Five Minute Fairytale Photos ~ Detail Oriented

I think that the magic of a Disney vacation exists in three wonderful parts: the dreaming of planning, the pixie dust moments during trip itself and the memories you take with you for years to come.
Since I can't live in the Cinderella Castle Suite or even on property year round, pictures help bring a bit of the fairytale back into my everyday life.
In my enthusiastic pursuit of remembering the Magic, I take hundreds of my own pictures every vacation and hope to share a bit of my experience with you.

One thing that captures part of the "Disney Difference" is the level of details found in each and every resort, ride, park and ship.



Beautifully reflective Venetian Murano glass railing toppers taken inches away from the subject.
Note reflection.

Now if you're really curious about my favorite photos of my vacations (without my kids acting like goofballs, that is) they all are photographs that capture either the tiny special little details that just make my vacation feel so completely immersive. These details lend a super realistic nature that lets you forget for a little while that the outside world exists.

Up close with Maurice's desk in the Enchanted Tales with Belle Queue

Screen wall  of Animator's Palate showing line art of Belle and Beast

Bedside lamp

To capture these teeny tiny details, either get really close to your subject, use judicious application of the zoom feature on you camera of choice, or in a pinch, fall back on one of several methods of motion blur for emphasis as we discussed in the Depth of Field lesson.


A favorite FE gift, my very own bottle of pixie dust!
Shallow depth of field and focus on Pixie Dust with other interesting but blurry items in the background.

Barring actual depth of field and shallow focus photography, just force it with Tiltshift. It may be cheating, but it does make for beautiful photos.

Signpost on Castaway Cay with blurry emphasis courtesy of Tiltshift.

“We are not trying to entertain the critics. I'll take my chances with the public.”

~Walt Disney

So get out there, make mistakes, get a little detail oriented, try a shot that shouldn't work, but might and see what fairytale photos follow you home.