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A Few Coasters and Theme Parks - 2008
My inspiration for photography kinda started by carrying around a P&S camera on theme park trips with friends when I was in college. So it seems to make sense that as I get more serious about photos, I still find a way to lug around a camera and gear to try to document some of the landscapes and coasters that have fascinated me for a number of years now.
As far as “journeys” go, this year has been a bit disappointing because I only planned to visit one new park – and surprisingly that park closed and filed for bankruptcy in September, just two weeks before I intended to make a trip there (that was Hard Rock Park in Myrtle Beach, by the way). I can’t believe they only managed to stay open for five months after spending hundreds of millions of dollars to build the place. So… with no more coaster riding left this season, I figured I would take a look back and share a few shots that I took at a couple parks on the East Coast.
I routinely start out the year with a trip to Busch Gardens Europe in the Spring. Living less than an hour from here, it’s a beautiful park and a great place to hang out in the summer. Even if it’s crowded there’s always landscapes, animals, and people to take photos of which never gets old. This was one of the first parks I ever went to as a kid and definitely my favorite overall.
In May I took a weekend trip to the northeast with my brothers. We stopped at Six Flags Great Adventure, which is generally known for a huge collection of coasters along with humongous crowds and lines. The surprise of this trip ended up being the weather forecast for rain that only stuck around for a couple hours yet kept about a million people at home on their couches and made for a great day of non-stop coaster riding for us. I really didn't take many pictures on this trip but the night shots of El Toro came out great.
Also on the trip we stopped at HersheyPark which has a great collection of wooden coasters and a new ride for this year: Fahrenheit, which, among other things, features a horrendously slow moving line. Regardless, Hershey is a great place to visit and a very well run park. I try to make it up there once a year, and it's really grown a lot over the last decade.
Toward the end of the summer I ended up spending several nights after work at the closest park to my house, Kings Dominion. In August, we ended up with some unseasonably low humidity and mild temperatures which made it a great time to head up to the park and get a few pictures as the sun went down. The new attraction, Dominator is very photogenic and these are just a couple shots of many that I was able to get this year.
Thanks for checking out the photos
-Chris
As far as “journeys” go, this year has been a bit disappointing because I only planned to visit one new park – and surprisingly that park closed and filed for bankruptcy in September, just two weeks before I intended to make a trip there (that was Hard Rock Park in Myrtle Beach, by the way). I can’t believe they only managed to stay open for five months after spending hundreds of millions of dollars to build the place. So… with no more coaster riding left this season, I figured I would take a look back and share a few shots that I took at a couple parks on the East Coast.
I routinely start out the year with a trip to Busch Gardens Europe in the Spring. Living less than an hour from here, it’s a beautiful park and a great place to hang out in the summer. Even if it’s crowded there’s always landscapes, animals, and people to take photos of which never gets old. This was one of the first parks I ever went to as a kid and definitely my favorite overall.
In May I took a weekend trip to the northeast with my brothers. We stopped at Six Flags Great Adventure, which is generally known for a huge collection of coasters along with humongous crowds and lines. The surprise of this trip ended up being the weather forecast for rain that only stuck around for a couple hours yet kept about a million people at home on their couches and made for a great day of non-stop coaster riding for us. I really didn't take many pictures on this trip but the night shots of El Toro came out great.
Also on the trip we stopped at HersheyPark which has a great collection of wooden coasters and a new ride for this year: Fahrenheit, which, among other things, features a horrendously slow moving line. Regardless, Hershey is a great place to visit and a very well run park. I try to make it up there once a year, and it's really grown a lot over the last decade.
Toward the end of the summer I ended up spending several nights after work at the closest park to my house, Kings Dominion. In August, we ended up with some unseasonably low humidity and mild temperatures which made it a great time to head up to the park and get a few pictures as the sun went down. The new attraction, Dominator is very photogenic and these are just a couple shots of many that I was able to get this year.
Thanks for checking out the photos
-Chris
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Comments
Starting out the year with a coaster trip seems like a great way to kick things off.
I live close to Alton Towers in the UK and enjoy days out there, but it is a continual battle for parks to stay ahead of the game. A shame for those that don't make it and have to close. Keep sending them.
I especially love the last image. Who knew rollercoasters could be made into aesthetic beauty?
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I like your shot with the hill of El Toro (I think) in the foreground and Kingda Ka in the background. It's like the old with the new, and in a lot of ways, the old still wins.
I really like the night shot of El Toro as well.
Is that second one in your PKD set Dominator?
My wife and I are thinking about a trip to Orlando, and are wanting to head over to Tampa Bay to check out SheiKra. At least we're getting some dive machines over on this side of the pond.
Despite the high cost of living, it remains popular.
Why do people post their equipment in their sig. Isn't it kind of like bragging? That having been said...
Canon 40d Gripped (x2), Rebel (Original), Canon 70-200 f/2.8 USM L, Canon 300 f/4, Tamron 28-75 f/2.8, Canon 50mm f/1.8, Canon 17-55 f/3.5-5.6, ThinkTank Airport TakeOff
BG Tampa is a great park too along with everything in Orlando. If you've never been you will not be disappointed. Thanks again for the comments
Not to turn this into a coaster forum. We've got CoasterBuzz for that.
Thanks!
Despite the high cost of living, it remains popular.
Why do people post their equipment in their sig. Isn't it kind of like bragging? That having been said...
Canon 40d Gripped (x2), Rebel (Original), Canon 70-200 f/2.8 USM L, Canon 300 f/4, Tamron 28-75 f/2.8, Canon 50mm f/1.8, Canon 17-55 f/3.5-5.6, ThinkTank Airport TakeOff
Good idea to get great shots! Always have that camera near your side! You never know when that great shot will be looking at you saying "Hey Shot me!"
I tried shooting a local carnival and could never get roller coaster action shots! BUT I did get some pictures of the locals - FANTASTIC!
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I need to get out the tripod and work on my night shooting...
Thanks for sharing.
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It's boring now.
Actually, I don't even bother taking a tripod in the parks... the camera bag is enough to keep up with most of the time. It limits what I can do at night, but that one of El Toro worked out because there's a long stone wall along that pond and it's pretty solid. Everyone takes shots from that angle during the day, so I thought it would be nice to go back and get a good long exposure at night just using the wall for support. I've also been able to get creative and use park benches or landscape walls. Thanks for the comments