Sea World's Antarctica: Empire of the Penguin Experience

Fuse Academy Award winning animated feature Happy Feet with Disney's Star Tours: The Adventure Continues and you get Sea World's Antarctica: Empire of the Penguin. Sea World's newest attraction in Orlando, Florida features a motion simulation ride that journeys through a live habitat of real penguins from the Antarctic. This past Memorial Day weekend grand opening of Sea World's newest exhibit met with large crowds including my family. The icy South Pole meets the hot and humid Orlando, Florida!



The freezing temperatures of the exhibit gave much needed relief from the two hours and twenty minute wait in line for Empire of the Penguins attraction in the Florida heat. To be exact, that is 140 minutes of standing in line for a two minute theme park ride. Patience is definitely a virtue!



The long line just continued around the exhibit like a never ending Department of Motor Vehicles line. As Florida resident season pass holders, we came to Sea World just for the grand opening weekend of Antarctica: Empire of the Penguins and we expected the crowds and long wait!



With my smallest and lightest DSLR in the world, the Canon EOS Rebel SL1 paired with the Rokinon 8mm T3.8 Fisheye Cine lens, I captured almost the entire 2 minute ride to make a Full HD experience. The fisheye lens gave me a great wide POV perspective without missing any South Pole scenery. BTW, it was really dark and I had to push the ISO setting to 3200 and keep the lens wide open the whole time.



Sea World's Antarctica: Empire of the Penguin theme park ride is family friendly. My whole family including my two year old daughter could enjoy the icy experience without harm or fear. The only harm came to my sore legs and overheated body from the 2 hour and 20 minute wait in line!



So my Sea World's Antarctica: Empire of the Penguin verdict? Definitely wait for a couple of months for the crowds to wane, especially with families with young impatient kids. My Empire of the Penguin theme park ride experience adds another decent but not spectacular exhibit to a live animal theme park. Sea World brings the icy South Pole to Orlando, Florida but hold off to any immediate visits until the hoards of people trickle down.



Antarctic penguins are a tough sell to the Disney theme park dominated Orlando, Florida. My family enjoys everything that Sea World has to offer with their educational marine life entertainment. A bit of theme park advice here...enjoy the reduced crowds at the other Sea World exhibits in the meantime. No one was at Shark Encounter for the first time!



You can view more Sea World's Antarctica: Empire of the Penguins photos and videos shot with the Canon EOS Rebel SL1/100D in my Sea World's Antarctica: Empire of the Penguin Gallery.
Stay updated with the latest DSLR gear by Becoming a Fan on my Facebook Fan Page and following me on Twitter!

A Christmas Stay-cation

Happy holidays and Merry Christmas from the Soriano family. No fancy trips or winter travels this holiday season but a nice homely stay-cation in sunny Florida.



Who needs Rockefeller Center in NYC when you have joyous Manatees in your backyard? We made the most of our stay-cation with a large emphasis of our own local tourist attractions. Our first stop is the Manatee Viewing Center at the Big Bend Power Station in Apollo Beach, Florida. The Sea Cows were prancing in the warm waters of electric power plant runoff with glee!



A Christmas Bricktacular at LEGOLAND Florida kicked off the holiday weekend with family and friends. My measly pre-lit synthetic fraser-fur pales in comparison to the 500,000 LEGO brick Christmas Tree towering over toy hungry kids. Call it 6 tons of peace and joy!



Real LEGO Friends without the retail markup. Lasting friendships have humble beginnings on itchy St. Augustine turf. School winter break means two weeks of well needed fun and no school morning rush hour!



Home sweet home on Christmas morning. Gifts opened by my kids with joy and disappointment. Parents relieved the holidays are half over until New Year's Day. The long and treacherous journey to the in-laws begins. Oh joy!



My soon to be 22 month old daughter figured out Christmas rather quickly. Christmas tree with shiny boxes equals Peace on Earth! Back to back Cuddleuppets commercials on Sprout TV enlightened her on the true meaning of Christmas.



Ho! Ho! Ho!, the Filipino Santa with Kirkland Signature attire and a belly full of Jollibee Chicken Joy brings presents and his Canon EOS M digital mirrorless camera to capture the never ending holiday moments.



Filipino Santa was barely clicking away the slow focusing Canon EOS M from the holiday feast induced coma. Smiles and giggles inspired a sleepy Filipino Santa to move on to one more household.



Cousin chaos part 3. A three hour visit was well spent with my niece and nephew discussing the latest high school gossip and playing Black Ops 2 mulitplayer team death match over lunch. This is the true and priceless gift you cannot box and wrap. No sappy television commercial or Hallmark Greeting card can dare to repeat this true meaning of Christmas.



You can view more bundles of joy in my Christmas 2012 Gallery shot with the Canon EOS M paired with the Canon EF-S 17-55mm f/2.8 IS with EF-M lens mount adapter.



