Picture This!

Member of the Spirit of America Fife and Drum Corps saluting the American flag in front of the American Adventure.
Nikon D700/28-300VR, 1/250s, f/13, ISO 200, EV +0.3, 28mm focal length.

When it comes to American Patriotism, the Walt Disney Company is a master at bringing on such feelings for the citizens of the United States. Performances of the Spirit of America Fife and Drum Corps occur several times a day in front of the American Adventure pavilion in Epcot's World Showcase.

Trolls warn guests riding Norway's Maelstrom ride.
Nikon D700/50mm, 1/60s, f/1.8, ISO 12800, EV +0.3

In norse mythology, trolls are rarely described as helpful or friendly. The trolls guests meet on the Maelstrom ride in Norway send them into an exciting and backwards ride through a dark forest and almost over a waterfall. Not a very helpful trio are they?

This is an example of an extreme high ISO image for my Disney Pic of the Week on Norway.

Johann Gutenberg examining a page from his printing press inside Spaceship Earth.
Nikon D700/50mm, 1/60s, f/1.8, ISO 6400, EV +1.0.

The Gutenberg Press scene inside Spaceship Earth shows a page of the Bible that Johann Gutenberg is examining. The page is an exact replica of one from the Gutenberg Bible on display in the Huntington Library in San Marino, California. Another example of Disney detail and makes for a cool Disney Pic of the Week from Inside Spaceship Earth.

San Angel Inn restaurant inside Mexico.
Nikon D70/Tokina 11-16mm, 25s, f/16, ISO 200, EV 0, 11mm focal length, tripod.

The San Angel Inn restaurant inside the Mexico pavilion always looks so inviting. Nice rich colors and an awesome atmosphere which was I why I chose it for my Disney Pic of the Week on Mexico. Problem is I am not a fan of Mexican food. Or, as I was told once, I never had good Mexican food. I am asking you for some help. If you were to take me here, what would you recommend I order? Click Here for the San Angel Inn Menu.

Disney Land and Sea.

Scott is on vacation this week. This time he is doing a Land and Sea trip to Walt Disney World which will include a 4-night cruise on the Disney Dream followed by a stay at Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge. He'll be back next week with more Disney photography information and tips.

You can follow Scott on his Disney Twitter feed @Scottwdw or on Google+ at Scott Thomas as he will be posting comments and photos during the trip.

Interactive juggler Sergio entertaining guests at Epcot's Italy pavilion.
Nikon D700/28-300VR, 1/200s, f/7.1, ISO 200, EV 0, 58mm focal length.

Sergio, the International interactive juggler, entertains guests in the World Showcase pavilion of Italy five days a week. Check the Epcot entertainment guide when you enter the park for specific times. As you can see by his title and the photo, Sergio gets guests involved in his act and is my Disney Pic of the Week on World Showcase Entertainers.

A crystal ball is believed by some people to aid in the performance of clairvoyance like witches and wizards. At Walt Disney World, the most famous crystal ball is found in the Haunted Mansion where the ghost of Madame Leota is calling spirits from the world beyond. Crystal balls are a fun prop to create very unique photos.

Spaceship Earth as seen through a crystal ball.
Nikon D700/28-300VR, 1/400s, f/10, ISO 200, EV 0, 230mm focal length, flipped, cropped.

Here are some tips for using a crystal ball in photography:

1. Things are upside down or inverted when looking through a crystal ball so you must flip them in your photo editor (see below).

Crystal ball being held up in front of Spaceship Earth.
Nikon D700/28-300VR, 1/320s, f/9, ISO 200, EV 0, 230mm focal length.

2. Focus sharply on the crystal ball image and let the background go out of focus.

3. If you can not levitate the crystal ball (I wish I could learn how to do that!), find a secure place for the crystal ball or get the aid of an assistant to hold it (see above).

4. Lens choice is up to you but ones that can focus closely are easier to use.

5. Be careful when using a crystal ball in the Sun. They get very hot, very fast!

6. Find an interesting subject like maybe a fantasy castle.

Cinderella Castle through a crystal ball.
Nikon D700/28-300VR, 1/200s, f/7.1, ISO 200, EV +0.3, 68mm focal length, cropped, flipped.

If you would like to procure your own crystal ball, check out the Crystal Company and have some fun!

As an American, it is hard not to feel a huge sense of pride when visiting the American Adventure pavilion in Epcot's World Showcase. The Disney Imagineers did a monumental job in fitting together the history and elements of the United States of America in its art, accomplishments and architecture.

The pavilion itself was done in classic English Georgian style. Elements of the building were inspired by Independence Hall, Boston's Old State House, Monticello, and Colonial Williamsburg. The structure's 110,000 bricks are handmade from Georgian clay, which were then colored and aged to make them look authentic. The roof is made of slate and the floor of marble and copper.

Even at night, the American Adventure shines between Italy and Japan.

The American Adventure at night in Epcot's World Showcase.
Nikon D70/18-200VR, 20s, f/16, ISO 200, EV -0.7, 95mm focal length, tripod.

Lisa be here on Thursday to salute the American Adventure for the Disney Pic of the Week.

Hall of Flags inside the American Adventure.
Nikon D70/18-200VR, 1/30s, f/3.5, ISO 800, EV +1, 18mm focal length.

After being allowed to enter the walkway to the theater inside the American Adventure pavilion in Epcot's World Showcase, you walk up stairs or take the escalators through the Hall of Flags. These flags were displayed at different times throughout the history of the United States and include flags used by state and federal governments. They make for a colorful and historic Disney Pic of the Week on Flags & Banners.

Flyer Mickey on a t-shirt in a shop across from Soarin'.

Scott is on vacation this week as he seeks out all manner of historic aircraft at the Smithsonian's Air & Space Museums in Washington, DC. He will return next week to continue with his weekly photography tips from Disney parks.

You can check out Flyer Mickey and other aviation merchandise like this t-shirt in the kiosk across from Soarin' inside Epcot's The Land pavilion.

I follow many photographers who enjoy perfecting their craft in Disney parks all over the world. These men and women come up with many photo ideas I often make note of these photos to try an attempt myself. These help to push my photographic skills as I try to master new techniques and see things differently.

Once a person has photographed the many Disney fireworks shows from the traditional viewpoints, one looks for different angles and perspectives. I had seen versions of the photo below. To photograph it, I found this position across from the Journey into Imagination pavilion's famous reverse waterfall a few minutes before Illuminations started. I setup a tripod and put a three-stop neutral density filter on a wide angle lens. Unlike when I can hear the show music, I had to wait for the bursts to emerge high enough to open the shutter.

Illuminations firework bursts behind the Imagination pavilion.
Nikon D700/Tokina 11-16mm, 8.6s, f/9, ISO 400, EV 0, 16mm focal length, 3-stop ND filter, tripod.

If you are looking for alternative places to photograph firework shows at any of the Disney parks, websites like flickr have thousands of images for you to get inspiration from.

Epcot's World Showcase features live musical entertainment daily and seasonally. Canada, Japan, Morocco and the United Kingdom have permanent stages while Mexico and the American Adventure have roving musicians. Today I am showing you the Rockin' part of World Showcase.

First up is the Celtic Rock band in Canada, Off Kilter. Lead by singer and bagpipe player, Jamie Holton (upper right below), Off Kilter's unmistakable sound pulls people in and their fun on stage presence keeps them there. Along with Jamie, (from top left) bass guitarist Mark Weldon, master guitarist Randy Holbrook and keyboardist Tony Escapa. Not pictured is drummer Scott Zymowski. Click the Photo for a Larger Version.

Off Kilter on stage in the Canada pavilion in Epcot's World Showcase.

Morocco is our next stop where Mo'Rockin take Arabic rhythms into a contemporary flair. I must admit while the music is good and lively. When the dancer appears, the interest of those around increase and she enjoys teaching little ones to dance, too. Click the Photo for a Larger Version.

Mo'Rockin entertaining in Morocco in Epcot's World Showcase.

Twice a year, Epcot hosts special festivals with special musical acts at the America Gardens Theatre in front of the American Adventure. In the Spring, there's the Flower and Garden Festival with a series of concerts called Flower Power. The Fall festival called Food and Wine has the Eat to the Beat concerts. These concerts feature bands from the 1970's and 1980's.

Last Fall, I enjoyed seeing one of my favorite bands from my college days. The Orchestra has former members of the popular band Electric Light Orchestra also known as ELO. If you are at Walt Disney World this May from 4th to the 6th, stop by and enjoy their unique rock sound featuring violinist Mike Kaminski (see below). Click the Photo for a Larger Version.

Former members of ELO make up The Orchestera performing during an Eat to the Beat concert at the America Gardens Theatre.

To make sure you catch all the entertainment found around Epcot, pick up an entertainment guide as you enter the park or in any shops or kiosks.

Dancer entertaining guests inside Restaurant Marrakesh.
Nikon D700/28-300VR, 1/60s, f/5, ISO 6400, EV 0, 48mm Focal Length, bounce flash.

A few times a day, traditional Moroccan music is played and a belly dancer invites children and adults to join her on the floor inside Restaurant Marrakesh in the Morocco pavilion at Epcot's World Showcase. Sometimes she even comes to your table which made for this exciting Disney Pic of the Week on Morocco.

Time for another Where in the World Photo Challenge!

Claire, I can't believe it's been a year since the Troll mission! And as I type this, you're grabbing some extra rest after One More Disney Day! What is it FANTASTIC?!

Yo, Mike! How are you, bragging about your new trip in August! ;)

Mackenzie D., it is never cheating to look through your pictures. After all, I look through my pictures each week. :)

Players, you are the best! So many of you played the seagull challenge. You make me so proud!

Two people got it right: Steve Jordan with his guess of “above some part of Walt Disney World” and Shannon Thomas with her answer “That seagull is in the sky”. It's spooky how you both could get figure that out. I got shivers like the hyena Shenzi when she hears the name Mufasa.

Karen Schlumpf, you think this could be the one that stole your chocolate croissant? Let's take another look... he is looking down like “Hey, you got any croissants down there?” He took Debbie Poole's sister's hot dog too. Tsk tsk, talk about being all “Mine! Mine! Mine!”
With all that food theft, maybe he is waiting for the Food and Wine Festival, Chris Kelly. That is one long wait: six months!

Here was the so called 'regular' Challenge from last week:

And here's the answer:

Copyright © 2011 Erin Blackwell Canon PowerShot ELPH 300 HS

Pluto's doghouse in Epcot, in the pathway between World Showcase and Future World! In this case, he's decorated for Christmas. :)

Deb Ragno picked up that this is Pluto's Epcot house because his name is on a white board instead of a blue one like it was in the Magic Kingdom. That. Is. Impressive. Major kudos to you, Deb!

Hunter Armstrong, I get my picture in front of the doghouse too!

Jared Orth, gasp! Say it isn't so! You weren't allowed to make topiaries when you were a little boy! So not fair! Didn't your parents see “Karate Kid”? He was allowed to play with a bonsai tree; if only you had a Mr. Miyagi in your life to point out that you NEEDED to make a Pluto topiary. Sigh...

Quite a lot of people wondered if this was Pluto's house from ToonTown Country Fair. And they're like me: missing Mickey's house and his note on the doghouse. Sigh. Right, Doug Olson?

Shirley Garcowski, I never thought about that! Where is Pluto's doghouse from Toontown?! I wonder if it's up for auction somewhere... it wasn't in the archives' display at Disneyland's D23 expo with Mickey's mailbox, but that doesn't mean it's not stored.

Sharon Lee was the first to send in the correct answer for the second week in a row! Congratulations to Sharon and to all the readers who got the answer right: Julie Wickware, Lynxy Gurgula, Virginia Pierce, Leach Family, Larissa Huda, Steve Jordan, Emily Hudson, Dee Dee Kenney, Scott Cullen, Belicia Cullen, Al Desimone, Kevin Miller, Debbie Desimone, Audra Miller, Steve Jordan, Mary Beth Tarbet, Danielle Ciotti Harsley, Team Hill, Sharon Pierce, Amanda Campbell, Scott Otis, Chris Mase, Deb Ragno, Evanna Huda, Paul Dickson, Misty Mehelic, Brian Yesutis, Hillary Waldroop, Hillary Waldroop, Caryn Schill, Paul Knott, Pam Tees, Kerri Coggins, Lee Anastasi, Brian Miller, Jodi Cook, Megan, Stephanie Hardhous, Erin Loring, Kerry A, Louise Barton, Claire Gregory, Angela Blevins, Matt And Danielle Murgia, Collette Beuther, Sharon Dale, Betsy Silvestri, Millie Tenreiro, Michael Malampy, The Kertes Family, Tina Benco, Jamie Poynton, Ashley Pizzino, Christopher Barnes, Cindy Dore', Tracy Henkel, Mary Virginia Clause, Kelly Zanauskas, Mackenzie D., Katie Bray, Jason & Melinda Lenz, Wayne Chadourne, Robert Anderson , Hunter Armstrong, Kelsi, Nikki Parker, Troy Parker, Christie Condit, Jared Orth, Kelly Smith, Dallas Hamilton, Les Stewart, Heather Hynes, Dan Johnston, Alison Rosenberger, Mark Franklin, April Mcbride, Elyssa H., Vera Williams, Jennifer Mercier, Andrea Kruszewski, Scott Sangston, Patti Mccaffrey, Karen Schlumpf, The O'meara Family, Heidi Goodhue, Lori Netti, Anastasia Macneil, Lauren Thomas, Jeannine , Dave Cole, George Mundy Jr, Melesia Love, Wendy T Faler, Eric Lagerblade, The Patterson Family, Erin Dagney, Christine Dagney, Carol Baranowsky, Patti Deluca, Patti Deluca, Andrea Lott, Debbie Poole, Mike Venere, Barclay Bakkum, Barclay Bakkum, Betsy Dross, Brian Mcwithey, Theres Rucando, Caroline Burmester, Tracy C., Paula B, Linda Allen, Agnes Ciotti, and James And Kathy Berry. Each of you are entered in this month's winners’ drawing.

Speaking of which, guess what time it is! Yes, it is time to announce the monthly winner! That honor goes to: strong>Brian Miller! Congratulations, Brian! Deb Wills will be sending you AllEars swag! She's nice that way. :) I will contact you soon on how you can claim your prize!
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Challenge #219: Where in the world is this?

Now, here is Challenge #219:

Do you know? Do you have a guess? Please send in your answer, before the end of the day on Thursday, March 8th, by clicking on the blue box below. Please do not post answers using the Feedback Form link at the bottom of this post. Remember to be specific with your answer - just naming a park will not get you into the drawing.

See you next week, Players!

_______________________________________________________________________

Everyone who sends in a correct answer to a Where in the World Challenge this month will be entered in a drawing at the end of the month for some special AllEars® goodies!

Waterfalls are a favorite subject of photographers everywhere. Ever wonder how they get the water to look so silky even in the middle of the day? First, they use the lowest ISO on their digital camera around 100 to 200 depending on the camera. Second, they select small apertures like f/16 or f/22. This gets them the slowest shutter speed possible. Slow shutter speeds does require the use of a tripod to keep everything sharp.

That is what I did below. The water is still too detailed for the look I wanted. A longer shutter speed would be needed.

Canada's Rocky Mountain Waterfall without an ND filter.
Nikon D700/28-300VR, 1/60s, f/22, ISO 200, EV 0, 28mm focal length.

To cut down the amount of light for longer shutter speeds, I used Neutral Density (ND) filters in different strengths. If you recall, ND filters act like sunglasses.

Canada's Rocky Mountain Waterfall with ND filters.
Nikon D700/28-300VR, f/22, ISO 200, EV 0, 28mm focal length.

Leaving the aperture and ISO the same, you can see above the effects of each Neutral Density filter I used.

• ND2 (or 0.3) filter cuts 1 stop of light and increased the shutter speed to 1/30s.
• ND4 (or 0.6) filter cuts 2 stops of light and increased the shutter speed to 1/10s.
• ND8 (or 0.9) filter cuts 3 stops of light and increased the shutter speed to 1/3s.

Do you see how the water got silkier the slower the shutter speed became? Not bad for a mid-afternoon in central Florida. But...I wanted more.

Canada's Rocky Mountain Waterfall with stacked 2 & 3 stop ND filters.
Nikon D700/28-300VR, 2s, f/22, ISO 200, EV 0, 28mm focal length.

To get the shutter down to a whole 2 seconds, I stacked my two strongest ND filters, the ND4 and ND8, to create one 5 stop filter. When you stack filters, you may get some vignetting which was the case here. I simply cropped that out.

You can get stronger ND filters or photograph in the early morning, late in the day or when the weather is cloudy and/or rainy.

Click here to learn how to use Neutral Density filters for fireworks and themepark rides.

Ah, Canada! A country in World Showcase full of lively music, hockey merchandise, cold beer and the popular steakhouse, Le Cellier. It is also the home to the most unique fencing found around World Showcase as it is not made out of metal. Wooden fencing decorated with red maple leafs, a national symbol of Canada, aline the pavilion facing the World Showcase lagoon.

Looking over Canada's fence at World Showcase.
Nikon D700/28-300VR, 1/80s, f/16, ISO 6400, EV 0, 16mm focal length.

Lisa will be here on Thursday with a familiar take on the Disney Pic of the Week about Fences.

Rain on vacation can be a bad thing if you let it. When it starts raining at Walt Disney World there is lots to photograph if you are prepared. It can go from sunny to storming in central Florida in a manner of minutes. I carry large zip locked bags with me to protect not only my camera but cell phones and small electronics. For point and shoot cameras, a small ziplock bag will work.

If you want to photograph in the rain. I suggest asking a family member to help by using an umbrella to keep you and your camera dry while photographing in the rain. If no one is available, a tripod can hold your camera while you use the umbrella like I did when photographing the rain dropping into the reflecting pool in front of the Universe of Energy.

Rain drops in the pool in front of the Universe of Energy.
Nikon D70/18-200VR, 1/10s, f/11, ISO 200, EV -0.3, 18mm focal length, tripod.

Another way to protect your camera in the rain is to put on a poncho like thousands of guests do at Walt Disney World when it begins to rain. Optech Rainsleeves are inexpensive plastic coverings designed for digital SLR cameras with or without a flash unit attached. They protect your equipment while giving you access to the camera's controls. They come in handy during long rainy days or when photographing around fast water or waterfalls.

People in Disney ponchos walking in the rain at Epcot.
Nikon D70/18-200VR, 1/50s, f/11, ISO 200, EV -0.33, 18mm focal length, tripod.

If you would rather stay out of the rain, Epcot has lots of interesting indoor locations to photograph from attractions like Spaceship Earth to these ideas around World Showcase:

Indoor Tour of World Showcase, Part I

Indoor Tour of World Showcase, Part 2

Don't let rain stop you from enjoying photography at home or while at a Disney themepark.

Been awhile since I have mentioned using Fill Flash to open up the shadows on those bright sunny days we encounter at Walt Disney World. Fill flash came in handy when I photographed Mary Poppins who was wearing a very pretty hat in the United Kingdom pavilion.

Mary Poppins being supercallifragilisticexpialidocious in Epcot's World Showcase.
Nikon D700/28-300VR, 1/250s, f/10, ISO 200, EV 0, 170mm, fill flash at -1.0 power.

Hi everyone! I have two calendars for you this week – March and April. I also have some news to share with you. I am planning to take a hiatus from AllEars in order to focus more on my business (Barrie Brewer Photography & Design - shameless plug!). The good news is that my work is keeping me very busy. Unfortunately, that is making it increasingly hard to keep up on my blogs – hence the two calendars this week! Not to worry though, my fabulous co-bloggers Lisa, Scott, and Erin will continue to keep you entertained.

I’ve met so many wonderful people through AllEars and it’s been a pleasure getting to know you. I’m sure we’ll see each other in the parks, but if you’d like to keep up with me in between trips, facebook is the best way for now: www.fb.com/barrieb

I know quite a few of you download these calendars so I will keep making them available. Look for links to future calendars and wallpapers on my facebook page. You never know, there may be some other goodies that show up there too.
Your friend, Barrie

You will need to have Adobe Reader on your computer to download the calendar(s). Just click on the photo to download the calendar you want. When printing CD Jewel Case size, make sure “Page Scaling” in your print dialogue box is set to “None” to ensure that the calendar prints out at the correct size.

This one prints out at 8.5" x 11". It's handy if you need a calendar that you can write on.

This one prints out at 4.75" x 4.75", the perfect size for a CD Jewel Case frame.

And finally, this desktop wallpaper is for your monitor screen.

1024 x 768
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Dark rides are very hard to photograph at Walt Disney World. Not only is the lighting very moody and low but the ride vehicles move so you have to keep your shutter speed around 1/60th of a second. Remember, you can not use flash in a dark ride. Disney Cast Members will interrupt the ride experience with announcements if you do. Really breaks the magic of the ride for your fellow guests.

I am nowhere near close to getting the excellent results of other Disney photographers seen on flickr and Google+. On this trip, I rode through Spaceship Earth in Epcot's Future World to see if I can improve. I did get better results using a Nifty-Fifty (Nikon 50mm f/1.8) lens than in the past. At it's maximum aperture of f/1.8, it is the fastest lens I own. My camera, a Nikon D700, is pretty good with high ISO photography. Still, I needed to add some noise reduction to the photos below.

