I don’t know exactly how often I went to Disneyland as a child, but it was often enough to develop a pretty deep love for one particular ride – the Pirates of the Caribbean. Now without trying to deliberately age myself I do have to say that the Pirates I remember was one devoid of Johnny Depp. It also was a Pirates that was from an era where you could go into the gift shop and buy replica flintlock pistols and rifles made out of actual wood and metal. While I’m not fond of the post-movie changes they’ve had to it, I am still grateful that the essence of the ride is unchained. Including that water smell that people often think is due to the water being chlorinated. It’s actually bromine that they use. Minor details.

Basically, I stopped going to Disneyland once my elementary school years were over and did not return until just a couple of years ago. Naturally, I felt drawn to photograph the parts of the park that I felt nostalgic for, both new and old. Most indoor Disney rides are pretty dark, but Pirates is insanely dark. I had just about given up attempting to photograph it at all until I got my hands on a 50mm f/1.2 GM lens. Even with one of the best low-light lenses on the market, taking photos of the ride is still very difficult. It would be cool to get my hands on a very fast wide-angle lens to capture some wider shots. A little hard to justify wanting a lens just for my favorite theme park ride though.