Blue sky is where dreams take flight and imagination knows no bounds. But how does one get there? The answer is simple enough, though I'm guilty of forgetting it frequently. Inspiration is the fuel necessary to carry you up into that big beautiful sky. It can come in practically any form and need not always be sought after, but sometimes... sometimes it does need to be sought. Life has a way of getting repetitive and that repetition has a way of dulling our senses. We stop picking out the nuances that contain a spark of inspiration. The only real way around this is to deliberately break the repetition. It involves investing some time in yourself. It involves exposing yourself to culture and, if I may borrow a phrase from Don Hahn (a huge inspiration to me), it involves filling your bucket. You would never expect your car to run without gas in the tank. Why in the world do we expect to create works of beauty or achieve our dreams if we don't fill ourselves up with the inspiration necessary for creative ingenuity? I believe that in order to live a life you're proud of, you have to, at some point, stop telling yourself the lie that you can't achieve your dream. You have to get up and do something to make it happen. Even if you don't yet know what your dream is, which is okay, the very best place to start is to spend some time searching for inspiration. It might come from the pages of a book, scenes of a movie, a crescendo in a symphony, quality conversations with friends or family, the quietness of solitude, an unfamiliar setting, a scenic walk, time spent with God or a truly perfect piece of chocolate. It really doesn't matter where you find inspiration, so long as you find it and find it repeatedly. Before you know it, all of that inspiration will overflow into something worth sharing with the world and the world, in turn, will be inspired by you.
The way that the Grizzly River Rapids fill up with mist at night is incredible. Instantly you are transported to some remote mountain location where hot springs abound. The best part about it is the mystery. Shapes and figures can become whatever your imagination allows.
I've only really taken a hike at night a few times in my entire life. I prefer to hike during the day. There is less of a risk falling off steep mountain slopes or becoming fully engulfed in a river's rage. At least I think so? It is a pretty stunning sight to walk the heights of a mountain during a full moon. The entire wilderness is dimly lit in a spectacular illumination. It is scenes like this that remind me of the many adventures I've encountered without a well lit bridge offering me safe travels across a ravenous river. Thank you Disney.
Daily Photo Tour - Looking Towards New Territories
Grizzly River Run always reminds me how much of California I haven't explored. I have never seen the Sequoia's, never witnessed Yosemite, and have barely touched the Sierra Nevada Mountain Range. I can't wait for the day to be able to take a camera into new territories! Well, new for me anyways!
Daily Photo Tour - A Quiet Evening in Wine Country
The Wine Country Trattoria is one of the most charming places in Disney California Adventure with some of the best food. After dining service has concluded, as the late night World of Color shows near their end, its vacancy adds to that charm. You almost forget that the Pacific Wharf and Paradise Bay are behind you as you walk past the glistening tables and quietly bubbling fountain. The only thing that could make it better would be having one last glass of wine, perhaps something from the Lasseter Family Winery.
Sometimes certain scenes just pop out to me, and for some reason the other night this little area of California Adventure really caught my eye. The large sweeping trees and glow from the lights looked so quaint in the crisp spring air, I had to stop. And for me, that is one of the most important parts of the photography process. If you see something you like, stop, get out your camera, and take that picture!
Almost after a few minutes of rigging up my tripod, a Disney security guard stopped me and asked me what I was doing. I told him I was shooting the entrance of Grizzly River Run. He immediately got very excited and asked if I was shooting HDR. Then I got excited. A Disney cast member who knows what HDR photography is? So cool! I showed him a few shots from the day, and he wished me luck in my endeavors. A very short, but meaningful conversation with a super nice cast member always leaves a lasting memory. This is what Disney is all about.
Growing up in Northern California, I am a big fan of anything that takes me back there. While no imitation is quite as sweet as being in San Francisco, it's easy to get sucked into the Pacific Wharf. Every detail has its purpose to make it resemble the real thing. I really appreciate the thoughtfulness of the Imagineers and the craftsmanship of the crews that put the parks together. When you stop and think on it for a moment, it's not a stretch to realize that where you are, what you are seeing and what you are standing on are all works of art contributing to a greater, immersive piece.
Welcome to our first episode in a new series we are starting called "Behind the Shot". Our goal with these videos is to share a behind the scenes look at how we capture the images we post here and what's going through our minds during the process. This Behind the Shot features Matt photographing one of his favorite spots in Disney California Adventure. We hope you enjoy this deeper look into what makes a tour guide tick.
Grizzly Peak is kind of like the Sleeping Beauty Castle of California Adventure for me. It's that iconic piece of the magic puzzle that you always find yourself drawn to and that you can immediately identify and associate with Disney. It doesn't matter what time of day or night it is either. There is always something majestic about it. When we first started taking pictures around the Disneyland Resort for this crazy idea we had for a web site dedicated to Disney pictures, Grizzly Peak is what I tried to capture the most. I have probably racked up well over a thousand images of this man made mountain since. This was one of the first.
Being in San Francisco this weekend has been a blessing and another eye opener of Disney's hard work and authenticity. Thanks so much for joining us in our adventures.
Tomorrow is my 25th Birthday. If I could have guessed where I would be when I turn 25, I definitely would not have answered correctly. But, as I get older I find that this is the case with a lot of "my" plans. Sometimes we envision the future, thinking that we will do this or do that. Sometimes we accomplish those things and sometimes we don't. I find it increasingly important though to keep from getting discouraged if we haven't accomplished our goals yet. It is more important to fully understand the circumstances we've faced, and to keep pressing on towards the goal. Tomorrow, the three of us leave for an amazing road trip to San Francisco. Instead of taking the normal route, we have decided to take Highway 1 along the California coast. Yes, we'll be taking the scenic route. 10 hours up the coast with our cameras, several Starbucks lattes, and each other should prove to be a wonderful weekend.