Follow more precious smiles by Becoming a Fan on my Facebook Fan Page and following me on Twitter!

Ready For Launch

Armed with three model rockets and waning golden hour light, the space race began with Cold War readiness. With the help of my son's God Father at GetAwayMoments and my whole family, they launched homemade rockets into the atmosphere. NASA would have been impressed.



This 1080p video shot with the Canon EOS M at 29.97fps was very impromptu. Completely handheld during the launch sequences, I barely managed to keep a steady track of the model rockets. I even used the built in Canon EOS M stereo microphones for audio capture. Luckily, the sunset and minimal wind conditions made optimal video shooting conditions. I edited with iMovie'11 and used Quicktime to compress a 240mb h264 video file at best quality.



A precious God Father moment with his God Son blasting rockets into the sky is also a opportune moment for a GoPro Hero 3 Black Edition video shoot. Getawaymoments maybe working on his next DIY GoPro Hero 3 Aerial Rocket Video with G Class solid propellant multi stage engines. Imagine the first GoPro Hero 3 Black Edition in the upper echelons of the atmosphere.



Humble beginnings spark ingenious ideas. Model rocketry inspires future scientific endeavors for young minds and priceless moments for my family. Many thanks, Getawaymoments.



Follow the model rocket smoke trails by Becoming a Fan on my Facebook Fan Page and following me on Twitter!

A Labor of Love

A few words spoken rewards the thankless without expectation. The diaper changes, the sibling rivalry and the constant attention to every wanton need wanes with a simple baby babble of "Hi, DaDa!". In this family, Labor Day celebrates achievement in milestones.



The hours of preparation by my beloved wife honors the memory of marinated Pinchos of Puerto Rico. Sliced pork seasoned and skewered like Filipino kabobs over flame pleasures the palate and numbs parental headaches of child upbringing. Sounds like good medicine to me!



Growing up is hard to do these days. Academic expectations are higher and more demanding from school and parents. Homework, tests, projects and more homework can seem overwhelming to little minds with big hearts. Madeline and Jude, keep up the good school work and it will all make sense when you are adults.



Parental patience burns faster than marshmallows roasted over an open flame without adult supervision. Add a little Hershey's chocolate sandwiched between two crispy graham crackers, you have yourself a potentially sweet s'mores meltdown. Can somebody please pass "some more" virtue?



Labor Day symbolizes the end of summer but not in this household. Family trips to the beach for sunset strolls and sandy swim sessions last until the cooler weather arrives for two more months. Two very very long months of more Florida heat and humidity...



Almost 18 months old and counting for my baby daughter Serena this Labor Day Weekend. Your spoken words are growing and adorable to parental ears. The bursting charm and cuteness are as big as your never ending appetite for cheeseburgers in paradise.



You can view more corn cobs and pics in my Labor Day Weekend 2012 Gallery shot with the Canon EOS Rebel T4i/650D paired with the Canon EF-S 17-55mm f/2.8 IS lens.



Stay updated with the latest Pinchos and HD DSLR gear by Becoming a Fan on my Facebook Fan Page and following me on Twitter!

The New McDonald's Experience

My kids first noticed the new construction next to our neighborhood on the way to school one day. I first dismissed the stand alone building as another strip mall anchor but I soon realized from the rubble of concrete and metal emerged the "Golden Arches". The school daze frown were turned upside down.



Almost three months later, the newly redesigned McDonald's unlocked their doors for their soft opening. My kids were there with open arms to embrace the yummy food and the new look of the fast food giant. Gone are the overbearing primary colors, cafeteria style seating and florescent light banks of the 1980's. They are replaced with LED wide screen menus, upscale furniture with decorative lamps and muted interior wall colors that welcome customers. The look is very familiar nowadays in the very competitive food industry. Panera Bread and especially Starbucks come to mind.



My first impression was positive with the new look and feel of McDonald's. There was a strong "IKEA" presence but with an aroma of french fries. To be honest, my kids could care less about the new modern design of McDonald's. Kids are kids. They want good food hot and fast. I have to agree with their demands and simplicity.



McDonald's can renovate and change the iconic look of a traditional fast food restaurant but the menu still lures the customers. My new "Daily Double" tasted as good as it looks in this picture. I still miss the "hot side hot and the cold side cold" of the McDLT of yesteryear but the "Daily Double" will suffice for now. My kids as usual got the "Happy Meal" with the included "marketing ploy toy". Now for the real question. Is the "Hot Apple Pie" fried or baked at this new location?



Memories of my childhood past are filled with Star Wars action figures and the crunch of McDonald's Hot Apple Pie. At one point in the history of McDonald's menus, the Hot Apple Pie turned from crispy to a dry and stale like "Pop Tart". Maybe it was a budget cut or a marketing survey that changed history, but the fried apple pie became a baked apple pie. Who would do such a thing? Fortunately, our newly redesigned neighborhood McDonald's blessed my family with fried apple pie dreams. Rejoice!



