We are fortunate to go to Disneyland at least once, sometimes twice a year. I am unfortunate in that I suffer from extreme motion sickness. Up until my recently discovered passion for photography, my day at the happiest place on earth was slogging through crowds to wait until my family got through the lines and off the rides.
During my last couple of visits I decided to experiment with photographing Disneyland and the California Adventure in different ways. One time I took my old Rebel, the other my iphone. When I go back the next time, I suspect I will take my 5D and tell my family I will meet them for dinner as I roam around taking advantage of the unique photo opportunities. Here are my tips for capturing Disneyland (sans people):
1. Think black and white: Because it is usually bright and sunny in Southern California, and you will be there in the middle of the day, look for interesting clouds in the sky and structural elements that lend themselves to black and white images.
2. Look for reflections: There are many water features and colorful elements that create interesting reflections in the water.
3. Create abstracts: Look for a unique view. For example, I shot this this Ferris wheel from underneath instead of the more typical straight on approach.
4. Creative software: Interpret something in a typical or traditional way, and then play with it in software. Here is a photo of the riverboat at dusk, as well as a different interpretation of it using Lo-Fi. For more information you can reference my blog: Using Lo-Fi to Create Unique Photographs.
5. iPhone creativity: Disney has many areas where reality is recreated, or juxtaposed against the faux. Take for example this beautiful flowering tree branch against a building that was faux-painted to look like the sky. I could spend hours using my creative iphone apps to further re-interpret reality. To get more information about making photos with the iphone, check out my previous blog: Pocket Creativity
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