Oh, and the audio-animatronics figures move, too!

Renaissance Players scene of Spaceship Earth.
Nikon D700/50mm, 1/80s, f/1.8, ISO 6400, EV +0.3

Renaissance Artists scene of Spaceship Earth.
Nikon D700/50mm, 1/80s, f/1.8, ISO 6400, EV +0.3.

I know what you are thinking. This is NOT Lieutenant Uhura of the Star Ship Enterprise though one has to think Disney Imagineers must have known we would all think it is.

Mainframe Computer scene of Spaceship Earth.
Nikon D700/50mm, 1/80s, f/1.8, ISO 6400, EV +0.3.

As you can see, these are not the best photos of inside Spaceship Earth on the web. Just goes to show you, we all need to continue to practice, experiment and strive to do better.

Taiko Drummer performing at Japan's pavilion.
Nikon D700/28-300VR, 1/30s, f/29, ISO 200, EV +0.3, 230mm focal length.

I wanted to show the speed of one of the Taiko Drummers in Epcot's World Showcase pavilion for Japan. To do that I switched to Shutter Priority mode and selected 1/30th of a second. These performers put their all into it as this photos shows.

Copyright © 2007 Barrie Brewer, Nikon D50, 18-200mm VR, 1/500s shutter, f5.6,

The Japan pavilion in Epcot’s World Showcase is the theme for our Pics of the Week this week. This beautiful 5-story pagoda stands at the entrance to the pavilion and was inspired by an 8th-century shrine in Nara, Japan. Just step inside this Disney imagineered version of Japan to find a little peace and serenity. Later this week, Scott and Lisa will share their images from Japan too.

Happy Belated Birthday, Lauren Thomas! I hope it was magical!

I'm glad you're finally feeling better, Mary Beth Tarbet. Good job on sending that healing pixie dust, players!

Mike Venere, we had snow (your fault), then Spring, and apparently are headed back into Winter. Here's a shocker: I got a cold. ;-)

Here was last week's Challenge:

And here's the answer:


Copyright © 2011 Erin Blackwell Canon PowerShot ELPH 300 HS, 6mm, 1/60s shutter, f3.5, ISO 200

Here's something I never noticed until this past December: The old Coca-Cola truck at the African Coolpost (formerly Refreshment Outpost) – next to the African Outpost – in Epcot's World Showcase. I stumbled upon this when my little 18-month old nephew played on the drums nearby.

Way to go, Tiffany Gibb! Let the hubby know he was wrong – nicely. :)

Larissa Huda was the first to send in the correct answer for the challenge! Congratulations to Larissa and to all the readers who got the answer right: Matthew Herman, Mary Beth Tarbet, William, Thomas Elizabeth, Gordon And Vicki Edwards, Peter Strukel, Betsy Silvestri, Tiffany Gibb, Julie Wickware, The O'meara Family, Craig, Karen Ramirez, Dee Dee Kenney, Patti Mccaffrey, Kerry Mccaffrey, Brian Miller, Paul Dickson, Margie Larmon, Karrie Duffey, Evanna Huda, Andrew Schumacher, Jeremy Mccaffrey, Susan Doucette, Sharon Dale, Linda Mac, Scott Price, Ruth Cookson, Emily Hudson, Danny Wags, Tim Schneider, Harry Wilson, Christopher Barnes, and Rob Blundin. Each of you are entered in this month's winners’ drawing.
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Challenge #214: Where in the world is this?

Another one from the parks. (I need to get one from outside the parks for next week...) Anyway!

Do you know? Do you have a guess? Please send in your answer, before the end of the day on Thursday, February 2nd, by clicking on the blue box below. Please do not post answers using the Feedback Form link at the bottom of this post. Remember to be specific with your answer - just naming a park will not get you into the drawing.

See you next week, Players!

_______________________________________________________________________

Everyone who sends in a correct answer to a Where in the World Challenge this month will be entered in a drawing at the end of the month for some special AllEars® goodies!

I have seen other photographers sharing photos of Walt Disney World Monorails at night in Epcot using a single flash unit to illuminate the moving vehicle. Without a flash, one could only get a blurred monorail late at night. You know me by now, I had to see if I could light up a monorail using my trusty Nikon SB-600 Speedlight flash unit.

I set up a tripod near the Universe of Energy so I could use Spaceship Earth for a backdrop when a monorail came by. Another reason for this location is the monorails slow down when they enter Epcot allowing me to use slower shutter speeds. The Universe of Energy is closed at night even if Epcot has an EMH night making it quiet enough to hear when a monorail was approaching. When a monorail appeared I tried to wait for it to get to the T in the track (see photos). I got better with each monorail.

I set my camera to use Rear-sync flash (sometimes called second curtain) where the flash is fired at the end of the exposure. This freezes most everything being photographed even if it is moving. Bright lights, like a monorail's headlight, will still show a streak. The flash's power was set to full power (+/- 0).

I put my camera in Manual mode and set the aperture to f/5 and ISO to 3200. I used my zoom lens on the scene until I found 82mm gave me a good composition. Used auto-focus to set focus and turned it off. By doing so, the focus will not change unless I moved the camera or hit the tripod. I used a remote shutter release to eliminate touching the camera. The flash was in the hot shoe on the camera.

The first monorail was orange and I took it at 1/30th of a second. I was a little quick on the shutter and the flash did not cover as much of the monorail as I had hoped. I liked how Spaceship Earth looked.

Monorail Orange passing Spaceship Earth at night.
Nikon D300/28-300VR, 1/30s, f/5, ISO 3200, EV 0, 82mm focal length, rear-sync flash at full power, tripod.

Monorail Green was the second one to enter Epcot. I changed the shutter speed to 1/15th of a second. Notice how the headlight has become elongated in this photo. Spaceship Earth is better exposed and more of the monorail has been lighted. I hit my mark, too.

Monorail Green passing Spaceship Earth at night.
Nikon D300/28-300VR, 1/15s, f/5, ISO 3200, EV 0, 82mm focal length, rear-sync flash at full power, tripod.

Monorail Blue was the next one and has an even longer headlight streak from the longer exposure at 1/4th of a second. The monorail is well lighted and Spaceship Earth looks great behind it. The mark is a bit late but I liked it better. I cropped it to a 4x5 (8x10) ratio.

Monorail Blue passing Spaceship Earth at night.
Nikon D300/28-300VR, 1/4s, f/5, ISO 3200, EV 0, 82mm focal length, rear-sync flash, tripod at full power, cropped.

I now know it can be done. I will try it again with a whole monorail as it crosses the World Showcase walkway from Future World. Others have done it with off-camera flash. Something I want to try at Walt Disney World in the future.

Monorails at Walt Disney World are not ride vehicles. They are an example of what public transportation could be. I remember growing up and reading the city I lived near was considering monorails and how excited I got. Sadly, the cost of a monorail system for even a small city is very high. That is too bad as riding the monorails in Walt Disney World is a future which people back in the 1950's, Walt Disney included, thought would be a staple of modern cities in the 21st Century. Basically, monorails are just plain cool! Especially orange ones quietly moving overhead through Epcot's Future World.

Monorail Orange in Epcot's Future World.
Nikon D700/28-300VR, 1/200s, f/8, ISO 3600, EV +0.3, 62mm focal length.

Barrie and Lisa will be here on Thursday and Saturday with their Disney Pic of the Week photos of Monorails in the Disney parks.

Copyright © 2007 Barrie Brewer, Nikon D300, 18-200mm VR, 1/10s shutter, f3.5, ISO 800

Paparazzi were on hand to capture the illustrious Lisa Berton and her close, personal friend, Tigger, at 1900 Park Fare in the Grand Floridian. Also in attendance at the grand affair were Mary Poppins, Alice in Wonderland, Mad Hatter, Pooh and Eeyore. Rumor has it that Lisa and Tigger have also been seen frequenting the Crystal Palace in the Magic Kingdom. Our crack photographers have been hiding out in the United Kingdom in Epcot in hopes of finding them bouncing around there as well.

Remember, you heard it here first!

Copyright © 2009 Barrie Brewer, Nikon D300, 18-200mm VR, 1/8s shutter, f4.5, ISO 400

The Weinkeller shop in Epcot’s Germany carries assorted German wines and accessories. The wine tasting is a good way to sample some of Germany’s different wines. The cost of the tasting includes a souvenir wine glass.

Germany in Epcot's World Showcase is a feast for the eyes and the stomach. Here you can eat and drink as every day is Oktoberfest in the Biergarten restaurant. Beer steins, wine, cuckoo clocks, dolls, pottery and hand-painted eggs by German artisans can be found in the shoppes outside the restaurant.

While most guests leave Epcot after Illuminations, I stayed one night and photographed the Germany pavillion using a tripod.

Late night in Epcot's Germany pavillion.
Nikon D70/18-200VR, 10s, f/16, ISO 200, EV -0.7, 18mm Focal Length, Tripod.

Barrie and Lisa will be here on Thursday and Saturday to share Germany photos for their Disney Pic of Week.

Butterfly close up in a garden in front of Italy in Epcot.
Nikon D700/28-300VR, 1/200s, f/7.1, ISO 200, EV 0, 300mm focal length.

I do not own a macro lens. Instead, I use my zoom lens to focus in close on small objects. This is what I did with the butterfly I found going from flower to flower in the gardens across from the Italy pavilion in Epcot. Due to the focal length of 300mm, I had to be about two feet from the butterfly to keep him in focus. I cropped the resulting photo about 40 percent to further bring the butterfly in closer for my Disney Pic of the Week for Macro/Close Up Photography.

I must have looked a bit nutty as I stalked this butterfly from flower cluster to flower cluster through two gardens. If you are at Epcot during the Flower and Garden Festival held in the Spring, you can visit Bambi's Butterfly House where you can photograph hundreds of butterflies in a more controlled environment.

Eiffel Tower in Epcot's France pavilion at dusk.
Nikon D700/28-300VR, 1/25s, f/5.6, ISO 6400, EV -0.3, 116mm focal length.

When I think of France, I think of Paris which naturally takes me to the Eiffel Tower. In Epcot, the France pavilion uses Disney's age old trick of forced perspective to make their Eiffel Tower look as tall as the original when it is only one-tenth its size. A fitting photo for my Disney Pic of Week for France.

I am substituting for Barrie this week who found herself without access to the Internet where she is staying in Florida before coming to Walt Disney World later this week. Barrie will owe me big time for this. ;-)

France, the country, brings thoughts of romance, Paris, the Eiffel Tower, French cuisine and fabulous breads and pastries. The France pavilion in Epcot's World Showcase embodies all those thoughts and feelings. Here you can meet Beauty and the Beast and ask them about their tale as old as time. Walk among Paris-styled streets and cafes. See the Eiffel Tower. Eat at the award winning Chefs de France restaurant where you might see a Little Chef at your table or dine upstairs in the elegant Bistro de Paris restaurant. Ah, and my favorite, Boulangerie Paitisserie, where you can enjoy fresh French pastries and breads.

A couple of years back, I found myself photographing around World Showcase past sunset and the photos I was taking showed a beautiful blue sky. Little did I know at the time I had stumbled upon the "Blue Hour". Felt it a fitting color and time for France.

The France pavilion in Epcot's World Showcase.
Nikon D700/28-300VR, 1/30s, f/4.5, ISO 6400, EV -0.3, 55mm focal length.

Lisa and I will be here on Thursday and Saturday with our Disney Pic of the Week of France.

Wait a minute, Players, we have a cast member amongst us! John from Animal Kingdom.

That's a good lead-in for me saying: when we talk the next time, peeps, I will be in Walt Disney World! Staying at my home away from home, Fort Wilderness! Maybe I will see some of you there.

While we're talking about the World, Betsy Silvestri, you are NOT weird for missing Snow White's Scary Adventures! I still miss Mr. Toad. And for the first princess to lose her attraction? It's something special.

Susie Howard, when you say you'll be at the Macy's parade with Mickey, do you mean you're a balloon handler? I SO want to do that! I called to volunteer to do it this year and found out you have to be an employee. Wow, how fantastic would it be to volunteer and find yourself working with Mickey?!

I didn't hear from other nations, so here's to the counties that we know play Where in the World Photo Fun! It's a glorious “Salute to All Nations, but mostly America!” Actually, it's USA and Canada!

Here was last week's Challenge:

And here's the answer:


Copyright © 2004 Erin Blackwell Canon ZR65 MC, 14mm, 1/120s shutter, f/3.2

It's one of the castle/houses at the Germany miniature railroad in Epcot! See, Brian Gallant, you were right. There was a figure there! Like Sharon Dale, this was one of my favorite Hidden Mickeys.

Tim Johansen was the first to send in the correct answer for the challenge! Congratulations to Tim and to all the readers who got the answer right: Kye Layton, Austin Oblenis, Matt Holley, Nicole Parker, Theresa Rucando, Dave Wang, Kathryn Perkins, Jacquelyn Law, Craig, John Hout, Lee Anastasi, Steve Smith, Amanda Campbell, Susie Howard, Gabriella And Matthieu Bruxelle, Sharon Pierce, Will Gallagher, Brian Gallant, Stephanie Newell, Karrie Duffey, Andrew Schumacher, Terry Fleming, Jennifer Mercier, Sharon Dale, Alan Mize, Mike Haeberle, Matt Degrandis, Barrie Brewer, Cheryl Costello, Robert Mccoy, Kelly Zanauskas, Betsy Moquin, Karen Smith, Emily Hudson, Jason Skow, Greg Burke, Kyler Scott, Christopher Barnes, Gretchen Barnes, Robert P. Flaherty, The O'meara Family, Jon Solomonson, Barclay Bakkum, Robert Bostic, and Robert Duncan. Each of you are entered in this month's winners’ drawing.

Which leads to.... (that's the drumroll) the monthly drawing! This month’s big winner is Ashley Wilson! Congratulations, Ashley, you are the lucky recipient some really cool AllEars® swag from Deb Wills!
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Challenge #205: Where in the world is this?

Hmmmm.... Well, we're in the parks.... So what could this be?

Do you know? Do you have a guess? Please send in your answer, before the end of the day on Thursday, December 1st, by clicking on the blue box below. Please do not post answers using the Feedback Form link at the bottom of this post. Remember to be specific with your answer - just naming a park will not get you into the drawing.

See you next week, Players!

_______________________________________________________________________

Everyone who sends in a correct answer to a Where in the World Challenge this month will be entered in a drawing at the end of the month for some special AllEars® goodies!

I remember when I first visited EPCOT Center (as it was known as in 1983) all the landscaping was perfect and the trees where from 8 to 15 feet high. As the years have gone by, many of the trees have grown very tall. In searching out a photo for this week's theme, I really noticed these palm trees near Mission: Space. It is unlikely these trees where here back in 1983 when this location was welcoming guest to ride in Horizons but I am sure some of the other ones nearby were.

I tried to recall a quote from Walt Disney about trees. It wasn't until I got home and searched for it that I found it:

The same can be said for Walt Disney World, Walt!

Barrie and Lisa will be here on Thursday and Saturday with their Disney Pic of the Week photos of Trees in the Disney parks.

You too can now join in the fun of our Disney Pic of the Week themes on Google+. Add the hashtag of #disneypic-trees to the text of your post. Then share it publicly so we can all see it. Search for #disneypics-trees in Google+ to see everyone’s pictures.

Aladdin with Jasmine in front of Morocco greeting guests.
Nikon D70/18-200VR, 1/60s, f/20, ISO 200, EV +0.3, 120mm focal length.

I had a hard time coming up with a photo for the Disney Pic of Week about Aladdin (the movie). I found plenty of photos of Jasmine. I must not have an eye for the Princes of Disney. I did find this one of Aladdin with Jasmine meeting and greeting guests in front of Morocco in Epcot's World Showcase. I guess if there is a princess around, the prince will get in the photo.

Spring Smith, you are SO welcome for me putting “It's a great big beautiful tomorrow” in your head all week! How about something for this week, hmmm?

Everybody's got a laughing place
A laughing place to go
Take a frown, turn it upside down
And you'll find yours we know!

That's enough to make me sing that all day!

Jennifer Harmon and Zachary Ott, thanks for your wonderful notes! I'm so glad you enjoy playing each week!

Mike Timmer, Google Image is our friend. It's certainly mine. We've known each other since the seventh grade. LOL!

And welcome to Gordon Edwards who joins his family in playing “Where in the World”! He's one of us now. (I'm holding back on the evil laugh... ok, maybe a tiny one: muwahahahaha!)

Here was last week's Challenge:

And here's the answer:


Copyright © 2006 Erin Blackwell FinePix S3000, 36mm, 1/200s shutter, f/2.8, ISO 100

As The Patterson Family and so many of you perfectly put it: This statue is of King Philip I, or Philip the Handsome, that adorns the outside of the Das Kaufhaus store in the Germany pavilion of World Showcase. Or, as Chris Stockton puts it, “That is the crown of King Philip I of Castile. Or it is at least the one he wears while he is staying with his friends Chuck and Ferd at Epcot. They 'hang around' the Germany Pavilion pretty much everyday.” :-D

I didn't know it when I made up last week's challenge but... I mean, I so totally knew Jack Spence did a blog tour of the German Pavilion a couple weeks ago, and set this up to coincide with it! That is my story and I'm sticking with it. ;)

Tiffany Gibb, aren't you glad you don't have to be mad at yourself? Me too. :)

Ken Eberhardt, I can't get Disney World 3D to work in Google Earth. I think I need to try my newer netbook. Ol' Faithful may not have the memory for it. Mmmmm, Google Earth....

I thought this was going to be very tough, but you guys surprised me again! We had 142 winners!

Craig was the first to send in the correct answer for the challenge! Congratulations to Craig and to all the readers who got the answer right: The O'meara Family, Sharon Pierce, Chris Masse, Bob Patterson, Matt Holley, Mary Virginia Clause, Sammi Jo, Betsy Silvestri, Kathy Berry, James Berry, Nick Smathers, Tiffany Gibb, Larissa Huda, Deb Ragno, Paul Dickson, Heather Pedulla, Mary Beth Tarbet, Virginia Dastugue, Kerri Coggins, Bruce Hinterleitner, The Henkel Family, Phil Vickers, Pam Tees, Maureen Handy, Wendy Barney, Robert Anderson, Kye Layton, Linda Scrivano, Kathryn Perkins , Evan Rapone, Debbie Desimone, Debbie Desimone, Gabriella And Matthieu Bruxelle, The Perras Family, Cara Richards, Kevin Miller, Audra Miller, Spring Smith, Karen Hughes, The Kahle Family, K.l. Beasley, Rob Blundin, Jennifer Tremley, Belicia Cullen, Scott Cullen, Jennifer Harmon, Evanna Huda, Double Family, Paul Knott, Mike Hill, Hannah Couture, Danielle Ciotti Harsley, Toni G., Jason Wright, Dan Johnston, Linda College , Kendall Huffman, Steve Jordan, Nicole Ruzinski, Tom Koval, Julie Wilmot, Jodi Cook, Michael Kertes, Amy Martel, Jennifer Horst, Mike Timmer, Zachary Ott, Mary Jo Gallion, Dee Dee Kenney, Laura Vaughn, Amanda Campbell, Hillary Waldroop, Kerry |mccaffrey, Jennifer Bourg, Steven Bowling, Patti Mccaffrey, John Crabtree, Tom Hermes, Kim Meyer, Clay, Claire Gregory, Jeremy Hardy, Melina Anne Hillis, Julie Wickware, Dallas Hamilton, Emma Marrow, Paul Ignudo Jr., Christopher Hall, Nancy Daniele, Tom Buck, Leslie Stewart, Patterson Family, Melissa Dye, Sarah Holodick, Robert Mccoy, Nicole Duddy, Alison Rosenberger, Andrew Schumacher, Nancy Ahlsen, Susan, Scott Sangston, Mike Haeberle, Alan Mize, Andrea Kruszewski, Karen Robertson , Caroline Burmester, Leigh Mertz, Theresa Maradei, Lorraine Burmester, Ken Eberhardt, Sharon Dale, Matt Degrandis, Heidi Goodhue, Troy Parker, Danielle Aston, Linda Mac, Ros, Karen Bellamy, Todd Ritter, Elyssa H, Tracy Discher, Vicki, Gordon, Elizabeth, William And Thomas Edwards, Liz Peniston, Patti Deluca, Lisa Cash, Barclay Bakkum, Tom Higbee, Gary Bracknell, Barrie Brewer, Jeremy Mccaffrey, Seth Walker, Rob Vanderpool, Jon Solomonson, Chris Stockton, Agnes Ciotti, Mickey Eckert, Jonah Rigby, Kerry A., Maryann Eckenrode, Katherine Gast, Bryan Timko, Russ Morgan, and Nick Smathers. Each of you are entered in this month's winners’ drawing.
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Challenge #203: Where in the world is this?

Stay with me in one of the parks for this week.

Do you know? Do you have a guess? Please send in your answer, before the end of the day on Thursday, November 17th, by clicking on the blue box below. Please do not post answers using the Feedback Form link at the bottom of this post. Remember to be specific with your answer - just naming a park will not get you into the drawing.

See you next week, Players!

_______________________________________________________________________

Everyone who sends in a correct answer to a Where in the World Challenge this month will be entered in a drawing at the end of the month for some special AllEars® goodies!

