disney week: a scrapbook page + a panning (slow shutter) photo how-to

I hate the teacups. I also hate roller coasters. More than anything, I hate motion simulator rides, so no, I have never been on Soarin' Over California. Luckily, my husband likes all those rides so he's happy to take the kids on them over and over and over. That leaves me with the job of finding the best viewpoint to snag pictures of them all enjoying the ride together. Over and over and over. That occasionally leaves me with plenty of time to play with my camera and see what kind of cool effects I can get.

One of those cool effects is motion blur, which I mentioned yesterday. Today's photo is a little different. Yesterday, everything in the photo that wasn't moving very quickly was in focus, while only the tips of Darth Maul's lightsaber (which were moving very quickly) were blurry. But in today's photo, my husband and youngest son (who were moving on the teacups) are mostly in focus, while everything else in the scene (even the things that are not moving) is blurry. This streaky kind of blur is called motion blur, and it reflects the motion in the scene. Getting a shot like this requires a slow shutter, a technique called panning, and the time to try more than once. Here's what you need to know:

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Disney week: Photo tips (plus how to capture motion blur)

Ready for another round of Disney tips from me? It's photo day. Here are my best photography tips for the big trip (and some info about the photo above):

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disney week: dollar store must haves (including a DIY mickey autograph shirt)

When you're at Disney, it's really fun to get autographs from all the different characters. Lots of people make or purchase autographs books, which make a fun keepsake. We've never done autograph books before, but the kids are interested in getting autographs when we go this year. My sister gave me the idea to take a plain white t-shirt and get autographs on that - then when the kids come home they can wear their cool Disney autograph t-shirt around to remember the trip. So I picked up some plain white tees at the dollar store, along with some colored Sharpies, and decided to sew a Mickey design on each shirt to make it a little more exciting.

Sewing the Mickey design is super easy, and I've included a tutorial below. But first, here are the things I consider necessities from the dollar store when you're headed to Disney. After all, if you're spending a couple thousand dollars on a Disneyland vacation, it's worth it to spend $20 more to make sure your vacation goes well. 

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Disneyland week: where & what to eat

We've been to Disneyland twice with our family of little kids, and we've come up with some great tips for where and what to eat when you're at Disney with picky eaters and you'd like to save a little money. Food is very expensive in the park, and walking around all day makes you so hungry! Plus there are treats on display everywhere, and kids are going to want everything they see, especially if they're a little hungry. Here's our system: 

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Disneyland week: what to do in the car

With a family Disneyland trip coming up, I've been thinking through all my favorite Disney tips, and I've decided to declare this Disneyland week on the blog. But don't worry, lots of these tips apply to other trips as well. Here's what's coming up:

Monday: What to do on the carride (make a binder full of fun activities using dry erase markers)

Tuesday: The stuff from the dollar store you didn't know you needed for Disney (plus make a cool Disney autograph shirt using a dollar store t-shirt)

Wendesday: Where and what to eat at Disneyland (and my very best money saving tips for food)

Thursday: My best photography tips for Disney

Friday: How to take a slow-shutter motion-blur photo using panning, and a Disney scrapbook layout

Sounds fun, right? Makes you wish you had a trip planned? Or maybe you already do?

So today: things to do in the car (or on the plane!)

We have kids in three different age stages: baby, preschooler, and grade school kids, and it's definitely the preschooler that needs the most help passing the time in the car, so I made him a little binder full of activity sheets he can work on in the car. Here's what you need:

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