Disney Photoblography

Paradise by the Pool II

2026-08-23T00:00:00.000-07:00

Blue skies, palm trees, still waters... it's the idyllic scene of summer, and it's a regular occurence at the Aulani Resort and Spa in Hawaii. Of course, the fact that this is Hawaii already gets us 90% of the way there. The ambiance of this tropical paradise is hard to beat, and it practically commands relaxation. Add in a little bit of Disney magic through the resort theming and activities, and you have everything you need for a magical vacation getaway!

A beautiful day by the pool--i.e. seemingly everyday at Aulani!

Spooks and Swelters

2026-08-21T00:00:00.000-07:00

It's the end of the third week of August, and already, Halloween Time has returned! Yes, it feels way to warm for spooky time, but if you know me, you know that I think it's never too early for the ghouls and ghosts to come out! Well, almost never too early. It's tough to feel in the mood for the season when it feels like summer, but that will only make the crisp fall air feel even more invigorating when it comes later this year. In the meantime, we can ease into the spookiest time of the year, yes?

A Colorful Farewell

2026-08-20T00:00:00.000-07:00

If you haven't noticed, I've been posting a series of photos from the Paint the Night parade this year from a photo series I shot in March. All of that has built up to today, the final showing of the popular nighttime specular for the foreseeable future, as Paint the Night "glows away" to cap off the Disneyland 70th anniversary celebration. The successor to the classic Main Street Electrical Parade, this version remains my favorite Disneyland parade, and I hope we won't have to wait nearly a decade again before it returns!

Scenes from San Fransokyo

2026-08-19T00:00:00.000-07:00

Photographing San Fransokyo Square is a joy, because the colors, theming, and fusion atmosphere provide dynamic and vibrant compositions that make the photography easy. The little details, from the Japanese-inspired murals to hanging Baymax lanterns to, of course, the iconic Torii Gate Bridge (maybe that's a big detail) create a terrific environment--impressively so for a themed land that doesn't even have any rides. But it's a testament to renewed quality that DCA has generally gotten since DCA 2.0 launched 14 years ago. And if last weekend's D23 news is any indication, that quality will continue!

Menehune at Play

2026-08-17T00:00:00.000-07:00

I have a lot of wide angle, open vista shots of Aulani, to show off this Disney Hawaiian resort's splendor. But I also like the more focused, "glimpse-like" angles of moments around the Resort gronds, which feel atmospheric and spontaneous. There's a warmth and coziness to these scenes that accent the beauty of the Aulani property and island paradise ambiance. In this particular example, the Menehune Bridge play area is themed to the mischievous, dwarf-like people in Hawaiian culture who live deep in the island wilderness. They're known to be excellent builders, and here, it appears they've built this elevated play structure that can now be used by the guests at Aulani!

The Menehune Bridge water play area at the Aulani Resort rises up through the tropical foliage of the Waikolohe Valley.

Monorail Through the Woods

2026-08-16T00:00:00.000-07:00

Today's scene from Grizzly Peak is a mishmash of environments and timelines, juxtaposing the beautiful natural scenery of California with the sleek futurism of a progressive public transportation mode. It's a product of Disney California Adventure's construction long after the Disneyland Monorail was constructed. Rather than re-route the classic transportation "ride," Disney built the park around the Monorail. The result is moments like this, where riders on the monorail can get views into the park, and park-goers can see a moment kinetic interaction!

The Disneyland Monorail cruises over a propeller plane and through Grizzly Peak.

Space Mountain Rising

2026-08-15T15:37:41.961-07:00

Tokyo Disneyland's Space Mountain, currently being rebuilt for a debut next year, officially has its full name, Space Mountain: Earthrise! Announced yesterday at the D23 convention, this next-generation family roller coaster will combine immersive effects, an on-board audio system, a completely different layout, and dynamic thrills. The new ride building is pushed back further than its predecessor, and a new plaza in front of the ride will celebrate the concept of Earth, nature, and the cosmos existing in harmony. The culmination will mark a dramatic transformation of an attraction that was one of Tokyo Disneyland's opening day originals. But it will be exciting to see this new blockbuster attraction premiere after so many years of construction!