A Moroccan cast member mixes up a mimosa cocktail during the Food and Wine Festival.
Nikon D700/28-300VR, 1/40s, f/5.6, ISO 200, EV 0, 28mm focal length, rear-sync flash.

While visiting the Morocco pavilion in Epcot's World Showcase last year during the Food & Wine Festival, my wife and daughter enjoyed a Mimosa cocktail. Mimosa is a mix of orange juice and champagne. I was told they were very good and makes from my Disney Pic of the Week about the Food & Wine Festival.

Norway pavilion in Epcot's World Showcase.
Nikon D70/18-200VR, 1/60s, f/8, ISO 280, EV +0.3, 200mm focal length.

When I visit Epcot's World Showcase, I always enjoy a stop in the Norway pavilion. There you can learn about Norway's mythology, past, present and future by enjoying a dragon boat ride through the Maelstrom. Norway is the home to my favorite snack in Walt Disney World (School Bread at the Kringla Bakeri og Kafe) and the home to Vikings. The mighty Viking below stands outside the Stave Church where an exhibit of famous Vikings and their history resides.

A mighty Viking outside the Stave Church.
Nikon D700/28-300VR, 1/125s, f/5.6, ISO 200, EV -0.3, 78mm focal length.

I know many people walk right through the theater at the end of the Maelstrom ride. If you have never seen the movie or have not seen it in a long time, take the six minutes to view the beauty of Norway and its people.

Jeremy Mccaffrey, I heard I missed your Dumbo answer. I am really sorry about that. I put you in the list of winners, so you are eligible for the monthly drawing. Happy 10th Birthday! I hope you had a magical day!

Hello, Isabel! Since you are 7 years old, you are the youngest person playing “Where in the World”!

Agnes Ciotti, you spent Hurricane Irene better than I did!

Now, everyone, Marissa D'ambrosio is in Walt Disney World this weekend. Let's all wish her a happy trip and let's try to do it without any jealousy creeping in our voices. Bon Voyage, Marissa! (you lucky grumble not jealous at all, no not me)

Jason Skow, thank you for your wonderful note!

Greg Papa, your losing streak is broken. : )

This was Challenge #194:

And here's the answer:


Copyright © 2010 Erin Blackwell Canon Powershot SD890 IS, 7mm, 1/6s shutter, f/3.2, ISO 320

Our friendly Troll statue, on the left, is located in Puffin’s Roost shop in Norway, Epcot. The lovely woman on the right is currently located in her living room typing this on her laptop. :) A few people asked about his name; I couldn't find anything saying he has one. So, Claire Gregory, your mission when you go to Disney in 45 days is to ask the Norway cast members if he does have a name!

You see, Kevin Weidenweber, not everyone takes the same picture as you. LOL! Although our troll friend has a large fan base with pictures just in our Where in the World readers! Although Danielle Sauthoff's dad thinks like you do, Kevin, because he owns a Norway troll digging for gold. Ha!

Mary Jo Gallion, you got a PhotoPass picture here with viking helmets?! I want one!

Mackenzie D., Mary Jo was honest about the helmets. Now it's your turn. ;)

Kathy Berry, I love the rice cream at the bakery. MMMMMMMM.....

Michelle Thompson, I am not laughing at your son. Just the story. LOL!

Carol Gamill, maybe you'll get picked for “My Yard Goes Disney” and they'll give you a large troll for your yard! Take pictures for me and tell them to come to my house!

Diane Curfman, I salute your husband and his blonde pigtail viking helmet in his classroom. That's true Disney teacher of the year spirit!

Kye Layton was the first to send in the correct answer for the challenge! Congratulations to Kye and to all the readers who got the answer right: . Each of you are entered in this month's winners’ drawing.

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Challenge #195: Where in the world is this?

Staying in the parks, do you know where this is?

Do you know? Do you have a guess? Please send in your answer, before the end of the day on Thursday, September 22nd, by clicking on the blue box below. Please do not post answers using the Feedback Form link at the bottom of this post. Remember to be specific with your answer - just naming a park will not get you into the drawing.

See you next week, Worlders!

_______________________________________________________________________

Everyone who sends in a correct answer to a Where in the World Challenge this month will be entered in a drawing at the end of the month for some special AllEars® goodies!

Karen Schlumpf and Ashley P., I'm so glad you're enjoying Where in the World!

I'm curious: I know Jeremy who plays is 9. Can I hear from our other Where in the World players who are under 18? It'll be fun to see the age range!

This was Challenge #192:

And here's the answer:


Copyright © 2010 Erin Blackwell Canon Powershot SD890

This Donald Duck is part of the wall art in my favorite room in the MouseGears store in Epcot! I love the Sorcerer Mickey wand that moves on the ceiling and I especially adore the two original songs written just for this area! I call them the Cog song and “Hey, Hey Mickey”. I wish they'd put them on a theme park CD.

Ed Suscreba was the first to send in the correct answer for the challenge! Congratulations to Ed and to all the readers who got the answer right: Chris Masse, Rob Blundin, David Tarbet, Misty Mehelic, Kye Layton, Dee Dee Kenney, Larissa Huda, Evanna Huda, Lauren Thomas, Jeremy Coto, Sharon Pierce, Dylan Weidner, Sharon Dale, Double Family, Kenny Gutierrez, Antoinette Leblanc, Courtney & Maryann Eckenrode, Alan Mize, Jen Cerce , Lorine Landon, Jonah Rigby, Erin Dagney, Christine Dagney, Carol Baranowsky, Theresa Rucando, Katie Bray, Nicole Duddy, Linda Scrivano, Diane Ramos, Laurie Walker, Kahle Family, Jason And Melinda Lenz, Sam Fritz, Kelli Reedy, Kellie Harpel, Danielle Ciotti Harsley, Dawn Burns, Jane Bradley, Paul Dickson, Evan Rapone, Jarett Rutsky, Kyler S., Anna Keene, Vicki , Elizabeth, William And Thomas Edwards, Stephanie Visco, Mark D, Abigail Grasso, Mackenzie D., Patti Mccaffrey, Clay Anthony, Shaun Leake, Carolyn, Jared Orth, Tom Koval, Luis Rodriguez, Amanda Campbell, Pollyanna Buff, Ed Elder, Carrie Henderson, Karen Schlumpf, Bob Patterson, Diane Curfman, Erin Rix, Dale Knight, J Brizzle, Kelly Mager, Scott Price, Claire N, Anastasia Macneil, Cheri Palmisano, Carla Leger, Jeannine, Paul Ignudo Jr, Linda College, Linda Mac, Jennifer Tremley, Dan Owens, Lori Rienhardt, Karen Smith, Louise Barton, Derek Carty, Heidi Goodhue, Leslie Stewart, Rebecca Keenan, Shelly Borella, John Sheridan, Christi Ison, Caroline Burmester, George Mundy Jr, Kelsi B., Ros, Kevin Miller, Emily Harper, Patti Deluca, Christopher Barnes, James Berry, Kathy Berry, Ashley P., Nathaniel Clements, Jeremy Mccaffrey, Sherri Pell, Steve Bieniek, Kerry Mccaffrey, Sarah Holodick, Chris Stockton, and Madi M. Each of you are entered in this month's winners’ drawing.I

That leads us to: It’s time for our monthly drawing! This month’s big winner is Jo Ann Bailey! Congratulations, Jo Ann, you are the lucky recipient of a fabulous Disney book and some really cool AllEars® swag!
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Challenge #193: Where in the world is this?

Let's leave the parks this week. Do you know you this is and where you see his cute face?

Do you know? Do you have a guess? Please send in your answer, before the end of the day on Thursday, September 8st, by clicking on the blue box below. Please do not post answers using the Feedback Form link at the bottom of this post. Remember to be specific with your answer - just naming a park will not get you into the drawing.

See you next week, Worlders!

_______________________________________________________________________

Everyone who sends in a correct answer to a Where in the World Challenge this month will be entered in a drawing at the end of the month for some special AllEars® goodies and a cool Disney book!

In keeping with our theme of creative processing this week, I want to share with you an app I was made aware of a few weeks ago. If you own an Apple computer, iPhone, iTouch or iPad/2. You might enjoy getting FX Photo Studio to quickly add one or more special effects to your photos.

The interface is very easy. Once you import your photo, you can select, preview and adjust one of almost two hundred special effect filters to apply to your photo. Here are a few of my favorite Walt Disney World photos after selecting a FX (movie shorthand for special effects) filter from the app.

I keep going back to this photo of Space Mountain. As much as I like the original, it is fun to see it differently using creative filters and textures.

Neon FX filtered Space Mountain in the Magic Kingdom.

Spaceship Earth in Epcot's Future World is based on our planet but what if it was something from another galaxy?

Alien Skinned FX Spaceship Earth in Epcot.

Using FX Photo Studio is very easy. After launching the application on a MacIntosh computer, you can import photos from iPhoto, Aperture 3 or LightRoom libraries. On an iPhone, iTouch or iPad, it can import from any photo album. I imported this photo of the Tree of Life in Disney's Animal Kingdom from my Aperture 3 album of what I consider my best photos.

Tree of Life in Disney's Animal Kingdom before adding an FX filter.

Here is the Tree of Life photo being compared with the special effect called Lindale (selected below in the strip of effects). Once you select an effect, you are given one or more sliders to adjust the effect to your liking.

Screen shot of FX Photo Studio with the Tree of Life photo.

After I adjusted the effect from 100% to 80% I saved the image back to my computer.

Tree of Life after the Lindale special effect filter was added.

See how easy that was to do? FX Photo Studio costs $9.99 from the Mac App store. The iPhone and iTouch versions cost $1.99 and the iPad version costs $2.99 from iTunes.

This photo from the Italy pavilion in Epcot’s World Showcase has come to be one of my favorite photos. I know it’s a little unusual but for some reason, the more I look at it, the more I like it. Maybe there will be some of you who like it as well.

You will need to have Adobe Reader on your computer to download the calendar(s). Just click on the photo to download the calendar you want. When printing CD Jewel Case size, make sure “Page Scaling” in your print dialogue box is set to “None” to ensure that the calendar prints out at the correct size.

This one prints out at 8.5" x 11". It's handy if you need a calendar that you can write on.

This one prints out at 4.75" x 4.75", the perfect size for a CD Jewel Case frame.

And finally, this desktop wallpaper is for your monitor screen.

1024 x 768
1280 x 800
1280 x 1024
1440 x 900
1600 x 1200

A Day in the Life is our Disney Pic of the Week theme for this week. This is an added bonus post I thought you would all be interested in reading.

In 1978, Bob Desmond was walking up Main Street USA for the first time on his honeymoon. By the time he got to the Partners statue, he had told his new bride he would someday work for Disney as an advertising photographer. At the time, they were living in Massachusetts. Bob made good on his prediction by 1987 and for the next 6 and a half years worked in Walt Disney World's Marketing department. During a managerial reorganization in 1994, when all departments at Disney were told to cut staffing, Bob had the lowest seniority and was let go. As tough as that was, it gave Bob time to pursue another love of his, the making of hand crafted guitars. His former managers did not forget Bob either and he has worked with Disney as a freelance photographer ever since.

After meeting Bob last Fall, I have enjoyed hearing about his adventures and seeing his work from both Disneyland and Walt Disney World. He has been doing most of Disney's character photos over the last 18 months. These are the photos you see in brochures, press releases, websites and signage around the parks. From Aladdin to Tigger (I do not think he has done Ursula yet but give him time), he has been doing what most of us would call a dream job.

Disney photographer, Bob Desmond, working in Epcot's World Showcase.

As you might imagine, it is not all supercalifragilisticexpialidocious. Most of the photo shoots with the characters are done inside the parks. This means getting up very early in the morning before sunrise, setting up lighting, reflectors and other props as needed before the characters arrive so as to maximize everyone's time. Often the shoot calls for multiple locations which means having to work fast in a short amount of time as Bob and his crew need to be done before the parks open to the guests. Add the heat and humidity of an Orlando summer and one's energy can get sapped pretty fast.

Bob is an extraordinary person and photographer who delivers the photos requested by Disney in the best quality he can produce. His 20 plus years of working in the Disney parks is a tremendous asset which is why Disney seeks out his talent again and again. He often suggests ideas during the shoots to give Disney even more options and us, the guests, even more photographic reasons to return to the parks.

Disney photographer, Bob Desmond, and friends in the Magic Kingdom.

While it is hard work and has its ups and downs like any job, Bob has always told me how lucky he feels to be able to work within the parks and enjoys bringing out the best in the Disney brand with his photographs. In a recent email to me, he shared these thoughts, "I'm still working and shooting for the company that I love. It was intended by God for me to be there. I really feel that way. I have no other explanation for my good fortune."

I hope you enjoyed this special Disney Pic of the Week bonus feature. If you happen to see Bob walking around Walt Disney World, say "hi" and shake his hand for sharing with us some of the magic of Disney as seen through his photographic eye.

Monorail Playsets in Epcot's Test Track Specialty Shop.
Nikon D700/Tokina 11-16mm, 1/30s, f/2.8, ISO 2000, EV +0.3, 16mm Focal Length.

I know Buzz Lightyear is a cool toy but who does not want a Disney Monorail Playset running around in their home? I have seen them set up under Christmas trees and, with accessaries, as part of miniature Disney parks in people's homes. I found this one running in Epcot's Test Track Specialty Shop as I was exiting the ride.

Monorails are cool and make for my Disney Pic of Week on Toys.

Dawn Bach, thank you for such a wonderful note! Have a wonderful trip; I know you and your daughter will have a ball!

And I did mean the 16th, Tom Higbee. LOL!

Quick note: I will be at the AllEars' New York events this weekend and I'm hoping I'll meet some of you! It's my birthday weekend and what a great way to celebrate it: special times with friends. :)

This was Challenge #181:

And here's the answer:


Copyright © 2010 Erin Blackwelli

You can see this is the entrance arch to the Gran Fiesta Tour ride, starring Donald Duck, Panchito Pistoles, and José Carioca of The Three Caballeros. It's my favorite ride in Epcot in my favorite World Showcase pavilion, Mexico!

Here's a couple fun details to look for in the ride, if you don't about them already. In the scene where Donald is taking pictures while wearing a few sombreros, the Aracuan Bird briefly pops up inside the hats! The Aracuan Bird is his nemesis from “The Three Caballeros” and “Disney's House of Mouse” when Panchito and Jose would appear on the show. (Coincidentally, I first fell in love with Panchito and Jose on the House of Mouse!) Also look around the rocks in the scene where Donald is diving with the baby octopus: you'll see his sailor's jacket and drink on the rocks where he left them to go swimming!

A number of Worlders said this same picture is in the queue in Mickey's Philharmagic. I can see where they would be there, and I sort of remember it myself. I'll double check it and add everyone's name to the monthly winners list if it's true, so you will be in the monthly drawing too. I'll let you know next week.

Kirsty Butler was the first to send in the correct answer for the challenge! Congratulations to Kirsty and all other readers who got the answer right: Sharon Pierce, Lee Anastasi, Daniel Record, Theresa Rucando, Susie Howard, Tina Santacroce, Christine, Austin Oblenis, Ed Suscreba, Kye Layton, Cathy Skiba, Cathy Skiba, Christine Dagney, Erin Dagney, Mary Beth Tarbet, Kris Nixon, Misty Mehelic, Jen Cerce, Dee Dee Kenney, Millie Tenreiro, Michael Gainey, Cara Richards, Brian Skinner, Robert Anderson, Amy Schweizer, Erica Sipich, Matt Holley, Evanna Huda, Jennifer Harmon, Brett, Danielle Ciotti, Dawn Bach, Agnes Ciotti, Belicia Cullen, Sharon Dale, Scott Cullen, Larissa Huda, Annette Nuenke, Tammy Kallenbach , Phyllis Masse, Dale Knight, Cynthia Hitchcock, Brendan Abel, Jennifer Rupert, Brian Gallant, Maureen Handy, Linda, Mia W., Don Whiteman, Craig, Ed Hogan, Karen Schlumpf, Ruth Woodhouse, Richard Memmory, Beth Mcmeekin, Shannon Milair, Caryn Schill, Karen Adamakis, Bryan Timko, Bruce Hinterleitner, Jessica Gruhlke, Alex Karr, Jennifer Kaufman, Tim Johansen, Jacquelyn Law, Derek Carty, Gloria Martin, Linda College, Matt Cofone, Pollyanna Buff, Maryann Eckenrode, Heather Young, Leigh Mertz, Ashley Hill, Ken Jackson, Becky Terjung, Louise Barton, Madi M., Jeremy Hardy, James Berry, Kathy Berry, David, Bruce Jones, Katie Bray, Jared Orth, The Perras Family, Elizabeth Howarth, Lauren Thomas, Christopher Barnes, Karen Nelson, Carol Baranowsky, Ashley P., Chris Kelly, Kelly Mager, Laurie , Rob Blundin, Anastasia Macneil, Doug Reichl, Mackenzie D, Vicki Edwards, Jen, Andrea Kruszewski, Elizabeth Macgregor, Debra Kuklinski, Michelle Wilinski, Danielle Aston, Mary Virginia Clause, Mike O'brien, Walter N. Clark, Tim Jeltes, Paul Dickson, Tracey Mayfield, Betsy Silvestri, Jeannine Reid, Amy Filliben, Michelle Thompson, Megan Krainski, Kelly Zanauskas, Jeanette Luce, The Moore Family, Linda Mac, Tracy Discher, Erin Loring, Dennis Loring, Jim Finley, Steven Bowling, Jenny Leek, Luis Rodriguez, Barrie Brewer, Ed Aleszczyk, Becky H, Gareth Richards, Bob Patterson, Leslie Stewart, Nathalie Periard, Jennifer Tremley, Brittany and Jesse Siminitz, Scott Junkin, Kelly Smith, Nicole Duddy, Jeremy Reichelt, Lori Rienhardt, John Dupre, Kerry Mccaffrey, Wendy Faler, Chris Connors, Karrie Duffey, Sherry Trapp, Kristen Mccoy, Carri Marotto, Patty Newton, Michael Kaczanowski, Chris Bauman, John And Tracey Roerty, Diane Ramos, Christopher Hall, Jullie Pudem, Ken Fischler, Mike Gillardi, Ashley M, Regina Allen, Darrell Shortt, Kameo Crea, Chris And Alison, Anthony Lipinski, Erin Hammer, Brian Yesutis, Caroline Burmester, Chuck Sands, Melanie Dunlap, Elaine Johnson, Alan Mize, Carla Nale, David Gould, Kyler S., The Hicks Family, Sarah Holodick, Chloe Brooke, Jennifer Bourg, Mitch Buska, Sandra Edwards, Paul Ignudo, Jr., Brian Grabowski, Michelle Roth-smoot, Jim Logue, Katie Bowling, Katrina Westervelt, Josh Weiss, Caroline Williams, Jennifer Mccurry, Sheila Saey, Patti Deluca, Jamie K, Elaine Kleinhenz, Margot Garofalo, Liz Moreau, Joseph M Zafia, Thomas Auckland, Jason Skow, Ronnie Schreyer, Sarah Smee, Barclay Bakkum, Shirley Garcowski, Maryann Daly, Jason Lenz, Ruth Cookson, Dan Diehm, Roye Ann Morris, John Foggo, Scott Sangston, Pizazz, Eleanor Karwowski, Denise Mudrey, Robert Burge Jr, Shaun Leake, Caitlin Rush, Hillary Waldroop, Carol J, Paula Massarelli, Claire Gregory, and Veronica Monteiro. Each of you are entered in this month's winners’ drawing.
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Challenge #182: Where in the world is this?

Let's stay in the parks for another week:

Do you know? Do you have a guess? Please send in your answer, before the end of the day on Thursday, June 23rd, by clicking on the blue box below. Please do not post answers using the Feedback Form link at the bottom of this post. Remember to be specific with your answer - just naming a park will not get you into the drawing.

See you next week, Worlders!

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Everyone who sends in a correct answer to a Where in the World Challenge this month will be entered in a drawing at the end of the month for some special AllEars® goodies and a cool Disney book!

Since joining AllEars.net to contribute to the Picture This! blog, I have taken more notice of the wonderful Cast Members at Walt Disney World thanks, in part, to Lisa. She has always encouraged Barrie and I to get to know the cast members and to interact and photograph them when they are "on stage". This week, Lisa, Barrie and myself introduce you to some of the people who create the magic for us when we are visiting a Disney themepark or property for our Disney Pic of Week featuring Cast Members.

Cast Member in the Disney College Program answers questions from a young guest at the Seas with Nemo and Friends.
Nikon D700/28-300VR, 1/60s, f/4, ISO 1600, EV 0, 40mm focal length, flash

As this cast member, a member of the Disney College Program, was feeding the stingrays in Mr. Ray's Lagoon inside the Seas with Nemo and Friends, she answered questions from the young guests waiting to see Turtle Talk with Crush.

Brian Grabowski, thanks for the great note!

This was Challenge #176:

And here's the answer:

Copyright © 2009 Erin Blackwell Canon PhotoShot SD890 IS, 9mm, 1/40s shutter, f/3.5, ISO 3200 (ISO 3200 Mode)

It's Figment's Open House sign in Journey Into Imagination With Figment in Epcot. I enjoyed seeing how many people put “I love Figment” or “I love Figgy!” in your answers and listed this as a favorite ride.

