Disney

Shutterbug

/ Michael Glover / 60 Comments

I started this blog almost 2 years ago on July 7th 2010. My original intentions were to post some of my pictures I took and share them with the world. Not being much of a writer I thought all I needed to do was put a picture on, state where it was taken, and be done. But after reading some of my fellow bloggers pages, I came to realize that pictures alone were not enough. I needed interesting story-lines to help engage the readers.  Since I started doing that my readership has grown and I truly appreciate the support everyone has shown me.

On that note I wanted to share something that recently happened to me. Back in March I was contacted by Joe Farace who writes a column in Shutterbug Magazine (www.shutterbug.com) titled Web Profiles. He wanted to feature my blog in the July 2012 issue, and needed my permission to include a screen shot of my blog page. I of course had no problem with that so I said yes. Well the magazine just came out and I am so excited to see it. I have included screen shots of the cover and the pages of the article.

Thank you Joe for the wonderful write-up. I am truly honored. Also I want to personally thank all of my blog readers. You have inspired me to keep bringing new content to share. You have helped to make this blog what it is.

The Grand Entrance

/ Michael Glover / 48 Comments

Living in Florida definitely has its perks. We’ve got miles of beaches. We don’t have to deal with 10 feet of snow. And we’ve got Disney! As a longtime fan of everything Disney, I can tell you it is a magical place. A place to escape the world and leave your troubles behind. There is something for kids of all ages. I never get tired of visiting this oasis. Everywhere you turn, there is something to take a picture of. No expense is spared when it comes to treating their guests like royalty.

Enter the Grand Floridian Resort & Spa. Just minutes away from the awesome theme parks, this is the flagship hotel out of all of the resort properties. The Victorian style architecture stands tall on the shores of the Seven Seas Lagoon. This is luxury at its best. And with 6 restaurants on site, there is always something good to eat.

When I stepped inside after getting off of the monorail, I was greeted with this spectacular view. The reflection on the perfectly spotless floor was unreal. I stopped and looked back and decided a photo-shoot was in order. I set my tripod down low to make sure the reflection had the impact that I was looking for. I waited, crouched down, for the people to clear out. I shot a few different angles until I was happy with what I saw on the camera’s LCD. The ginormous light fixture along with the hallways brilliantly reflecting on the floor had me in awe. No doubt the designers of this hotel planned this out ahead of time. If you would like more information about this amazing hotel, click here.

I will be posting more pictures from this day of picture taking soon, so be sure and check back for that.

To view more pictures on my blog from Disney, just click here.

To enjoy a larger view, please click on the image below!

I hope you enjoyed today’s post and I encourage you to join the conversation by writing your thoughts below as I truly like to hear from all of my visitors! 🙂

I hope you like color…

/ Michael Glover / 28 Comments

 

…because today’s post features a lot of it! 🙂 We find ourselves at the 2012 Epcot® International Flower & Garden Festival where flowers abound. There are so many of them to take in that it’s hard to really see it all in one day and truly appreciate the effort behind it. Breathtaking aromas and eye-catching colors await your visit. The displays they setup are absolutely amazing. A lot of work goes into putting on this festival and it’s definitely something to see. Over 100 topiaries were created with more than 75 of them representing Disney characters. The festival runs a little over 2 months with May 20th being the last day. For more info about the festival you can go here – Epcot International Flower & Garden Festival.

Today’s images are just a small sample of what you will find there. My eyes are drawn to vibrant colors so these two scenes stopped me in my tracks! Up first we have an image I like to call “Roll out the Flower Carpet.” The orange and purple flowers leading to the doors welcome the viewer as if to say come on in.

Up next we find “Radio Flower” – a little red wagon with color spilling all over. I think this was positively one of the coolest displays I have seen at the festival. So much attention to detail makes this scene worthy of a picture.

Well that about wraps up today’s post. I really hope you enjoyed reading about the festival and viewing the pictures as much as liked sharing it with you. Please feel free to leave any comments you might have as I always appreciate hearing from my visitors!

Blue Skies and Butterflies

/ Michael Glover / 17 Comments

This is another photo from my recent trip to Disney’s 24 hour day where I shot the Dolphin Resort. Upon arriving at EPCOT, I setup my tripod in the perfect spot to capture my vision. I waited for the monorail to enter the scene so I could catch the reflection as it passed by. The clouds were plentiful and just added to the dynamic. Disney always goes all out with their flower displays which is evident by the colorful arrangements of butterflies and flower designs in the background. Always my favorite time to visit!

Dolphin Resort

/ Michael Glover / 12 Comments

On Wednesday February 29th in celebration of Leap Year, Disney’s Magic Kingdom put on an event called one more Disney day. The park opened at 6:00 am Wednesday and closed at 6:00 am Thursday. 24 hours at a theme park? Awesome!! I decided I wanted to spend the daytime hours taking pictures and the nighttime hours enjoying the park with no camera. I walked around different areas for a while taking pictures here and there until I was satisfied that I accomplished my goal. This is one of the shots from that day.

Situated in the Walt Disney World area just outside of EPCOT and Disney’s Boardwalk sits two hotels across the way from each other. The Swan and Dolphin Resorts are architectural marvels. The design is something amazing to see. You kind of just stand there a few minutes taking it all in. I was standing on the beach area beside the hotel to set up for this shot. The clouds were more than cooperative for me hanging around all day so the sky would be more interesting. I am really drawn to reflections and this angle did not disappoint.