Tokyo Disneyland's old Space Mountain under a setting sun.

Disney's First Stump Fest

2026-08-13T00:00:00.000-07:00

Disney recently introduced Bluey into Disneyland Park in the form of Bluey's Best Day Ever at Fantasyland Theater, and part of the popular series' lore includes an episode about Stump Fest, where Bandit and his friends get together to remove a couple old tree trunk stumps from the Heeler's backyard. But the original tree stump at Disneyland Park harkens much earlier, back to 1957, when it was installed in the park. You see, a year earlier, Walt Disney had purchased this tree as a gift for his wife, Lillian. But Lillian understandably thought it was too big for their mantle. So instead, it lives at the Happiest Place on Earth!

Do you think Walt always meant for this to be the plan, but used a pretense of a romantic gesture knowing that Lillian would ultimately pass it on?

The golden hour sun sets behind the petrified tree stump gifted to Disneyland Park by Lillian Disney.

Jumping into the Rainbow

2026-08-12T00:00:00.000-07:00

A few months ago, I made a photo run through Paradise Park (formerly Paradise Pier) and took afternoon photos of Jumpin' Jellyfish--something I hadn't done in years. But this ride is a natural "Instagrammable" subject, because it's so colorful and so vibrant and looks great in the glow of the near-golden hour sun. Catch the light behind the jellyfish canopies of this family-scale parachute ride, and it looks absolutely luminous. So here are a few more shots from that series, to put a bit of radiance in your day!

Aulani's Oceanfront Vista

2026-08-11T00:00:00.000-07:00

I have a LOT of photographs of Disney's Aulani Resort, so at a certain point, some of the angles are going to be very similar to others. But I can't help it. This is a magnificent hotel and property, and it looks majestic from all points of views. Sometimes, I'll stop to take a photo, move one, only to find that the next nearby vantagepoint looks even better than the last. It's a good way to burn through a photo roll, though thankfully, thanks to digital photography, we have a lot more capacity for photos than we used to. That does make photographers less discerning than they used to have to be when they were limited to film rolls, but on the other hand, all the photos make for good memories each time I edit a new one!

Aulani from the ocean side is always a spectacular view.

Farewell to the 70th

2026-08-09T00:00:00.000-07:00

Welp, we've finally come upon it. Today is officially the final day of the Disneyland 70th Annivesary celebration--an event that has been running for over a year, since last May. After today, there will be a couple of weeks to recover, and then Halloween Time begins. I guess that means we will no longer be able to Celebrate Happy--except in our hearts. But fear not! The 75th Anniversary Diamond Jubilee will be just around the corner, in only four years. And that one is sure to be an extravagant bash!

The Disneyland "Celebrate Happy" 70th Anniversary celebration ends today!

The Rush for Toys

2026-08-08T00:00:00.000-07:00

When I visited the Tokyo Disney Resort on back to back years in 2015 and 2016, I made sure to highlight Tokyo Disney Sea, since Tokyo Disneyland was a more familiar Magic Kingdom park that I had visited in Florida and elsewhere. But Tokyo Disney Sea's popularity meant that I would still need to be efficient in what I targeted and didn't, so one of the rides I never rode was their version of Toy Story Midway Mania. Internally, it's the same as the version in Disney California Adventure. It's just located in TDS' American Waterfront area, within its New York section. More significantly, it always had a massive line even first thing in the morning, as it was the new attraction at the time, and the Japanese seemed to really love it. That was fine with me--I headed straight to Tower of Terror instead, because even though the building form and general ride experience was the same as Disney California Adventure's at the time, it had a totally different theme and storyline.

Maybe crowds are less into Toy Story now, and next time I travel to Tokyo, I can ride it without waiting longer than I can tolerate!

The morning rush for Tokyo Disney Sea's Toy Story Midway Mania.

