Alan Rappa's photostream  

Been a while since I've uploaded a 'Fun Friday' shot. My intention for Fun Fridays is to just go crazy with post-processing without really worrying too much about the results. It's a great excuse to experiment without worrying about the end result.

Today's case was this Haunted Mansion shot. Straight Out Of Camera it really had nothing special to it. Not to mention the bright Florida sun & blue sky behind it. Not a very foreboding feeling at all.

In Lightroom I started pulling down the exposure and tweaking the saturation. Then, I exported over to OnOne's PhotoFrame Pro (which I just picked up a few weeks ago) to add a bit of the emulsion around the edges along with some old-school style camera borders.

I'll write up more info about PhotoFrame at another date, but I just want to say after applying the frame I ran into some odd issues on this particular photo. For some reason PhotoFrame over-wrote my original. Luckily, I had a copy of it - but I'll have to try and figure out why that happened, as this was the first time I ran into that issue.

Anyhow, with the frames applied, I tweaked the shot a bit more in Lightroom to give it an slight, old-timey feel.

Then that was it - a few keywords added and uploaded to Flickr. See, Fun :)

Thanks for perusing my photo stream this week. I really appreciate any and all comments. If you have constuctive criticism please feel free to share - I'm all ears.

Have a great weekend everyone

-Alan

Another shot from 2004, one that got pushed a little bit too far in post - but you know what? I like it.

My photo archive is sorely lacking in Tomorrowland shots - odd situation for what is probably my favorite Land of the Magic Kingdom*. Going to work to fix that during my upcoming trips and try to bring home more of the sights & colors of the glimpse of the future that never was.

At this point I am pretty much out of Disney pics that I am proud of, but I have plenty like the one above that I still think are fun shots to share. They might be rough around the edges, and the processing might be over the top but they still give me a pinch of Disney magic when I look at them.

Once again shot with my first DSLR, a Canon 10D back in 2004.

Thanks for stopping by - now please gather up all your personal items and exit to the left of this photo.

Here's another blast from the past, circa 2004. This photo cracks me up as it was taken during the early morning 'Sunrise Safari' at Disney's Animal Kingdom. I think the driver's and guest's expressions really drive home that whole 'sunrise' feeling. I did a bit of recovery in Lightroom to bring down some of the highlights but only just a little as I liked the fact that it drove home the point of the sun coming up.

The Sunrise Safari has ruined me for the normal Kilmanjaro Safari. Not because it was bad, but because it was so good. The safari moved slow through the Savannah with our personal guide taking time to go into detail about the animals and Savannah itself. Best part, our Safari vehicle made numerous, lengthy 'photo stops' where we were allowed to stand up and compose our shots before moving on. Try that on the regular safari sometime.

Best of all, the Sunrise Safari was followed by the best breakfast I have ever had on property. It was an overflowing assortment of delicious treats served at Tusker House. The banana french toast is something I recall with legendary status to this day.

Shot with my first DSLR, my trusty ol' Canon 10D in JPEG mode (was a late bloomer when it comes to RAW shooting).

Ahhh... the memories...

thanks for looking, and I have to say after catching up on some of your photostreams yesterday I am completely blown away. Everyone's photography has gone through the roof since I've been out of the loop. Kudos to all!

oh yeah, and once again - the original version of this photo, uploaded in 2004, has gotten 4 views to date. This re-edit passed that in under a minute. thanks for that :)

With my first WDW trip of 2012 only 10 days away I got inspired to fire up my Disney Lightroom catalog and have at it. I've been an absolutely horrible Flickr friend for months now, and I apologize to everyone for that. It started with being busy at work, and then after a while it just felt too difficult to get back into the groove.

With an upcoming trip to WDW in February, and a cruise aboard the Disney Fantasy in March I think I will be absolutely rejuvenated when it comes to sharing & commenting on Disney pics. Right now I'm dealing with all that 'pre-trip-butterflies' feeling I'm sure you can all relate to. Eager to get back to WDW with my camera in two long with the many fantastic tips I've picked up from the lot of you.

Hope to put them to come use over the next few months and come back with some winners.

This shot above was the first that jumped out at me today as I was reviewing my pics. It is indeed a blast from the past, shot in September of 2003 shortly after Mission Space opened if I am not mistaken. It's an oldie, shot with my Canon 10D in JPEG mode - but I love it regardless.

As a sci-fi buff and Disney fan I always appreciate it when the two come together. And what better way to illustrate that love than with a shot of Space Mickey walking on the moon (or mars?).

Thanks for stopping by, and thanks for being a way better Flickr Friend than I have been lately. I promise to fix that starting NOW!

3-2-1 BLASTOFF!

Have a great day

-Alan

ps - on a side note - I had originally updated a version of this image back in 2003(deleted it after uploading this re-edit). To date, it has gotten 8 views. This new version has passed that in 5 minutes :)

The Marina at the Atlantis is host to numerous shops & restaurants for vacationers to visit. I'm not there for the souvenirs though, I'm there for the beautiful blue skies and swaying palm trees that make such a relaxing & picturesque backdrop.

Add a little Caribbean music, and I'm in heaven.

ps - I just renewed my Flickr account, so probably a good time to start uploading and commenting again :)