griffon Posted July 26, 2008 Share Posted July 26, 2008 With the crazy-low humidity and lack of blazing heat the past few weeks in VA, I have made quite a few trips up to Kings Dominion recently. With the park being open until 10, it's a lot more convenient for me to head there after work rather than Busch Gardens (which is only open until 9 on weeknights). That, and Dominator also makes the choice a little easier. I don't want to bore anyone with a bunch of separate trip reports, so I thought I would combine them into this one. If I go again I'll keep posting on this thread. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jcoaster Posted July 27, 2008 Share Posted July 27, 2008 Dominator looks Freakin Amazing! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheRapidsNerd Posted July 27, 2008 Share Posted July 27, 2008 You know, Dominator is just a awesome looking coaster. Especially liked a couple of the wide shots at sunset. Well done. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tanthonyam Posted July 27, 2008 Share Posted July 27, 2008 Those are beautiful night shots!! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bgeguy Posted July 27, 2008 Share Posted July 27, 2008 Gorgeous pics! Dominionator looks amazing at night. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
All Clear Posted July 27, 2008 Share Posted July 27, 2008 Holy crap. Those pictures are amazing. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KDCOASTERFAN Posted July 27, 2008 Share Posted July 27, 2008 You know, Dominator is just a awesome looking coaster. Especially liked a couple of the wide shots at sunset. Well done. I went yesterday & was just blown away by how huge that ride is...it's an awesome sight to behold as you enter the parking lot.It rides very smoothly as well(but then again it's a B&M after all). I didn't get home until well after 1 am this morning mainly due to being in line for one last night ride on Dominator that took us well past park closing to complete. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dandaman Posted July 27, 2008 Share Posted July 27, 2008 I thought a few of these came out pretty nice - especially for not having a tripod with me. If it weren't for all those Cedar Fair signature trash cans that everyone complains about, most of these shots wouldn't have been possible. Glad I'm not the only one who uses those to their advantage! $150 camera + CF trash can + tripod = great photos 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
griffon Posted July 27, 2008 Author Share Posted July 27, 2008 ^ yea, that's a nice picture too from Cedar Point - I remember you posting some night shots a while back courtesy of the trash cans as well. Good stuff. I really believe there are some great opportunities to get some incredible night shots at theme parks, but not very many people have done it because you really do need a good tripod to get the right angles, and it takes some time to find the right settings for each shot. I may try to work on this some more. In the meantime, I'm still hooked on Dominator. I went back this afternoon and got a few more rides in. Not only is it a great ride, but it really makes the crowds more manageable during the day because of the location. In mid-afternoon when everyone's in the water park, it's really easy to get a few quick rides on before heading out into the rest of the park. I'm also starting to notice a lot of small improvements throughout the park- things like fences, gates, lamp posts being replaced. Nothing big, but I think that's a really good sign and makes me a little more optimistic about how much potential Cedar Fair sees. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mike541x Posted July 27, 2008 Share Posted July 27, 2008 I thought a few of these came out pretty nice - especially for not having a tripod with me. If it weren't for all those Cedar Fair signature trash cans that everyone complains about, most of these shots wouldn't have been possible. Glad I'm not the only one who uses those to their advantage! I third that. When I went to KD I used alot of trashcans for a tripod too. Awesome night shots. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jcoaster Posted July 27, 2008 Share Posted July 27, 2008 Im going to Kings Dominion in the middle of August any tips? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ms13 Posted July 27, 2008 Share Posted July 27, 2008 Wow.......just wow! Those are some amazing pictures! The black and white one just blew me away! Keep up the great photography! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
griffon Posted July 27, 2008 Author Share Posted July 27, 2008 Im going to Kings Dominion in the middle of August any tips? Ride Dominator lots. And also visit Busch Gardens about 1.5 hours away (in case it ends up in the wrong hands). 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jcoaster Posted July 27, 2008 Share Posted July 27, 2008 I frequent Busch when Im down in the Virginia area, but I don't think I can make it this year, short vacation. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
griffon Posted July 27, 2008 Author Share Posted July 27, 2008 hmm, well unless you're there on a really busy day you shouldn't have much trouble getting everything in. As expected, everyone migrates to Dominator first, but the line really shrinks by mid-afternoon. I would strongly recommend a night ride on Grizzly, and since it gets really hot in August, White Water Canyon is a great rapids ride. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jcoaster Posted July 28, 2008 Share Posted July 28, 2008 How about Volcano? Should I hit that first due to capacity reasons? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
griffon Posted July 28, 2008 Author Share Posted July 28, 2008 If you're really set on riding Volcano, then you can probably save some time by going there first. But it does have the classic Intamin reliability and may have you running all the way to the back of the park and not open until afternoon. You never know. I will warn you that it's very difficult to walk past Dominator on the way to other (lesser) rides in the park. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KDCOASTERFAN Posted July 28, 2008 Share Posted July 28, 2008 Im going to Kings Dominion in the middle of August any tips? Get to Dominator first thing as the queue tends to fill up quickly & even at max capacity the wait can still be a long one,especially for the front row. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jcoaster Posted July 29, 2008 Share Posted July 29, 2008 I think I will use the Dominator plan. I want to ride it at least 10 times throughout the day. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
griffon Posted August 14, 2008 Author Share Posted August 14, 2008 Pictures from Monday, 8/11. Probably the most unlikely day of the year for perfect weather in Central VA, but with temps in the low 80s and no humidity, it was absolutely paradise. I left work a little early and went up to the park to get some new angles of the same old ride, which hasn't become old yet to anyone. By the way, I'm horrible at writing captions, so I've decided you just get pictures this time 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
astroworldfan1 Posted August 14, 2008 Share Posted August 14, 2008 Really nice photos! Why does Dominator's loop look white in the first picture? -Tatum Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
griffon Posted August 14, 2008 Author Share Posted August 14, 2008 ^The sun was hitting the loop pretty hard, and I may have boosted the contrast a little too much, which made it come out white. Oh well. Glad you like the pics, though 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
All Clear Posted August 14, 2008 Share Posted August 14, 2008 Man, photographers like you are why people like me don't bother bringing cameras to the park anymore. Those are fantastic! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yankees15 Posted August 14, 2008 Share Posted August 14, 2008 Awesome pictures of Dominator! They really make me want to get back to Kings Dominion. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pkd freak Posted August 14, 2008 Share Posted August 14, 2008 Awesome Pics Griff!!!! Glad to see some of your work. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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