Trip Report Yia-Yia, Yetis and Epcotonians. A sweltering Summer of '22 adventure!

It was the night before our Disney trip and I found myself scrambling. So much to do besides "Disney but "Disney" needed to get done. Where are my SD cards? Where are all my Star Wars shirts? Where is my camera bag? We had just moved after-all and things were not where they should be because well we were in a different house. Toni was scrambling too. She is spending the Summer waitressing in Bethany Beach Delaware and came home THAT DAY to get everything ready for Disney. Her Mom however also wanted her to help get her "crap" ready for college (leaving in a few weeks). Tensions were running high and the early morning flight out of Baltimore was like lighting a fuse to a stick of dynamite. Time was ticking away!

This was going to be a different trip for us. Just three of the five in the family as my wife Val decided to sit this one out and my daughter Alex couldn't get her schedule to work. So Val will be going to New Mexico to visit Alex in a month as the final three, the triumvirate headed to Walt Disney World to meet up with my sister Marina's family and my mom (Yia-Yia).

The Triumvirate -

Toni (center), Sterg and yours truly.

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As you may or may not know, one of the things I love about going to Disney is honing my photography skills. For this trip I decided to rent two fantastic (and expensive) lenses. The Sony GM 50mm f/ 1.2 and the Sony GM 14mm f/1.8 lenses to be exact. The cost to buy both of those lenses would be as much as the cost of the entire trip. Additionally I rented a lens adaptor to pair with my old Minolta 70-210 "beercan" lens that I wanted to try out on the Safari.

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I've been crazy after the 14mm lens due to it's wide angle nature. It's actually so wide it's referred to as an "ultra-wide angle" lens. Wide angle lenses have wonderful applications at WDW and I was going to see how this baby was going to work for me. The 50mm 1.2 is a lens with a great reputation. Very fast, very sharp and producing beautiful bokeh as your sharp subject stands in front of a background that literally melts into a dreamy blur of photographic delight.

By 11pm all that was packed, what was left of my Star Wars shirts was packed - "Chris, aren't we just getting a bit too old for Star Wars shirts?" Val quipped - and everything else on my list was packed.



Toni was also packed and had full-filled her "getting ready for college" obligations.

Val said her goodbyes and goodnights..
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and went to bed.


It was soon time for me to lay down for 3 hours of sleep. The hardest thing left for me to do was wake up with my alarm. I think I'll have a glass on wine (or two?). After-all, what could go wrong?
 
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fractal

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
I guess that's what I was going for....All I typed in was "tiger" and that's what came out...

Jimmy Fallon Reaction GIF by The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon


I was cracking up!

What a nice gesture from the waiter to bring towels to Yia Yia. 🥰

He was the best!

Yia-Yia has arrived! My week is now complete. I may even enjoy a drink now as well.

New drinking game - have a drink every time I write "Yia-Yia!"

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Yes, we’ve been stuck in the monsoons, too. Taking off the shoes is a fantastic idea and why I always have FLIPFLOPS with me now.💜

I’m glad you had such a nice dinner at OHANA but I’m sorry the food wasn’t as good as you remembered. Between the waiter and YIAYIA’a fun, I’m glad it was a memorable evening! I’m glad YIA-YIA enjoyed her very own dessert plate! How fun!

Thanks @slipperalwaysfits! Despite the disappointments we had a great time!




Love that family photo. So much joy on your faces.

Thanks @erstwo! You should have seen us when we were all wet and hungry. Not a pretty sight. Lol!



PotoGOLD! This is getting good Fractal!

👍👍👍 @DznyRktekt

Your shots are amazing! I would love to have such gorgeous pictures of my own kids to look back at someday. They are lucky to have your ability.

What a fun trip!

Thanks @Wilsonfamily4 ! They love going back and reading the reports. After I read your comment I realized that through my trip reports over the years I've chronicled a big part of their lives.

We had a blast!


