Admin Adventureland, Jungle Cruise, Magic Kingdom, Then and Now Mitch ;)
It seems that every time I take photos of the parks I have high expectations that the photos will look stunning the moment I see them on a large screen. Inevitably I find myself disappointed at just how booooring the pics turn out. "Golly... these look outright crummy!", I shout.
I’m no professional photographer and I always expect to need a bit of post-production magic to make the shots look half-decent. But lately I’ve realized something else. The kinds of park photos I can’t stop staring at all come from olden-ages when unassuming tourists used actual film and entirely non-digital cameras. No really, they did. Add to that a few decades of fading hues and we get beautiful and interesting imagery. Since I don't have one of those cameras and I don't know if stores actually sell film anymore, I'm left with digital pictures and Photoshop.
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So here are a few pics I shot (all within the last year) adjusted to look not only much older but much more interesting (assuming you and I share similar taste). To the photography purist, I disclaim: no specific film or process was meant to be replicated here. These are simply supposed to look older and better than the originals. And if they look like they belong on Daveland or Gorillas Don't Blog, then mission accomplished.
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So it's really isn't that difficult to do. Old photos generally have less saturated colors. Often the blacks are not solid black but more brown, reddish, or blue in color.
How-To
Just one of many ways to pull off the effect. Note that there are a bunch of other "vintage" photo styles you can replicate, this being just one. (Video by Mitch).
Originals
Mitch ;)
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The Model
When this scale model was presented for Disneyland’s 50th Anniversary, I remember looking at it for the longest time. The detail was great but more interesting to me was the fact that this was the first time I’d been able to study the layout of the 1955 park in that way– all at once. Until then we had some simple maps, some photos, and video footage but the model gives a different perspective.
The model was initially installed in the Opera House on Main Street on a flat surface. Today you see it on an angle closer to the front doors.
The Ideal Disneyland?
Is 1955 Disneyland the way I’d like to see the park today?? Nope. I would like to go back and visit during that first year for sure, but it wasn’t ideal..... The idel time would be sometime around 1967.
Nonetheless, this model takes us to a great time in Disney park history. Better than DCA in its first year?? There's something to think about.
The Close-up Photos
I ran across these on Flickr and as it turns out they were taken by Andy Castro of Dateline Disneyland. Excellent work.
Related posts:
2 Fantastic Disneyland Scale Models
Disneyland in 1955
Swiss Family Treehouse Model
1967 "New Tomorrowland" Broadcast
Disneyland Skyway in Your Backyard
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