Cast Members of Disney Parks: Collect the Entire Series!

One of my favorite aspects of amateur photography is portraitures. Even more so than landscapes, taking people's pictures is always a highly rewarding and personal experience. There's almost an unspoken connection between the subject and the photographer, even if it's a total stranger. With the camera, I am preserving a person's moment in time in a digital image...a mythical, timeless realm where things always remain unchanged.

The Disney parks are my favorite place to snap portraitures, especially of the cast members (not talking about those who portray Disney characters). Although these people are playing a "role", it's not like they're pretending to be something or someone else. Yes, Bob or Phil of the Barbershop Quartet doesn't really live on Main Street USA, but I'm pretty sure they're still Bob or Phil when they go home after work.

And because customer service is strongly ingrained into the Disney culture, it would be hard for a cast member to turn me down when I ask to take their photos (there have been one or two who were unsure, but otherwise, everyone has been more than happy to pose for a pest like me).

I've decided to start a series of posts dedicated to featuring these fantastic workers from the various Disney parks. I 'll do maybe two or three a month and see how this series fares.

For the first spotlighted cast members, I turn to the Photo Supply Co located at the tail end of Main Street USA in Disneyland. There, I ran into a very friendly and charismatic group of cast members while redeeming my free 5 X 7 print. From left to right are Bella, Brenda, Marcus, & Ryan.

I initially asked Bella and Marcus pose, but she asked if I could get the whole group into the shot which I was more than happy to oblige. Thank you Photo Supply crew for really spreading the Disney magic and for giving this poor photog a chance to snap some pics!

         (Photos Copyright 2017 Len Yokoyama)

Happy New Year (Hawaiian Time)

Hawaii is known for its laid back pace and "Hawaiian time". This tongue in cheek phrase refers to locals always arriving to parties, graduations, birthdays, etc a little after the actual start time. This delay could range anywhere from 20 minutes to 2 hours. It's my way of segueing into this rather admittedly late post marking the first photographic shoot for 2017. Even that is not totally honest. I had hoped to get out New Year's Day to Sandy Beach, but it was pushed back until the 2nd. It was a state holiday, so it still felt a bit "new yearish". 

I dutifully set the alarm for 5:00 am and after that inevitable battle between wanting to stay in bed and shooting sunrise, I downed a cup of coffee, got in my car, and headed to the east side of Oahu.

Sitting in a dark lot, parked near a seedy looking white van always makes me question the sanity of these early morning shoots. But as the sun slowly begins to peek over the horizon, the thrill of setting up for a shot, knowing that I have a short window to photograph the "golden hour" always makes it worthwhile. 

After getting the shots I needed, I switched out lenses in case I found some people who wouldn't mind me taking their photo. I was lucky and found a bunch of cool folks who were gracious and kind enough to pose for me. Hawaii's diverse mix of races and cultures is always a strong reminder of the incredible creativity of our God. I can't imagine a day where photographing this island's landscapes and people would grow old or stale! May the good Lord bless everyone in 2017!

                     (Photographs copyright 2017 Len Yokoyama)