We are deep into winter and who wouldn’t want to take a trip to FLA right now! Stay warm…it is almost spring!
Peter Talke Photography Settings:
Camera: Nikon D300
Lens: Nikon 12-14 f/4.0
Setting: Aperture Mode
Focal Length: 22.0 mm
ISO: 200
Exposure: HDR 5 Exposures (+2 to -2)
Aperture: f/22
Gear: Tripod
Post Process: Adobe CS6, HDR Efex Pro, OnOne Software Photo Tools 2.6
From the lovely Epcot in Orlando, Florida…here is Spaceship Earth in HDR. If you ever wanted to learn more about this structure…here are some details from the web…
Geometrically, Spaceship Earth is a derivative of a pentakis dodecahedron. It is a Class 2 Frequency 16 Icosahedron, with each of the 60 isosceles triangle faces divided into 16 smaller triangles (with a bit of fudging to make it rounder). Each of those 960 flat panels is sub-divided into four triangles, each of which is divided into three isosceles triangles to form each point. In theory, there are 11,520 total isosceles triangles forming 3840 points. In reality, some of those triangles are partially or fully nonexistent due to supports and doors; there are actually only 11,324 silvered facets, with 954 partial or full flat triangular panels.
The appearance of being a monolithic sphere is an architectural goal that was achieved through a structural trick. Spaceship Earth is in fact two structural domes. Six legs are supported on pile groups that are driven up to 160 feet into Central Florida’s soft earth. Those legs support a steel box-shaped ring at the sphere’s perimeter, at about 30 degrees south latitude in earth-terms. The upper structural dome sits on this ring. A grid of trusses inside the ring supports two helical structures of the ride and show system. Below the ring, a second dome is hung from the bottom, completing the spherical shape. The ring and trusses form a table-like structure which separates the upper dome from the lower. Supported by and about three feet off of the structural domes is a cladding sphere to which the shiny Alucobond panels and drainage system are mounted.
The cladding was designed so that when it rains, no water pours off the sides onto the ground. All water is collected through one-inch gaps in the facets into a gutter system, and finally channeled into the World Showcase Lagoon.
Been a while since we lived in Florida. I miss heading down to Disney World every few months. We now have Disneyland here in SoCal…I think Disney World is a bit better. But SoCal has CA Adventure! I guess I should be happy either way…many people love to vacation in both spots…I have had both within 30 mins of my house. Hope you are enjoying your summer….only a few weeks left!!
From Orlando, FL one beautiful location is the Harry P. Leu Gardens. A cute place where on this day…a wedding was going on! I managed to snag a few pics and loved this BIG tree. Shot it in IR and just wanted to give it the “Oil Paint” filter from CS6 to add an effect. It kind reminds me of my 80’s hair metal days…so I will call it the Bon Jovi tree…kinda looks like his hairdo.
From Orlando, Florida’s Gatorland here is an Egret from the Rookery. Now is the season to visit and see these beautiful birds as they nest and lay eggs. But watch out for the gators below!
From near blue hour…Lake Eola one of Orlando’s great photographic locations. Parking can sometimes be tricky, but its worth it to stop by and grand a few pics!
Talke Photography Settings:
Lens: Nikon 12-24 f/4.0
Setting: Aperture Mode
Focal Length: 18.0 mm
ISO: 200
Exposure: HDR 7 Exposures (+3 to -3)
Aperture: f/13
Gear: Tripod
Post Process: Adobe CS5, HDR Efex Pro, Color Efex Pro, OnOne Software Photo Tools 2.6
From the quiet Cypress Gardens located in Orlando a shot from one of the botanical gardens. I have not been in FLA for a bit and have heard that Legoland has taken over the property of Cypress Gardens and has kept some of the gardens in place? When I went a few years back there was only a few people visiting the park and it was nice to have had a chance to see it!
Here is some history from the web: Cypress Gardens was one of Central Florida’s original tourist attractions, opening in 1936. This makes it a contemporary of Gatorland, another popular attraction that predates the arrival of the Disney Empire, having opened in 1949.
The original attraction at Cypress Gardens was the namesake botanical gardens, including a sprawling banyan tree. Over time, other attractions were added, like strolling Southern Belles in period costumes and a water ski show on adjacent Lake Eloise. Water skiing often overshadowed the gardens as a point of interest, and many world records in the sport were broken at Cypress Gardens over the years.
Cypress Gardens became a popular spot for filming movies and television specials in the 1950s and 1960s, with Esther Williams starting in several of them. Johnny Carson also appeared in a special at the park, and it was visiting by such celebrities as Elvis Presley.
The arrival of the Disney theme parks hurt Cypress Gardens, which is located about an hour away from Downtown Orlando, in a more far-flung spot called Winter Haven. It changed hands several times, starting in the 1980s, and attempted to reinvent itself as more of a traditional theme park, with roller coasters and other rides, eventually adding a small water park as well.
Competition increase as other Orlando theme parks like SeaWorld Orlando, Universal Studios Florida, and Islands of Adventure kept people from leaving the immediate Orlando area. The struggling theme park, now rechristened as Cypress Gardens Adventure Park, suffered a further blow when three hurricanes struck the region in 2004.
There were sporadic park closures over the year, culminating in a final closure in September, 2009.
If you are ever in Orlando, FL for vacation one great site to see is the Kennedy Space Center. I have been there a few times and love taking the tour. The shot above is from the Apollo/Saturn V Center. Awe inspiring place to visit. The Apollo and Saturn are great subjects for HDR! Enjoy!
I did enjoy the Harry Potter movies/books…although some were very slow. The last movie was fantastic! I give J.K. Rowling credit…Hogwarts is a great idea. Can you imagine catching a train there? Would be an adventure! I have taken a few old train shots and wanted to make this one seem like it came from a Harry Potter movie. It was fun creating…about 6 textures (including one with smoke) + oneOne’s Photo Tools + Nik…basically used all I have! I whipped up a bit of Photoshop Wizardry. You can find this train in downtown Orlando. Enjoy!
From the lovely Lake Eola right near downtown Orlando, this was taken at sunset. Orlando is known for its amusement parks and I must admit I lived about 30 minutes north of Orlando for a few years…trying to find shots other than Disney,etc…is kinda tough! At least now you know to visit this wonderful view next time you are out!
I processed this one in B&W with the new onOne Perfect Effects 3….this new software rocks. Uh oh…looks like my usage of NIK’s Software had faded a bit. Will give my full review next week!
Talke Photography Settings:
Camera: Nikon D70S (Converted to Infrared)
Infrared Conversion: D70S modified by LifePixel
Lens: Nikon 18-200 f/3.5-5.6
Setting: Aperture Mode
Focal Length: 31.0mm
ISO: 200
Exposure: 0.5 sec
Aperture: f/13
Gear: Tripod
Post Process: Adobe CS5, onOne Software Perfect Effects 3, Nik Color Efex pro
Places 2 Explore 