View 53: A New Coat

My daughter models her new winter coat.

My daughter finally gets a winter coat she likes this Christmas. It’s been a search that has lasted a couple of years. She and the rest of us are very happy about it

Okay…I know technically last week was the last View for 2008 but since I never did go back and replace View 1 with a photo, this is really the 52nd View with a photo. This photo demonstrates a couple of things I tell people when they ask me how to improve their photos. One, fill the frame! If I included the room where she is wearing the coat, you’d probably miss her beautiful smile. Two, framing as the coat’s fake fur does around my daughter’s face.

The Osborne Family Spectacle of Dancing Lights

Do you remember seeing the Osborne Family Christmas display on the national news every Christmas back in the early 1990s? Their home and lawn was filled with thousands and thousands of lights and animated displays so bright they could be seen from 80 miles away. It became so popular their town took the Osborne’s to court to stop the annual spectacle which they succeeded to do back in 1995. It was then that Disney invited the Osborne’s to bring their lights to Disney’s Hollywood Studios (then known as the Disney-MGM Studios).

As my Christmas gift to all of you, I present the Osborne Family Christmas lights at Walt Disney World…

View 52: A Hockey Christmas

Christmas Tree Hockey Puck Ornamanets: From left to right, Montreal Canadiens (my team), New York Rangers (my Dad's team) and Boston Bruins (my Mom's team).

During the National Hockey League (NHL) season when I was growing up, I lived in a house divided. Especially during the Stanley Cup playoffs if either of these teams played each other. Which happened quite often.

Luckily for me, my team, the Montreal Canadiens, would win more times than loose to either my Dad’s New York Rangers or my Mom’s Boston Bruins. So, last year when I saw these Christmas tree ornaments on sale in a shop in Canada, I could not resist picking them up and giving them to my parents.

This photo was taken on Christmas day in 2007. However, the reason it is here today is because this was the photo I choose for my family’s Christmas cards to send out to all our friends and family for this year.

This posting concludes my 52 week photography project. I will be back next week to outline what I’ll be doing in 2009. Thank you all for coming to see and comment my photography each week and have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Castle & Wreaths

Wreaths decorate Main Street USA in Walt Disney World's Magic Kingdom.

I saw a similar photo from a fellow Walt Disney World photographer and remembered it when I was walking down Main Street USA earlier this week. Though I didn’t get the same angle and background, I did figure out I needed my Nikon 18-200mm VR lens set to 200mm to compress the wreaths, a small aperture of f/22 to get a sharp image from front to back and a long exposure of 3 seconds to capture the colors. All those settings required a tripod and remote shutter release which I brought with me into the Magic Kingdom for the first time. Oh, the things we do for our photography.

Illuminations

Illuminations in Walt Disney World's Epcot World Showcase.

Ice Castle

Cinderella Castle all decked out for the holidays in Walt Disney World's Magic Kingdom.

Wishes

The nightly fireworks show at Walt Disney World’s Magic Kingdom is called Wishes which is a multimedia show featuring favorite Disney music, narration and, of course, fabulous fireworks. The show always gives me goosebumps, smiles and very fond memories of Disney movies and trips.

Wishes Fireworks Show at Walt Disney World's Magic Kingdom.

View 51: Main Street USA

Main Street USA in Walt Disney World's Magic Kingdom.

For me, a visit to Walt Disney World doesn’t really start until I enter the Magic Kingdom and walk down Main Street USA. This Disney depiction of a turn of the 20th Century town is full of old time fun. You might run into the Dapper Dan’s Barbershop Quartet, see a glass blower creating small trinkets, watch a high school marching band lead the afternoon parade, have some hand-scooped ice cream cones or enjoy seasonal holiday decorations. Walt Disney wanted to capture American history with Main Street USA and I believe he has.

Internet access is disappointing slow at the resort I am staying at so I will add more photos to this posting when I return in a few days. Hey, guess where I’m going this morning? Yep, back to Main Street USA!

Off to See the Mouse

Minnie Mouse and Goofy open Disney's Animal Kingdom back in December, 2006.

That’s what a fan(atic) says when s/he is traveling to a Disney Themepark in reference to Mickey Mouse. Walt Disney, himself, was always reminding people that it all started with Mickey.

In this case, I am going to be spending the next week with over a 1,000 other fans at Walt Disney World in what has become Mousefest. It is my hope I will find enough time to do next Monday’s blog from there. I probably will be too busy and tired to do much, if any, commenting. You all behave yourselves until I return.

View 50: Scrooged!

Ebenezer Scrooge, brought to life by actor Robert Krigbaum, gives me his "humbug" look during the 15th Annual Dickens' Christmas in Skaneateles.

I spent last Saturday in one of my favorite Christmas stories, Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol. For the last 15 years, the Village of Skaneateles, New York, has hosted a Dickens’ Christmas on weekends between Thanksgiving and Christmas. The troop of actors portrays many of the most famous characters and perform scenes from Dickens’ classic tale.

Meet more of the characters I had the pleasure of encountering. Jacob Marley lamented about why he was wearing his chains and then broke out in Christmas songs. He had a great voice. I ran into Father Christmas and Scrooge’s nephew, Fred. The fiddle player provided the music for the Christmas Present dancing scene. Lastly, the Christmas Ghost who haunted Scrooge all day.