My Alchemy

I just bought a new lens for my camera. This one I have been needing for some time now. I swear it will be tough to take it off. It's a Tokina 11-16 f/2.8 crop sensor lens for Canon. This is going to be my money maker. This is why he's already been named... Rumpelstiltskin.The metaphor of spinning straw into gold is akin to how I feel about this lens.

So I will need to get it fixed or deal with a bit of a jamming manual focus. I'm used to manual focus having learned on old SLR's. But I would rather have it fixed so I can get some great shots in the dark rides. Specifically Haunted Mansion, Pirates of the Caribbean, Tower of Terror, and maybe Peter Pan. Those are ones I know from Disneyland. There are ones in WDW I just don't know yet and I hope to become very familiar with. Working in attractions, I'm sure I will. But mostly I'm excited to take pictures in the resort hotels. There seems to be a wealth of great shots to be taken at these stylized themed resorts. The POP specifically will be fun to photograph.

Today I had to work on a QR code for an idea of mine. I bought a couple of florescent yellow shirts and one light blue shirt so I could put a a QR code on the back, so while I'm taking pictures people can scan the code and go to my website. It's kinda like a Where's Waldo or "Where in the World" is Digital Elegance? A fun game to play and it's also a fun marketing tool. So I created the QR code and then I bought the iron on paper to do it from home. I wish I could find a screen printer to do it for me.

But I have been having fun getting ready for Disney in everything. I've had some crazy ups and downs lately, but things are working out for me. For example: plane ticket for $136, student loan coming in after residency kicking in, getting a new Galaxy Note 3, and buying a Canon t3 for $130 ($112 for the body and 18-55 lens, where the lens alone costs $100-$120, and $17 for batteries. Altogether that's more than half off). This life rocks. Until next time...

What is the best Walt Disney World Android App?

Good Bye Lilly Belle

I got word the other day that the Lilly Belle was now going back to private mode. It will not be available to the general public for rides around the park. This gem of the Disneyland Railroad was one of the most romantic attractions Disneyland had to offer. Mostly because people didn't know about it much and you had to ask for it. The rarity in itself made this a must ride. Not only that, but hyper-filled with history.

This is one of the things I would tell people to do if they had the time. I would tell them to go to the cast member at Main Street Station and ask if they could reserve seating on the Lilly Belle. If it was running they were given a time to come back to ride it full circle with a guide. It was a free tour full of information. But now this will most likely be part of a tour that you have to pay for or for the original purpose, for dignitaries and Club 33 Members.

As far at I know, Tinder is still available to the public. This is another I highly recommend for the train enthusiast. It's only for 2 people and it is also a full circle tour with tons of information. Same requirement are involved with asking if it's running and if you can schedule a return time. Oh, and you have to ask day of. This is not something you can call in to reserve.

I was lucky to enjoy both in my time. There are many of these little tips that make Disney amazing for the true fan.

What are some rare tips that you like?

What are some rare tips for Walt Disney World?

Roommate Findinator 3000 Video

This video explains how to use the Findinator 3000 as well as registration.

Roommate Finder Update

It's been just over 24 hours since I launched The Roommate Finder. We just hit 80 registered people. There was a huge wave of people accepted to the program today, and I feel my site is going to become very popular.

I do have to take a break and congratulate those that

Roommate Surveys

This is straight from the about page of a site I created today. It's called Roommate Finder.

People of many different facebook pages and forums are posting their Roommate surveys. The only problem is, not each page has the same people and once a few more people post, yours get’s lost in the mix and is so hard to find. Plus it’s even

Photo Ideas

Lately I have been getting caught up on Flickr and Pinterest looking for ideas for photos in Walt Disney World. I've even started reaching out to a few of the photographers so I can see what they do. But when it comes down to it, I'm going to have to come up with my own style and flair. But there are few things I want to take pictures of and why reinvent the wheel when the composition and the lighting are ideal?

One of the ideas I plan on stealing is the glitter confetti idea.

A Quick Shout Out

It appears my viewership is getting bigger and bigger. Thank you for all looking at my blog. I really appreciate it. You guys are all so awesome... But there is one of your that is more awesome than the rest.

You've Been Pended... Now What?

Yesterday a wave of emails hit the internet telling College Program hopefuls, they are still being considered, but no decision has been made so they are "Pended" or in other words, they are on hold. This has been devastating to many who applied the very first day and had their phone interview shortly thereafter.