Wow!! I stared at this one for a while. Such a real perspective, and captures all the little things I just love when walking around Disney. Railings, lampposts, foliage, the details in the walls and stairs, and that blue night sky. Just beautiful!

Thanks @belledream ! It's one of my favorite shots from the trip!
 
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slipperalwaysfits

Well-Known Member
If you've read any of my previous Trip Reports you may remember that one of my fondest childhood memories was shooting away with my late Father at the Walt Disney World shooting gallery. I remember not only how much fun I had but how much he had during our 1976 trip. Since then I've gone to the Shooting Gallery to remember those times and my Dad even if it was closed as it was in 2020. But on this night the Shooting Gallery was open and was buzzing! Most of the rifles were actually free to shoot so no more scrambling for quarters. I told the story to Sterg and Toni again and they really started to get into it!
What a sweet and wonderful memory for you. I'm so glad you were able to share that memory with @fractal jr and Toni!
The Hallway, at least in my opinion, is the creepiest part.
Agreed. Our doombuggy stopped right in front of the clock one year and the hand totally made me jump because I wasn't expecting it, even though I've been on it a bunch of times.
 

senor_jorge

Barbara Eden+? Bring it!!
Premium Member
Really nice shots, especially with the 14mm over the water!

Is that a Lume Cube? I’ve been looking at it as a pocket size alternative to our much larger speed light when I want to travel light.
 

fractal

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
We continued into the boundless realm of the supernatural.

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Let me out! Let me out!

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At this point the ride stopped. I turning on my Lume Cube for a pic of Sterg and Toni.

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Serpents and spiders, tail of a rat, call in the spirits, wherever they’re at!

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The happy haunts have received your sympathetic vibrations and are beginning to materialize. They’re assembling for a swinging wake, and they’ll be expecting me… I’ll see you all a little later.

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fractal

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Till death do us part.

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When the crypt doors creak and the tombstones quake,
Spooks come out for a swinging wake.
Happy haunts materialize and begin to vocalize.
Grim grinning ghosts come out to socialize!

This is one of the toughest shots to get at WDW. Weird angle and very little light while your doombuggy is turning around.

I've seen better but I was happy with this.

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fractal

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
When you hear the knell of a requiem bell,
Weird glows gleam where spirits dwell.
Restless bones etherealize, rise as spooks of every size!

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Ah, there you are! And just in time… there’s a little matter I forgot to mention — beware of hitchhiking ghosts! They have selected you to fill our quota, and they’ll haunt you until you return!

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Hurry back! Hurry back! Be sure to bring your death certificate… if you decide to join us. Make final arrangements now! We’ve been dying to have you…

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Sterg and Toni just loved it! The most they've ever enjoyed Haunted Mansion. Two big wins for me - Pirates and Haunted Mansion went from "eh" to "that was great!"

But was it me or was it because we rode "at nighhhtttt"?
 
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fractal

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
I was thrilled with my Haunted Mansion photos - among the best I've ever taken!

We left the "aura of foreboding" and spilled into Fantasyland

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Sterg and Toni wanted to grab a ride to the stars on another Disney Classic - Space Mountain.

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I told them I wanted to go into full photography mode and sent them on their way.

I was still shooting the 50mm lens...

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We threatened to go on PhilharMagic numerous times but alas never did.

Still one of my favorites.

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I love carousels!

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Another 50th Anniversary statue shot.

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At this point I was still behind the castle searching for unique shots.


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I was by myself, in Magic Kingdom "at night" with my camera - and having a great time!

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I started making my way to the hub for the 11pm showing of Enchantment fireworks.

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I loved the lighting through out the park - it created a glowing atmosphere and brought out wonderful visual treats.

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Time to find a spot for fireworks.

But first some more photos!

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fractal

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
I settled into a spot in front of the castle and decided on using the 14mm. The thought occurred to me to go back further and use the 50mm in an attempt to capture the projection on the Main Street buildings but I nixed that; maybe next time.