A Revamped Bayou Entrance II

2026-08-07T00:00:00.000-07:00

Today's post is the oblique views of the post I made for the redone entrance of Tiana's Bayou Adventure / Splash Mountain attraction. The new overlay has brought a reduction to the old rustic feel of the 1989 classic, but elements remain, including the overall building form. But the addition of color, murals, and trellis elements give it a hybrid look that could sort of belong to a New Orleans theme--at least maybe the outskirts of the Crescent City. I still haven't actually ridden the ride because I'm general adverse to water rides, and photographing what is reportedly a wetter experience than Splash Mountain seems daunting for my fancy camera. But I'll get to it... one day.

Radiance Over the Range

2026-08-05T00:00:00.000-07:00

Blue skies and puffy clouds provided a gorgeous setting on the day this photo was taken, which was just a few weeks away from COVID shutting everything down, back in 2020. Under such idyllic conditions, few could have foreseen that the world would change forever just a short time afterwards. Not only would the Disneyland Resort close for only the fifth time in its history, it would remain closed for its longest shutdown ever. Fortunately, we've largely rebounded from those stressful and uncertain times. And we can enjoy beautiful scenes like the one below in person once again. It's a reminder to treasure moments such as these, because they're plenty special.

Two cars come zooming over the hill on their way to a photo finish on Radiator Springs Racers!

The Septuagenarian Castle

2026-08-04T00:00:00.000-07:00

We're coming near the end of the Disneyland 70th anniversary celebration. This weekend will mark the formal stop to the birthday celebrations, which means the specially decorated Sleeping Beauty Castle will return to its normal state soon. That means the magenta, yellow, and blue bunting, banners, and medallion are leaving. But milestone year or not, Sleeping Beauty Castle always looks lovely and charming!

Twilight on the Lazy River

2026-08-03T00:00:00.000-07:00

Today's post is an exercise in luminosity. During a trip to the Aulani Resort and Spa four years ago, I stayed past sunset to capture this magnificent hotel property after dark. However, I didn't have my tripod to capture crisp, smooth nighttime photographs. Instead, I relied on hand-holding as still as I could and shooting with a wide aperture. Still, that didn't prevent a lot of my night shots from being noisy, even when shooting in RAW and editing in Photoshop. But now, thanks to advances in AI photo editing capabilities, I can cheat on occasion and get further noise reduction via Photoshop's AI de-noising tool. Yes, it's technically using AI, but the images are real--captured straight from my Nikon DSLR--and the only thing that AI has done is added back detail, sharpness, and some nice glow into these moody island images.

Do you think this is a betrayal of photography authenticity, or no more so than any other typically edited image?

Sisters in Winter

2026-08-01T00:00:00.000-07:00

We've been making a slow tour through the various segments of Paint the Night this year. Disney's spectacular modern version of the Main Street Electrical Parade has been brought back to celebrate Disneyland's 70th birthday, and now that Disneyland is into year 71, it will be glowing away again in just a short time. The second to last float features Frozen, with Anna and Elsa standing on a towering ice palace, fronted by frosty dancers, and showcasing the wintry world of Scandinavia. This float is easily the tallest of the parade, and it was so tall that during the parade's brief run in Disney California Adventure in 2018, the float had to be replaced with an Incredibles float because the ice tower would have run into the Red Car Trolley's overhead cable lines. Fortunately, that's not a problem anywhere at Disneyland!

Superheroes at Rest

2026-07-31T00:00:00.000-07:00

After an initial rush of excitement and fun, immersive entertainment and special, rotating character encounters, Avengers Campus at Disney California Adventure seems to have settled into a rut of just existing--at least until its expansion and two additional attractions are completed in a year or two. The entertainment has been scaled back a lot, and the special guest Marvel superheroes don't seem to be as frequent--probably because Marvel television programming has also reduced. Perhaps this year's upcoming Marvel movie releases--Spider-Man: Brand New Day coming out today and Avengers: Doomsday coming out at the end of the year--will jazz things up. But if not, the land will just be kind of hanging out until the next milestone!

An evening around Avengers HQ--at least a version at Disney California Adventure!

A Fiery Fête

2026-07-30T00:51:44.765-07:00

Normally, being in a village on fire isn't cause for celebration. But when you're a plundering pirate, and you're likely drunk on rum, a conflagration is a perfect reason to burst into song and freely stumble around and act without a care in the world. When you're a pirate and do what you want, and you sack and you pillage and you plunder, it's all just good fun! At least that's how Disney would have you think the buccaneer life is like in Pirates of the Caribbean!

