When I saw this Halloween decoration last week atop a cart in Disney’s Magic Kingdom I thought, ‘Look! It’s a pumpkin snowman – how cute!’ (Check out his ‘buttons’… they’re candy corn :-)).
“Pumpkin-man” (White Pumpkin Snowman, Disney’s Magic Kingdom, Main Street USA) Canon PowerShot SX40 HS, 26.9mm, F/4.5, 1/1000s, ISO 100
Little did I know then I was getting a sneak-peek into what was in store for us here on the east coast. Sigh.
Have a happy and safe Halloween, everyone.
Anyone living along the east coast who thought the weather forecasters were kidding about the Nor’easter woke up to find the joke was on us! My city faired better than many with only a few inches, BUT it was the heavy, wet kind of snow that downed many branches including a large one off of my (already damaged) Coral Bark Maple. 😦 I must admit, Mother Nature got me since I didn’t see that one coming or else I would have strapped the branches together (as I intended to do before ‘winter’ arrived) when we were scurrying around yesterday covering furniture and moving in fragile perennials that I had yet to get planted into the ground. Sigh.
Not wanting to dwell on what was damaged, I decided instead, to look for the beauty of the day. It isn’t often we get the combination of gorgeous fall foliage, crisp blue skies, brilliant sunshine AND a bed of the white stuff. As the winds whipped, I walked the landscape, shooting until my hands were frozen.
Folks who don’t experience snowstorms often ask how we ‘deal’ with it.
Well, I think the last photo pretty much sums it up. 🙂
"S(no!)w Welcome" (Welcome Flag with Urn) Canon PowerShot SX40 HS, 11mm, F/4.0, 1/100s, IS0 125, Built-in Flash, -1.3EV
"Duck, Duck, Snow!" (Resin Ducks in Snow) Canon PowerShot SX40 HS, 13.5mm, F/4, 1/250s, ISO 100
"When Seasons Collide" (Backyard Shed in Snowy October) Canon PowerShot SX40 HS, 6.8mm, F/4.0, -0.3EV, 1/320s, IS0 100
"S(no)w Swimming" (October Pool) Canon PowerShot SX40 HS, 4.3mm, F/8.0, 1/125s, IS0 320
"Snow Birds" (Copper Swans with 'Cardinal Red' Hydrangea) Canon PowerShot SX40 HS, 21.8mm, F/4.5, 1/80s, IS0 125
"Seasonal Confusion" (October Backyard, Far View) Canon PowerShot SX40 HS, 4.3mm, F/8.0, 1/60s, IS0 160
"How to Weather Snow in October" (Backyard Vignette) Canon PowerShot SX40 HS, 7mm, F/4.0, 1/00s, IS0 100
The Seas with Nemo & Friends is one of my favorite EpCoT attractions. Little did I know then that I would walk away with photos perfect for Karen’s October Photo Hunt, which is all about idioms.
We begin with two shots taken outside the pavilion:
“Birds of a Feather Flock Together”
“Birds of a Feather” (Animatronic Seagulls, The Seas with Nemo & Friends Pavilion, EpCoT) Nikon Coolpix P7100, 16.3mm, F/4, 1/1000s, -1.7EV, ISO 400, Built-in Rear Curtain Flash
and:
“Swimming with Sharks”
“Swimming with Sharks” (The Seas with Nemo & Friends Pavilion, EpCoT) Nikon Coolpix P7100, 6mm, F/2.8, 1/80s, ISO 400, Nik Silver Effex Pro ‘Strong IR HC’ Filter
For the third entry we head on into the ride itself. When I find myself on certain dark and rather slow-moving attractions, I like to play with slow-shutter speeds allowing colors and forms to bleed into interesting compositions. So, from inside my ‘clamobile’, I clicked the shutter release and held the camera as steady as I could:
“Blur the Lines”
“Blur the Lines” (The Seas with Nemo & Friends Ride, EpCoT) Nikon Coolpix P7100, 6mm, F/2.8, 2s, ISO 1600
Visions of coral reefs, sunken vessels and sea life are instantly transformed into a land of pink and apricot clouds along with a lime green sun (or, is it an alien ship??) 😉
For the bonus Halloween shot, we head on over to the Magic Kingdom. I simply couldn’t resist this little guy dangling from one of the scarecrows that decorate the common at the very start of Main Street, USA:
“Hung Out to Dry”
“Hung Out to Dry” (Pumpkin Mickey Doll, Magic Kingdom, Main Street USA) Canon Powershot SX40 HS, 20.3mm, F/4.5, 1/800s, ISO 100
So, there you have it… THREE days early and complete with idiom bonus! 🙂
Well, when they’re made of flowers! (C’mon now..what’d you expect from a nature photographer? 😉 )
No one does topiaries better than Disney and it was a treat to see Lightning McQueen and Mater ‘large’ and ‘in charge’ at the entrance to Disney’s Hollywood Studios. You can’t help but squeal like a child upon spotting their silly grins. Just too cute!
As a gardener, I can certainly appreciate the hard-work and countless hours that must have gone into these full-sized floral masterpieces. With such attention to detail, I almost expected at any given moment for these two to rev their engines and take off for a spin around the park, spouting any one of their memorable quotes. It was very polite of them to oblige me and stay put while I snapped their photos. Oh, how they love the spot light! Enjoy! 🙂
“I’m Lightning McQueen” (Pixar’s ‘Cars’ Lightning McQueen Topiary, Disney’s Hollywood Studios Entrance) Nikon D300, 26mm, F/8, 1/320s, ISO 200, Built-in i-TTL Fill Flash, -0.7EV
“Number 95” (Pixar’s ‘Cars’ Lightning McQueen Topiary, Disney’s Hollywood Studios Entrance) Nikon D300, 22mm, F/9, 1/320s, ISO 200, Built-in i-TTL Fill Flash, -0.7EV
“Git-R-Done!” (Pixar’s ‘Cars’ Mater Topiary, Disney’s Hollywood Studios Entrance) Nikon D300, 20mm, F/6.3, 1/320s, ISO 200, Built-in i-TTL Fill Flash, +1.0EV
“Tow Mater” (Pixar’s ‘Cars’ Mater Topiary, Disney’s Hollywood Studios Entrance) Nikon D300, 52mm, F/8, 1/250s, ISO 200
“Tow Tag” ((Pixar’s ‘Cars’ Mater Topiary, Disney’s Hollywood Studios Entrance) Nikon D300, 70mm, F/6.3, 1/320s, ISO 200, Built-in i-TTL Fill Flash, -0.7EV
Milkay Photography 
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