Disney California Adventure Park

Cozy Cone Motel
Canon 5D Mark III, EF 24-105mm f/4, f/8, 1/1000sec, 640ISO, 24mm

Last week, my family took a trip to Los Angeles area for a Spring Break vacation. The first part of the trip was visiting friends, relaxing with them in Burbank, and checking out some of the sites in Griffith Park. But last weekend, we moved down to Anaheim, and spent some time with my parents, and my sister's family. Friday was our first days in the parks, and California Adventure was the park that was first up.

Cars Land
Canon 5D Mark III, EF 24-105mm f/4, f/10, 1/640sec, 640ISO, 24mm

 I have not been to Disney California Adventure Park since it first opened up 17 years ago. They have revamped it in that time, and they were doing some construction while we were there as well. Pixar is invading the park, but one of my favorite areas of any Disney park is Pixar themed already, Cars Land. 

Flo's V8 Cafe during the day
Canon 5D Mark III, EF 24-105mm f/4, f/8, 1/1000sec, 640ISO, 24mm

We had stayed at the Art of Animation at Walt Disney World Resort, so had already experienced some of the theming that you would see at Cars Land. The Radiator Springs Racers is one of the best Disney Rides. It uses the same technology as the Test Track at Epcot, but you do race against another car at the same time (seems like the right lane always wins, at least the two times I rode). 

Stanley, Our Founder
Canon 5D Mark III, EF 24-105mm f/4, f/10, 1/800sec, 640ISO, 65mm

Gasoline Pumps
Canon 5D Mark III, EF 24-105mm f/4, f/8, 1/1000sec, 640ISO, 35mm

Some of the Cars characters are also available for meet and greet time, I saw the Fire Truck (forgot his name), Mater, and Lightning McQueen (visible in the first photo), as well as one of the flashy cars from Cars 3 (one with a sound system, the first nighttime shot below). Flo's V8 Cafe is impressive, but once night falls, the whole area lights up with neon. I am ashamed to say I missed the subtle touch of the pistons holding up the canopies of Flo's V8 Cafe: They glow red, as if the spark plugs have fired. I wish I would have watched it to see if it was in a correct firing sequence for a V8, as there are 4 pistons on each side. 

Dance Party!
Canon 5D Mark III, EF 24-105mm f/4, f/5.6, 1/15sec, 640ISO, 24mm

Cozy Cone Motel
Canon 5D Mark III, EF 24-105mm f/4, f/5.6, 1/50sec, 3200ISO, 24mm

Flo's V8 Cafe
Canon 5D Mark III, EF 24-105mm f/4, f/5.6, 1/80sec, 3200ISO, 24mm

Wide Angle Brooklyn Botanic Gardens

Cherry Esplanade BBG
Canon 60D, Tokina Pro DX-II 11-16mm f/2.8, f/8, 1/400sec, 1320ISO, 12mm

Once again, my life became busy, and I neglected this blog. But this corner of Cyberspace wasn't the only thing I have ignored. My Instagram isn't as active as it once was, Facebook has also been ignored.

Even though I'm not active online, I have been enjoying life in my freetime. There have been zoo visits, Botanic Gardens, seeing friends old and new. But I haven't been taking my camera as many places as I once did. I also haven't been editing, or even culling, the photos I do take; I have some from March that I need to go through.

This past Sunday, we took a trip to the Brooklyn Botanic Gardens to enjoy the last of the cherry blossoms. We usually like to go several times in the spring, but this year we didn't make it until Mother's Day. I only took one wide angle shot, which is posted at the beginning.

Springtime!

This past Friday was the Spring Equinox. It was also another snow storm. That didn't stop us from heading out to Planting Fields Arboretum State Park. One of the best values as a New York State resident is purchasing the Empire Passport, which allows unlimited entry to all of the state parks. We take advantage of it, just by our visits to Jones Beach over the summer.

First Day of Spring!
Canon 60D, EF40mm f/2.8, f/8, 1/400sec, 320ISO, 40mm

Snow was still covering most of the grounds, and the trees haven't awoken from their winter slumber. However, the greenhouses on the property both have most of their plants in bloom.