This is by no means an NLIC, but it just means that the wait is drawn out and terribly painful. I personally have not had this happen to me either time applying, but I can imagine how they feel. So what can you do for someone that has been pended, or better yet, what can you do if you are the one in this situation?

Magical Rewards Part 2 (The Stocking)

It was a rainy winter day in Disneyland. I was scheduled to take pictures of guests with the Christmas tree in Town Square. I got into work to find that my position was obsolete on rainy days. One, for some reason, guests don't like to stand in the rain for pictures with a tree. Two, the equipment could get wet and damaged. They were going to send me home, but

Trimaxian Doombuggy

This last weekend was pretty crazy for me. I said goodbye to a not-so-trusted friend, Trimaxian Doombuggy. I should have known by naming him that, but I thought it would be cool. Note to self, don't name things after failed Disney movies and anything with the word Doom in it.

Max was my car for the last 3 years. In that short time, I poured more money into fixing him than I bought him for. Mind you, he took me many times to Disneyland and back. And I even slept in him on many occasions to save a bit of money from hotel rooms.

He was old when I got him. He was 20 years old and had a bad engine. I had to replace that. Then starters, alternators, and other electrical issues. I even got in a slight accident with him over the summer which broke the right headlight and bent the hood. Although, he was hand painted with chalkboard paint so my kids and random people could draw on him, the paint was chipping and needed some help. Needless to say, he wasn't looking too hot.

The last straw was what happened on last Tuesday. Driving along on the highway a gust of wind, combined with my going close to 10 over like the rest of the fast traffic, caught my already loose hood and whipped it up into my windshield. All I could see of the road ahead of me was through the small slit between my car and the now vertical hood.

I pulled over as quickly as I could with the traffic. I got out of the car and tried to lock the hood down again. No such luck. The windshield was badly cracked but not in my immediate line of sight. The hood was even more out of shape than it had been the past 6 months. I checked Max for a rope, but could only find a tow rope. Instead of using that bright yellow ribbon to attract more attention to myself, I chose to use my sturdy leather belt. Now tired down, I drove the rest of the 30 miles to school and wondered if people would laugh at the Pac-Man chomping car as it munched on each white dashed line.

I could have tried to fix him, and maybe I should have, but to me, Max was dead. I sold him above Kelly Blue Book value, but I might have gotten more. Oh well.

What did you name your car?

My Acceptance

Short and sweet today. I got in for Fall Advantage, what I really wanted. At Walt Disney World, what I really wanted. For attractions, what I kinda sorta wanted. I was told I could call and say I would be a better fit and feel more comfortable as Photopass. So I might just do that. It can't hurt to ask. We'll see. But I will be going in at the end of May to beginning June. More to come...

Acceptances Are Here

So on the 26th of February, acceptances started to flow out to a few of those that applied. I have yet to hear back, but I'm still in progress and I'm not scared. But I had a great thing happen to me that night. I was at an introduction to a great program at Outlook Development that I won't be able to do seeing that I'll be leaving for Disney before it ends so there is no use. While I was there, two of my best friends Josh and Aubry

Magical Rewards Part 1 (The High Four)

Going with a couple of my latest posts, mainly Creating Magic Moments and Best Advice, I decided to add these few remarks. I assure you this is not a brag fest. Not even an Oktoberfest. (It's February as I write this) This is a chance to show you we I loved working for Disney and why many of you might as well.

I have had great jobs in my life, but none so great as working for a mouse. Quite literally. This first experience of this three part blog is about me working in "The House" or Mickey's house. I didn't get the job very often. Unfortunately! I love it for

Best Advice for Cast Members (or any employee)

This week in time, many of those that applied for the Disney College Program should be hearing back about their status with their application. Many of them (okay, me included) are looking at their application dashboard to see their status change from "In Progress" to hopefully "Accepted" and not "NLIC" (No Longer In Consideration).

For those hopefuls I thought I would give my best advice that wasn't even mine.

I'm a Hacker!

German Translation:
There is no "Right or Wrong",
There is only "Fun or Boredom!

I sometimes feel like a hacker. Over my lifetime I have acquired a particular set of skills. Web searching being one of them. I'm going to teach you two things to toss into your next google search that will allow you to narrow down your findings to some very interesting results. I really shouldn't give away my secrets like this. I have been the go to guy for information, and now I'm letting you in on my magic.