And here's to David who “sang” the right verse for this part of the ride! So let's all sing it together now!

With just one spark of inspiration,
I've made my house an innovation!
Imagination really clowns around,
Makes downside up and upside down!

Bruce Jones was the first to send in the correct answer for the challenge! Congratulations to Katie and all other readers who got the answer right: Chris Mase, Denise Cayz , Jaime Thomson, Hillary Waldroop, Lee Anastasi, Erin Dagney, Cindy Jensen, Christine Dagney, Leslie Curol, Adam Milks, Marjorie Gvist, Mary Beth Tarbet, Larissa Huda, Maryann Eckenrode, Stephanie Visco, Amy Young, K.l. Beasley, Sharon Pierce, David, Patti Mccaffrey, Elaine Johnson, Mike Haeberle, Evanna Huda, Kelly Mager, Scott Otis, Barbie Lawless, Sammi Jo Albucker, Tina Albucker, Caroline Duprã©, Ken Jackson, Joshua Weiss, Beth Mcmeekin, Herb Miller, Ed Aleszczyk, Cara Richards, Melody Salemi, Sharon Dale, Lori Rienhardt, Vicki And Elizabeth Edwards, Clare C, Kelsi B., Sharon Lee, Stephanie Canales, Patty Newton, Patrick Reagan, Ken Fischler, Jeremy Reichelt, Leslie Stewart, Jim Finley, Nicole Duddy, Erica Sipich, Karrie Duffey, Melesia Love, James Greene, Victoria Finnegan, Marissa D'ambrosio, Mickey Eckert, Kelly M, The Perras Family, Linda College, James Berry, Kathy Berry, Katie Simmons, Kelly Kobiela, Katie Bray, John Arena, Jr, Jullie Pudem, Brian Grabowski, Margot Garofalo, Chloe Williams, Timmy Saunders, Harrison Grasso, Jamie Difatta, Theresa Rucando, Chuck Sands, Chris Stockton, Caroline Burmester, and Katie Bowling. Each of you are entered in this month's winners’ drawing.
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Challenge #177: Where in the world is this?

We're staying in the parks, Worlders!

Do you know? Do you have a guess? Please send in your answer, before the end of the day on Thursday, May 19th, by clicking on the blue box below. Please do not post answers using the Feedback Form link at the bottom of this post. Remember to be specific with your answer - just naming a park will not get you into the drawing.

See you next week, Worlders!

_______________________________________________________________________

Everyone who sends in a correct answer to a Where in the World Challenge this month will be entered in a drawing at the end of the month for some special AllEars® goodies and a cool Disney book!

Last week I showed you how my friend and Disney photographer Bob Desmond approached finding details at Epcot. He further explained he likes to "build" a photo showing elements of a park. These photos say "Epcot" or "Magic Kingdom" or other Disney park or resort to someone viewing it.

The fun in this for me was finding those elements in the viewfinder. My first photo was a direct result of Bob mentioning he likes to add elements which are non-static. In this case, I waited for a Friendship boat to enter into the mid-ground between the lamp with flowers in the foreground and the China and Norway pavilions in the background.

Hanging flowers on a lamp post in Epcot's Italy pavilion.
Nikon D700/28-300VR, 1/100s, f/16, ISO 200, EV 0, 28mm focal length.

While taking the photo from Italy, I noticed how the China and Norway pavilions worked together in the contrasts between them. As Bob and I continued to walk towards them I kept my eye out for a composition.

Africa, China and Norway in a scene from World Showcase.
Nikon D700/28-300VR, 1/250s, f/16, ISO 560, EV +0,.3 135mm focal length.

In the photo above, I compressed the elements with my zoom lens of the Africa outpost, golden roofs of China and Norway's castle as the landscaping of plants, trees and rocks add color balance.

Do you think I found elements which say "World Showcase"?

Sombrero wearing Donald Duck in Mexico's character Meet and Greet location.
Nikon D700/28-300VR, 1/125s, f/5, ISO 200, EV +0.3, 34mm Focal Length.

As Lisa noted earlier this week, you can find a sombrero wearing Donald Duck in Mexico's character Meet and Greet location in Epcot's World Showcase. Donald is looking good with my daughter at this side for my Disney Pic of the Week about Characters in Various Outfits.

Last fall I spent a few hours with Disney photographer extraordinaire Bob Desmond at Epcot. Bob has been photographing for Disney for over 20 years. After meeting with Bob near Japan in World Showcase, I asked him what he found to photograph after so many years. He gave me a couple of things right off the bat. The first was looking for details most people when vacationing miss. I know when I see photos in Disney brochures and websites, I often see things I have walked by and missed.

With that in mind, we set off in search of such photos. Bob leading with me, the learner, by his side. We first stopped at a location in front of Japan. Bob was patiently waiting for guests to give him a clear shot at Spaceship Earth across the water. I took a slightly different angle and used a tree to naturally frame Spaceship Earth.

Naturally framed Spaceship Earth from World Showcase.
Nikon D700/28-300VR, 1/60s, f/16, ISO 200, EV 0, 34mm focal length.

Bob liked our first attempts but we continued around World Showcase until we came upon the Venetian canals and bridges on the water across from Italy. Here, Bob explained how he liked to get in close using some brightly colored flowers. Get in close is something I have mentioned here a time or two. After Bob was done, I moved in and immediately liked the composition he had found.

Flower framed Spaceship Earth from World Showcase.
Nikon D700/28-300VR, 1/640s, f/5.6, ISO 200, EV 0, 125mm focal length.

You will notice I decided on a different photographic approach for this photo. I used a long focal length and opened up the aperture to soft focus the foreground flowers as I focused carefully on Spaceship Earth. In both photos I used a circular polarizing filter to enhance the sky.

Next week I will show you the other thing Bob likes to photograph at Epcot.

Copyright © 2010 Barrie Brewer, Nikon D300, 18-200mm VR, 1/80s shutter, f4.2, ISO 800

Here’s Space Mickey giving me a little peck on the cheek. Don’t tell Minnie! My Pic of the Week for characters in costumes was taken at an AllEars special event in Epcot last December. Following a spectacular Illuminations dessert party, guests were treated to a private late night ride on Spaceship Earth. Afterwards, everyone was surprised with a visit from the Big Cheese himself.

This is a perfect opportunity for me to remind you about “A December to Remember”. Join the AllEars Team in Walt Disney World this coming December as we conclude our year long 15th Anniversary celebration. We’ll be holding meets in each of the parks December 8-12, 2011 and we’re busy planning some extra magic as well! We hope to see you all there.

This week's Disney Pic of the Week is titled Anything Goes and needs a bit of an introduction. (Queue Tower of Terror host Rod Serling voice). You will be entering a realm of possibilities this week as Barrie, Lisa and myself feature photos of our choosing without the constraints of a creative theme. Enter, if you dare...

The Slayer of Vanity statue seen below is found in the Spirited Beasts from Ancient Stories to Anime Stars exhibit in Epcot's Japan pavilion of a crow-tengu standing ready to defend. These powerful birdlike spirits wear the traditional robes of Shinto priests. They are skilled warriors and often play mischievous tricks on those who are vain and proud.

Slayer of Vanity statue found in the Spirited Beasts exhibit in Epcot's Japan pavilion.
Nikon D700/28-300VR, 1/15s, f/3.5, ISO 2800, EV 0, 28mm focal length

Tengu are a class of supernatural creatures found in Japanese folklore and are traditionally depicted with both human and avian characteristics. Recently, these mythical creatures have been brought to Japanese children via the popular anime where they continue to teach life values to the young through their stories. (Source: Wikipedia)

A Polarizer filter was used to deepen the blue in the sky above Epcot's Norway pavillion.
Nikon D700/28-300VR, 1/60s, f/13, ISO 200, EV +0.3, 56mm Focal Length, polarizer filter.

A circular polarizer filter is a favorite of mine. It does two things very well. Removes the haze of a blue sky and create a deep blue color and cuts through reflections in glass and water. No need to adjust later in software either.

It was a the polarizer filter which created the beautiful, deep blue of the sky above the Norway pavillion featured here between the sign for Kringla Bakeri og Kafe and the spire of Restaurant Akershus as my Disney Pic of the Week on Filters.

This week Lisa, Scott and I are sharing pictures we’ve taken using filters on our cameras. There are many kinds of filters that affect your image in different ways. Ultra Violet (UV) filters reduce haze and help to protect your lens. Polarizing filters reduce glare and increase saturation. Neutral Density filters make it possible to extend your exposure time. These are just a few examples of the many different filter choices a photographer has. For a great introduction to these and a few other common filters, check out this article at Cambridge in Colour.

Copyright © 2009 Barrie Brewer, Nikon D300, 18-200mm VR, 1/125s shutter, f20, ISO 200

This first photo of the Japan koi pond in Epcot’s World Showcase was taken without a filter. Notice how the reflections on the water make it hard to see the fish and the rocks on the bottom of the pond. In the second shot, below, taken about 30 seconds later, I used my circular polarizer to cut the glare on the water’s surface.

Copyright © 2009 Barrie Brewer, Nikon D300, 18-200mm VR, 1/125s shutter, f16, ISO 200

I never studied art so the concept of negative space has eluded me. I would get comments on my photos saying they had made good use of negative space. Turns out every photo has negative space which is defined as the space around an object of attention. Photos can have little or a lot of negative space. To me, negative space was kind of wasted space. However, negative space generates attention as it puts a stronger emphasis on the subject.

The Hall of Prayer for Good Harvest found in China around Epcot's World Showcase only takes up about a third of the frame yet the contrast of the very ornate structure is easily the main subject of the photo. The blue sky and clouds do work to draw attention to the structure.

Negative Space using sky and clouds.
Nikon D700/28-300VR, 1/160s, f/6.3, ISO 200, EV _0.3, 58mm focal length.

To be honest, I do not think much about negative space and concentrate on the subject. As I compose a photograph with a lot of negative space, I fall back on the Rule of Thirds. This is what I did when I took this photo of the spires and towers of Cinderella Castle in the Magic Kingdom.

Spires and towers of Cinderella Castle.
Nikon D700/28-300VR, 1/125s, f/11, ISO 320, EV 0, 100mm focal length.

Another use for photos with a lot of negative space is for title photos in photo galleries, slideshows and videos. Using the Cinderella Castle spires and towers photo above I made a title photo for a gallery or slideshow to share with friends and family.

Cinderella Castle title photo.

I read a lot about negative space this week and I will return to this subject later this year after I return to Walt Disney World with the added knowledge. There is more to negative space than empty space. I know this because Disney uses it in their adviertising.

Toy Story Mania billboard outside the entrance to Disney's Hollywood Studios.
Nikon D70/18-200VR, 1/125s, f/22, ISO 200, EV +0.3, 24mm focal length.

Last fall, I stopped for lunch in Italy’s new Via Napoli restaurant which specializes in pizza. They even import water from Italy in the making of the crust. The atmosphere of the restaurant is lively and bright.

Each cast member expertly performed their tasks as I photographed each step in the pizza making process. The pizza crust gets carefully prepared before being passed over for the sauce and fresh toppings to be added per order. Then the pizza gets placed in one of the wood burning stoves named after an Italian volcano. For this pizza, it was Mount Vesuvius.

Making a Pizza at Via Napoli Restaurant.

After the pizza is cooked to perfection, young and energetic servers from Italy deliver it to a guest's table like these three men you see below.

Young Italian servers who brought a pizza to a guest's table in Italy's Via Napoli restaurant.
Nikon D700/28-300VR, 1/125s, f/3.5, ISO 900, EV 0, 28mm focal length.

Each server was in a different stage of their time at Epcot. The one on the left was working his last day after spending two years at Walt Disney World. He was looking forward to returning home and celebrating his brother’s birthday. The one in the middle had just started his adventure at Epcot and was being trained to replace the one leaving. I felt he would do well as he was outgoing and very attentive to the guests. The one on the right is in the middle of his time at Epcot but was the most important member of the trio. It was he who brought the large mushroom pizza pie before you. Yes, it was as good as it looks if not better.

Cast members in Epcot's World Showcase countries have fascinating stories about themselves and their homes. Next time you are enjoying a meal at one of the excellent restaurants in World Showcase, ask for more than what is on the menu and get to know a true Disney ambassador.

The Monorail is such a favorite mode of transportation that some would even call it an attraction! In fact, I’d go as far to say that it’s a symbol for the Disney Parks in the U.S. Its “elevated” status has led us to declare it the topic for this week’s Pic of the Week. Come back on Thursday and Saturday to see Lisa and Scott’s images of this iconic Highway in the Sky.

Copyright © 2010 Barrie Brewer, Nikon D300, 18-200mm VR, 1/2500s shutter, f4.2, ISO 200

If you’ve been collecting AllEars® Trading Cards, then you’ll recognize my Pic of the Week, the blue Mark VI Monorail train. Here it circles around Future World in Epcot.

Wow... my first week here at the Where in the World contest! Thank you to my friend, Barrie, who entrusted me with this. Thank you to Scott for welcoming to the photo blog, and to Lisa who welcomed me to the cool kids and then asked if I paid my membership fee to get in. And, of course, to Deb Wills who says the team loves me despite everything. :)

Now, this week's contest!

This was Challenge #164:

And here's the answer:

Copyright © 2010 Erin Blackwell, Canon PhotoShot SD890 IS, 7mm VR, 1/60s shutter, f/3.2 , ISO 320 (Interior SCN Mode)

You will find the answer at Epcot in MouseGears (one of my favorite spots; my husband says I consider MouseGears and the Emporium as attractions). It's the original Dreamfinder's vehicle from the first incarnation of Journey into Imagination.

Bob Patterson was the first to send in the correct answer for the challenge! Congratulations to Bob and all the other readers who got the answer right: JDale Knight, Scott Otis, Mckinley Yeaman, Daniel Record, Carla C., Sarah Holodick, Tim Rachuba, and Noreen Rachuba! Each of the winners will be entered in this month’s winners’ drawing.
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Challenge #165: Where in the world is this?

Do you know? Do you have a guess? Please send in your answer, before the end of the day on Thursday, February 24, by clicking on the blue box below. Please do not post answers using the Feedback Form link at the bottom of this post. Remember to be specific with your answer - just naming a park will not get you into the drawing.

_______________________________________________________________________

Everyone who sends in a correct answer to a Where in the World Challenge this month will be entered in a drawing at the end of the month for some special AllEars® goodies and a cool Disney book!

Audio-animatronic brontosaurus dinosaurs inside the Universe of Energy.
Nikon D70/18-200VR, 1/60s, f/3.5, ISO 1000, EV -0.3, 18mm focal length.

I have only had two rides at Walt Disney World get stopped while I was on them in all my trips. The Universe of Energy in Epcot's Future World was one of them and the only one I was asked to leave the ride vehicle to be escorted out of the ride. This gave me an opportunity to photograph the large audio-animatronic brontosaurus dinosaurs without worrying about being in a moving ride vehicle (you can see the ride's track in the lower right of the photo). The diorama makes for a unique Disney Pic of the Week about the Universe of Energy.

Exploring new worlds from behind the lens is intriguing, captivating, and exotic. While many of us haven't traveled the globe far and wide, we have and can get a glimpse of some foreign lands at Epcot. When walking around these detailed pavilions we see so much that it sometimes escapes us. I love going back over and over again and trying to find fresh alternative perspectives.

One thing I tried last year was to attempt something new in as many World Showcase pavilions as possible. In Morocco I found myself catching notice of intricate mirrors as well as what was in them.

In the Fez House, glass and metal lanterns hang overhead. With some tippy toe work, I was able to photograph them in a different manner. I just wish I had some glass cleaner with me for the mirror.

Moving over to the open air marketplace, a long wardrobe-like mirror rested against the wall behind an array of goods for sale. Patiently, I waited for someone to fill the void.

The perfect Cast Member, a Moroccan native gives me the image I wanted.

I used my Canon PowerShot SX100 IS for these photos and made sure to focus on who and what was in the mirror as well as the frame itself. Be sure your f-stop (aperture) is set to at least 8, a higher number like 11 or 16 would be even better. With plenty of natural light and a decent ISO of 200 or 400, you can pull off quick shots.

Look at you. Now look at me on Facebook. Connect with my photography and writing.

Copyright © 2010 Barrie Brewer, Nikon D300, 18-200mm VR, 1/500s shutter, f11, ISO 200

The Universe of Energy is one of Epcot’s opening day attractions and our choice for Pic of the Week. Today it houses Ellen’s Energy Adventure, whose ride vehicles are partially powered by the solar panels that sit on the roof of the building. Be sure to check out Jack Spence’s great in-depth blog about this pavilion and then come back here on Thursday for Scott’s interpretations. Lisa is playing hooky this week.

The topiaries around Walt Disney World and all the Disney parks are amazing, living works of art. Many of them can only be seen at special times of the year like during the Winter Holidays or Epcot’s Flower and Garden Festival in the spring. Others are there for guests to enjoy year round. This week Scott, Lisa and I will once again share some of our favorite topiary images for our Disney Pics of the Week. Enjoy!

Copyright © 2011 Barrie Brewer, Nikon D300, 18-200mm VR, 15s shutter, f8, ISO 100

These Mickey and Minnie topiaries were part of the Epcot holiday decorations this year. Lucky for me, they were still out when I was there for Marathon Weekend earlier this month.

World Showcase isn’t the only place to see Illuminations. For March’s calendar, I took a picture of Illuminations from Futureworld, near the Imagination Pavilion.

You will need to have Adobe Reader on your computer to download the calendar(s). Just click on the photo to download the calendar you want. When printing CD Jewel Case size, make sure “Page Scaling” in your print dialogue box is set to “None” to ensure that the calendar prints out at the correct size.

This one prints out at 8.5" x 11". It's handy if you need a calendar that you can write on.

This one prints out at 4.75" x 4.75", the perfect size for a CD Jewel Case frame.

And finally, this desktop wallpaper is for your monitor screen.

1024 x 768
1280 x 800
1280 x 1024
1440 x 900
1600 x 1200

Lisa asked me to post three of my favorite photography tips to start out the new year with. Great idea, Lisa!

Tip Number One

Fill the Frame
Whether by feet, telephoto/zoom lens or crop, the one tip I can give you to improve your photography immediately is to get close and fill the frame. This is what I did for this portrait of one of the male gorillas on the Pangani Forest Exploration Trail in Disney's Animal Kingdom.

Male gorilla on the Pangani Forest Exploration Trail in Disney's Animal Kingdom.
Nikon D700/28-300VR, 1/125s, f/5.6, ISO 3600, EV 0, 300mm Focal Length

Tip Number Two

Rule of Thirds
This simple rule of composition is easy to learn and will take your photography from simple snapshots to impact photographs. Below is a photo of Off Kilter's Bassist, Mark Weldon, I used to demonstrate the rule of thirds back in 2007.

A photo of Off Kilter's Bassist, Mark Weldon, used to demostate the rule of thirds in Epcot's Canada pavilion.

Tip Number Three

Read the Manual
This is something many of us fail to do once we get a new digital camera or gadget. We dive right in and start using it. That works for awhile and then we start getting frustrated with the results. I suggest you take the time to read the manual. Learn what all the buttons, switches, dials and menu options do. The more you learn about your digital camera or gadget, the more satisfied you will be with your results.

A young woman reads the manual to her new digital camera..
Nikon D700/28-300VR, 1/50s, f/5.6, ISO 2800, EV 0, 38mm focal length, rear-sync flash at -0.7 power, bounced off ceiling.

Using these tips and those of Lisa's and Barrie's, will help you to improve taking photos with and using your digital cameras at the Disney themeparks in 2011.

Follow Nemo and friends to the Seas in Epcot's Future World.
Nikon D70/50mm, 1/60s, f/18, ISO 200, EV +0.3

I followed Nemo and his friends to the entrance to the Seas for my Disney Pic of the Week on The Seas with Nemo and Friends.

In the Seas with Nemo and Friends pavilion you can easily spend hours watching all the sea creatures in the large and small aquariums, talking with Crush and eating at the Coral Reef restaurant. If you’re lucky you’ll get a chance to watch Cast Members learning about communication with the dolphins. Take one of the special tours and you can even snorkel or scuba dive in the 5.7 million gallon salt-water tank, home to sea turtles, angelfish, dolphins, rays, and sharks. Our Pics of the Week will give you a very small taste of what you’ll see in this aquatic pavilion.

Copyright © 2010 Barrie Brewer, Nikon D300, 11-16mm, 1/20s shutter, f2.8, ISO 640

The phrase “he’s so ugly he’s cute” comes to mind when I look at this little guy. Don’t you just want to give him a big smooch? Ok, maybe I wouldn’t go that far, but he sure is adorable.

A Test Track dummy hanging around the ride queue.
Nikon D70/18-200VR, 1/15s, f/5.6, ISO 200, EV +0.3, 200mm focal length

For my Disney Pic of the Week on Test Track, I caught this crash dummy hanging around the ride queue. He better be careful, they might put him in the barrier test with the guests for goofing off.

Copyright © 2010 Barrie Brewer, Nikon D300, 11-16mm, 1/20s shutter, f2.8, ISO 800

This is the scene just after stepping off Test Track in Epcot. I spent a l-o-n-g time there on the day I took this picture. The assembly line is a great place to get some abstract photos, especially with a wide angle lens.

