The Succulent Frontier

Over a decade of photographing the Disneyland Resort means nowadays, when I go on a photo run, I'm looking for new and unique angles of the same subjects I've photographed before, to try to get something more interesting.  But occasionally (and other than when it is actually new), I'll find a subject in the park that I haven't actually photographed before.  The photo below is one example.  Frontierland is probably more recognizable for its charming Old West architecture and its monumental buttes from Big Thunder Mountain, but there are some pleasant moments of landscaping that most people probably stroll past without a second thought, such as this planting area between the Shooting Gallery and the Golden Horseshoe that features some nice looking cacti and other desert plants.  While it may seem unremarkable--especially to Southern Californians living in a desert climate, during the afternoon golden hour, it becomes a wonderfully luminous scene backlit by the setting sun.  And that breathes a different life into the ambiance!

Dessert landscaping glows in Frontierland during golden hour.