A Magical Disney Morning

If you're a Facebook friend, then you might have seen this already. If not... hey! Here are some pretty Sleeping Beauty Castle photos!

Early morning at The Hub.

Right now, all the excitement at the Disneyland Resort is over the new additions at Disney California Adventure, but nearly four months ago, all eyes were on Disneyland for their One More Magic Day special event.  On this very unique February 29th, Disneyland was open for 24 hour straight--a feat that had never been accomplished before!

A glimpse between foliage at the castle.

Though things were quiet during the day, by the evening, the park had become a madhouse, packed to the brim with eager guests committed to being part of a history-making event.  Crowds were huge, lines were long, and even as late night turned into early morning, the guests remained.  Unwilling to wait hours for rides that I could normally go on for a fraction of that time, I ended up just hanging out with friends.

The morning, though, brought forth a new magic.  When 6AM struck, those who'd stuck around gathered and cheered the closing of Disneyland park.  And as the crowds started to thin, I found myself with some incredible photo ops.

Its easy for me to get nighttime photos with no one in the shot--just stay late enough, and eventually people will leave. But I've never had the chance to do the same during the day. I never get to the resort early enough.  So when when this morning arose, I took advantage of quiet calm after park closing to take as many pictures as I could!

It probably speaks to how dorky I am as a photographer that this act immediately lifted my spirits and changed my outlook on the event from that slight disappointment to grateful jubilation.  You could make the argument that my quest for good photos might hamper my enjoyment of something. I'd like to think that getting good photos is a part of that enjoyment of something. The capturing of a memory in photographic form.  And when that occurs at the Happiest Place on Earth, well, it's just capturing happiness!

Sleeping Beauty's Castle on the morning of February 29th.