This was Challenge #156:

And here's the answer:

Copyright © 2010 Barrie Brewer, Nikon D300, 18-200mm VR, 1/800s shutter, f/5.6, ISO 160

This maple leaf fence is located in front of the Canada pavilion in Epcot’s World Showcase.

Jim Finley was the first to send in the correct answer for the challenge! Congratulations to Jim and all the other readers who got the answer right: Russ Morgan, Dennis Blackburn, Karrie Duffey, Lily-pierre Couet, Deirdre Lewis, Robert Anderson, Shane Stack, Carri Marotto, Matt Holley, Debbie Hicks, Becky Terjung, Paul Ignudo Jr., Ken Rhinehart, Timmy Saunders, Patrick L, Vicki Edwards, Linda Abbate, Mary Greger, Caryn Schill, Paula Munson, Luis Rodriguez, Laura Vaughn, Jennifer Mills, Heidi Goodhue, Nikki Powell, Lisa Jones, Randy Heintzelman, Brian Gallant, Jeff Stetson, Kevin Miller, Christopher Hall, Steve Pocopanni, Betsy Dross, Nancy Lam, Karen Aguiar, Amanda Linde, Rusty Podbelski, Andrea Huda, Marc Lorenzo, Laura Pranaitis, Bill Mckim, Jackie, Jon Cohen, Lynn Hart, Tom & Susan Linder, Tim Johansen, Roye Ann Morris, Joseph M Zafia, Kelly Zanauskas, Monica Hatch, and Andrew Webber! Each of you were entered in this month’s winners’ drawing.

It’s time for our monthly drawing. Drumroll, please! This month’s big winner is Diane Ramos! Congratulations Diane, you are the lucky recipient of a fabulous Disney book and some really cool AllEars schwag!

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Challenge #157: Where in the world is this?

Do you know? Do you have a guess? Please send in your answer, before the end of the day on Thursday, December 30, by clicking on the blue box below. Please do not post answers using the Feedback Form link at the bottom of this post. Remember to be specific with your answer - just naming a park will not get you into the drawing.

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Everyone who sends in a correct answer to a Where in the World Challenge this month will be entered in a drawing at the end of the month for some special AllEars® goodies and a cool Disney book!

Copyright © 2010 Barrie Brewer, Nikon D300, 18-200 VR, 0.0015s shutter, f8, ISO 200

Sometimes Epcot’s International Gateway feels like my own private entrance to the World Showcase. Located between the United Kingdom and France, Epcot’s “back door” is accessible by foot or boat from the Epcot resort area and Disney’s Hollywood Studios.

TRON Legacy monorail going past the Imagination Pavilion.
Nikon D700/28-300VR, 1/250s, f/6.3, ISO 200, EV +0.3, 28mm focal length

TRON: Legacy opens today in the United States as the long anticipated sequel to Disney's 1982 TRON. Earlier this year, the TRON Monorail started running between the Magic Kingdom and Epcot to promote the film. The monorail has two sides, one with a yellow lightcycle and the other side you see above with a blue lightcycle.

I thought it was great synergy between the themeparks and motion picture divisions of the Disney company. Not everyone thought the TRON monorail was a good idea. To those people, I surmise Walt Disney would have done such a promotion in a heartbeat. He wasn't one to miss an opportunity to create a buzz about a new film his company was making.

In February we’ll be taking a trip to Japan. This torii gate stands in front of the Japan pavilion in Epcot’s World Showcase, framing Spaceship Earth across the Seven Seas Lagoon.

You will need to have Adobe Reader on your computer to download the calendar(s). Just click on the photo to download the calendar you want. When printing CD Jewel Case size, make sure “Page Scaling” in your print dialogue box is set to “None” to ensure that the calendar prints out at the correct size.

This one prints out at 8.5" x 11". It's handy if you need a calendar that you can write on.

This one prints out at 4.75" x 4.75", the perfect size for a CD Jewel Case frame.

And finally, this desktop wallpaper is for your monitor screen.

1024 x 768
1280 x 800
1280 x 1024
1440 x 900
1600 x 1200

Copyright © 2007 Barrie Brewer, Nikon D300, 18-200 VR, 1/60s shutter, f5.6, ISO 1600

Sheena Easton performs during one of the Eat to the Beat concerts at Epcot.

This was Challenge #150:

And here's the answer:

Copyright © 2006 Barrie Brewer, Nikon D50, 18-200mm VR, 1/2s shutter, f/5, ISO 200

Oh geez, I feel terrible. I thought this one was going to be easy! I know you are all kicking yourselves now that you see the full image. This fountain is in Epcot, outside of the Imagination Pavilion in Futureworld.

Kristen Mcciy was the first to send in the correct answer for the challenge! Congratulations to Kristen and Matt Holley, the only other reader who got the answer right! Each of you will be entered in this month’s winners’ drawing.

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Challenge #151: Where in the world is this?

Do you know? Do you have a guess? Please send in your answer, before the end of the day on Thursday, November 11, by clicking on the blue box below. Please do not post answers using the Feedback Form link at the bottom of this post. Remember to be specific with your answer - just naming a park will not get you into the drawing.

_______________________________________________________________________

Everyone who sends in a correct answer to a Where in the World Challenge this month will be entered in a drawing at the end of the month for some special AllEars® goodies and a cool Disney book!

Copyright © 2010 Barrie Brewer, Nikon D300, 11-16mm, 1/5000s shutter, f2.8, ISO 400

Test Track in Epcot’s Futureworld will get your blood pumping! The climax of this attraction is a high-speed test that sends guests screaming into a 50-degree banked curve at 65 MPH.

I first visited Epcot's Future World a year after it opened. EPCOT Center, as it was known then, had its critics but I was not one of them. I remember watching when Walt Disney introduced the Florida Project to the world a few months before his death. I still had the heart of the 7 year old as I marveled at Spaceship Earth geodesic sphere. Back then the Innovention Fountain did not put on a show to music as it does today.

The lighting on the fountain and Spaceship Earth at dusk shows the beauty of Walt's vision.

Innovention Fountain with Spaceship Earth at dusk.
Nikon D700/28-300VR, 1/30s, f/5.6, ISO 800, EV -0.3, 145mm Focal Length

Look on Thursday and Saturday for Barrie and Lisa's Disney Pic of the Week on Future World.

This was Challenge #147:

And here's the answer:

Copyright © 2007 Barrie Brewer, Nikon D300, 18-200mm VR, 1/100s shutter, f/8, ISO 200

I always wonder what this guy is thinking about. Any ideas? Emperor Ferdinand I, of the Hapsburg Emperors, sits atop one of the shops of the Germany pavilion at Epcot.

Jennifer T was the first to send in the correct answer for the challenge! Congratulations to Jennifer and all the other readers who got the answer right: Tracey Mayfield, Elaine Johnson, Evanna Huda, Hillary Waldroop, Paul Knott, Clay Anthony, Larissa Huda, Nancy Lam, Sarah, Suzanne, Rick And Michele Shea, Lee Anastasi, Scott Otis, Mckinley Yeaman, Tina Albucker, Samantha Jo , Kelly Scott and Heather Pedulla. Each of you will be entered in the October winners’ drawing.

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Challenge #148: Where in the world is this?

Do you know? Do you have a guess? Please send in your answer, before the end of the day on Thursday, October 21, by clicking on the blue box below. Please do not post answers using the Feedback Form link at the bottom of this post. Remember to be specific with your answer - just naming a park will not get you into the drawing.

_______________________________________________________________________

Everyone who sends in a correct answer to a Where in the World Challenge this month will be entered in a drawing at the end of the month for some special AllEars® goodies and a cool Disney book!

I’m playing catch up a little bit here. I completely missed my Pic of the Week day last week. So this week I’ll be sharing two pictures. This first one is a behind the scenes glimpse of Living with the Land. I snapped this photo of the tomato tree while on the Nature-Inspired Design Segway Tour. Amazing that this is just one tomato plant!

Copyright © 2010 Barrie Brewer, Canon PowerShot SD780 IS, 1/125s shutter, f3.2, ISO 80

Now onto the current Pic of the Week, hotel lobbies. The parks are not the only place to get great pictures in Walt Disney World. Every one of the resorts is teaming with amazing photo opportunities. From the fun and colorfully decorated value resorts to jaw-dropping, spectacular deluxe resorts, there is an endless supply of photographic material in the lobbies of Disney’s hotels. Here’s one from the Grand Floridian to get us started. Watch for Scott and Lisa’s lobby pics later this week.

Copyright © 2007 Barrie Brewer, Nikon D50, 18-200mm VR, 1/80s shutter, f4.5, ISO 400

Spiral Nutrient Film Technique seen during the Living with the Land ride.
Nikon D70/50mm, 1/160s, f/6.3, ISO 200, EV +0.3

Spiral Nutrient Film Technique is a version of hydroponics and can be seen by taking the Living with the Land boat ride in Epcot's The Land pavilion. NFT is just one way we can grow food in a safe and efficient way and makes for my Disney Pic of the Week on The Land.

Hi everyone – I’m back! Challenge #139 was a tough one. It had four parts, one for each week that I was on vacation. In order to make it into the prize drawing, you had to get all four parts correct. Anyone who did so was rewarded with two entries in the drawing this week.

A.)

B.)

C.)

D.)

And here are the answers:

A.)

Copyright © 2010 Barrie Brewer, Nikon D300, 18-200mm VR, 1/160s shutter, f/8, ISO 200

The pool at Coronado Springs is beautiful, especially when the water is falling down the side of the pyramid.

B.)

Copyright © 2010 Barrie Brewer, Nikon D300, 11-16mm, 1/60s shutter, f/2.8, ISO 800

Innoventions West at Epcot is where you’ll find this fire engine. It’s part of the “Where’s the Fire?” fire prevention exhibit.

C.)

Copyright © 2010 Barrie Brewer, Nikon D300, 11-16mm, 1/10s shutter, f/2.8, ISO 200

I’ll be sad to see Toontown in the Magic Kingdom go. These are Mickey’s plans for remodeling his kitchen.

D.)

Copyright © 2010 Barrie Brewer, Nikon D300, 11-16mm, 1/320s shutter, f/8, ISO 200

You see advertising kiosks like this all over Paris. This one can be found in France in Epcot’s World Showcase.

Lee Anastasi was the first to send in all four correct answers for the challenge! Congratulations Lee! Your name was entered three times. Only two other readers got all the answers right: James Berry and Kathy Berry. I’m betting there was some teamwork happening there! Each of you were entered twice in the August winners’ drawing. Speaking of that drawing, this is the week when a reader is randomly selected for the prize package. This month’s big winner is Paul Cooper! Congratulations Paul, you are the lucky recipient of a fabulous Disney book and some really cool AllEars schwag!

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Challenge #140: Where in the world is this?

Do you know? Do you have a guess? Please send in your answer, before the end of the day on Thursday, August 26, by clicking on the blue box below. Please do not post answers using the Feedback Form link at the bottom of this post. Remember to be specific with your answer - just naming a park will not get you into the drawing.

_______________________________________________________________________

Everyone who sends in a correct answer to a Where in the World Challenge this month will be entered in a drawing at the end of the month for some special AllEars® goodies and a cool Disney book!

I enjoy a good meal after spending a day walking around a Walt Disney World park. Thankfully, you have a choice of all kinds of table and counter service restaurants in the parks, resorts and Downtown Disney. I like to photograph the food for future restaurant reviews at the PSCalculator.net website. However, judging by all the photos I see on Disney forums, photographing Disney restaurant food is very popular.

To get really good photos of food with a digital SLR camera, I suggest you bring a flash unit you can rotate the flash head in order to bounce it off a nearby surface to spread and even out the light on the food.

Photographing food is not unlike anything else. Watch your backgrounds and edges along the frame, focus carefully, hold the camera steady and get a good exposure. A couple of other things, don't start eating until after photographing the food and arrange everything the way you want. This is what I did for the lunch buffet plate at the Tusker House restaurant in Disney's Animal Kingdom.

A plate of food from the Tusker House restaurant lunch buffet.
Nikon D70/18-200VR, 1/6s, f/3.5, ISO 200, EV +0.3, 18mm focal length, flash at -1 power

I took the photo directly from above as it worked best for the amount of different items arranged on the plate. For the Maine Lobster entree at Narcoossee's restaurant in the Grand Floridian, I photographed as one would see it if they were seating in my place. Yes, the lobster was as good as it looked.

Maine Lobster entree served at Narcoossee's restaurant.
Nikon D70/18-200VR, 1/60s, f/5, ISO 400, EV +0.3, 18mm Focal Length, flash at -1 power

In both the above photos, I used the Nikon SB-600 Speedlight flash unit bounced off the restaurant's ceiling with a -1 power setting to give the food the added pop of color and succulent lighting.

When waiting in line at Norway's Kringla Bakeri og Kafe, I remembered Barrie's wonderful photo of the Cloudberry Horns. As I didn't want to duplicate her version, I made the famous Kringla Sweet Pretzels the main subject using the Cloudberry Horns in the softly focused background.

Cloudberry Horns and Kringla Sweet Pretzels at Kringla Bakeri og Kafe counter service restaurant.
Nikon D70/18-200VR, 1/15s, f/, ISO 360, EV +0.3, 170mm Focal Length

One last thing, you may have to get down low or stand up above or even look a bit goofy as you find the best angle to get a favorite snack properly framed in the viewfinder. Don't worry, the servers and cast members have seen it all before.

Copyright © 2007 Barrie Brewer, Nikon D50, 18-200VR, 1/250s shutter, f8, ISO 360

During the Flower and Garden Festival in Epcot, I always look for the display of garden art. This is a close-up of one of the pieces that I liked.

This was Challenge #138:

And here's the answer:

Copyright © 2010 Barrie Brewer, Nikon D300, 18-200mm VR, 1/15s shutter, f/4.5, ISO 2500

Good job everyone! You’re right, this is the microphone in the tank with Crush at Turtle Talk with Crush in Epcot.

Rich Kacprowicz was the first to send in the correct answer for the challenge! Congratulations to Rich and all the other readers who got the answer right: Tom Koval, Larissa Huda, Kye Layton, Evanna Huda, Laura Tarbet, Shannon Murray, Kathy Love, Emily Currier, Colin G Buchanan, Chris Masse, Tim Weston, Dylan Weidner, Deborah Jezioro, Millie Tenreiro, Jodi Cook, Donna Currier, Julie Wickware, Megan, Leigh Mertz, Brianne, Melody Salemi, Lee Anastasi, James Steele, Sharon Pierce, Linda Scrivano, Christine, Craig, Howard Schreiber, Andrew Weed, Deborah J. Ragno, Shane Kropp, Chloe, Jamie K, Joshua Swainston, Melissa Ruggieri, Michael Joel Gainey, Jennifer Harmon, Cheryl Buchanan, Shaun Leake, John C. Lacasse, Scott Stubbs, Joseph Zafia, Laurie Nicholson, Brenda Mcguire, Clay Anthony, Cynthia Harrison, Joe Marrella, Dan Murell, Angie Young, Ronnie Lane, Walter Fletcher, Double Family, Jessica Folan, Mark D, Theresa Rucando, Liz Howarth, Wendy Crober, Bridgette Gallagher, Denise Cayz, Seth Walker, Stephen Hafke, Kelly Mager, Claire Gregory, Joyce Tofflemire, Sandi B, Diane Ramos, Kathryn Barnes, Brian Yesutis, Rochelle, Robert Anderson , Bob Lanks, Wendy Ip, Scott Prewitt, Christopher Tweedle, Kathleen, Baines Family, Chris Connors, Mike Timmer, Ansley And Jen, Bryan Timko, Tim Johansen, Sarah, Ken Calden, Maggie Bruski, Jamie C., Marc Stumbo, Kristen Gainey, Jen Cerce, David Boyarsky, Walter Clark, Lainee Guffey, Mike O'brien, Stacey Hutchinson, Krystal Pound, Katie Bamford, Anjanette Tournillon, Maryjane Keeble, Joyanne Johnston, Romie Brown, Nicole Brown, R Engel, Amy Sapp, Kelsi Bruno, Melissa Littman, Gretchen Shively, Tim Wingfield, Daniel, Carrie Kenney, Ruth Woodhouse, Allison Collins, Bonnie Smith, Carrie Henderson, Ron Renz, Colleen Murphy, April Haddock, The Kahle Family, Ken Fischler, Chandra Mccall, Jamie Kerr, Sarah Smee, Emma Ford, Teri Jo Fuson, Kevin Bass, Kendall Huffman, Mike Kaczanowski, Andrea Kruszewski, Marina Crober, Diana F., Bruce Jones, Cameron Lange, Cara Richards, Joann Albrecht, Paul Dickson, Jennifer Tremley, Sarah Connors, Kim Carroll, Tiffany W., Morag Leon, Shannon Milair, Bob Hendrix, Karen Schlumpf, Kim Steiner, Trista Newell, Ron Kaczmarek, Danusia Rogacki, Steve Pocopanni, Casie Crowder, Scott Lau, Jennifer Schwing, Douglas Mcknight, Karen Desantis, Danielle Fitzgerald, Tricia Noble, Nicole Lassiter, Evan Gentile, Jaclyn Kelch, Karrie Duffey, Samantha French, Kristen Mccoy, Timothy Hutchinson, Liz Weiter, April Ramey, Deanna Simmons, Jennifer Mercier, Mary Tackett, Carol Baranowsky, Melissa, Hillary Waldroop, Bruce Lawson, Michelle Roth-smoot, Nathalie Doiron, Gary Genteman, Jennifer , Carri Marotto, Kristin Mazur, Margaret I. Vattes, Aubrey Cooper, Rob Barnhardt, Bruce Arnold, Kelsi Bruno, Bryan Fencl, Debbie Hicks, Mel O'donnell, John Arena Jr, Erin Savoie, Andrew Baillie, Ian Falk, John Foggo, Doug Olson, Tina Cole, Matt Degrandis, Jeff Schoeling, Alicia Littleton, Jill Davoll, Madi M., Jeffrey Finger, Rob Blundin, James Berry, Jim Kayer, Kathy Berry, Rebecca, Carinne Kight, Jill, Dennis Bratnik, Amy Miller, Jason Wright, Robin, Scott Kinzel, Bob Regan, Lee Krueger, Sara Elliott, Bill Mckim, Karen Hughes, Ed Hogan, Samuel Shotick, Evelyn Wilson, Allie Laguardia, Patti Purdy, Rozi, Amanda Smith, Ashley Mayer, Mike M., John Hout, Lori Rienhardt, Jennie Pirkl, Elaine Johnson, Brendan Abel, Anastasia Macneil, Jackie Purcell, Amanda Sawasky, Susie Roberts, Lori Bohner, Karen Genda, Elisa Dillon, Gene Jacobi, Alan P, Amanda(:, Corrie Haemmerle, Beth Hood, Valerie Rodgers, David Williams, Allison Caputa, Andrea Weedmark, Nicole Ruzinski, , Paul Pica, Wendy Snelgrove, Elaine Tomko-deluca, Kelly Scott, Tim Rachuba, Jenny Shenold, Jennifer Mccurry, Charity Maas, Kevin Weidenweber, Kayla Anulies, Robin Mckiel, Nancy Lam, Paul Ignudo, Jr., April Heicken, Michael Mesarch, Nettie Duffy, Nettie Duffy, Jerry Marceau, Len Beebe, Lisa Laskowski, Carol Donoghue, Dan Potts, Mike Venere, Jamie Dawson, Amy Whitmire, Erin Dagney, Christine Dagney, Jim Finley, Amy Terrell, Mike Haeberle, Christa P, Rebekah Ferry, Allie Reckendorf, Matt And Danielle Murgia, Tammy Kallenbach, Lisa Cash, Dana Karas, Jennifer Bogdan, Liz Moreau, Thomas Auckland, Keith Rawlinson, Margot Garofalo, Carolyn, Heather Pedulla, Dana Hall, Kelly Hoffmann, Gay Bachmann, Alicia Henderson, Amanda Gagnon, Ginny P, Melissa Boyle, Tiago And Rocco De Oliveira, Crystal Lee, Kristin Dormuth, Jim Riley, Douglas Florey, Tracy Cegielski, Dave Carriere, Brent Barrilleaux, Paul Newman, Beth Crossland, Annette Basile, Jordan, Sandy, Jane Johnson, Maja Kodani, Linda Abbate, Katie Simmons, Kerry Aldrich, and Tom & Susan Linder. Each of you will be entered in the July winners’ drawing.

A couple of you missed the answer to #136 so here’s a link.

Sundays just won’t be the same for awhile! I am going to be taking a break for the summer, so the next time you will see Where in the World will be on August 22. That means you have lots of time to figure out the answer to challenge #139. I better make it a little tougher than usual!

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Challenge #139: Where in the world are these?

Ok, I said it would be harder this week. In order to make it into the winners’ drawing for this challenge, you must know where ALL FOUR of these photos are from. Everyone who gets all four correct will have their name entered twice in the next drawing. Good luck everyone – see you on August 22!

A.)

B.)

C.)

D.)

Do you know? Do you have a guess? Please send in your answer, before the end of the day on Thursday, August 19, by clicking on the blue box below. Please do not post answers using the Feedback Form link at the bottom of this post. Remember to be specific with your answer - just naming a park will not get you into the drawing.

