Jessica Holden Photography » My Little Corner of the Web

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Disneyland, 2013!

OK, so clearly it’s one of our favorite places to visit… In fact, this time we bit the bullet and got annual passes (since we’ll be there at least twice more this year, it made sense), so I will get to play photographer in Disneyland a lot in the next 365 days!

As we often do, Emily and I drove down on our own first and spent a night in Santa Barbara. It was a treacherous, nerve-wracking drive in a storm for the vast majority of the trip (was glad I had new tires!), but since the rest of days were gorgeous, I’ll not begrudge a little rain…

(Em took the first image for me!)

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(Notice the dish is empty? This restaurant, Pascucci in Santa Barbara, makes the best crème brûlée, and in our excitement we forgot to take a photo before eating…)

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The next morning was windy, but beautiful! So we did a little photo shoot on the beach before getting back on the road.

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This image, an outtake, cracks me up!

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Next stop, Disneyland!

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This was our first time seeing the new Cars Land—it’s wonderful!

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Emily and I had lunch at the Blue Bayou, and she was absolutely enchanted!

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Tom arrived after a day, and we spent the rest of the trip there together. (And we even got ourselves out of bed for Early Entry! That’s big, for us; we are not morning people…):

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I even rode the ferris wheel, and I detest ferris wheels. But it was a gorgeous view!

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(Tom took this one, and it made me laugh because it was very common sight for him!)

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World of Color was, of course, spectacular!

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And Em got her bunk bed (a highlight, for her)!

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Her hands are still so tiny!

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This one I shot “from the hip” during California Screamin’. I had my camera in my lap (braced safely under the bar), and just kept clicking the shutter throughout the ride. I was hoping to show some movement in the foreground with the distance being crisp and sharp, but clearly I need to perfect my method. But it was fun!

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And we had to purchase this one, because it shows both of our cameras. (See where mine is in my lap? That’s how I was shooting the previous image.)

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I had grand visions for this shot, too, but it didn’t quite work out. This is the entrance to the awesome Mad T Party. I’ll try again one day!

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Killing time in line:

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We tired her out; she was asleep within moments of getting on the freeway for the long drive home.

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(That is my most picture-heavy post to date!)

  • Allison Jacobs - February 27, 2013 - 7:42 pm

    Love these! It looks like an amazing trip — what wonderful family memories!ReplyCancel

  • Sarah Vaughn - February 27, 2013 - 9:15 pm

    Beautiful!!! Such fun and the most amazing memories. You are the sweetest family ever!!!ReplyCancel

  • Megan Rose - February 28, 2013 - 5:19 pm

    Jessica, these are so much fun! I love the images you captured of the park, especially the roller coaster blurred with the trees, sunflare and Disney building facade-perfectly magical. We are getting our annual passes next week when we are there! Hope made it to the Carsland at dusk lighting. Can’t wait to see many more!ReplyCancel

  • czarina - March 4, 2013 - 8:59 am

    i love this!!

    we are disneyland addicts ourselves. lol!ReplyCancel

  • Franny Rogers - March 9, 2013 - 11:12 pm

    I love these pictures!! We just went to Disneyland in January, and I can’t say that my pictures are quite as amazing as these?! I have photo envy right now!! What lens did you most use while you were at Disney?ReplyCancel

  • Jessica Holden Photography - March 15, 2013 - 1:32 pm

    Hi Franny! Sorry I didn’t respond to your question sooner! My most often used lens in Disneyland is my Tamron 28-300. At night I usually switched to the Canon 24-70/II because of its lower-light capability. The Tamron is fantastic for its versatility and affordability, but the Canon can’t be beat for color, sharpness, and it’s low-light capabilities. It’s a tradeoff!ReplyCancel

  • stephanie faust - April 12, 2013 - 10:46 am

    I love how cooperative your beautiful daughter is! Lucky you!!!
    Do you shoot with flash at all? What do you do for your WB?
    I really love how you edit or process your images! I would love to learn from you. We were in SanFransisco last year for a conference. At that time I was looking for another photog to spend the day with and learn a bit from. I wish I had stumbled upon you then!ReplyCancel

  • Jessica Holden Photography - April 12, 2013 - 12:32 pm

    Hi Stephanie! I’ve made fits and starts at learning to use my Speedlight, but it feels so cumbersome that I am not totally inspired by it yet… So I am mostly a natural light photographer. I mostly use AWB because I love the soft, creamy light I usually get on my Mark III, but if it’s off on the LCD then I go with Kelvin. I’m happy to help with other questions–I’m an open book! And I always love meeting up with other photographers, too! Thank you for visiting my site!ReplyCancel

  • […] First trip of 2013 […]ReplyCancel