz Camera Centers, Inc filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in February of this year. In April, the company jet was grounded by court order as reported by Bloomberg and the Loundon Times.

Last week I went over the most commonly found species of camera settings and their accompaning icons. This time I'll navigate you through those found in the deep dark jungles of digital point and shoots and in alphabetical order no less!. Get your penlights ready.

Backlighting - When your subject is standing in front of a window or the sun (on Earth), use this setting. The camera will force the flash to go off thus illuminating the person properly rather than them becoming a silhouette or their face being extremely dark.

Beach/Snow - Snow and sand are highly reflective and can fool a camera into thinking the scene is far brighter than it is. Here the camera will close down it's aperature to prevent overexposure and washed out highlights.

Dusk/Dawn - Sun down or sun up, the amount of light available is low although pretty. The camera will slow down the shutterspeed to allow more light through the lens. This means your camera should be steadied on a tripod or flat surface. The camera will also adjust the aperature for depth of field. Sunrise, sunset....sunrise, sunset...

Fireworks - This setting acts the same way that the Dusk/Dawn setting works. Be sure you have a tripod to avoid blurred images or Barrie might cry.

Museum - Museums including those with displays come to life after hours, don't allow flash photography in most instances. By using this setting, although indoors, the flash is turned off thus requiring as much available light as possible. Many cameras use BSS (Best Shot Selector) and rapidly take a series of photos, keeping the best exposure.

Night Landscape - Have a tripod with you or use a sturdy flat surface as once again camera shake ruins a long exposure. To get a great night landscape the camera needs to shoot at a very slow speed and set the aperature to infinity. The flash will not fire because the city is more than 8 feet away.

Night Portrait - Got your tripod? Taking photos of someone in the dark? The camera will use a long exposure to compensate for the background and fire the flash to illuminate your kid/parent/friend/sibling/arch enemy.

Party/Indoor Snapshot - Birthday parties, wedding receptions, and surprise attacks on Grandma are just a few of the times you'll want to use the Party setting. Your camera will use the flash along with red eye reduction and shoot at a slightly lower speed so try not to move.

Regardless of whether you shoot film or digitaly, point and shoot cameras have simplified features. In an effort to help you take better pictures and to stear folks away from only using the Auto mode, settings such as Portrait, Sports, and Landscape can be selected with the touch of a button or spin of the wheel.

You'll also find some of the same settings on SLRs no matter if they're digital or 35mm.

Features have grown immensely in digital cameras but the same thinking and design still appllies. Icons serve as the easy way to tell the camera what tyoe of photo you want to take without manually set the shutterspeed, aperature/f-stop or film speed. While not every camera on the market would allow you change the aperature and such, more and more do.

The most commonly found modes are:

Portrait - When your subject such as your child has stopped moving and you want a head and shoulders shot. The camera may automatically turn on face detection to help it focus on his/her face. The camera adjusts the aperature so the background is out of focus and the person is sharp. It will also set the ISO (film speed) and shutterspeed according to the amount of light it reads.

Sports - Outdoor, daylight sporting events benefit from this mode. The camera knows that your shooting something that's moving quickly such as someone running bases or chasing a ball. Your camera will increase the shutterspeed in an attempt to freeze the action. The aperature and ISO selected will again depend upon the lighting situation.

Landscape - General scenic images will come out better by using this setting. Here, the camera will after the aperature by closing it down to make the entire image focused. Once again, lighting dictates ISO and shutterspeed.

Closeup/Macro - Use this setting when photographing things that are small and detailed such as flowers, jewelry, inscriptions, coins, etc... Each camera lens has a set distance it can be from what you're photographing. It's not necessary to memorize it as your camera simply won't focus if it's too close.

Next week I'll go over the vast array of settings and icons found only on today's digital cameras.

Icons © Nikon. Used for educational purposes.

The latest news to come down the photography and retail pikes is that Ritz Camera Centers, Inc which consists of Ritz Camera, Wolf Camera, Inkley's, Kits Camera, Dean's Photo, Cameras West, and Camera World may close their doors forever in as little as two weeks.

What happened? This past February the privately owned company filed for Chapter 11 Bankruptcy protection. Half of the camera shops were picked up by a liquidation company while Boater's World, a marine specialty shop (which was strangely housed under the same roof) was completely sold off.

How did it get this bad? Some blame the recession while others blame the new digital age. If you were to ask former sales associates, they would tell you there's a long list of reasons including a large drop in photo finishing, a huge variety of merchandise the company bought that didn't fit in with a photography store and therefore didn't sell, a spike in Internet sales including RitzCamera.com, and yes, the recession.

Why does the potential closing of the remaining 400 stores matter? The chain, owned by David Ritz was previously run by his father Edward and his uncle. At one point there were nearly 1,000 stores nationwide including Hawai'i. These shops prided themselves on quality prints completed in an average of one hour. Multi-million dollar lab equipment was constantly maintained and inspected. The lab and sales associates were often photographers themselves or photography students and enthusiasts who enjoyed sharing their knowledge and passion with customers. Those are qualities you'd be hard pressed to find anywhere else except pro shops and privately owned mini-labs and camera stores.