_______________________________________________________________________

Everyone who sends in a correct answer to a Where in the World Challenge this month will be entered in a drawing at the end of the month for some special AllEars® goodies and a cool Disney book!

Copyright © 2007 Barrie Brewer

Ok, I admit, this is a little bit of a cheat. But it is a train, so technically, I can use it for my Pic of the Week. No one said it couldn’t be a miniature train. This one can be found next to the Germany pavilion in Epcot’s World Showcase.

I thought I’d share a picture of the Space Shuttle launching over Mission Space in Epcot for the September calendar. This was taken when I was there this past May. I felt like Mission Space was the perfect place to catch one of the last launches that we may see, at least for awhile.

You will need to have Adobe Reader on your computer to download the calendar(s). Just click on the photo to download the calendar you want. When printing CD Jewel Case size, make sure “Page Scaling” in your print dialogue box is set to “None” to ensure that the calendar prints out at the correct size.

This one prints out at 8.5" x 11". It's handy if you need a calendar that you can write on.

This one prints out at 4.75" x 4.75", the perfect size for a CD Jewel Case frame.

And finally, this desktop wallpaper is for your monitor screen.

1024 x 768
1280 x 800
1280 x 1024
1440 x 900
1600 x 1200

This was Challenge #135:

And here's the answer:

Copyright © 2010 Barrie Brewer, Nikon D300, 18-200mm VR, 1/160s shutter, f/16, ISO 640

St. Theodore adorns the top of this column in Epcot – specifically, in the World Showcase Italy pavilion. St. Theodore was the first Patron Saint of Venice. The other column has the Lion of St. Mark on top of it. In the real Venice, the inspiration for Epcot’s Italy, you’ll find both of these columns in the Piazza San Marco (St. Mark’s Square). Originally, three columns were meant to grace the square but the third fell into the sea and sank to the bottom of the lagoon when it was being unloaded.

Katie Bray was the first to send in the correct answer for the challenge! Congratulations to Katie and all the other readers who got the answer right: Craig, Sharon Dale, James Greene, Sharon Pierce, Jodi Cook, Dawn Bach, Shannon Murray, James Berry, Kathy Berry, Carol Baranowsky, Ed Suscreba, John Dupre, Linda Scrivano, Kris Nixon, Chuck Sands, The Kahle Family, Lee Anastasi, Heather Pedulla, Mary Beth Tarbet, Theresa Rucando, Tim Johansen, Jacquelyn Law, Amanda Campbell, Jennifer Tremley, Kye Layton, Dave Wang, Karen Ramirez, Scott Otis, Mckinley Yeaman, Pollyanna Buff, Chris Masse, Elizabeth, John Agnew, Christopher Tweedle, Chris and Alison, Tom Koval, Gabby Stapp, Jennifer Townsend, Mia W., Julie Wickware, Sandi B, Chloe, Karrie Duffey, Elizabeth Macgregor, Mike Malampy, Ryan Benco, Tina Benco , Colin Buchanan, April Haddock, Dan Mangini, Gabriella Rizzo, Cheryl Costello, Tiffany W., Rob Blundin, Jim Riley, Jim Finley, Gennaro Rosato, Mike Venere, Jen , Diane Ramos, Kimberly Watson, Mark Todd Watson, Maja Kodani, Cynthia Barry, Deanna Simmons, Dave Carriere, Tim Rachuba, Jennifer Schwing, Beth Mccauley, Cheryl Buchanan, Allison Romstadt, Heidi F Goodhue, Maureen Handy, Scott, Jessica Ripley, Larissa Huda, David W, Dick Martin , Matthew Waga, Paul Newman, Theresa Swanson, Margot Garofalo, Paul Newman, Barclay Bakkum, Douglas Florey, Shirley Garcowski, Kristin Dormuth, Debra Moscara, Maryann Romagnano, Ruth Cookson, Brenda, Sharon Dale, Richard Palmer, Allison Caputa, Christine Dagney and Matt and Danielle Murgia. Each of you were entered in the June winners’ drawing.

It’s time for our monthly drawing. This month’s big winner is Heather Coursen! Congratulations Heather, you are the lucky recipient of a fabulous Disney book and some really cool AllEars schwag!

_______________________________________________________________________

Challenge #136: Where in the world is this?

Do you know? Do you have a guess? Please send in your answer, before the end of the day on Thursday, July 1, by clicking on the blue box below. Please do not post answers using the Feedback Form link at the bottom of this post. Remember to be specific with your answer - just naming a park will not get you into the drawing.

_______________________________________________________________________

Everyone who sends in a correct answer to a Where in the World Challenge this month will be entered in a drawing at the end of the month for some special AllEars® goodies and a cool Disney book!

Copyright © 2010 Barrie Brewer, Nikon D300, 11-16mm, 1/13 sec, f/2.8, ISO 2500

My Pic of the Week is Mariachi Cobre, a 12-piece band that plays Mexican folk music. The group began playing at Walt Disney World in 1973 at the Contemporary Resort and the Magic Kingdom, while on summer break from the University of Arizona. Today you can catch them at the Mexico pavilion in Epcot.

Our Disney Pic of the Week will feature Park Entertainment.

Walt Disney World is full of technological marvels and rides which immerse us into a place of fantasy. However, it is the people, the Cast Members, who make the parks come alive. In each park there are musical and entertainment cast members and troops which gather guests around them and may even include guests in their performances. Some have planned scripts, some are improvisational and others a little of both.

Take the World Showcase Players, whom I ran across in the United Kingdom pavilion on my last trip, doing the Legend of King Arthur with guests playing the parts of King Arthur, Sir Galahad and Guinevere. While there is a script of a sort. The Players are always on the lookout for a good laugh or two or three at the expense of their guest players and the audience. It is hard to tell who is having the better time, us or them!

The World Showcase Players entertaining guests in the United Kingdom.
Nikon D70/18-200VR, 1/60s, f/8, ISO 720, EV +0.7, 18mm focal length

Consult Steve Soares' Walt Disney World Entertainment website for performance times of the World Showcase Players.

Barrie and Lisa will be here on Thursday and Saturday with their favorite Park Entertainment.

This was Challenge #133:

And here's the answer:

Copyright © 2010 Barrie Brewer, Nikon D300, 11-16mm, 1/25s shutter, f/2.8, ISO 800

When I exited Test Track in Epcot, I was totally enthralled by the colors and lines of the assembly line that you pass through at the end of the ride. I had a new lens to play with, a wide angle lens, and I was having just as much fun taking pictures as I did on the ride just moments before. Good thing I was with friends or I might have gotten sidetracked in there for hours. I know, I’m easily amused!

FYI, if you guessed Star Tours was the answer, you weren’t alone. That was the second most guessed answer this week.

John Leach was the first to send in the correct answer for the challenge! Congratulations to John and all the other readers who got the answer right: Sharon Lee, Megan Krainski, Dawn Bach, Chris Masse, Paul Cooper, Fred Shakeshaft, Jen Schultz, Teri Jo Fuson, Bryan Timko, Christi Ison, Wendy Crober, Marina Crober, Jen Cerce, Mary Jane Keeble, James Greene, Mia W., Shane Kropp, Tim Johansnen, Lee Anastasi, Brendan Abel, Shawna Richards, Marshal K., Mike Walter, Tracy Discher, Michael Joel Gainey, Margaret Vattes, Elizabeth Scarborough, Sherry Klinefelter, Theresa Rucando, Kelli Olthoff, John Agnew, Karen Nelson, Chris Lomonaco, Gretchen Shively, Erin Loring, Brenda Mcguire, Emily Currier, Caryn Schill, Becca Brooks, Ed Aleszczyk, Laurie Walker, Ashley Ryan, Ken Maikowski, Linda Scrivano, Angie Young, Maryann Eckenrode, Mike Kaczanowski, Craig, Penny Urell, Brian S., Bill Daniel, Michael Malampy, Ryan Benco, Tina Benco , Scott Otis, Mckinley Yeaman, Pollyanna Buff, Tom Koval, Brian Yesutis, Double Family, Steve Pocopanni, Kye Layton, Joshua Swainston, John Dupre, Charity Maas, Tom & Susan Linder, Paul Newman, Dale Knight, Jen Snapp, David, Diane Curfman, Linda Kasych, Karen Schlumpf, Jennifer, Louise Barton, Katie Bray, Cindy Dore', Belicia Dawson, Debbie Connors, Denise Cayz, Chris And Alison, Ashley Hill, Pasquale Crea, Steve Toponak, Diane Furtado, Sue Thompson, Cameron Love, Jennifer Parajon, Nicole Henisse, Sandi B, Hillary Waldroop, Shannon Murray, Kelly Zanauskas, Lisa Mccormack, Amy Sapp, Kelsi Bruno, Jennifer Townsend, Tiffany W. , Kim Meyer, James Berry, Chris J, Tom Hermes, Jeremy Hardy, Susan Stanley, Steve Bieniek, Andrea Weedmark, Misty Mehelic, Ken Fischler, Dan Mangini, Cameron Lange, Bruce Lawson, Jessica Folan, Rob Blundin, Christopher Hall, Dana Schirnhofer, Alison Rosenberger, Dennis Blackburn, Kristen Mccoy, Mark Franklin, Ed Suscreba, Jim Finley, Carla C, Erin, Greg Strohmeyer, The Kahle Family, Cathy Skiba, Megan Evans, Karrie Duffey, Dave Carriere, Cait Rush, Rachel Hoover, Jeremy Reichelt, Nicole Lauzon, Wendy Snelgrove, Tim Rachuba, Nicole Ruzinski, Mike Gillardi, Dennis, Debbie Desimone, Wade A. Williams, Matthew Jadro, Becky Terjung, Stacey Van Dyke, Sandra Edwards, Claire Natsis, Matt And Danielle Murgia, Jennifer Hoffman, Elaine Tomko-deluca, Chloe, Nate, Mickey Eckert, Becky Norman, Sharon Pierce, Sandy B., Jay Reagan, James Berry, Kathy Berry, Carol Baranowsky, Kelly Scott, Julie Wickware, Emily Cummings, Stacie Gatzemeyer, Linda College, Hale Mcsharry, Jason Skow, Derek Carty, Kristin Mazur, Christopher Bourassa, Gabriella Rizzo, Teresa, Chris Connors, Jacquelyn Law, Deanna Simmons, Amy Lucas, Karon Colwell, Maja Kodani, Noreen Rachuba, Kurt Knappman, Louise Maxwell, Stephanie Pcolinsky, Maryann Eckenrode, Liz Zaczek, Karen Donald, Jim, Patty Cartry, Katerina Purdy, Madi M., Mark Swayze, Nicole Alley, Richard Capri, Kathryn Barnes, Suzanne, Vickie Scioneaux, Ana And Lucas Marlett, Stacey Barboza, Matt Cofone, Luis Rodriguez, Clarissa K, Matt & Allison, Ellen Feldman, Thomas Auckland, Marylynn Miles, Joseph Zafia, David Williams, Walter Clark, Sharon Jones, Diane Miske, Nancy Bennett, Bill Monahan, Kristin Dormuth, Heather Coursen, Kelly Mager, Liz Weiter, Robin Mcconnell, Ray Vinciguerro, Debra Moscara, Sabrina Bogart, Roye Ann Morris, Mike Venere, April Haddock, Christine And Erin Claeys, Michelle Bates, Daniel Mills and Chuck Sands. Each of you will be entered in the June winners’ drawing.

_______________________________________________________________________

Challenge #134: Where in the world is this?

Do you know? Do you have a guess? Please send in your answer, before the end of the day on Thursday, June 17, by clicking on the blue box below. Please do not post answers using the Feedback Form link at the bottom of this post. Remember to be specific with your answer - just naming a park will not get you into the drawing.

_______________________________________________________________________

Everyone who sends in a correct answer to a Where in the World Challenge this month will be entered in a drawing at the end of the month for some special AllEars® goodies and a cool Disney book!

Funny that I should be the one to introduce this week’s Pic of the Week topic, Hidden Mickeys. I am the world’s worst hidden Mickey locator. I get really excited when I find some of the most obvious ones there are, like the plates on the shop door in Morocco and the hubcaps in Mickey’s garage in Toontown. I go onto Steve Barrett’s site and look at the photos that are posted and even with a description I still can’t see the darn thing! I’ve even had people point out Hidden Mickeys in my own photos that I didn’t know were there. I’m hopeless.

Copyright © 2007 Barrie Brewer, Nikon D50, 18-200mm VR, 1/40 sec, f/5

I found this Hidden Mickey in the Japan Koi pond in Epcot’s World Showcase. Notice, it isn’t all that hidden – those are the kind I can find!

As the iconic symbol of Epcot, Spaceship Earth has been photographed almost as much as Cinderella Castle. Trying to find a unique way of presenting it is nearly impossible. In fact, the photo below is me doing something I saw on flickr by another photographer. This "on the ground" prospective with the dividing concrete line leading your eyes (right?) into the photo came out better than I had hoped. Not having the entire geodesic sphere in the frame and emphasizing all the guests walking towards it, to me, reminds me of Spaceship Earth's theme of Human Communications.

Barrie and Lisa will be here on Thursday and Saturday with their views on Spaceship Earth.

A beetle's view of guests walking towards Spaceship Earth.
Nikon D70/18-200VR, 1/80s, f/18, ISO 200, EV +0.3, 18mm focal length

It is still raining so we will continue our tour around World Showcase and continue in the clockwise direction.

Next up is the American Adventure. There is a lot of photograph inside the World Showcase host pavilion. The Voices of Liberty perform before the show, the American Heritage Gallery and the American Adventure theatre and show. When proceeding to the theater, you ride escalators or hike up a set of stairs through the Hall of Flags. Above you is hung a collection of the flags that have flown over the United States in all of its forms. It includes Revolutionary War flags, Colonial flags, and foreign flags that once had claim to the land. There are 44 flags in all.

There are 44 flags in the Hall of Flags you pass under to see the American Adventure.
Nikon D70/18-200VR, 1/25s, f/3.5, ISO 1600, EV +1.0, 18mm focal length

In looking through my Disney photo library, I came up short on an indoor photo for Japan. A quick search of my flickr contacts found not many of them had them either. Then I came across this photo taken in the Japan pavilion by Scott Rison who graciously is allowing me to use it here. Scott has recently started a flickr group called Disney's Human Element with the goal of showing what really makes Disney special.... its people.

Scott explains his photo this way, "In Japan's Pick-A-Pearl area, there is already a bit of excitement in what kind of jewel you'll discover (of course you'll get a pearl... but there's also size and color to consider). But to really make you feel like you've come across the "Crème de la Crème", the Cast Member plays a little ditty to celebrate your accomplishment."

A Pick-A-Pearl Cast Member celebrates a guest finding a pearl in Japan's pavilion.
Canon Rebel T1i, 1/160s, f/4.5, ISO 3200, EV 0, 32mm focal length

The Brass Bazaar is one of the shops you will find in the Morocco pavilion. These shops remind me of the beginning of Aladdin with all kinds of pottery, jewelry, brass, baskets, clothing, carpets and, of course, lamps. You'll find lots of textures, patterns and shapes to photograph. Lighting is good but I still needed a slow shutter speed for a proper exposure.

Shopping in the Brass Bazaar in the Morocco pavilion.
Nikon D70/18-200VR, 1/15s, f/3.5, ISO 640, EV +0.3, 18mm focal length

This side of Epcot seems to have more shops than indoor attractions. France does have a movie but that's hard to photograph with my equipment. Instead, I found the classic souvenir of France: a scale model of the Eiffel Tower.

Eiffel Tower souvenirs in the Souvenirs de France shop in France.
Nikon D70/18-200VR, 1/10s, f/4.2, ISO 1600, EV +0.3, 34mm focal length

Rugby is a huge sport in the United Kingdom. Fans are rabid about it. When I visited England a few years ago, ruby fields were as common as football fields are in the United States. One of the things travel photographers look for in a culture is the sports they play. I bounced my speedlight, a Nikon SB-600, flash off the ceiling of The Toy Story store to soften the light and shadows.

Rugby balls and sweaters in The Toy Soldier shop in the United Kingdom.
Nikon D70/18-200VR, 1/60s, f/4, ISO 200, EV +0.3, 18mm focal length, bounce flash

Now we come to the last World Showcase pavilion on our tour, Canada. Again, there is a store and a Circle-Vision movie but not much else indoors. Ah, but if you happen to have reservations at Le Cellier, Canada's restaurant, you will see a Canadian Cast Member come out to call your name when your table is ready. Enjoy the cheese soup!

A Cast Member coming out to call out a party's name to eat at Le Cellier.
Nikon D70/18-200VR, 1/15s, f/3.5, ISO 220, EV +0.3, 18mm focal length

Hope you have enjoyed our tour around Epcot's World Showcase and how to make a rainy day into a many photographic opportunities.

Les Chefs de France restaurant's pseudo-outdoor cafe.
Nikon D70/Tokina 11-16, 1/3s, f/5.6, ISO 1600, EV +1.0, 11mm focal length

France is known for it's outdoor cafes. Disney added a pseudo-outdoor cafe area to the France pavilion's Les Chefs de France restaurant. The glass enclosed area protects diners from the Florida weather and still gives the feeling of sitting outside. At night, of course, it is even more so and is my Disney Pic of Week on Sit Down Restaurants.

You wake up in your room at Walt Disney World and look outside and see dark gray sky and rain falling. This can be a bit disheartening especially if you were planning on doing a lot of outdoor photography while your family enjoys the Florida sunshine. For such days may I recommend visiting Epcot. All the attractions are inside (except for Test Track which may not be running on rainy days) and have lots of photographic opportunities. For this week and next, I am going to take you around World Showcase and show you how I enjoyed a rainy day.

I would suggest bringing a tripod or Gorrillapod for low light photography. A flash can be used to add light where you need it, too. Please be courteous to your fellow guests when using either a tripod or flash.

We are going to start in Mexico and work our way clockwise around the World Showcase. The plaza inside Mexico's pyramid is like any lively marketplace with brightly colored Mexican souvenirs and The Mariachi Cobre band serenading guests. I set up my camera on a tripod to overlook the San Angel Inn dining area and zoomed in on the temple and volcano that overlook the restaurant. The long exposure brought out the muted colors.

The Aztec temple and volcano which looms over the San Angel Inn restaurant.
Nikon D70/18-200VR, 25s, f/8, ISO 200, EV +1.0, 130mm focal length, tripod

Not sure many people take the time to go inside Norway's Stave Church to see the exhibit within. The Viking exhibit is a nice rainy day stop with displays of some of the most famous Vikings like Olaf II, Erik the Red and Rognvald. The model of the Oseberg longship caught my attention. Did you know this is the same longship seen in the opening of the movie, Spirit of Norway, which guests can watch after riding The Maelstrom.

There is not a lot of room in the Viking exhibit so I did not set up a tripod. I did get on one knee for stability and a better angle and used da Grip.

A model of The Oseberg longship is in the Viking Exhibit inside the Stave Church.
Nikon D70/Tokina 11-16mm, 1.3s, f/2.8, ISO 200, EV +1.0, 11mm focal length

I have wanted to get this shot for awhile of the colorful ceiling inside the Temple of Heaven in China's World Showcase pavilion. I thought I would get on my back and shoot straight up but another photographer told me to instead, put the camera down on the floor and use my camera's timer to fire the shutter. Make sure you keep unsuspecting guests from tripping or kicking your camera if you do this.

The magnificent ceiling inside the replica of the Temple of Heaven.
Nikon D70/Tokina 11-16mm, 3s, f/8, ISO 200, EV +1.0, 11mm focal length

There's a couple of great indoor places in Germany. You can photograph a village while dining at Biergarten or you can enjoy the many shops of the pavilion. Being a fan of beer, I spotted these jovial beer steins in Der Bucherwurm. With an ISO of 1100, I was able to keep the shutter speed at a very hand-holdable 1/60th of a second.

Beer steins in Germany's Der Bucherwurm shop.
Nikon D70/18-200VR, 1/60s, f/4, ISO 1100, EV -0.3, 18mm focal length

Getting into more shopping, I photographed this colorful and extremely expensive glassware in Italy's Il Bel Cristallo shop. If you dine in Tutto Italia, definitely take a tripod as it has very moody lighting but very rich in colors and textures.

Glassware displayed in Italy's Il Bel Cristallo store.
Nikon D70/18-200VR, 1/60s, f/4.8, ISO 400, EV +0.3, 50mm focal length

As you can see, there is lots to do, see and photograph around the World Showcase even on a rainy day. Next week we'll finish our indoor tour of World Showcase starting with the American Adventure.

Fast lenses for digital SLR cameras have a maximum aperture of f/2.8 or bigger. Except for the Nifty-Fifty which are 50mm prime lenses at f/1.8, fast lenses are expensive. Most of the lenses in this class are considered some of the best ever made. Over the last three years, I have purchased two f/2.8 lenses which I have enjoyed using at Walt Disney World. The Tokina 11-16mm f/2.8 DX Ultra Wide Angle and the Nikon 70-200mm VR f/2.8. The following photographs were taken with these lenses at their wide open aperture of f/2.8.

The Tokina has gotten a large following among Disney photographers. For the price of around $650 in either Canon or Nikon versions, this is one of the better bargins in f/2.8 lenses. At it's widest setting of 11mm, there is some distortion of things near the edge of the frame. To cut down on the distortion, I try to make sure to keep the camera level and perpendicular to what I am photographing.

