Cinderella Castle Mosaic Murals

My guess is that many people are aware that there are some mosaic murals inside Cinderella Castle.  But have you ever stopped to look at them.

In total, there are 5 mosaic murals and in true Disney fashion, they tell a story, in this case, the story of Cinderella.

In the first mosaic, you see Lady Tremaine reading the invitation to the ball as Drizella and Anastasia look on.  Cinderella can be seen in the back working away.

The second mosaic shows her Fairy Godmother transforming Cinderella into her beautiful gown, and the pumpkin coach can be seen in the background.

In the third scene, we see Cinderella hastily leaving the ball with Prince Charming in pursuit.

The fourth mosaic shows the moment where Cinderella tries on the glass slipper and Drizella and Anastasia look on in disgust as the slipper fits perfectly on Cinderella's feet.

In the fifth and final mosaic, Prince Charming and Cinderella ride away on his horse and they live happily ever after.

The last time I was there I stopped to look at and appreciate these mosaics and the attention to detail that Disney puts into everything they do.  I apparently impeded some lady rushing with a stroller who turned to her kids and rudely and loudly screamed "Who stops right in the middle of the castle?"  Well the answer to that is, someone who takes the time to appreciate all the details that Disney puts into their parks that help make it a rich and immersive experience.

This was taken with an iPhone 7 Plus using Lightroom Mobile in  HDR RAW mode.

Have fun capturing the magic of Disney.

Main Street Railroad Station

Here's a sight you don't see often - unless you wait till an hour or more after the Kiss Goodnight - no one in front of Main Street Railroad Station taking pictures.  

You'll notice that it's almost 8am.  Yes, there were a couple people off to the sides, but since they stopped the Opening Show, and allow guests to go all the way down Main Street to the Hub, people seem to be more spread out before the park opens.

This shot was taken with an iPhone 7 Plus using Lightroom Mobile using the HDR RAW feature.  I did some tone-mapping later in the desktop version of Lightroom.

Have fun capturing the magic of Disney.

Pinocchio and Jiminy

The details in the park never cease to amaze me.  As part of the expanded hub, Pinocchio and Jiminy have a spot near one of the fountains.  Here Pinocchio is looking down on Jiminy and vice versa as if they were having a conversation.

This is another shot with the iPhone 7 Plus in portrait mode.  The simulated "bokeh" is pretty good.  I later did a bit of tone-mapping in Lightroom.

Have fun capturing the magic of Disney.

The Sun Sets on Fantasyland

Sunsets are an amazing sight at the Magic Kingdom (I am sure sunrises are too, but I'm never up that early).  They add to the magical experience that you can get immersed in while there.

This was my first trip to Walt Disney World with my iPhone 7 Plus so I took a few shots with it, this being one of them.  For this image, I used Lightroom mobile with their new RAW HDR capture, then later finished tone-mapping and other post processing in the desktop version of Lightroom.

One of the things I do notice, and it's not unexpected, is that even with RAW, the iPhone produces significantly more noise than my Sony A6000.  Of course that's understandable given the size of the sensors.  So when you see an article saying that an iPhone or other cell phone camera can replace a DSLR or Mirrorless camera, maybe if you just want a casual JPG.  But if you take RAW images with your DSLR and rely on post-processing, then you will notice the difference.

Have fun capturing the magic of Disney.

Dumbo The Flying Elephant

Dumbo the Flying Elephant is an iconic classic Disney attractions based on the 1941 film Dumbo.  The original attraction opened at Disneyland in October 1955, three months after the park opened.  

The Magic Kingdom version of the attraction is located in the Storybook Circus area of Fantasyland.  In the center of the attraction, you can see part of the story about Dumbo being delivered by the stork.  At the bottom (not shown here), you can see artwork panels that depict scenes from the classic animation.  The fountains at the bottom light up at night with an array of colors that makes the ride even more magical at night.

The bright Gold, Red, and Blue colors on this ride are striking especially at Golden Hour when they all take on a warm tone.

This was taken with an iPhone 7 Plus using the latest version of Lightroom mobile using the RAW HDR camera setting.  The image was later tone-mapped in Lightroom CC.

Have fun capturing the magic of Disney.