Double Dumbo – Norm Lanier

Double Dumbo is actually a collection of 3 takes. I say 3 takes because two are brackets processed to HDR. Typical shoot. Annoying people that have been sent by Disney to get in the way of a great shot. Bracket one had both Dumbos going but as bad luck would be there were a few people messing up the shot in the middle. Take two had no people but of course the scourge of Disney park STROLLERS was in the shot to the right near the garbage can. By combining the two sets I got a people free shot without waiting for hours more. Of course all this is possible by using a tripod and a cable release and not touching anything. The third shot, well that the little mouse on top of the Dumbo sign. The little guy twirls and it just looked weird to me so I found an underexposed shot that was shot at a higher shutter speed and froze the movement. I had to do some serious cleanup of the noise and then color match it so you wouldn’t notice it unless you look real hard.

I’ve said it before (without shame) “I’m not a purist”. I get one trip a year maybe to Disney and if a shot doesn’t work I can’t just jump in the car and try again next week. I do my damnedest to get the perfect shot in one take but it simply isn’t always possible. Photoshop and Lightroom are just tools like a tripod and a cable release. For me the shot is just the beginning. I consider what I do art and not documentation. The goal is the vision, not what tools I used or didn’t use to realize that vision.