I found a post to lean against at my favorite counter service restaurant in the Magic Kingdom, Columbia Harbour House, to take this photo of the ordering area. The lens was able to capture the windowed ceiling, the tall ship paraphernalia on the walls and the cast members and guests ordering their food. I'll take the fish and chips with a bowl of New England clam chowder, please!

Ordering area for the Columbia Harbour House counter service restaurant.
Nikon D70/Tokina 11-16, 1/30s, f/2.8, ISO 720, EV +0.3, 11mm focal length

Night photography at Walt Disney World is very popular as the parks have a whole different look after the Sun goes down. This is one of my favorite views of Spaceship Earth when walking towards the park's entrance. The colored lights on the palm trees were not as bright as I have photographed them in the past making the geodesic structure the star of the photo. At f/2.8, I was able to hand hold the camera at 1/15th of a second using a reasonable ISO of 900.

Spaceship Earth in Epcot's Future World.
Nikon D70/Tokina 11-16, 1/15s, f/2.8, ISO 900, EV -0.3, 11mm focal length

For those who have vacationed at Walt Disney World in December, you know it can get cold at night. Returning back to my room in the All Star Sports resort late one night, I took this image of the steam rising off of the main pool area. I thought the sign made a good foreground subject for the story I wanted to tell.

No Lifeguard on Duty as steam rises from the Main Pool at the All Star Sports resort.
Nikon D70/Tokina 11-16, 1/15s, f/2.8, ISO 900, EV +0.7, 11mm focal length

The Nikon 70-200 VR, VR is for Vibration Reduction which is what Nikon calls their Image Stabilization system, has long been considered one of Nikon's all time best lenses. Nikon recently updated this lens with the new VR II version going for around $2,400. I picked up my VR I version used for less than half of that so deals can be found on eBay and other used lens websites.

Fast lenses have one more trait I should mention: they are heavy. The Nikon 70-200VR weighs in at a little over three pounds. While I have no trouble using it without a tripod, in low light situations like Fantasmic! in Disney's Hollywood Studios, I used my tripod like a monopod (the tripod legs were folded in) to help steady this image of Mickey Mouse welding his fire sword to oust the dragon from his dream. Just a note, this is one lens where you leave the VR on when used on a tripod or monopod.

Mickey Mouse welding his Fire Sword during Fantasmic!
Nikon D70/70-200VR, 1/200s, f/2.8, ISO 1600, EV 0, 140mm focal length

The Festival of the Lion King does allow the use of flash photography during the show but, by using the lens at f/2.8 and zooming in, I had more than enough light to take this photo during the Can You Feel the Love Tonight duet scene. This shows the nice bokeh the Nikon 70-200VR creates when used wide open.

Can You Feel the Love Tonight duet during the Festival of the Lion King show.
Nikon D70/70-200VR, 1/50s, f/2.8, ISO 1600, EV 0, 200mm focal length

I have tried for years to take a good photo of the fire dancer during the heina scene of the Festival of the Lion King show. By focusing on the performer's face, I picked up this photograph of some lingering fire on his tongue. The brightness of the fire gave me the fast shutter speed of 1/1600th of a second.

Fire dancer performing during the Festival of the Lion King show.
Nikon D70/70-200VR, 1/1600s, f/2.8, ISO 800, EV 0, 180mm focal length

These two lenses allowed me to get photos of higher quality than I have been able to in the past. Yes, they are expensive but you can rent them for a fraction of their costs.

Disney is known for it's attention to detail. After watching Illuminations on my last trip, I stayed to photograph around some of the pavilions of World Showcase. In Japan, this lighted paper lantern hanging from a tree in front of the Mitsukoshi Department Store caught my eye as a strong icon of the pavilion.

A lighted paper lantern hanging from a tree in front of the Mitsukoshi Department Store.
Nikon D70/18-200VR, 6s, f/11, ISO 200, EV 0, 18mm focal length, tripod

This lantern is the kind of detail travel photographers look for and Disney has supplied many of these kind of queues throughout the countries in Epcot's World Showcase. Look for them the next time you are visiting.

You just know this week's Disney Pic of Week on Restrooms was suggested by Lisa. There was a famous thread on a popular Walt Disney World message board of photos of people leaving restrooms. Too bad Lisa wasn't around or I would gotten her doing just that. I settled on taking a long exposure of people entering a busy restroom in Morocco using a quadpod (aka trash can) to help steady the camera.

Lisa and Barrie will be here on Thursday and Saturday with their favorite places to flush.

Restroom entrance in Morocco.
Nikon D70/Tokina 11-16mm, 1/5s, f/2.8, ISO 1600, EV +1.0, 12mm focal length

Hope you have enjoyed this series on how I used flickr, the popular Internet photo sharing community website, to improve my Disney photography. This is the last one for now. I am sure I will re-visit this concept in the future. It was both fun and extremely challenging. Especially this set of photos.

Matt Pasant is considered one of THE best Disney flickr photographers. His photographs are viewed thousands of times each week. He is best known for his fantastic photos of Disney's night time show like Wishes and Illuminations. This time I wanted to really stretch myself and equipment so I picked a couple of Matt's best fireworks photos.

The first one is Matt's tribute to IllumiNations 10th year anniversary. Here I go again complaining about the weather for my attempt. It was a very still night and the air felt "heavy". The smoke from the fireworks hung right over World Showcase Lagoon and got worse as IllumiNations: Reflections of Earth went on. I will point out more differences after I present both photos. First up is mine, then Matt's.

IllumiNations: Reflections of Earth from the Japan pavilion.
Nikon D70/18-200VR, 3s, f/10, ISO 400, EV 0, 36mm focal length

IllumiNations: Reflections of Earth by Matt Pasant.
Canon 40D, 3s, f/10, ISO 400, EV 0, 26mm focal length

Before I point out the differences. I would like to say I came real close to the time during IllumiNations as Matt's shot. From there the similarities end. Matt was in THE spot, which is the corner of the porch in front of the Tokyo Dining restaurant. I had to settle for a spot about fifteen feet to the left of THE spot as there were other photographers who had staked it out two hours before IllumiNations. I checked, Matt was not one of them. The smoke really took a lot of clarity and color away from my photo. Matt's is outstanding and I hope to do better the next time I'm at Epcot.

My second attempt at one of Matt's best was in the Magic Kingdom. A night shot of the Partners statue with Cinderella Castle lighted behind it with no guests around. That meant staying real late. In fact, I was there so late, the PhotoPass photographers had packed up and gone home. I knew my photo would be different from Matt's as I would have the Dream lights on the castle. That was okay. What wasn't okay was Disney had removed the Partners statue! They were filming the Christmas parade that week and the rainy weather pushed the filming into the weekend. All I had was an ugly platform. The nice decorations you saw behind the performers when the parade aired where not there at night. So, I did my best and set up my tripod in between the statue location and the castle for this photo.

Cinderella Castle decked out with Dream lights for Christmas.
Nikon D70/Tokina 11-16mm, 8s, f/16, ISO 200, EV -1.0, 16mm focal length

Here is Matt's with the Partners statue.

Night Partners by Matt Pasant.
Canon 5D Mk II, 30s, f/16, ISO 200, EV 0, 24mm focal length

Matt photographed this with a Canon 5D Mark II camera. That is a Full Frame camera where his 24mm = 24mm. My camera is cropped and to get the same 24mm of Matt's, I set the Tokina 11-16mm lens to 16mm. With my camera's crop factor of 1.5, 16mm * 1.5 = 24mm. I was closer to the castle and it was much brighter with the Dream lights on. I changed my shutter speed and EV accordingly to keep from overexposing the castle. This made the surrounding areas much darker than Matt's. I will be back for this one in the future.

The second fireworks photo of Matt's I wanted to try never happened. The last night I was in Epcot, it rained most of the day. It would let up at times and then rain some more. IllumiNations did go on but without me. I was soaked and decided a nice burger and shake at Beaches and Cream was more appealing. I did not want to not show Matt's work, however. I think it is one of his best and that's saying something.

Illuminations of Imagination by Matt Pasant.
Canon 5D Mk II, 8s, f/11, ISO 200, EV 0, 27mm focal length

Matt Pasant's flickr photostream is full of Disney photographic gems like these. Tell him Scott sent ya when you leave comments.

I hope you have enjoyed my Flckr Project. I know I learned a lot and I need to learn a lot more in my photographic journey.

Vote for Picture This! by signing up and logging into Blogger's Choice Awards and help us take home the gold.

This was Challenge #122:

And here's the answer:

Copyright © 2010 Barrie Brewer, Nikon D300, 18-200VR, 1/1000s shutter, f/8, ISO 400

You’ll find this decoration on one of the buildings in the Norway pavilion in Epcot. I don’t know the significance of it but I thought it was interesting. If anyone does know, (Jack?), I’d love to hear it. This turned out to be a tough one, and not by design. There were many guesses but only two correct answers this week.

Jesse Kline was the first to send in the correct answer for the challenge! Congratulations to Jesse and Kelley H. They were the only two readers who got the answer right this week. Both of you will be entered in the March winners’ drawing.

_______________________________________________________________________

Challenge #124: Where in the world is this?

Do you know? Do you have a guess? Please send in your answer, before the end of the day on Thursday, March 25, by clicking on the blue box below. Please do not post answers using the Feedback Form link at the bottom of this post. Remember to be specific with your answer - just naming a park will not get you into the drawing.

_______________________________________________________________________

Everyone who sends in a correct answer to a Where in the World Challenge this month will be entered in a drawing at the end of the month for some special AllEars® goodies and a cool Disney book!

Copyright © 2007 Barrie Brewer, Nikon D50, 18-200VR lens, 1/100 sec, f/5.6, ISO 200

Sleeping Beauty, otherwise known as Princess Aurora, is my Princess Pic of the Week. Isn’t she lovely? On this day I just happened to notice her in the garden area of the France pavilion before any other guests realized she was there. She fit right in with all the beautiful flowers.

As Epcot’s Flower and Garden Show gets underway, I thought you might enjoy this Pluto topiary from last year’s show. The dates for this year’s festival are March 3 – May 16. I’m hoping to be there, are you?

You will need to have Adobe Reader on your computer to download the calendar(s). Just click on the photo to download the calendar you want. When printing CD Jewel Case size, make sure “Page Scaling” in your print dialogue box is set to “None” to ensure that the calendar prints out at the correct size.

This one prints out at 8.5" x 11". It's handy if you need a calendar that you can write on.

This one prints out at 4.75" x 4.75", the perfect size for a CD Jewel Case frame.

And finally, this desktop wallpaper is for your monitor screen.

1024 x 768
1280 x 800
1280 x 1024
1440 x 900
1600 x 1200

Most digital photographers I know try to get the white balance correct in all their photos. I know I fight with it for stage shows at Walt Disney World. If you need a refresher on white balance for digital cameras, visit Lisa's excellent post, Understanding White Balance.

It's easy to forget you can use white balance to create interesting color effects. To demonstrate, I set up my tripod in Japan's pavilion in Epcot's World Showcase to photograph one of Samurai Warrior statues at night. The statue is illuminated by artificial lights and by adjusting the white balance of the camera, I created the following three photos.

First, I used my standard white balance setting of Auto. Most of the time this works just fine.

Samurai warrior statue at night in Japan's pavilion using Auto White Balance.
Nikon D70/18-200VR, 20s, f/11, ISO 200, EV 0, 18mm focal length, tripod

Not bad. Yellowish color cast as the light source was very yellow. Next, I tried the Fluorescent white balance setting.

Samurai warrior statue at night in Japan's pavilion using Fluorescent White Balance.
Nikon D70/18-200VR, 20s, f/11, ISO 200, EV 0, 18mm focal length, tripod

Wow...where did the green come from? Fluorescent lighting is greenish so, under fluorescent lighting, the color would have been correct. Lastly, I changed to Incandescent (light bulb) white balance.

Samurai warrior statue at night in Japan's pavilion using Incandescent White Balance.
Nikon D70/18-200VR, 20s, f/11, ISO 200, EV 0, 18mm focal length, tripod

I like this as it gave a more truer color of the scene than the Auto mode. Don't be afraid to experiment with white balance. Just don't forget to change it back to your normal setting or you may end up with some green or blue images you weren't expecting.

The Mission: Space globe spinning in Epcot's Futureworld.
Nikon D70/18-200VR, 1/2s, f/8, ISO 200, EV +0.3, 18mm Focal Length, Rear-sync Flash at Full Power

Using a slow shutter speed and rear-sync flash, you can see the Mission: Space sign's globe in motion for my Disney Pic of Week on Mission: Space.

Copyright © 2007 Barrie Brewer, Nikon D50, 18-200VR lens, 1/640 sec, f/6.3, ISO 200

This week we’re going to take a look at Mission Space. Located in Future World at Epcot, this attraction is one of Disney’s most intense rides. I’ve ridden it a few times, but these days, I prefer to enjoy it from outside! There are some pretty “out of this world” looking plants gracing the exterior. They remind me of Lost in Space - remember that old show? Be sure to come back on Thursday and Saturday to see what caught the eye of Scott and Lisa.

A scene from the American Adventure.
Nikon D70/50mm, 1/50s, f/1.8, ISO 800, EV 0, 50mm Focal Length

Photographing the American Adventure show is a challenge for me and my camera. On my last trip, I was able to sit close enough to use my fastest lens, the Nikon 50mm f/1.8 or Nifty Fifty. That allowed me to get this scene which is the bridge between the Depression and the start of World War II in the show and is my Disney Pic of the Week on The American Adventure.

Copyright © 2009 Barrie Brewer, Nikon D300, 18-200VR lens, 1/800 sec, f/5.6, ISO 200

Nothing says American Adventure like “Funnel Cakes”!

There are many statues at the Walt Disney World Resort. You will find them in all the parks, resorts and shopping areas. They depict famous people, animated characters, movie characters and historical places and things. You can find anything Disney from Ariel to Walt Disney, himself.

China, the country, is host to thousands of statues of Buddha, dragons and other mystical creatures. Back in 2007, China, the Epcot pavilion, brought in a re-creation of the Terracotta Warriors who were placed in China's first emperor's tomb to protect him in the afterlife. Located in the gallery inside the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvest, Tomb Warriors: Guardian Spirits of Ancient China exhibit is captivating. Each figure, wagon and animal is unique. I spent a good hour looking over the statues and feel I found the fiercest warrior among them. He just happened to be in the very front. I believe the emperor is being well taken care of and is a good introduction to this week's Disney Pic of the Week on Statues. Barrie and Lisa will show you their favorite statues on Thursday and Saturday.

One of the statues in Tomb Warriors Guardian Spirits of Ancient China exhibit.
Nikon D70/18-200VR, 10s, f/11, 200 ISO, +1.0 EV, 170mm Focal Length, tripod

This was Challenge #118:

And here's the answer:

Copyright © 2009 Barrie Brewer, Nikon D300, 18-200VR, 0.0015s shutter, f/8, ISO 200

I always thought it was weird that they had these kind of ugly green metal boxes across from France on the wall of the lagoon. What an odd place for some sort of utility box. Usually Disney hides that kind of stuff backstage, or disguises it somehow. Then I got to go to Paris a couple years ago and finally, I understood.

Epcot's France was influenced by Paris. In Paris, inside these boxes are entire stores that are unpacked in the morning and then packed away again at night. The bouquinistes (riverside vendors) who own the boxes sell books, prints, watercolors, and some touristy trinkets. The boxes are all painted the same green color and sit right on the walls that overlook the Seine in Paris.

Ed Aleszczyk was the first to send in the correct answer for the challenge! Congratulations to Ed and all the other readers who got the answer right: Amanda M, Amy Martel, Amy Reed, Anne Hainsworth, Annette Nuenke, Ashley Hill, Baines Family, Barclay Bakkum, Belicia Dawson, Brent Lollar, Bruce Hinterleitner, Bruce Lawson, Caitlin Burns, Charity Maas, Charlie Scheer, Chris Masse, Christine And Erin Claeys, Christine Dagney, Christopher Barnes, Cindy Dore', Cindy Hershey, Colin Buchanan, Dallas Hamilton, Darlene Harmon, Elaine Tomko-deluca, Elizabeth Scarborough, Ellie Argaluza, Emily Dagney, Erin Loring, Evelyn Wilson, Frank F. Fincken Iii, Gary E Genteman, Heather Coursen, Heidi Goodhue, Heidi Summers, Hillary Waldroop, Ian Falk, Jacquelyn Law, James Berry, Jamie Poynton, Jane Johnson, Jay Reagan, Jen Bruno, Jennifer Tremley, Jenny Haas, Jeremy Coto, Joy Johnston, Kameo Crea, Karen Nelson, Kathy Berry, Kris Nixon, Kristy Holland, Kurt Knappman, Kye Layton, Laura Pranaitis, Leslie Dameron, Linda L. Abbate, Linda Mac, Lisa Cash, Marc Acosta, Marina Crober, Marissa D'ambrosio, Mark Carty, Mark Franklin, Mary Dannahey, Matt And Danielle Murgia, Matt Cofone, Michael Haven, Michele Delorenzo, Michelle Raimist, Michelle Wilinski, Mike Malampy, Nicole Ruzinski, Noreen Rachuba, Penny Urell, Robert Bostic, Robin Mcconnell, Sarah Smee, Scott Cullen, Sharon Blickensderfer, Sharon Dale, Sharon Lee, Sherry Klinefelter, Theresa Rucando, Tiffany W., Tim Johansen, Tim Rachuba, Tracey Mayfield, Tricia Noble and Wendy and Rob Crober. Each of you will be entered in the February winners’ drawing.

_______________________________________________________________________

Challenge #119: Where in the world is this?

Do you know? Do you have a guess? Please send in your answer, before the end of the day on Thursday, February 11, by clicking on the blue box below. Please do not post answers using the Feedback Form link at the bottom of this post. Remember to be specific with your answer - just naming a park will not get you into the drawing.

_______________________________________________________________________

Everyone who sends in a correct answer to a Where in the World Challenge this month will be entered in a drawing at the end of the month for some special AllEars® goodies and a cool Disney book!

Copyright © 2009 Barrie Brewer, Nikon D300, 18-200VR lens, 1/5 sec, f/22

The late afternoon sun gives a nice warm glow to this waterfall in the back of the Canada pavilion in Epcot’s World Showcase.

I grew up about 100 miles from the Canadian border in upstate New York and visited Canada often in my youth to play ice hockey. It was always a treat to be in a country which considers hockey it's national sport and everyone would have an opinion about their favorite National Hockey League (NHL) teams. It is the same when I visit the Canada pavilion in Epcot's World Showcase and I enjoy bantering with the cast members in the stores, kiosks and Le Cellier restaurant about how my team, the Montreal Canadiens, are doing against their teams.

With that knowledge, it's no wonder my Disney Pic of the Week for the theme of Canada features all the jerseys of the Canadian NHL teams seen hanging in the Trading Post and Northwest Mercantile store. Well, if you can see the others behind the red Montreal Canadiens jersey that is.

National Hockey League team jerseys of all the Canadian teams.
Nikon D70/18-200VR, 1/60s, f/4, 1600 ISO, +0.3 EV, 18mm Focal Length

Copyright © 2009 Barrie Brewer, Nikon D300, 18-200VR lens, 1/500 sec, f/8

Where’s a guy gotta go to get a little peace and quiet around here? Something’s not right here – can you see it? Just click on the photo if you need to see a larger version. This week we’re sharing photos of things that seem out of place. Let me tell you, that’s not easy to find in Walt Disney World!

Copyright © 2007 Barrie Brewer, Nikon D50, 18-200VR lens, 1/200 sec, f/7.1

Generally, leading lines are designed to lead your viewer into your image. But sometimes, you just have to break the rules. This photo of the Mission Space sign is composed to deliberately lead the viewer’s eyes out of the frame, giving them the sense that the ship is actually heading into outer space.

For more information on leading lines, check out this blog I posted awhile back.

Kiosque à journaux (news kiosk) in the France pavilion.
Nikon D70/18-200VR, 20s, f/16, ISO 200, EV -0.7, 24mm Focal Length, Tripod

Kiosque à journaux or news kiosk are found throughout Paris. It's a great detail the Disney Imagineers caught and added to the France pavilion in Epcot's World Showcase. I thought it would make a good Disney Pic of the Week on France.

Visit the France pavilion in Epcot’s World Showcase and you’ll be transported back to the beautiful city of Paris of the late 1800’s. Here you will see the mansard roofs and dormers that are so recognizable as Parisian architecture. Above the fountains and arcade entrances, the Eiffel Tower lets you know that you have arrived in Paris, the most romantic city in the world. Join Scott, Lisa and I this week as we take a look at Disney’s take on this breathtaking city.

Copyright © 2006 Barrie Brewer, Nikon D50, 18-200VR lens, 1/500 sec, f/5

Children eagerly await le Pere Noel (Father Christmas), who arrives on Christmas Eve to deliver wonderful presents. During the holiday season in Epcot, Pere Noel tells the story of Christmas in France as part of Holidays Around the World.

For this month’s calendar, we’re taking a trip to France – in Epcot that is. Be sure to scroll down to the bottom for a desktop wallpaper version of February’s calendar.

