An extension and call for input, and ... oh -- nice hat!

My first announcement for the day is that there's a delay with the arrangement I mentioned in my previous post, so I'm going to extend the opportunity to buy prints NOW at my current criminally low prices. The price increase is going to be considerable when it is implemented, so I want all my friends to have a chance to save by acting now. Just jump on over to my site for high-quality art prints of Walt Disney World and Florida (most in glorious HDR).

My second item today is a call for ideas. I know most of you are big Disney fans; how many are big fans of Walt Disney, the man? I'm of the age where I remember seeing Walt on The Wonderful World of Disney on Sunday evenings, even though he passed away before I was born. My children, however, don't have that opportunity. It is very important to me that they know something of the man who is responsible for the movies and theme parks we all love so much. So, for those of you have thought of this as well (or are thinking of it right now, upon reading this), my question is this: How do you (or how would you) try to keep Walt's memory alive for your children or for future generations? Walt's life is a fantastically inspiring story, and for that reason as well, it is worth passing along, I believe. So please, leave me any ideas you have -- this will be the subject of a future blog post!

Finally, there's today's photo. I know a lot of people don't like the big hat at Disney's Hollywood Studios. I do like it, though I do wish it were in a different location than right in front of the Great Movie Ride. Still, I hope my image here -- a nine-exposure HDR -- does it justice. What do you think?

First, the good news ... I'm about to start offering my prints through a local store in Pensacola, Florida. Rob's Camera at 6895 A North 9th Avenue features a mini-art gallery in the front, and my prints are soon to occupy a space there, if all goes as planned. They should be up in the store and available in the next week or so. Rob's will be an authorized outlet to sell my prints directly. If any of you happen to live in the area, drop by! Rob's is a great camera store, and his gallery features images from several very good photographers -- soon to include my own! Rob will offer similar prints to those offered on the site, including metallic paper, and at the same super high quality. Rob will be able to print and offer any image you see in my regular online albums at the Pixie Dust Pictures site. When I post a new image, I'll also send it to Rob's.

Now for the not-quite-so-good news ... In order to do this, I have to raise my prices on the site. I have to make it so that buying from Rob's makes sense, and my costs (and his) simply make it mandatory. In fact, if you buy from Rob's, you'll actually save a bit compared to the site, so it is a good deal. I'm raising my prices to what amounts to the "going rate." Really, the prints have been underpriced on the site for a while now, and I think they're worth the additional cost. I'll still offer discount codes on Twitter from time to time. Follow me if you want to get the news when that happens.

And here's one more bit of good news -- I'm giving those who read this blog and those who follow me on Twitter a chance to beat the price increase. I'm not 100 percent certain when the prices will increase, but it will probably be about five days to seven days from now (Wednesday, July 14, 2010). In the interim, now's your chance to buy prints at the current (too) low prices. I hope all my followers, who have been so loyal during my early days, will see this as a reward for sticking around for so long. I didn't just want to raise prices without giving a heads-up for you guys first.

Today's photo is one of my top ten favorites. It's very striking if I do say so myself. I stood in the rain for about 20 minutes (with a baseball cap to keep the camera and lens dry) to catch the monorail at just the right spot next to the Imagination pavilion at Epcot, with the upside-down waterfall in the shot, and that dramatic sky. It's a nine-exposure HDR image, with an additional tone-mapped shot for the monorail in motion. I hope you like it!

Scott

Greetings!

Hello! This is Scott, photographer and mastermind (snort!) behind Pixie Dust Pictures. In a nutshell, I'm a Walt Disney World fanatic and photography fanatic offering fine-art photo prints of my own work, which may be found here. The site offers photos taken all over Walt Disney World, as well as Florida scenery at large.

I'm finally taking a deep breath and try to plunge into the blogging world. Bear with me as I embark on what is sure to be a bumpy shakedown cruise. This blog will showcase my photography, but I'll also talk about related subjects, such as Disney theme parks, movies, and the like, as well as Florida and photo technology (and maybe other subjects now and then) as it strikes my fancy. What you most likely won't find here are venom-filled diatribes or political rants. I have my opinions about politics and such, believe me (though not much in the way of venom -- life is too short for that nonsense), but this isn't likely to be the place I'll share them.

Most of my photography these days is HDR (high dynamic range). In short, this requires combining multiple exposures in software to create an image with a greater range of tones than is possible in a single exposure, due to camera limitations. Some people like HDR and some people hate it. It's art, as far as I'm concerned. If you don't like it, that's fine. Sorry I wasted your time. I love it, and it is what I usually choose to do photographically when possible. You might notice that I tend to go a bit more surreal on my Walt Disney World photos, and a bit more natural on my Florida shots, especially the nature photography. Stick around and you might see something you like! One note that I'll try to hit no more often than possible is that you can buy prints of my work at my site referenced above. That's all I'll say about that for now -- if you're interested, the site will tell you what you need to know. I may post special coupon codes or other good deals here for use on the site, and those will also be posted on Twitter (see below).

I'm sure it will take some time for me to find my footing, but I'll do my best to make you not regret visiting. Whenever I make an entry here, I'll post a link on Twitter, where you can follow me as @PixieDustPix.

I'll start with one of my Disney photos. I don't think it needs a whole lot of explanation, except to note that this one is not HDR. It's actually from HalloWishes, the fireworks show performed as a part of Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party at the Magic Kingdom. Enjoy!