Dangling Texture
Canon 60D, EF40mm f/2.8, f/8, 1/160sec, 400ISO, 40mm

There were two greenhouses we visited, the first was the main greenhouse, which housed cacti and succulents, houseplants, ferns, orchids, amongst others. There were so many different orchid blooms, so these are just a small handful of the photos I shot.

Orchid
Canon 60D, EF40mm f/2.8, f/8, 1/160sec, 400ISO, 40mm

The lighting conditions outside were grey and overcast, though not to dark. It created a nice soft light inside the greenhouses. In the main greenhouse, I also used an LED ring light attached to the front of my shorty forty. 

Tower of Orchid
Canon 60D, EF40mm f/2.8, f/8, 1/125sec, 640ISO, 40mm

All shots are handheld since monopods and tripods are not allowed in the greenhouses. 

Orchid
Canon 60D, EF40mm f/2.8, f/8, 1/160sec, 640ISO, 40mm

The struggle was to keep a fast enough shutter speed to have sharp photos, but have a small enough aperture to get as much depth of focus when shooting near macro photos. 

Orchid
Canon 60D, EF40mm f/2.8, f/8, 1/160sec, 640ISO, 40mm

I wish I had taken pictures of the nameplates, so unfortunately, I am unaware what each of these orchids are named.

Orchid
Canon 60D, EF40mm f/2.8, f/8, 1/160sec, 640ISO, 40mm

That is something I should work on, as I often forget the names of the animals after a trip to the zoo as well.

Orchid
Canon 60D, EF40mm f/2.8, f/5, 1/160sec, 640ISO, 40mm

I have always enjoyed greenhouses. It has always been cool to see exotic flora.

Canon 60D, EF40mm f/2.8, f/5, 1/160sec, 640ISO, 40mm

After the main greenhouse, we visited the Camillia House with its many roses.

Canon 60D, EF40mm f/2.8, f/5, 1/200sec, 640ISO, 40mm

There was a sign outside this greenhouse that lighting equipment was prohibited, so I did not use the LED ring light. I still need to use it as more before I make a decision, but so far I am a little unimpressed. I was hoping it would be a little brighter than it seems to be.

Canon 60D, EF40mm f/2.8, f/5, 1/200sec, 640ISO, 40mm

Once again, I failed to take note of the names of each of these flowers.

Canon 60D, EF40mm f/2.8, f/5.6, 1/200sec, 640ISO, 40mm

I also noticed that a circular polarized lens would have helped a lot in these conditions, as it would have eliminated the reflections off of the leaves and petals.

Canon 60D, EF40mm f/2.8, f/5.6, 1/200sec, 640ISO, 40mm

Canon 60D, EF40mm f/2.8, f/5.6, 1/125sec, 640ISO, 40mm

Canon 60D, EF40mm f/2.8, f/5.6, 1/125sec, 640ISO, 40mm

Canon 60D, EF40mm f/2.8, f/5.6, 1/125sec, 640ISO, 40mm

Sightseeing Continued! (Wide Angle Wednesday)

Day two of our adventures with the Canadian! As I had stated in the previous post, He was here for a Volvo Technicians Competition. He had another friend that was staying elsewhere, so our first stop was the Port Authority Bus Terminal. Central Park was the first stop of the day, so we entered the park through 59th Street Columbus Circle. 
 

Canon 60D, Tokina Pro DX-II 11-16mm f/2.8, f/8, 1/500s, 320ISO, 11mm

It was a cool spring day in the city, the type where you are still wearing a jacket but happy to be outside soaking up the sun. Though the trees were still pretty barren in the park, there was no snow or ice, so us New Yorkers and the Canadians were happy to soak up some rays.

We had a full day of sightseeing, so after a little bit of time in Central Park, we headed downtown to the South Ferry Station to take the Staten Island Ferry to Staten Island, then back to Manhattan. The trip from Manhattan to Staten Island takes about 30mins. This is something I have taken most of my visitors from out of state to do, there are great views of the Statue of Liberty, New York Harbor, and best of all, it is free!

Canon 60D, Tokina Pro DX-II 11-16mm f/2.8, f/8, 1/250s, 100ISO, 11mm

I always enjoy watching Manhattan shrink away from the back the ferry as we head towards Staten Island. When you are walking around downtown, the buildings reach for the sky and you feel so small. But once you start pulling away from Manhattan, you realize how small Manhattan really is, how all of these tall buildings are crammed onto a small little island. 