You will need to have Adobe Reader on your computer to download the calendar(s). Just click on the photo to download the calendar you want.

This one prints out at 8.5" x 11". It's handy if you need a calendar that you can write on.

This one prints out at 4.75" x 4.75", the perfect size for a CD Jewel Case frame.

This month I was feeling inspired and created a wallpaper calendar that you can use on your desktop. Let me know if you’d like to have more of these.

1024 x 768
1280 x 800
1280 x 1024
1440 x 900
1600 x 1200

This was Challenge #112:

And here's the answer:

Copyright © 2009 Barrie Brewer, Nikon D300, 18-200VR, 1/400s shutter, f/8

There were so many creative answers this week! I could just tell that you all knew where this was, even if you didn’t quite know the exact name I was looking for - Cool Wash. Cool Wash is a cooling station near Test Track in Epcot, where you can get a little respite from the Florida heat. It looks like a car wash and sells Coke products. Many of you confused Cool Wash with Club Cool, which is on the other side of Future World in Innoventions West. It was such a common mistake that I included you folks in the drawing too.

This next week I’ll be in Walt Disney World, taking lots of pictures and having fun with friends, so I’ll be taking a short break from Where in the World. That means you have two weeks to answer Challenge #113. Come back on December 20 to see if you got it right.

Mike Malampy was the first to send in the correct answer for the challenge! Congratulations to Mike and all the other readers who got the answer right: Angie Young, Caroline Cupre, Jodi Cook, Pollyanna Buff, Emily Currier, Teri Jo Fuson, Louise Barton, Chloe, Deb Ragno, Marina And Wendy Crober, Sharon Dale, Jennifer Townsend, Amy Miller, Kris Nixon, Frank & Sharon Pierce, Michelle Raimist, Baines Family, Claressa Nisley, Scott Otis, Mckinley Yeaman, Brian Miller, Jen Bruno, Lee Anastasi, Cindy Dore', Erin Kubicki, Marc Acosta, Paula Munson, John Lacasse, Jeannette Shippee, Jessica Deans, Ben'jamin Dameron, Jason Skow, Jason Betit, K.l. Beasley, Kellie Harpel, Paul Cooper, Jen Cerce, Jeremy Hardy, Julie Wickware, Karen Nelson, Sue Thompson, Ed Aleszczyk, Tim Wingfield, Kristen Gainey, Michael Joel Gainey, Amanda Perkins, Z Cheven, Maureen Ohare, Linda Abbate, Mike Zendler, Christopher Bourassa, James Greene, Melesia Love, Wayne Witherspoon, Elizabeth Scarborough, Jerry Marceau, Jaclyn Kelch, Maryjean Kancel, Irene Kleintop, Carri Marotto, Brent Lollar, Erin Hammer, Misty Lyons, Dennis Blackburn, Jerry Felder, Tim Rachuba, Frank W, Aubrey Cooper, Kelly Kobiela, Walter N Clark, John Klein, Pasquale Crea, Jared Orth, J Breezy, Ken Fischler, Robin Mcconnell, Tim Johansen, Sabrina Bogart, John Leach, Thomas Auckland, Anthony Collins, Tom Koval, Kristin Dormuth, Bill Macbride, Nicole Cyr, Theresa Rucando, Wesley Brent Lollar, Jennifer Schwing, Heidi Goodhue, Barclay Bakkum, Anna Mansfield and Angela and David Blevins. Each of you will be entered in the December winners’ drawing.
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Challenge #113: Where in the world is this?

Do you know? Do you have a guess? Send in your answer, before the end of the day on Thursday, December 17, by clicking on the blue box below. Please do not post answers using the Feedback Form link at the bottom of this post. Remember to be specific with your answer - just naming a park will not get you into the drawing.

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Everyone who sends in a correct answer to a Where in the World Challenge this month will be entered in a drawing at the end of the month for some special AllEars® goodies and a cool Disney book!

Entrance to the Fez House in the Morocco pavilion.
Nikon D70/18-200VR, 1/15s, f/3.5, ISO 900, EV +1.0, 18mm Focal Length

In Morocco's pavilion is the Fez House, which represents a typical Moroccan home. There are beautiful mosaic tiles, carvings, and artifacts from daily life. If you are quiet when you approach the fountain, you just might hear children playing in the distance. I used the entrance to frame the interior of the Fez House and is my Disney Pic of the Week on Framing. Morocco is full of framing opportunities as I showed a few weeks ago when Morocco was the Disney Pic of the Week.

Using objects in the foreground of your shot to frame your subject is a good way to focus attention where you want it and add depth to your photo. This week we’ll show you some examples of framing in our Pics of the Week. For a more in depth look at framing, check out this past blog entry.

Copyright © 2009 Barrie Brewer, Nikon D300, 18-200VR lens, 1/500 sec, f/8

In this shot I used the tree canopy and bushes below to frame out Germany and Italy in Epcot’s World Showcase. I got two for the price of one by framing Italy within the trunk of the tree.

Epcot's Italy pavilion at night.
Nikon D70/18-200VR, 13s, f/16, 200 ISO, -0.6 EV, 18mm focal length, tripod

This Disney Pic of the Week on Italy lets me show you another photo from the night I toured World Showcase with a tripod.

Last year I gave you some tips on how to photograph Christmas light decorations at Walt Disney World and at home. This year I want to show you a couple of my results using those tips.

I visited the Osborne Family Spectacle of Dancing Lights at Disney's Hollywood Studios last December. Putting my camera into Rear Sync Flash mode or what I referred to as dragging the shutter in last year's article, I was ready to capture those spectacular light displays. I used Manual mode and set the aperture to f/4. By using flash, I kept the ISO low at 200 but I had to be very aware of the shutter speed. In Rear Sync mode, the camera can use longer shutter speeds to capture as much ambient light as it can before the flash is fired. At a 1/4 of a second, I had to make sure to steady my camera using Da Grip and an image stabilized lens (the Nikon 18-200VR) when taking this photo of these lighted bicycles.

Lighted bicycles are part of the Osborne Family Spectacle of Dancing Lights.
Nikon D70/18-200VR, 1/4s, f/4, ISO 200, EV +0.3, 28mm Focal Length, Rear-sync Flash at -3 Power

Without the flash, you would only be able to see the colored lights. With the flash, you can see the bicycles, the flat tires, the sidewalk and the background. Notice I had the flash set to its lowest power setting at -3 so as not to wash out the lights. I don't randomly set the flash power. I take shots at various power levels until I find the one that works the best.

This technique can also be used for any lighted displays. The entrance to Mission: Space features a rotating Earth with the ride's logo with space ship leaving orbit and Hewlett-Packard's logo, the attraction's sponsor. While I would have rathered taken this photo at dusk with a tripod like I did in China, this was the last night of my trip and the tripod was already packed. Again, using Manual mode, I set the aperture at f/8 and a shutter speed of a half second. The longest shutter speed I would ever attempt a hand held shot. I did the best I could to steady my camera by getting down on one knee, using Da Grip and the flash set to Rear Sync and full power to cover the large area and distance. It took several photos to make sure I got some good images like the one you see below. The long shutter speed gave a nice blur to the moving globe while keeping everything else sharp. The flash filled in the dark areas nicely.

The Mission: Space sign in Epcot's Futureworld.
Nikon D70/18-200VR, 1/2s, f/8, ISO 200, EV +0.3, 18mm Focal Length, Rear-sync Flash at Full Power

Twitter fans, I will be tweeting from Walt Disney World next week on my @Scottwdw twitter account. Request to follow me and you'll be seeing lots of pictures from the Disney parks and Sea World.

Copyright © 2009 Barrie Brewer, Nikon D300, 18-200VR lens, 1/60 sec, f/8

During Epcot's International Flower and Garden Festival, I think Italy has the prettiest flower displays of all the countries in World Showcase. Here's Lady and the Tramp looking cute as can be!

Photography is a visual art which makes it a challenge to convey the other senses. Walt Disney World on the other hand fills our senses with the smell of buttered popcorn, feel of acceleration on Rock'n Roller Coaster, taste of a pineapple Dole Whip and then there is sound. As soon as you enter a Disney park you hear it. Each area has unique music being played in the background. Sounds are everywhere.

How do you capture sound in a photograph? You can photograph things which reference sound like musical instruments, CDs, iPods, fireworks explosions, cars smoking tires and so on. Another way is to show people playing those instruments, cheering, yelling or singing. The latter is what I did in the photo below of the a cappella group, The Voices of Liberty, who perform approximately fifteen minutes before each showing of the American Adventure.

The Voices of Liberty a cappella group perform in the rotunda of the American Adventure.
Nikon D70/18-200VR, 1/60s, f/5.6, ISO 800, EV -0.3, 18mm Focal Length

The Voices of Liberty sing American folk songs and patriotic music under the American Adventure pavilion rotunda which was built to enhance sound. If you have never heard them I encourage you to take the time on your next visit to Epcot. As their sound is a beautiful as they look.

Have any questions? My next trip to Walt Disney World is coming up fast. Is there something at the WDW resort you would like to know how to photograph? Let me know and I'll do my best to come back with information and a photo for you. Thanks!

This was Challenge #107:

And here's the answer:

Copyright © 2007 Barrie Brewer, Nikon D50, 18-200VR, 1.8s shutter, f/8

This statue of St. George and the dragon is in the center of Epcot's Germany pavilion, in front of the Biergarten.

Lee Anastasi was the first to send in the correct answer for the challenge! Congratulations to Lee and all the other readers who got the answer right: Scott Otis, Alissa Ammons, Louise Barton, Erica Sipich, Ashley Pizzino, Baines Family, Tim Wingfield, Jamie Kelly, Jeremy Coto, James Berry, Kathy Berry, Jennifer Otis, Jen Bruno, Eric Hoffman, Lisa Hoffman, Mike Mecchi, Joanna Sng, Stephanie Visco, K.l. Beasley, Kevin Toomey, Maria M, Kathryn Perkins, Joshua Swainston, Phil Vickers, Ken Fischler, Brian Gallant, Kim Perry, Melea Broekers, Elizabeth Scarborough, Wendy Snelgrove, Marc S, Jeffrey Beauchamp, Teresa Cole, Jared Orth, Christopher Hall, J Brizzle, J Breezy, Karrie Duffey, Chris Forner, Chris Miller, Todd Ritter, Michael Joel Gainey, Michael Fitz, Cameron Lange, Mike Cerce, Megan Loftin, Stephanie Servaites, Angela Fennell, Michelle Roth-smoot, Julie Ellis, Kirsten Stark, Jay Reagan, Tim Rachuba, Evan Zanauskas, Cara Richards, Paula Bender, Kristen Gainey, Clarence Diggles, Jennifer Horst, Valencia Holliday, Quincy Delcolletti, Benjamin Dameron, Harry Wilson, Aruna, Berry Morris, Jen Cerce, Sharon Dale, Tracy Discher, Jennifer Schwing, Steve Jordan, Robert Anderson , Paul Newman, Diane Boorum, Debbie Poole, Jessica Deans, Lisa Cash, Rob Blundin, Jon Solomonson, Bill Monahan, Rochelle, Kye Layton, Shannon Milair, Barclay Bakkum, Donna Brandt, Mary Virginia Clause, Danielle And Matt Murgia and Diane Furtado. Each of you will be entered in the November winners’ drawing.

Reminder: Don't forget to set the clock on your camera back today!
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Challenge #108: Where in the world is this?

Do you know? Do you have a guess? Send in your answer, before the end of the day on Thursday, November 5, by clicking on the blue box below. Please do not post answers using the Feedback Form link at the bottom of this post. Remember to be specific with your answer - just naming a park will not get you into the drawing.

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Everyone who sends in a correct answer to a Where in the World Challenge this month will be entered in a drawing at the end of the month for some special AllEars® goodies and a cool Disney book!

Copyright © 2007 Barrie Brewer, Nikon D50, 18-200VR lens, 1/1250 sec, f/5.3

This belly dancer performs with MoRockin, an Arabic rock band that plays in Morocco. MoRockin is a very popular Epcot band and I suspect she may have just a little to do with that!

After riding the latest version of Spaceship Earth, I was pleased to see the exhibit area being used again. The new sponsor, Siemens AG, has created Project Tomorrow: Inventing the Wonders of the Future. As you enter the exhibit, you can not help but notice the huge Earth before you. In a bit of technological wizardry, the photo that was taken early in the ride of you has now appeared indicating the location where you live. Project Tomorrow houses interactive exhibits featuring various Siemens AG technology. These interactive displays and games allow guests to see the future of medicine, transportation and energy management.

Project Tomorrow exhibit area in Spaceship Earth.
Nikon D70/Tokina 11-16, 1/30s, f/2.8, ISO 1400, EV +0.3, 11mm Focal Length

How I took this photo: You will notice I was standing in the middle of the ramp from the ride exit (you can see the railings on the far left and right of the photo). As much as I would have liked to set up a tripod, I doubt Disney security would have approved. I had on a fast lens, the Tokina 11-16 f/2.8, set to it's widest aperture of f/2.8 and focal length of 11mm. My camera, a Nikon D70, was set to Auto ISO which only allowed the shutter speed to go as slow as 1/30th of a second. At this exposure, the camera set the ISO at 1400. I took this hand held using Da Grip. This is one of several images I took in burst mode and the best of the lot. I had good timing as I did not get run over by any other guests coming off the ride.

The Morocco pavilion in Epcot's World Showcase is the only one sponored by its country's government. When it was being constructed, the King of Morocco sent his royal craftsmen to lay all the tile work, carvings and paintings you see in the pavilion. This northern African country makes for a beautiful Disney Pic of the Week.

Tangier Traders sells traditional Moroccan clothing.
Nikon D70/18-200VR, 1/13s, f/4.5, 1600 ISO, +0.3 EV, 36mm Focal Length

Barrie and Lisa will be here on Thursday and Saturday with their favorite photos from Morocco.

This was Challenge #103:

And here's the answer:

Copyright © 2009 Barrie Brewer, Nikon D300, 18-200VR, 1/160s shutter, f/11

This wooden sculpture of three kings is above the door to The Fjording shop in the Norway pavilion in Epcot. If you mentioned Norway in your answer, you got it right this week. I don’t really know the significance of this piece of folk art. If anyone does, please let me know by leaving a comment below.

Michael Dameron was the first to send in the correct answer for the challenge! Congratulations to Michael and all the other readers who got the answer right: Jodi Cook, James Berry, Kathy Berry, Elizabeth Scarborough, Sharon Lee, Betsey Whitehead, Robert Anderson, Chris And Alison, Kristen Gainey, Shannon S., Matthew Brisbin, Sarah Smee, Merrin Donahue, Christine Benoit, Brendan Abel, Jennifer Harmon, Scott Khachadourian, Grace G., Shannon Brueggemann, Lee Anastasi, Paula Massarelli, Sandra Shaw, Sherry Klinefelter, James Greene, Sharon Dale, Sue Thompson, Jill Smith`, Scott Otis, Amanda Perkins, Michelle Wilinski, Amanda Marie Penhale, Pasquale Crea, Chris Marchant, Amy Miller, Jared Orth, Cheryl Costello, Anne Hainsworth, Alison Rosenberger, Kelly Zanauskas, Bruce Arnold, J Brizzle, Annette Nuenke, Chris Miller, Kristen Carde, Kurt Knappman, Caitlin Rush, Michael Gainey, Kelly Scott, Blake Schmidt, Cameron Lange, Karen Klein, Lauren Schuhow, Jennifer Townsend, Mike Cerce, Jen Cerce, Ashley Pizzino, Tim Johansen, Jason Skow, Susan M. Thompson, Vickie Scioneaux, Chris J, Clarissa K, Jeremy Hardy, Clarence Diggles, Paul Amico, Carinne Kight, Chad Simpson, Jamie Poynton, Amie Dodds, Melissa Silverman, Brent Lollar, Kirsten Stark, Katie Wolfe, Tom Koval, Elizabeth Collins, Diane Ramos and Christopher Barnes. Each of you will be entered in the October winners’ drawing.
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Challenge #104: Where in the world is this?

Do you know? Do you have a guess? Send in your answer, before the end of the day on Thursday, October 8, by clicking on the blue box below. Please do not post answers using the Feedback Form link at the bottom of this post. Remember to be specific with your answer - just naming a park will not get you into the drawing.

_______________________________________________________________________

Everyone who sends in a correct answer to a Where in the World Challenge this month will be entered in a drawing at the end of the month for some special AllEars® goodies and a cool Disney book!

I recently attended a photo workshop where I saw some fantastic panoramic images. As the presenter went through the steps to create them, I got so excited that when I got home last night I searched through my Walt Disney World photos to see if I had any candidates for a panoramic.

Though I did find some including the example I am showing you today, you really need to create images with the panoramic image in mind. Here's a list of tips when photographing for panoramics:

1. Use a level tripod. The key here is to make stitching the images together easier for the software. I will tell you the software I tried was very good a finding a way to match up images even if hand held. So, if you are going out to specifically create panoramic photos, then use a tripod. If you are in the middle of a themepark without one, go ahead and hand hold.

2. Use the same exposure for all images. Again, this will make matching up the images easier. Also, another good use of the Manual mode.

3. Make your exposures as fast as possible. This is help keep all your images even and, if you have any moving subjects, it will keep down the movements of those subjects.

4. Avoid using a polarizer filter. If you are trying to capture a wide expanse of sky, a polarizer will cause different hues as the camera is moved from one image to another and the angle to the sun changes.

5. If using a digital camera, turn off Auto White Balance (AWB). AWB can change the color cast of an image as the light changes from one image to another. If it's cloudy out, use the Cloudy setting. If bright sun, use the Sunny setting, etc.

6. Overlap the Images. For best results, overlap the images about 20% if you are using focal lengths of 35mm and up. If you are using a wide angle lens then increase that to 40 to 50% because wide angles can distort at the edges.

Now, let's create a panoramic of these two photos I took of a sunset at Epcot's World Showcase. As you can see they are level as I was using a tripod. They have enough overlap to make the stitching easy for software or to manually match them up if I choose to do so.

I have my photos selected. I edited them the same and matched up the sky colors as best as I could. Check to see if the software you use to edit photos with has a panoramic tool built-in. The last few versions of Photoshop has it and is called Photomerge. I tried out a few different programs and liked Arcsoft's Panorama Maker 5 (for PC or Mac) the best. It automatically did the hard work of stitching the photos together and even has virtual framing options available. There are many other programs out there so try them out to see which one is best for you. Here's the final version after Panorama Maker 5 got done with it's magic.

World Showcase Sunset Panoramic

Something to keep in mind. While this is a horizontal panoramic, I saw some vertical ones during the workshop which were gorgeous. I'll be looking for panoramic opportunities on my next visit to a Disney resort.

China's Temple of Heaven and reflection.
Nikon D70/18-200VR, 1s, f/16, 200 ISO, +0 EV, 18mm Focal Length

Epcot's China pavilion features it's own Temple of Heaven complex with the three-tiered, circular Hall of Prayer for Good Harvest is a one-half scale reproduction of its counterpart inside the Temple of Heaven complex near Beijing. Many of its architectural details, both inside and out, have important significance to the Chinese people. Inside the hall, there are 12 outer columns supporting the roof. They represent the 12 months of the year and the 12-year cycle of the Chinese calendar. Closer to the center of the room are 4 columns representing the four seasons. These columns support a beam, representing Earth, which is topped by a round beam, signifying Heaven.

This photo was taken earlier on the same day as the one in the Using a Tripod at WDW article. Here I used a portrait orientation to show the reflection in the water pool and makes for a reflective Disney Pic of the Week for China.

This week we’re going to pass under the Gate of the Golden Sun and visit China in Epcot’s World Showcase.

Copyright © 2009 Barrie Brewer, Nikon D300, 18-200VR lens, 1/1000s shutter, f5, ISO 400

I always enjoy taking pictures of the Dragon Legend Acrobats. These young students from the Pu Yang Academy of Acrobatics in China are very talented and fun to watch. I used a very fast shutter speed on this shot to capture the performer’s bowls in mid-air.

I enjoy not only taking photographs but sharing them through the various mediums which are now available to us via the Internet. From blogs, online galleries, photo essays, slideshows and, in the home, with hanging prints and even on my HDTV. I also like to create images from the original photo. The Castle at Dusk Redo I recently did got me thinking of other things when I came upon the idea of doing travel posters.

Remember going to a Travel Agency and seeing all those large posters on the wall of exotic places like Hawaii, Switzerland, Alaska, New York City, Africa, Paris, England, Austrailia and Canada. Wait, Canada? Yes, even Canada deserves a big travel poster and I found just the perfect one using Epcot's World Showcase's Canadian pavilion. Here's the original image.

Canada pavilion's landmark Hotel du Canada just past sunset.
Nikon D70/18-200VR, 2s, f/22, ISO 200, EV -0.3, 170mm focal length, tripod

Using Picnik.com, an online photo editor, I added the large capitalized CANADA and made it an orange-red to go with the sky. Then placed the maple leaf, Canada's national symbol, graphic underneath. Ah, a poster fit for a travel agency wall, eh? Which, in today's world, is more likely our own homes. I think I will do one for each country.

So, here's a shout out to my neighbors to the North and the return of the National Hockey League (NHL) next week. GO HABS GO!

A Travel Poster for Canada.