“That’s the real trouble with the world. Too many people grow up.” -Walt Disney
I was fortunate to spend the last week celebrating my nephew’s third birthday in Disneyland. There’s something remarkably beautiful about playing with a small child and seeing the park through their eyes. I found photography, however, a bit challenging.
The sunlight was harsh, people were everywhere, and I kept finding myself unfocused (figuratively and literally). As I sat down to edit my photos, I noticed my eye tended to be drawn upward. Please let me know what you think of these images, and if you have a gallery of your own Disneyland photos I’d love to see them. Feel free to drop a link below.
If you’re unfamiliar with the 100 Day Project, the concept is simple. You choose any creative project you like and do it every day for 100 days, sharing your process on social media using the hashtag #The100DayProject. This year the dates are Feb. 13-May 24.
- Week One
- Week Two
- Week Three
- Week Four
- Week Five:
Here’s a bonus photo of the hotel at sunset:
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Love the picture with the flowering trees. Can you say what tree it is?
Thanks for the images, you do great work. <3
Thank you, Michael. They are called pink trumpet trees. Aren’t they beautiful?
Stunningly so. Pink is far from my favorite color otherwise, but I do love how it looks on trees. I’m guessing that is WAY out of my hardiness zone, so I’ll just enjoy the picture. 😉
Thanks!
It looks like you found your focus after all Bridgette, And I understand about it being hard to find your focus in certain environments due to people and subject matter. Disney is full of fun distractions!
It sure is distracting! Also, it’s just hard to carry the camera around.
That’s why I only use a cellphone these days.
Nice photos, Bridgette! Photo number three is familiar, that ride is still there! That structure looks unchanged from 1968.
So many of the original rides are still there! They did recently (I think) update Snow White. I really liked the updates!
That’s cool, thanks for the update. Good memories from 1968 and I just dated myself! 😂
I bet it was so different back then. I wish I could have seen it.
Good for you, Bridgette, for your lovely photos and for taking on a creative challenge!
Thanks, Michele! I have a lot to learn.
Keeps life interesting!
I’m enjoying your enjoyment – and learning a little about photography as well.. hahah
Thanks! Tomorrow I am attempting some portrait work 😬
Have fun! 🙂
Truly the happiest place on Earth!
Agreed!
Great photos! You’re brave bringing your camera to Dland. I do love it in the spring there; the landscaping is spectacular.
Thanks, Dawn. We stuck to the little rides, so it wasn’t too hard. I did end up keeping the camera in my backpack a lot because it’s just too heavy to hold around my neck.
I hear ya on that! Mine got heavy at the zoo, too. But unlike the zoo, It gets so hard to move around in the crowd with a backpack at Dland…plus, I go on all the rides. 🤣
Whether he meant to or not, Walt Disney unwisely left a word out of his quote. The second sentence should read “Too many people NEVER grow up.”
Growing up is overrated! 😂
Very nice photos! Disney World is such a fun place to visit!
Thank you!
mmmm.. cherry blossom. Yes please. But some of the shots you posted have really good light. Typical ways of dealing with cloud might involve processing as b/w or as hdr – just to try to bring out the depth.
But you’re right in that winter sun makes generally for far better images than harsher, summer sun.
Thank you. I find a lot of my photos look better in black and white. I don’t have a lot of technical skill, yet, so I’m relying on what I think looks good.
Hi Bridgette, I don’t use my camera much now because my eyes are not so good, but I used to use it a lot a few years ago. Used to go to lectures by pros so picked up some uselul tips over the years. Course, *real* pros don’t need to post-process 🤣.
Soes your camera shoot RAW? Use that, if possible. Just gives you the most options, downstream.
Hi! Yes, I am shooting in RAW. I’m new to all the editing and post-processing stuff. Baby steps!
I always found Aftershot Pro a decent package, but I shot Nikon and the software was originally geared toward that. It has expanded an awful lot though.
It’s not easy to photograph in amusement parks with bright sunlight, but why did you avoid the most obvious subject, the people in it? A great opportunity for street photography…
That’s a great question! I don’t know. I didn’t have a lot of time to think about my shots traveling with a 3-year-old who really wanted my attention. I did take some street shots, but they all seemed chaotic and unfocused. But you are so right, a missed opportunity.
Three year olds in Disney, very cute. I took my son when he was four, unforgettable.
Awesome photos!
Thanks, Kally!
I think looking up served you well. You caught the Quixote, after all.
Wow beautiful photos.
Wow, thank you Chantel!
these photos are fabulous: they work for me; we took our kids to Disneyland when they were kids; we had great fun; we took photos too 🙂
Lovely! Thank you!
osm picss !!!!!!
Thanks!
Beautiful photos, Bridgette, I appreciate how they are offer an inconspicuous version of the park instead of the usual obvious sites. I especially enjoy the river boat photo. Thanks for sharing, what a lovely way to spend a birthday with your nephew. 🥰
Thank you!!! I loved that photo too. I didn’t notice the couple kissing on the boat until I sat down to edit and it was a happy surprise 🙂
It really was a wonderful trip, made particularly impactful after years of no travel during the pandemic.
That is a lovely surprise!
I can just imagine. I look forward to our eventual first trip after this mess, I imagine it will be monumental.
Really enjoyed the unique perspectives in these! Art has rules but rules are still meant to be purposefully broken. The sharpness of your images is on point! Beautifully done
Thank you! It was hard to find things to photograph that felt fresh or interesting. I took hundreds of photos, and really didn’t like most of them. It was challenging for sure.
Hard light is difficult to shoot in but can be absolutely stunning when done well. Chances are that if you didn’t like some of them, you need to look at them and consider what it is about them that you didn’t like. Chances are if you can put your finger on it you’ll be able to learn from it so that way you can do better next time
Thank you. The majority of the photos I didn’t like lacked a clear focus, were too busy or felt cliche in some way. I’ll examine them more now that it’s been a week and see what else I can learn.
Busy scenes can be more interesting when you lower your f-stop, or slow your shutter speed, and be sure you only have one focus point on. ❤️ for example, a slow shutter speed on a stationary object surrounded by people… will make the people blurry, create movement and make the stationary object the only point of focus. A low f.stop can make for a creamier background so that it drowns out all the “background noise”
Thank you. I’ll play around with that next week!
Can’t wait to see what you come up with!
I am glad you did take your camera and had fun with finding great subjects. My favourite is the paddle-wheeler. Using the sky as a background is a good idea and more black & white please. I don’t like to take people photos but everyone says that I should. You should go with the flow and do what feels good for you 🙂
Thank you for the feedback! I really love black and white photographs and will continue to include a few each week.
A wonderful selection of images Bridgette. Thanks for sharing.
Thank you, Goff!
Pleasure Bridgette. Have a wonderful day My Friend.
Your pics are gorgeous!
All of them!!!
Wow, thank you Luisa!
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I love this challenge! As a photographer sometimes having a challenge is what we need. Also interesting that you noticed your eye being drawn upwards!
Beautiful photos!
Thank you so much!
I love these! Especially the single-black-and-white shot. (For some reason, I’ve always been partial to b&w photography.)
Thank you, Eric! Me too.