Taking Photos At Disneyland

I love Disneyland.  I also love taking interesting pictures, though I really hate carrying my DSLR around the park all day.  Sometimes I forget that I have a fairly good quality camera on my phone (as most of us do), and in good lighting I can take a very nice quality photo with it.

On a recent trip to Disneyland I rediscovered the HDR app I installed several months ago called, of all things, HDR Camera.  I have the Android version, so if you are Apple-inclined, I'm not sure if this applies.  HDR ( or High Dynamic Range) photography is rad, combining different exposures from multiple images of the same subject to produce an image entirely new and impossible to get from just one single image.  For an example, check out my buddy Charlie's HDR of a snow day downtown.  My app can't do images of this quality, but it is good enough to offer a different photo experience while at Disneyland.

The app takes 4 photos, each at different exposures, and meshes them all into one picture.  Then it gives you some ways to adjust things like color saturation and contrast to sort of dial in your new HDR image.  Most of the time I end up tuning the saturation and contrast sliders up all the way, but that's just me and that's how I like the images that come from this particular app.  The hard part is holding the camera still while it cycles through the four pictures.  Just breathe out slowly and you'll be fine. 

Ok, so the details are done, let's look at some pics!  Here are two photos I took of the Flag Retreat Ceremony at Disneyland, something I've been wanting to see for a long time now.  See it: it's cool, and something not many people know about.  It is a bit too cheesy at times, but hey - who cares?  

                     

The Daper Dans are singing, and sounding great.  The first image is just my little Droid X on Automatic.  The second is another pic I took using the HDR app.  As you can see, everything pops a bit more, while not looking too cartoonish, as can happen with HDR photos.  Nothing fancy, but it does enable you to take a more vivid photo with minimal work. 

I've been really into the Haunted Mansion lately, and on this trip it just screamed HDR to me.  

This is a good example of not having enough light in the other shots to compose a decent image, but it's still a bit more interesting than it would have been normally.  The siding on the walls of the porch stand out more, while keeping the rest of the house covered in shadows, with just enough moonlight to define some edges.  I don't have a normal shot to compare, but it's still an ok example of this app.

 

These were taken inside the mansion, in the elevator that takes you down to the ride itself.  The top one is normal camera function, the second is the HDR app.  The differences here are clear - not only are the colors brigher, but you can see some detail on the gargoyle to the left of the frame. Some of the right gargoyle and the candle flames are blurred out, however, and this is a good example of the downside of mixing 4 pictures in  a free HDR app.  I'm not sure why this happens, though I imagine it's probably a factor of matching all four pics into one and accounting for camera movement.  Oh well, I'm not looking to print these, just to have a little fun. 

Nothing fancy here, I was just testing it on the plaque that sits above the fountain in line for Pirates.  Ever notice it?  It's in HDR, so the color of the tile and grout is a bit more saturated, and I think the detail of the engraving is more pronounced.  Not to mention the rad color scheme near the bottom, closest to the water.  

HDR is better when you have some cool lighting to play with, and night time at Disney California Adventure offers a playground of lighting effects.  This shot is of the zephyr ride (which always seems to be broken when I want to ride it ... ) and the entrance to Paradise Pier.  

THIS is what HDR can do for your images.  Never mind the ugly blue cropping at the bottom, just look at the almost neon blue sky with the lights playing off the wires.  Good shot for a free app.  Try taking this with your camera phone and the sky will be dark and the lights blown out.  

Leaving DCA, I had to snap this pic of the new sign at the entrance, again reaching for the softness of the HDR app.  This was my favorite photo from the trip.

They don't look all that different, but I think the bottom image in HDR is more interesting when you look down at the gates and bars.  

I hope this makes you want to futz around with some free HDR apps in the future.  They can be great fun, but they eat your battery alive and don't always produce great results, but I think it makes you look at Disneyland in a new way, while looking for cool photos to take.  It's not a fix-all for bad photography, but more of an extra tool in your bag to have some more fun. 

Scratch Pad

You remember back in high school when the counselor would take you into his office and ask, "So, what do you want to do when you graduate?".  I never knew what to tell him.  "Nothing" was shorter on the pay scale than I had hoped, and "Doctor" just had too much schooling attached to it.  It was "Director" for a number of years, but I went down that road for a bit and realized I wasn't as into it as I thought.

I'd say "Actor" now, or "Radio Douche", if I could.  "Blogger" seems too ... I dunno, 2005 to really say out loud in polite conversation.  After all, doesn't everyone have a stupid personal blog?  And how well does that pay?  

But getting to write for a living wouldn't be that bad - in fact it would be pretty fun, depending on the topic.  And it's something I don't think I'm too bad at.  This blog is just more of how I speak, more like an unfiltered transfer of thoughts to pixels.  I would church it up more if someone was actually paying me to write for them.  

I think my top writing job would be working in Hollywood, either on scripts or maybe a TV show.  Perhaps even writing jokes, though I hear those guys who write jokes for shows and talk show dicks have to come up with like 45 jokes a day.  I'm funny, but not that funny.  Then again, neither are the jokes they come up with.  When was the last time Leno was funny?  Sometime around 1987 I think.  Which is just a small example of the lame, hack jokes I can write for you.  Thank you. 