Fonts for Disney

Do you have a blog or vlog or something that is promoting Disney? In my last post I needed a graphic that had a Disney font. I found on

Ringtones

If my blog posts were like ringtones, this one would be classified a notification sound. This is going to be short. Not because I didn't have time. I just

The Phone Interview

On Wednesday night at 9:15 pm, I got my phone interview for the Disney College Program for Fall 2014. I was going to record it via my computer but I wasn't able to get it started in time. In the moment I got a bit flustered and so I didn't write down her name like I should have. It's great to use their name during the call at least one other time than in the beginning and once at the end. But I did remember to do a few things right. Here are some tips and a bit more about what I experienced.

Tips:

Where were you 5 years ago?

I love you, man! This is a shout out to all of my new friends on the Facebook pages for the Fall Disney College Program. Back in 2009 when I was applying and getting accepted, there were very few of us out there that were as social media savvy as there are today. I tried to start a College Program page for just Disneyland. I think I got

Life's Greatest Lesson

Back in 2009, they told us we were not allowed to post this image anywhere. We could show friends, but not to publish it. Back then, this shot was only available to special cast members of the Disneyland Resort. Now this is part of the "Walk in Walt's Footsteps" tour that you can purchase while visiting the parks. This is Walt's Apartment! The one he used to

Favorite Photography

I would like to tell you about the people that have kept my sanity in check these long 4 years. Ever since leaving The Walt Disney Company in January of 2010, I have missed being in the parks on a regular basis. Luckily I have had things like music to help me with my "home sickness". The other thing that has helped is the lovely imagery for some very talented people. While listening to some music on youtube I came across some stunning photos of Walt Disney World taken by Trey Ratcliff. I was instantly

Disney Music Playlists

Ever since I got home from the Disney College Program in January of 2010, I have wanted to go back and visit the parks. At that time I lived in Idaho; a good 15 hours away from Disneyland by car and not able to go as much as I would like. I needed to get my fix of a full Disney immersive experience. The best way for me to feel like I was there was by the music. Luckily, for us G33K5, a couple of great people have placed music from the parks on youtube. Specifically, my favorite is MrThemeParksAudio. Somehow he is able to grab

Creating Magic Moments

Disney Ruined My Marriage! In the spring of 2009 (5 year ago) I applied to the Disney College Program. I was accepted into the Disneyland Program as a Photopass Photographer. I chose Disneyland so I could be close to my wife and kids who would be in Arizona. Turns out that there was a price to pay for that choice. I say this all in jest. Disney didn't really ruin my marriage, but when I got back, people noticed a major different. Not only had I lost over 30 pounds due to starvation (my choice), I had become a Disney Geek!

During my divorce, my mother asked me what was my obsession with

Camera Choice

I had a great discussion yesterday with a gal applying for the Disney College Program. She is interested in getting a new camera for her stay at the Walt Disney World Resort in Florida. I asked a few questions in a flow chart type fashion to see her needs. She's been interested in getting a DSLR. Now I own one for myself, but I do not recommend them for everyone. Or even for the majority of people. DSLR's, even the cheaper ones are great, but they are for those interested in the trade. As in they are interested in getting paid for their photos.

So what should I get Mr. High and Mighty DSLR owner?

Happy Valentine's Day! Blank

Blank was just released and is super cute. If you're not into vinylmation, neither am I but this is great! Get into the mood of Valentines with this amazing stop motion animation short film. It hasn't got me into the buying them, but I will have a bit more of an appreciation. It's free to download on google play.

Here's the preview:

Fun Things To Do: Tower of Terror

21 people enter, only 20 come out. Or at least that's what they want you to believe will happen. The Tower of Terror attraction in Walt Disney World is one of the stops that is a must. If you have been on the one in Disneyland many times, like I have, you will be happy to know this is voted as one the attractions that is so much better in Disney World than Disneyland. With the elevator moving not only up and down, it travels forward and backwards. (Glass Elevator anyone?)

One of the greatest aspects of the attraction is that the elevator actually pulls you down when you "fall" down the shaft. This allows for some fun. The other aspect that allows for some fun is the photo op that happens on an unknown floor. It's unknown because a computer randomizes the ups and downs your experience. You had better be prepared to look out the open wall to the "World" below. So many things are possible here.

The Coin:

Place a coin on