Daily Photo Tour - Details of Disney California Adventure
The richest rewards of the Disneyland Resort are certainly in the details. There is so much thoughtfulness and planning in each and every one of them. It's an adventure just finding them. We're really excited for all the details that are coming to Disney California Adventure and wanted to share some that are currently there.
While walking through the Disneyland Resort with my camera I'm always looking for two things, light and unique angles. It just makes me very happy to find a unique perspective on the parks. On an evening a little over a year ago we stopped near The Grizzly River Mill, on the trail that sneaks through the back side of the ride. I had never looked at the Mill from this angle and thought it was really cool to actually see the structure through the tree's and the grass. I'm a sucker for foliage. I don't get to see it much while living in the lush vegetated terrain of the desert. So when it finds its way around an awesome Disney attraction, I gotta make it work!
Off the beaten path in California Adventure's Golden State, you can get yourself into all sorts of trouble in a redwoods themed challenge trail. From climbing over things, to under them, to through, there's no lack in variety of ways to potentially hurt yourself. Of course you may just find yourself stuck inside one of those redwoods, which offers you this chilling challenge... okay maybe not. Finding a way out isn't all that rough, but you may not want to leave too soon. It's another peaceful place for some adventurous diversions.
Sometimes it's hard to decide what you want to do on vacation with such limited time to get away. Do you go to the beach? Do you go camping? Do you go to an amusement park? Do you travel somewhere exotic? You really don't have to decide if you go to the Disneyland Resort. It has a bit of everything from the beach feel of Paradise Pier to the exotic mystery of Adventureland to the great outdoors of the Golden State. It makes all that vacation planning a little easier and the experience makes for a magical, relaxing adventure.
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Daily Photo Tour - Grizzly River Nights
Imagine that you just woke from a peaceful dream. You are left awake with an emotion you've never felt before. Contentment and calm. No schedule, no deadlines, no screaming kids, and importantly, no stress. You sit up slowly in your squishy comfy bed. A blue glow from your balcony window illuminates the entire room. You ask yourself, "Am I still dreaming?" You somehow relinquish yourself from the amazing slumber and head to the window. A soft glow now vibrant on your face. You peek through the curtain like a child in wonderment. To your surprise a dream world is revealed. You are curious. You're up anyway, and your childlike inquisitiveness is in full control. Without shame, you slap on your Mickey Slippers and head out the door. You make it down the long bright hall, the light piercing your eyes. To your left you notice an enormous atrium. You take a step towards the railing and look down. You are immediately filled with a warmth and radiance that is only comparable to that of Christmas Magic. But this isn't Christmas. This is the Grand Californian Lobby. You're finally starting to wake up. You find an elevator and eagerly ride it down to the lobby floor. A serene and majestic atmosphere fills the place. The lobby ambassador greets you in a laughable manner. You quickly remember the wonderful attire you have chosen to wear on this excursion. You swiftly dodge that conversation and head around the corner, and finally outside. Reality is setting in. The moon radiates down light through the forest, while the quiet peacefulness of the moment surrounds you. You slowly walk up to the scene below. A hushed, constant sound of falling water is all you hear. Nothing else. And then, you begin to start dreaming again. This is what vacation is all about. This is a Grizzly River Night.
If you've noticed the photo settings missing from under our pictures, that's because we've stopped including them. It's not to hide anything or be mysterious though. It's simply a matter of web design and search engine optimization. So if you've been wondering, we're just trying to make it a little easier for Google to find our content.
Daily Photo Tour - The Grizzly Trail
I always enjoy meandering back here at the Grizzly Trail, especially on hot days. There are plenty of trees to provide adequate shade and if you take a few steps further, you can watch the roaring waterfall as the cool mist kisses your face. It's such a relaxing, peaceful spot. Except for the occasional scream or two from passengers plummeting down the Grizzly Rapids.
We were wandering around Grizzly River Run when I noticed this rugged looking desk situated in the queue for this ride. I had seen this a number of times before, but never took the time to get a shot of it. Since we were mulling about anyway, I decided to take a moment to take the picture. At first glance, you may not even realize this was taken at the Disneyland Resort. It really does make you feel as though you've just stumbled upon the work station of a Northern California park ranger.
It seems to be a rare occasion at Disneyland to have clouds like these. I can count on one hand the number of times I've seen them at the Disneyland Resort and more than half of those times I was without my camera. This day I came prepared and it was a particularly exciting day for me. I saw things from a different perspective and found myself inspired to be a little more creative. I've seen the Grizzly River Mill a hundred times, but this time the clouds persuaded me to see it a bit differently.
Daily Photo Tour - A Night at the Grizzly River Mill
This is one of my absolute favorite settings in all of the Disneyland Resort. I have probably taken hundreds of pictures of this spot, never quite capturing what I wanted. Strangely enough, it had never occurred to me to take a picture of this area at night. I think that doing so afforded me the fresh perspective I needed to tap into that right brain creativity and convey the feeling this area brings me. We often lose our understanding and appreciation of things when they've become too familiar. It takes breaking out of our habits sometimes to return to a state actually living instead of simply being alive.
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