Jeff Keller's Blog « Because everyone else is doing it…

DCRP now on Twitter

Jul 11th

I may not be blogging much anymore, but you can still read camera news, rants, and more on the official DCRP Twitter account. I’ll try to post something juicy once in a while, as long as I don’t get in too much trouble!

San Francisco 4th of July fireworks photos, 2011 edition

Jul 5th

Posted by Jeff Keller in General

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I love watching fireworks shows, and enjoying taking pictures of them even more! Last night I went out to my usual spot to watch the big, $100k+ show that is put on in San Francisco. Here are the photos for your enjoyment!

(Whoa, this was showing the wrong photos for a while — fixed that!)

DL Resort (May 2011) – Everything else

May 24th

Posted by Jeff Keller in Disneyland - May 2011

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Here are the other photos I took during my visit to the Disneyland Resort, after I was done with Star Tours. After enjoying being able to ride Star Tours while the general public could not, I was later tortured by watching cast members ride the new Little Mermaid ride at DCA. That’ll have to wait until the next visit, I guess.

All of the photos on this trip were taken with the Panasonic Lumix DMC-G3 with the F4.0, 7-14 mm lens.

: Requisite park entry photo

: I haven’t seen this show since I was a kid

: Trying to be artsy, not sure if I succeeded

: Going for a spin

: Tomorrowland entry

: I think you know what this is

: The remodeled Star Trader

: Rivers of America

: I like the photo scaffolding, which has been used in Venice for a long time

: This is parked in the esplanade between DCA and DL

: New DCA entry under construction

: The Carthay Circle Theater replaces the giant hubcap thing

: Notice anything missing here?

: And here!

: I never noticed this before, but I like it

: Cars Land is HUGE – and coming along nicely

: The Little Mermaid attraction was not open to the public on this day.

: Side view. It looks nice at night when you can see inside.

: Remodeled shop

: A whole lot going on here

: World of Color

: This is from the extended Pirates of the Caribbean movie plug

: I hope the stuff they removed comes back soon!

Star Tours 2 preview photos

May 24th

Posted by Jeff Keller in Disneyland - May 2011

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I was one of the lucky annual passholders who “won” the opportunity to ride Star Tours 2 (that’s what I’m calling it) prior to its official opening. I chose every possible date/time, so the odds of winning were pretty high!

Anyhow, I got five rides in over 4 hours, and got to experience virtually all of the variations. When you get the best combination of sequences, the ride is fantastic. There are some weaker sequences, like pod racing on Tatooine or driving through traffic on Coruscant. The best sequence, in my opinion, would be Darth Vadar beginning + Hoth middle + Naboo or Death Star ending.

And now, the photos:

: My time was 9am – 1pm, so that meant showing up at opening. I haven’t done this in a long time!

: Everyone behind me. Thankfully 99% of them don’t have preview tickets.

: The new sign

: Closer view. The background of the sign is animated.

: Note the repainted mural

: Preview underway!

: You need to get a Fastpass

: Voila!

: The FastPass machines look like droids

: This room hasn’t changed too much

: The StarSpeeder 1000, which predates the one in the original ride

: C-3PO in his old spot. He plays a *much* more prominent role in the new ride.

: New destinations

: Hey, it’s Captain REX, the pilot of the old Star Tours. Note the “defective” label.

: Baggage screening. Pretty neat effect.

: Is that the lady with the eyebrows from the original preshow?

: This was probably the weakest ending that I had on the ride

: And Naboo was one of the best. Even with a brief view of Jar Jar Binks.

: I took this at night but it’s my best photo of the new sign.

Big Island 2011: Everything else

May 14th

Posted by Jeff Keller in Big Island Trip 2011

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Rounding out my trip photos are those that didn’t fit in anywhere else. These were taken in various places around the island, mostly on the Hilo side. Hope you enjoyed these galleries!