If I can wake my kids up early from their summer vacation sleep, I should have a review of the McDonald's breakfast menu coming soon. Just like the pictures above shot with the new Canon EOS Rebel T4i/650D paired with the Canon EF-S 17-55mm f/2.8 IS lens, I will soon have Hot Cakes and Hash Browns filling the pages of my PhotoBlog.



Follow me to Happy Meal heaven by Becoming a Fan on my Facebook Fan Page and following me on Twitter! for more HD DSLR gear reviews.

Happy 1st Birthday Serena !

A whole one year has passed since I held you for the first time in the delivery room. Wrapped tightly in linens, you barely opened your newborn eyes to a strange world and the parents who unconditionally love you. The sleepless nights waking to your cries for formula, soiled diapers, runny nose, high temperature fevers and projectile vomiting are slowly waning each day. 12 months later, parental anxiety takes over with baby crawling hazards and potential chokables in the household. Ahh...parenthood!



Happy first birthday, Serena! You are now one year old with many accomplished baby milestones and much more to conquer in the upcoming months ahead. Soon you will be walking with confidence and marching to a different tune. The tune of the next generation Apple iPhone with all the bells and whistles. You can never start them too early!



A pink frosted cake and your very own personal side of roasted meat are the perfect accompaniment for any birthday celebrant. With emerging four baby teeth, Serena's feral instinct kicks in to devour any rotisserie prey.



Call it a celebration of life and the carnivorous consumption of red meat at Texas De Brazil, a Brazilian Steakhouse in Tampa, Florida. Serena's family and friends gathered for the big one year birthday and to bathe in Churrascaria delicacies. I will take my flank steak rare and bloody but charred on the outside please...



You definitely have your mother's beautiful genes, quite literally. The eyes, face and even your infant lips are almost clone like. Yikes! I will soon have two bosses in the household.



Singing "Happy Birthday" can never get old, especially to children. Maybe by next year, Serena can figure out the candle blowing by then. If you are new to my ChadSorianoPhotoBlog, here is a recap of my baby daughter over the year in a "George Lucas" video trilogy. Enjoy!







Show me the babies! These videos are only the tip of the iceberg for this year. More birthdays and milestones to document and capture with my Canon HD DSLR's. My computer hard drives are bursting at the seams just thinking about all the upcoming photos and video footage. Newegg.com to the rescue...



"Count my five pudgy fingers...each one for a gift without an iPhone 4S." There is always next year. My Vera Bradley Hipster will have to suffice for the moment.



Happy Wedding Anniversary to my beautiful wife! I am blessed to have three wonderful children from her and a gorgeous view of the pay here-parking lot at the Plant City, Florida Strawberry Festival in the trunk of our family minivan. Mahal Kita, Kathleen!



Bonds hold strong in my family. Weakness is spelled baby p-o-o-p and v-o-m-i-t. My will power is not that strong...



You can view more photos and videos in my Serena's First Birthday 2012 Gallery shot with the Canon EOS 1D Mark IV and the Canon EOS Rebel T3i/600D.



Stay updated with the latest HD DSLR gear by becoming a Fan on my Facebook Fan Page and following me on Twitter!

You may have noticed rarely seen and unheard portraits of me. I have to give thanks to my son's God Father for a helping hand at Getawaymoments.

Epic

Bigger than life itself. No fabled heroes on this New Year's Day but only humbled eyes capturing a chronicle of events called my family. Year 2011 has passed and the dauntless task of 2012 seems as bright as the New Year's Eve firework's display at LEGOLAND Florida.



Cousins forever. Just like Dick Clark's Times Square Ball Drop for New Year's Eve, the countdown is ticking for priceless childhood moments. School winter break converged masses upon central Florida with several theme parks closing its doors due to over capacity. We braved the traffic and crowds and hit LEGOLAND Florida with a vengeful bite of Granny Apple Fries with delightful whip cream.



Enamored by bombs bursting in air like my wife, my almost 10 month old daughter shares the same fondness for elaborate firework displays. Armed with store bought 500 gram gunpowder cakes, my brother in law illuminates the neighborhood with theme park quality fireworks. The little ones duck and cover while the adults and the local County Sheriff gaze with mouths agape.



A thousand points of light shine bright upon the best Christmas of my lifetime. "The best Christmas" may sound cliche to my kid's gift filled eyes but it is an epic truth to me.



My oldest niece meets the youngest of the Soriano family only for the second time this year. Despite this gap, my baby daughter stares deep into her oldest cousin's eyes with a lifetime of familiarity...Epic.



You can view more photos in my New Year's Eve for 2012 Gallery shot with the Canon EOS Rebel T3i paired with the Canon EF-S 17-55mm f/2.8 IS lens.

Stay updated with the latest HD DSLR gear by Becoming a Fan on Facebook Fan Page and following me on Twitter!