the holidays

...and before I knew it, the holidays were upon me. And now, the New Year is ever so close. I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas. Below are some pictures of my Mom's Christmas decor that photograph beautifully. Best wishes to everyone during this holiday season. Thank you so much for those of you that helped make this year my most spectacular ever. I've been blessed to have been kept so busy. Here's hoping your Christmas, and New Year, are exactly what you make it. So make it amazing.

disney : part V

Okay, so these'll probably be the last few photos I'll post of the vacation. There are so many photo opps and great sets, scenes, buildings, etc. I was like a kid in a candy store.
Epcot center, an unmistakable landmark probably as recognizable as the white house or the pyramids. I like how it reflects so many different colors depending on the sky light and time of day. This was taken on our way out, dusk approaching.

A shot from Fantasmic, a water/light/film/action/show.

Taken at Disney's Hollywood Studios, the New York cityscape is a flat wooden backdrop. How cool is that?

The fam, decked out in our Disney gear. What a great lookin' bunch.

disney : part IV

Here's some more pics from our vacation. Love the Star Wars sets and props in Hollywood Studios. We got to meet Darth Vader and a Storm Trooper, they signed the boys custom made lightsabers. Which was awesome! The next shots are just a few miscellaneous pics from the time spent there. But I think the shot of Ewan and Ash in the go cart is greatness because the only thing of Ewan you see are his rock fingers. Heck Yes!

florida winterland

We took a day off from Disney and drove out to the beach. The Atlantic was beautiful, but freeeezing! The sand was cold beneath our feet and we had chilling wind in our face. We stayed for only a few moments then went and got a bite to eat at a local seafood shop. The pelican picture was the view from the restaurant, and almost totally worth the coastal trip.

disney: animal kingdom

Okay, more shots from the Animal Kingdom. First shot, that old building? It's a monkey house, surrounded by water but looks like it was built by a civilization that lived long ago. Next shot. That's a bat. A real live bat that at any moment could spread it's wings and attack me by landing on my shoulder and sinking it's nasty bat-teeth into my neck! At least, that's the thoughts I had while looking at it. Here, in the bat belfry, you get to see the bats pretty close up, because the windows through which you see them are open! No glass, no screen, just window and open air. Still, that's a great shot, huh? What kind of photographer am I? National Geographic photographers pull leaches off their legs deep in the heart of the rainforests. They dodge wild hippos and creepy crawlies you only see in the movies...like King Kong. And here I am freaking out about a sleeping bat. Well, enjoy the photos. I'm going to go check my ManHood and get back to you.

disney: asia

Captured this tiger in Disney's Animal Kingdom : Asia. The area looked like the ruins of some ancient village with old buildings with faded artwork, really cool. This tiger was just sitting there licking his paw, chillin', looking great. I waited for a few seconds for him to look up just long enough for the click of my shutter.

disney: nightlights!

How awesome are these? The castle is unmistakable, but the second image was taken at Disney's Hollywood Studios. It's Main Street U.S.A. and every building is completely covered in lights, every other building a different color. When you're there, standing amongst the people and lights and the night sky, it's completely overwhelming. The colors and thousands, if not millions, of lights are an attack of the senses-so many to see at the same time. It was absolutely beautiful! The image is a panoramic composite of three separate images I took to be able to capture the entire scene.

disney world

So, after a trip to Disney World, one would puzzle over what photo to post first. A great shot of the castle lit up and glowing? The characters all on stage performing a huge musical show with fireworks and magic? Or maybe a good shot of my family: my support system, my circle of trust, my constant entertainment, the reason why I get out of bed in the morning. Of course I didn't take this shot, me being in it, but I posted it first to set up the next few photographs coming up that my family may not be in. Because, while Disney World is amazing, and the photo opps that we captured are often beautiful, magical, or even crazy, I felt it needed to be stated, that it would not have been any fun without my wife and kids. I promise the next post won't be so warm and fuzzy, well they might be, Lotso is pretty cuddly.