The Volcano in the Valley

2026-07-28T00:00:00.000-07:00

The central volcano in the middle of the Waikolohe Valley at the Aulani Resort and Spa is called Pu'u Kilo, which means "hill for watching." It's an observation point, because it's actually the top of some water slides, but it's also a focal point to center guests walking through this central courtyard area of the hotel grounds. The center of a beautiful, blue sky and a lush, green landscape, this now-extinct volcano is just one of many meaningful elements on the property that celebrates Hawaiian story and culture. Framed the right way, it could even look like a natural feature out in the island wilderness! Such is the magic of Disney theming!

Portside in San Fransokyo

2026-07-27T00:00:00.000-07:00

The Port of San Fransokyo is the small body of water right outside the Torii Gate Bridge and Rancho Cucamonga dining area, adjacent to the main walkway onto Pixar Pier and facing the Parade Corridor. It's a scenic setting, accommodating al fresco and waterside dining. Plus, it's got those nifty light-up neon letters that look great during the day but really enhance the ambiance at night, when they evoke the atmosphere of a Japanese metropolis night scene. These photos are daytime, not night, but they still showcase what a great environment this part of Disney California Adventure presents!

Gold Cast Upon the Castle

2026-07-26T00:28:01.672-07:00

It's a classic view: the Disneyland Castle, looking elegant, photogenic, and stellar on a beautiful, blue sky day. The front view is the classic frame, but unless it's first thing in the morning, that view is almost always crowded with guests looking to capture their own photo memories with the park icon. As a result, shooting the castle from the sides, where only a railing and the castle's moat are in the foreground, is a great alternative to capture an image that focuses on the castle. The castle faces south, so it looks great in almost all time of day. This was intentional, as Walt Disney knew that this would become a photography focal point. Most of Disney's castles around the world are oriented this way, but not all. But the original, classic iteration still provides the most magically nostalgic presentation, especially on a golden afternoon!

The 70th Anniversary Sleeping Beauty Castle on a lovely spring afternoon.

The Evening Watering Holes

2026-07-24T00:00:00.000-07:00

Most of the time, relaxing by the pool is associated with daytime activities, when the sun it out, the temperatures are warm, and the ambiance is bright and welcoming. But in Hawaii, the tropical environment makes pooltime appropriate all day and all year. Thus, the pools at the Aulani Resort are open well into the evening hours, allowing guests to enjoy a relaxing, warm soak in the waters of the Waikolohe Pool or the Ka Maka Grotto. It's a lovely atmosphere and wonderful tropical bliss--perfect for this summer holiday season!

Storytellers in the Afternoon

2026-07-23T00:00:00.000-07:00

I post a lot of photos of the Walt Disney and Mickey Mouse "Partners" statue at Disneyland. After all, it's an iconic feature located at the heart of the park, with another park icon in Sleeping Beauty's Castle behind it. I post far less photos of the Walt Disney and Mickey Mouse "Storytellers" statue in Disney California Adventure, probably because this one is located to the side of the park's "The Hub" equivalent--Carthay Circle--rather than the center, and doesn't really have a great backdrop other than some nice foliage. Still, this statue duo is a common photo op for guests, and during the golden afternoon hours, it's a great subject to photograph!

Space Mountain's Magic Hour Bliss

2026-07-22T00:00:00.000-07:00

As it turns out, today's photo-taken just last Friday, is a near-identical photo to one that I shared four years ago--to the day--of Space Mountain's iconic ride building rooftop spires. This version is warmer, though, showcasing the beautiful, afternoon glow of the sun casting on the classic E-Ticket. But what a coincidence that I would have framed the shot exactly the same day and time this post to occur on the anniversary of the previous post? I didn't do it intentionally--I was wondering if I had shared a post like this before (I thought I had shared something similar), and I had long forgotten which specific day that was. But hey, I guess this injects meaning and fate into otherwise coincidence, right?

The iconic spires of Space Mountain in dreamy, afternoon sunlight.