Second would be doing the Disneyland blog.  OMFG, that would rule.  If you have never seen their blog, click on that link and check it out.  It's kind of boring and bland, and needs a punch in it's gut.  There are so many great things to write about inside of Disneyland proper that I cannot imagine why they feel they would have to do videos of some goofy Italian guy making tiramisu.  Let's get more off-target please.  Please!  I have so many good ideas for stories there, it's just not fair to anyone else.  

I know this probably isn't the most interesting thing that your hero, me, can share with you.  Trust me, I know.  But hey, I was bored and thinking about what I really want to do, and thought I'd share it with someone.  Penis. 

Pathing for Craft Beer Around Disneyland

I go to Disneyland a lot.  I like it there. A lot.  Being a beer drinker and a craft beer fan, I like to find the best places for local beers that I can.

Many people ask me where to go for beer while they are in Disneyland, since I talk about going there often, so I figure I'd write them all down so I don't have to repeat myself.  This is not a complete list by any means, but a compilation of my favorite places (and really the only ones I know of).

Tony's Darts Away

1710 West Magnolia Boulevard

Burbank

If you are driving down I-5 and you pass through Burbank, stop here.  Personally, I don't think it's worth driving up to it from Disneyland - its 50 min or so without traffic - but it's a great pit stop.  Tony's has a nice theme - all California craft beer only.  Sorry Oregon, you dicks!  Colorado?  Suck it!  

The inside is very "dive-bar", with wood everywhere.  When you get to the bar and read the menu, you have two choices of styles - IPA and Everything Else.  As much as I hate IPA's, this makes me superlolz every time. Not much for food, but they have hot dogs and sweet potato fries.  If you hate your dentist, get the candied version.  

Eagle Rock Brewery
3056 Roswell Street
Los Angeles
Eagle Rock is about 40 min from Disneyland, so only go if you have a car (obviously), and plan on spending more than three days at the park, because three days goes by fast at Disneyland.

These guys have a small, unassuming place with no signage that I could see, but inside is a small tasting room with some of the cleanest beers on tap I have ever had.  At night there are those trendy "gourmet" roach coaches out front for you to get a tasty meal. Worth the trip if you have the time.

Beachwood BBQ

131 1/2 Main Street

Seal Beach

Downtown Seal Beach is pretty weird.  Blink and you'll miss it.  Not just Beachwood, but the whole downtown area.  If you do happen to find this place, you will have problems leaving.  Not only do they have great food, but a really rad assortment of beer.  While you are there, check out the gas system for their draft set-up on the wall.  Seal Beach is about 30 min from Disneyland, so again, go if you have time.  It's a good place, but not one to miss a bunch of Space Mountain time for.  Oh, if you drive by Leisure World, wave to my Grandma!  Do it ... 

The Bruery Provisions

143 N. Glassell

Orange

While not the Bruery brewery, Provisions is a more formal tasting room for the Bruery's beers.  You can sit down and enjoy a few flights of great beer, paired with cheese if you like.  It is also a great little bottle shop where you can find some really great craft beers.  It's a 15 min drive to Orange, well worth it no matter how long you are in town.

Hollingshead

368 S Main St

Orange

10 minutes from Disneyland is the greatest deli in the world.  Nice big sandwiches served in a small location with a wall of craft beer - refrigerated no less - served by loud Germans.  It's hard to get better than this when you are talking delis.  And being that it's so close to DL, it's an easy stop.  You can buy beers to go as well, which is rad for taking back to the hotel.

The Bruery

715 Dunn Way

Placentia

15 minutes from the park is one of my favorite places, The Bruery.  You can take a cab here if you want, and I would recommend doing so, unless your other travel partners want to be DD.  The tasting room opens at 4, and by tasting room I mean space next to the brewery.  It's a really neat experience to sip beers while standing next to the barrels they were once in, gazing at the stainless steel that made it all possible. There are those trendy food trucks that come here too, so you can get some grub while you booze. 

Uva Bar

Downtown Disney

In case you don't know what I'm  talking about, Uva is that little outdoor cafe in Downtown Disney.  I know, it sounds like a god-awful place, but they do have good beer.  My go-to beer is Hoffbrau Helles on tap.  $8 is steep, but its real good.  And it's close to the monorail to get back into the park.  On busy days when I need a beer, I'll go to Space Mountain and grab a fast pass, then monorail to DD and hit Uva.  Drink a bit, maybe some food, then monorail back to Space Mountain and try not to puke.

Ralph Brennans Jazz Kitchen

Downtown Disney

Good food here, but they also have a nice piano bar inside, where you can get Abita beers.  Great beer, great food, good entertainment.  Solid place to drink.

ESPN Zone

Downtown Disney

It's not the best place - the food is salty, it's loud, and a long walk, but it has two things going for it - decent beer at decent prices and a nice second floor arcade.

Bevmo

2000 North Tustin Street

OrangeIf you have a car and will be in town for a few days, go to Bevmo and get some beer.  I don't need to tell you about Bevmo.  Just go there.

And that's my list on where to drink around Disneyland.  If you go, maybe we'll meet for beer!  On you.