Canon 60D, Tokina Pro DX-II 11-16mm f/2.8, f/8, 1/640s, 100ISO, 11mm
Dancing for Liberty

 After our nautical adventures were over once we were back at the South Ferry station, we started making our way to Wall Street, and the World Trade Center. First stop was South Street Seaport, though it was still closed, we spent some time at a park on top of Pier 15. Some more great views of the city from the water's edge.

Canon 60D, Tokina Pro DX-II 11-16mm f/2.8, f/8, 1/250s, 100ISO, 11mm
South Street Seaport to Brooklyn

From there, it was on to Wall Street. It is amazing how empty the financial district is on a Sunday, a vast difference from the weekdays, or even midtown. I enjoyed pointing out some of the historical buildings on our walk, point out the damage from 1920 Wall Street bombing on 23 Wall Street, amongst many other things. 

Canon 60D, Tokina Pro DX-II 11-16mm f/2.8, f/8, 1/125s, 125ISO, 16mm

The Freedom Tower is an impressive sight to see. I moved to New York City in July of 2001, so I have watched the non-progress at the site for years, and now, finally, there is a towering beacon from the site. Visible from the Belt Parkway in the outer reaches of Brooklyn, to northern Queens parks, Westchester and New Jersey, it has been very cool to see the progress as the glass tower slowly made its way upward.

The final stop for the day was dinner, in Grand Central Terminal. Two days in a row I was there in the evening. It is a gorgeous venue that everyone should visit if they find themselves in New York City.

All photos in this post were taken with the wide angle Tokina lens. Every shot was processed in Lightroom with lens correction on to help minimize the distortion.

Wide Angle Wednesday

Fort Totten

Canon 60D, Tokina Pro DX-II 11-16mm f/2.8, f/10, 1/125s, 100ISO, 11mm

I had taken a random Tuesday off of work, as I had worked long hours that weekend. It also happened to be the day family friends were passing through on their way from Long Island to upstate. Their travels would have them going by on the highway about half a mile from where I live. As they live in Santa Clarita, California, I don't see them very often. I have known them since before I can remember, I was at their wedding when I was two years old, a little younger than my daughter is now. My wife had recitals fast approaching, and needed to work on her choreography, so I decided to take the toddler with me out of the house and meet the California constituents at a local Bayside gem, Fort Totten.

Plans were made, and a little before lunchtime, we met at a parking lot under the approach ramp to the Throg's Neck Bridge. The Long Island native grew up taking this bridge anytime her family needed an escape north, so it was fun to show her the area around the bridge that she had never seen. I took them through Little Bay Park into Fort Totten. Unfortunately, the battery was closed, but we were able to see some of the historic buildings, and my daughter was able to expend some energy on the playground.

The Castle, home of the Bayside Historical Society
Canon 60D, Tokina Pro DX-II 11-16mm f/2.8, f/16, 1/125s, 400ISO, 11mm

The Castle is the former Officer's Club, and now houses the Bayside Historical Society. It was built in 1870s in the Late Gothic Revival style, with an expansion in 1887, placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1986. Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fort_Totten_Officers'_Club

Commanding Officer's House, now Parks & Recreation Northeast Queens Headquarters
Canon 60D, Tokina Pro DX-II 11-16mm f/2.8, f/16, 1/320s, 400ISO, 16mm

Commanding Officer's House, now Parks & Recreation Northeast Queens Headquarters
Canon 60D, Tokina Pro DX-II 11-16mm f/2.8, f/16, 1/320s, 400ISO, 11mm

The Fort was purchased in 1857, with construction starting in 1862, and remained in operation in some form until 1974. It is now owned by the City of New York, though the US Army Reserve still maintains a presence on the property. Other agencies located in Fort Totten include the Coast Guard, NYPD, Parks Department, and the FDNY. Most of the older buildings house these organizations, so though there is a large area of parkland, much of the Fort is still off limits for civilians.

FDNY Counseling Unit
Canon 60D, Tokina Pro DX-II 11-16mm f/2.8, f/8, 1/125s, 100ISO, 11mm

I highly recommend a visit to Fort Totten. The battery is open on the weekends, though I would check the Parks Department Website to make sure.