The next challenge was trying to determine how close to get to the castle. I wanted to be far enough to get all the fireworks in the pic but also didn't want to be too far in front leaving the castle looking too small.

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I set up my tripod about 20 or 30 feet in front of the the "partners" statue. If I had to do it all again I would move closer with a 14mm lens but considering I was eyeballing it without seeing a photo with the fireworks I was happy with my spot.

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Ignore the settings in the photo above.

I was going to shoot around f/12 and ISO 50. My shutter speed was set to "Bulb" and I was using a remote shutter control. Bulb setting means that the shutter opens when I first press the button and then closes on the second press. In other words, I was controlling the length of exposure on each shot. The advantage of this was I could "time" the shot by opening the shutter when I saw fireworks being shot into the sky and then closing the shutter after all the action was over. The disadvantage was trying not to keep the exposure too long and creating overexposed shots.

I took this video with my Google Pixel 6 of my surroundings before the 11pm (and second) Enchanted show of the night.



During the wait a number of people came up to me to take their photos under the assumption that I worked for Disney. Maybe I will someday, but not on that night.

I also noticed a few couples taking photos of their partner in front of the castle. None of them used a flash and I knew the photos was going to be a dark blob in front of an illuminated background so I offered them the option of having me turn on my lume cube light on them while they took the photo. They all agreed and loved the shots they took with the extra light!

Finally Enchanted started! This is the start of the show shot on my Pixel 6.





UP NEXT - Enchanted Fireworks shots galore, and more night-time castle love.
 
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BigDis

Well-Known Member
Amazing pictures!!!!! Can you let me know specifically where Tinkerbell is in the park? We are going in December and Tink is my daughter's favorite. I want to make sure she sees it. Thanks!

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fractal

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
What a sweet and wonderful memory for you. I'm so glad you were able to share that memory with @fractal jr and Toni!

Agreed. Our doombuggy stopped right in front of the clock one year and the hand totally made me jump because I wasn't expecting it, even though I've been on it a bunch of times.

Thanks @slipperalwaysfits ! We had so much fun shooting those targets!

Lol! The hand is creepy.
Really nice shots, especially with the 14mm over the water!

Is that a Lume Cube? I’ve been looking at it as a pocket size alternative to our much larger speed light when I want to travel light.

It is a Lume Cube. Much more convenient than a speed light but not as strong. Unlike a flash however, it does provide continuous light. I would never use it to do paid for portraits but for trips like this it comes in handy and
makes such a difference in shots.

Shared the Big Thunder video with Brayden. Had us both laughing.

The night MK pictures are awesome.

Are you still at Clemson? Made the drive to FSU yesterday

Looking forward to more

HA! Thanks @coachwnh ! Wishing Brayden a great semester at FSU! I got home Saturday from Clemson. Toni is all moved in.



Wow, I’m loving these pictures. You might even be “A Ghost Host”

👻Thanks @pkkurz !

Amazing pictures!!!!! Can you let me know specifically where Tinkerbell is in the park? We are going in December and Tink is my daughter's favorite. I want to make sure she sees it. Thanks!

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Facing the castle, it's in the hub to the left of the Partner's statue. Appreciate the kind words @BigDis !

I'm starting to follow the photos more than the actual trip report itself! I need you to follow my family around on our next trip so we can get great shots like the ones you got of your kids.

Thanks for following @muddyrivers ! Lol!

@fractal , those Haunted Mansion photos are excellent!

Also, the nighttime photos of the Prince Charming Regal Carousel are beautiful. Although it's one of the oldest attractions in MK, it continues to be a classic favorite of mine. I'm always impressed with all the artistic details, colors, and lighting. ❤️

Thank you @MinnieM123 ! I was having a great time that night with my camera.

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Such gorgeous pictures!!!

Thanks @PacNWTigger !

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