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.
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He Shoots, He Scores !

Through the viewfinder of my Canon EOS 6D, I witnessed my son shoot his first soccer goal for him and for his youth soccer team, The Tigers. Still in shock and disbelief over the first proud soccer Dad moment, my son shoots and scores again for his team. The losing streak early season abruptly ends with the first Tiger win for 2013.



"Bulldozer Number 14" to be exact. My son charges the field moving forward swiftly with tactile ease. Another routine soccer match yielded a win-win situation that morning. A first Tiger win of the season and a successful sports photography practice session with my Canon EOS 6D paired with the Canon EF 70-200mm f/4L IS zoom lens.



This 2nd grader packs a mighty punch like my entry level full frame 20mp Canon EOS 6D. The small and lightweight form factor of this Canon EOS 6D is basically a Canon EOS 60D with a full frame sensor. Here are the basics; 20 megapixel full frame CMOS sensor with DIGIC 5+, 4.5 fps, 11 AF points, Full HD video and the first Canon DSLR with built in WiFi/GPS. This lunchbox is full with goodies.



The youth soccer season and my Canon EOS 6D Verdict and Video Review is not finished yet! My son has more goals to shoot and score and I have more ISO, video and image tests to review.

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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.



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LEGOLAND Florida First Anniversary

Bright Lights, Brick City! The month of October marks the 1st Anniversary of LEGOLAND Florida and the family friendly Halloween festivities of Brick-or-Treat. Beautiful Fall weather this weekend contrasts with last year's rainy LEGOLAND Florida sneak preview weekend in 2011. Miniland USA is transformed into a Halloween Brick-or-Treat spooktacular. Ghostly goblins and scary LEGO creatures of the night haunt the LEGO grounds of Miniland USA. My young ones gobbled up all the free trick or treat candies of the Brick-or-Treat Trail and I clicked pictures a many of illuminated LEGO cities in Miniland USA. When it comes to sugared freebies, corporate endorsements are a blessing. Look who's big enough to ride with the family? My 19 month old baby daughter can finally join us in theme park rides. No more stroller duty for her! Look who's too cheap to buy the souvenir photo of this glorious event? My 18 megapixel Canon EOS Rebel T4i saved me at least twenty bucks! Nothing says togetherness better than social connectivity under the old Banyan Tree in Cypress Gardens at LEGOLAND Florida. The Apple iPhone is the glue that bonds long time family friends of Getawaymoments. At first glance, progress moving nowhere! Second glance, LEGOLAND Florida closes at 9pm on weekends in October. Miniland USA is illuminated like NYC's Time Square and the Las Vegas Strip but all in LEGO. Even the Tampa Bay skyline makes a night debut! Old City Hall, Tampa Theater and even the "beer" can building glimmers in the fake Hillsborough river moonlight. Miniland USA at night is quite remarkable... A year has gone by but Youtube makes video memories last forever. Just a quick montage of the rainy preview weekend at LEGOLAND Florida last year. Get a towel, you will definitely need it... Take one part baby stroller and one part GoPro Hero 2 to LEGOLAND Florida. You have yourself the ultimate mobile infant dolly to glide the crowded streets of Miniland USA. When the cinematic greats of Getawaymoments and ChadSorianoPhotoBlog converge, you also have vehicular verite at its best! Happy orange LEGO pumpkin Halloween from the Soriano family! May all your trick or treat bags be filled with less candy corn and more chocolate with a heavy emphasis on Reese's Peanut Butter Cups. Who could say no to this adorable baby? I see chocolate and iPhone 6 in her future. You can see more cuteness in my LEGOLAND Florida First Anniversary and Brick-orTreat Gallery 2012 shot with the Canon EOS Rebel T4i/650D. Stay updated with the latest gear by Becoming a Fan on my Facebook Fan Page and following me on Twitter!.

Happy 10th Birthday Madeline !

Double digits are in your future now. 10 years old, 10 candles, 10 fingers, 10 toes and 10 generations of Apple iPhones fill your ever growing mind of everything pink. Happy 10th Birthday Madeline!



The final countdown has begun to your teenage years. Once shy and unsure, you are now open and confident. Parental grip is tightening to the point of asphyxiation but at this point we maybe getting ahead of ourselves. With the proper guidance and your favorite Japanese Hibachi Steakhouse, the path to adulthood just got easier.



A family tree has many branches. Your siblings and cousins look up to the eldest wise-woman for knowledge and the latest Carly Rae Jepsen pop song lyrics.



I have to admit my Canon fault. My first born was digitally photographed with a Sony Cyber-shot DSC F707. Although, I was shooting film with a 35mm Canon EOS 3 before my jump to digital, I quickly realized my true calling with a Canon EOS 10D. Maybe "10" is truly a magical number.



An ice skating birthday party plus the latest Canon Rebel T4i/650D equals another video test to capture the special moments. With ice comes snow to low light ice rinks with disco lights. Snow meaning ISO 6400 video noise in less than ideal lighting conditions. What choice do I have?



With every birthday comes cake and a lurking hungry younger brother with fork in hand to steal your glory. No worries, your smothering sibling has a younger sister to eat his cake very soon. It seems a decade is certainly not long enough...



Meet my youngest and future menace to my son along with more "Ice-capades" in Madeline's 10th Birthday Gallery shot with the Canon EOS Rebel T4i/650D.



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Canon Rebel T4i and EF 40mm F/2.8 STM Video Test

Beach days are back again along with more Canon Rebel T4i/650D and EF 40mm f/2.8 STM pancake lens video tests. My kids and their cousins hit the ground running at Clearwater Beach, Florida with open arms despite the heat and high humidity.



A 1080p video shot with the Canon EOS Rebel T4i/650D paired with the Canon EF 40mm f/2.8 STM pancake lens at 29.97fps. Edited with Final Cut Pro 6.0.6 with the Canon E-1 Movie plugin to transcode to AppleProRes422. I used Compressor to export my timeline for a 800mb h264 video file. For audio capture, I used a Senneheiser MKE400 shotgun microphone. For support, I used Benro 3580 tripod legs with a Manfrotto 701 HDV video head. To control the incoming exposure in direct sunlight, I used a FADER HD variable ND filter on the "shorty forty" lens.



The Canon EF 40mm f/2.8 STM pancake lens is an affordable, portable and super sharp lens that gives great color and contrast. A great value is an understatement describing this lens for still and video purposes. The "shorty forty' is a must have for your camera bag.



Just like I mentioned in my full Canon Rebel T4i/650D Verdict and Video Review, I found the lack of AF Quick in video mode rather disappointing along with other big features. The AF Flexizone Single Point in the T4i is no replacement for the faster AF Quick mode of the previous T3i.



The AF Flexizone Single Point uses an enhanced contrast detect sensor in the CMOS chip to maintain focus automatically or on demand. It is simply not fast enough for my taste, but fortunately it is just as accurate as AF Quick of the T3i. Shooting in the direct sunlight of the beach was a great test of the AF of the T4i. Rejoice!



Just like my kids and their cousins, the Canon Rebel T4i and the EF 40mm f/2.8 STM lens make a great pair together. The "shorty forty" on the T4i's crop sensor give a focal equivalent of 64mm. A perfect focal length for portraits with dreamy out of focus background. A match made in heaven!



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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.



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