Yosemite National Park Experience

Ansel Adams relied on his trusty pack mule to venture into the Yosemite wilderness with heavy camera gear to capture epic vistas and breathtaking landscapes. I traveled with my family and reliable Peg Perego baby stroller through paved mountain passes to El Capitan and Tunnel View parking lots photographing tourist laden panoramas. I call this family wilderness photography with a wife and three kids.
 

The National Park Service warned us about a Hantavirus outbreak but never adorable and hungry baby cubs luring wary onlookers for constant attention and cherry lollipops. Through the looking glass of our minivan rental, we saw Mule Deer, a coyote, annoying squirrels and Stellar Jays a plenty!

 

With so much grand views of the Sierra Nevada, a bad photograph is hard to come by with this much eye candy. No 4x5 view cameras and plate glass emulsion in my bag during this adventure, but my full frame Canon EOS 5D Mark III ready for landscape detail. A good wide angle with minimal distortion is great for vistas but a zoom lens is even better for compressing forest mountain tops. Fill the frame!

 

Our Yosemite National Park visit was brief but memorable. The trip to San Francisco led the family straight to Jollibee and other "City by the Bay" landmarks. My son had his eyes on landmarks like souvenir gift shops and Jollibee Chickenjoy!

 

My fashion diva oldest daughter willingly posed a many in the picturesque Japanese Tea Garden by the Academy of Science Museum. The middle school fashionista dominated the city and wilderness with ease.

 

Too much family pictures and not enough nap time, make adorable baby cubs angry and short tempered. A bit of family picture advice for the novice, take baby and toddler photographs fresh from a nap and arm your self with loads of patience!

 

A 1080p video shot with the Canon EOS 5D Mark III at 29.97fps. Edited with Final Cut Pro 6.0.6 and used Compressor to get a 1.2gb h264 video file at best quality. I used the Canon E-1 Movie Plugin to automatically transcode to AppleProRes422. The Canon EOS 5D Mark III was paired with the Canon EF 17-40 f/4L, Canon EF 24-105 f/4L IS and the Canon EF 70-200mm f/4L IS lenses. For audio, I used a Sennheiser MKE400 shotgun microphone. For stability, I used a Manfrotto 701HDV fluid head with Benro 3580 tripod legs.

 

The Golden Gate bridging gaps with one clam chowder filled sourdough bowl at a time. Considered a civil engineering wonder of the world, the Golden Gate Bridge at sunset strikes an ominous pause through my "L" glass. A sturdy tripod is a must on top of this windy overlook for the extra sharp details.



My four wonders of the world posing in hot pink, camouflage and Kirkland Signature Khaki in front of another grand wonder, Half Dome at Glacier Point.



You can view more in my Yosemite National Park and San Francisco 2012 Gallery shot with the Canon EOS 5D Mark III paired with the Canon EF 17-40mm f/4L, EF 24-105mm f/4L IS and EF 70-200mm f/4L IS lenses.
 

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Fort Wilderness Resort

A physical and literary paradox smothers our new adventure into the Magic Kindgom. The irony I am talking about is the word "Wilderness" and "Resort" describing the outdoor Disney refuge in Orlando,FL.



Your eyes are not fooling you. Those are mobile homes disguised as authentic log cabins. The same log cabins that early pioneers of America settled their restless spirit to discover the wild west. I think Disney removed the trailer hitch to give the Wilderness log cabin some authenticity.



The kids could care less of the wilderness menagerie because there were bunk beds and a swimming hole to play in for hours on end.



I overcame the simulated wood grain with endless opportunities of picture taking and non stop charcoal grilling. With 40 pounds of marinated meat,3 bags of charcoal and a bag of real hickory chunks, I began my photo and BBQ odyssey. 20 pounds of leg quarters, 10 pounds of ribs, 5 pounds of italian sausage and 5 pounds of burgers challenged my grilling skill for two days. Why so much meat? The in-laws were invading in droves with savage hunger. Plus, I love grilling meat in the great outdoors. This was the closest to "Wilderness" as we got in the Disney Resort.



After the grilling and swimming, the family ventured to other parts of the Walt Disney World Complex. We traveled via train,monorail,bus and boat to different Disney themed resorts. Our first stop was to the Grand Floridian Resort with its Victorian style buildings.



We took the Resort Ferry boat to Disney's Polynesian Resort in the pouring rain. We joyously discovered in the Captain Cook snack bar of the resort with all you can eat Dole Pineapple soft serve ice cream. The only other place at Disney World that served Dole Pineapple soft serve was across the Swiss Family Robinson Tree House for a $5 small dish with no refills. As a side note, we visited an actual Dole Plantation in Hawaii that served the same Dole Pineapple soft serve.



Fond memories of Hawaii...it seemed only like yesterday we visited the islands. Sandy beaches,tropical winds, L&L BBQ and Costco souvenirs fill my mind when I think of paradise. You can view the golden treasure for yourself in the Hawaii 2009 Photo and Video Gallery.
The Hawaiian Gallery is shot exclusively with the Canon EOS 5D Mark II.



The tacky souvenir shirt and fake flowered lei will have to suffice for now in replace of the real thing. Hope was not lost during our "Wilderness" visit, we discovered all you can eat Dole Pineapple soft serve ice cream!

You can view more images in the Fort Wilderness Resort 2010 Gallery.
Shot with the Canon EOS 1D Mark III with the Canon EF 24-105mm f/4 IS and Canon EF 70-200mm f/4 IS lenses.