View 104: Captain Jack Sparrow

Captain Jack Sparrow during the Pirate Tutorial at the Magic Kingdom in Walt Disney World.

Captain Jack Sparrow during the Pirate Tutorial at the Magic Kingdom in Walt Disney World.

Captain Jack Sparrow attempts to distract his foe by exclaiming, Look! It’s the Governor’s Daughter!, before running off stage at the end of the Magic Kingdom’s popular Jack Sparrow’s Pirates Tutorial outside the Pirates of the Caribbean ride.

I used fill flash and manual mode  to counter the back lighting by the afternoon sunlight. Though not as apparent in this photo, there is some rim lighting around Jack’s dreadlocks. The flash also helps to separate Jack from the busy background.

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View 103: Pretty Kitty

This Asian Tiger was staring me down as I photographed him on the Maharajah Jungle Trek in Disney's Animal Kingdom, Walt Disney World, Orlando, Florida.

This Asian Tiger was staring me down as I photographed him on the Maharajah Jungle Trek in Disney's Animal Kingdom, Walt Disney World, Orlando, Florida.

I think this Asian Tiger (Panthera tigris) I photographed on the Maharajah Jungle Trek in Disney’s Animal Kingdom was getting a bit annoyed with the sound of my camera’s shutter going off every few seconds judging by this stare.

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Believe

A Killer Whale leaps out of the water during the Sea World of Orlando show, Believe.

A Killer Whale leaps out of the water during the Sea World of Orlando show, Believe.

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Meeting Winnie the Pooh

My niece's sons meet Winnie the Pooh in the Magic Kingdom's Crystal Palace character meal at Walt Disney World.

My niece's sons meet Winnie the Pooh in the Magic Kingdom's Crystal Palace character meal at Walt Disney World.

One of the things I enjoy is introducing friends and family to the magic of Disney.  On this last trip, we meet up with my niece and her family which includes two sons, my grand nephews.  While my niece and her husband went to Downtown Disney for an adult night out, we entertained the two boys at Magic Kingdom’s Crystal Palace restaurant.  Crystal Palace features a buffet character meal with Winnie the Pooh and his friends from the 100 Acre Wood.

Mix two young boys with some of the most beloved characters from children’s literature and you never know what will happen or what reactions will occur.  Like the look on their faces for a photo with Pooh. 🙂

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Rainbow Ice Castle

Rainbow Ice Castle.

Rainbow Ice Castle.

This was a big hit on flickr (click here) so I thought I would post it here too.  However, the flickr one is at ISO 1250 with no noise reduction.  This one you see here has been given a dose of Noise Ninja to smooth out the noise and some Apple Aperture 2.x magic to give the castle more vibrant colors like I remembered seeing.

This shot alone is why I use the Nikon 18-200mm VR lens for most of my travel photography.  It’s ability to capture subjects using the wide, middle and telephoto focal lengths allows me to quickly get photos the way I want them without having to change lenses.

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