The Washington Post reports that on July 7, 2009, Ritz Camera Centers,Inc filed court papers asking for an auction of the remaining stores. A hearing on the bidding is scheduled for July 10th in federal court in Wilmington, Delaware. The auction is set to take place on July 20th and they seek to finalize the transaction on or before July 23rd.

How this chain of events affects you, the customer.

If the remaining stores are sold to liquidators as the previously disposed stores were run by Great American Group, all new sales are final. Previously purchased items cannot be returned. This may also be true if the stores are sold to a bidder who intends to keep the business going. Allegedly, David Ritz has financial backers and will attempt to buy part or all of what's left of the stores and merchandise at the public auction.

Did you purchase an extended service plan? The return policy on those is 30 days. This means if you want to get your money back for the service plan, you'd need to do so before the company sells off its stores and remember, they are going up for auction on July 20th.

Do you have prints, videos, repaired cameras, canvases, posters, books, etc to pick up? Go get them now. Liquidators aren't responsible for any previously placed orders and have the option to dispose of them.

Who can you call if you have questions?
301-419-0000 is the phone number for the company's headquarters in Beltsville, Maryland. Office hours are 8am-5pm EST Monday thru Friday

I do urge you to print your pictures ASAP because as I said, most orders are done in an hour. Thank those who taught you how to use your new camera and answered your questions. Thank the men and women who improved upon your photos in the lab. Sadly, thousands more will be unemployed soon like me.

This (or something similiar) is the icon for face detection that you'll find on cameras.

Digital cameras have changed quite a bit in the past few years. One major advancement in digital photography is face detection. Simply put, the software in the camera enables it to scan what the lens is pointed at and look for the shape of a face and eyes. When it locates one or more faces, it zeroes in on it/them making the people sharp and in-focus. You'll know it's working because a lit box or set of brackets will position itself on the subject's face. No more pictures of blurred friends and a sharp tree several feet behind them. Pretty cool, huh?

If you're currently in the market for a new point and shoot camera, you'll quickly find that this feature is almost standard. There are more cameras that have face detection than those that do not. Another good thing is that some cameras can detect a good 10 faces, making out-of-focus group photos a thing of the past. Also, a wide variety of cameras have incorporated face detection into the portraiture setting. Face detection does not work on pets.

© Fujifilm Corporation. Image used for educational purposes.

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.

First you are greeted by a large staff of smiling and chatty Cast Members and given a gift bag containing a lovely portfolio with a full size notepad inside, a pen, and a chart pertaining to DVC points. You were also given a card to fill out for a drawing at the conclusion of the "show." Upon entering the theater, you got what looked like a funny calculator on a lanyard. We were seated in the second row, center section. I was having flashbacks to my Disney cruise a year and a half ago. I love musicals.

Anyway, things were kicked off by the MC, Wish-Meister. He reminded me of everyone from Genie (as seen in Aladdin the Musical in CA Adventure) to Pat E. Cake (birthday parties at Disneyland) to Liberace in his sparkling white coat tails and top hat. Wish-Meister explained that our Audience Response Device, that funny looking calculator was actually a Wishamacallit. Good to know. We used it to respond to demographic questions.

During the 90 minute presentation we were treated to a singing quartet who arrived as technicians to fix a glitch sort of like Four for a Dollar pretended to be stage hands before Beauty and the Beast at Disney's Hollywood Studios. We were also given some free goodies such as travel size binoculars and a travel agenda folder.

Nicole and Dave were the hosts who asked the audience questions about how often we travel and what types of vacations we enjoy. I'm sure each program will change from city to city as a joke about spending Friday night trying to get across the Bourne Bridge will go over the heads of anyone who doesn't deal with Cape Cod traffic.

The last thing that happened in the theater was the big drawing. The winner was a fellow sitting 2 rows behind me. He was too far away to tackle and besides, I feared that Mickey might scold me and not let me into his party.

That's right, there was a party after the sales pitch. I had read that light refreshments would be served and that Mickey and Minnie would be available for photos and autographs. That's an understatement. I walked into the room and it was a full-on fiesta with chocolates, cupcakes, lemonade, iced tea, strawberries, marshmallows, and pretzel rods for drenching in the chocolate fountain.

Uh oh. Did I lose the chocoholics? Come back here, I'm not done. The best surprise of all was when I looked to my left and saw...

Aaaaaaladdin! Excellent! Guess where I went first? After a much-needed hug and some photos I set out to take photos of Mickey and then Minnie on the dance floor. Where are those photos, you ask, they are going to be used in another blog.

If you get an offer to attend this by-invitation-only event, go. It's lots of fun for the whole family. Kids have their own room to play in while the adults are shmoozed and you're given pagers in case the kids want you to come and collect them.

I've left out a few details so you'll have some surprises when you go and if you could please do me a favor, tell my boyfriend to call me.

Don't lick your computer monitor.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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).

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!

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.

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.

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.

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

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?

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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!

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

(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.

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

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.

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.

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."

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.

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.

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.

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!

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.

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.

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!

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.

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.

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

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)

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.

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?

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.

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.

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

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!

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.

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

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.

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!

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!

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.

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.

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.

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!

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!

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.

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 blurre