Invertalon Posted February 23, 2014 Share Posted February 23, 2014 Another great event put on by Cedar Point! The day started off with the park tour, which included the maintenance shops, new construction area, dragster station and launch track "nook" along with the lap around frontier trail. Lunch was served (salad, cole slaw, fries, fish/chicken/beef burgers, chili and delicious brownies and cookies!) while Tony put on a presentation of what is to come, followed by a Q&A session. It was a fantastic event and made me really excited for the 2014 season! On the way out, we were given the 2014 calendars, exit passes and a free ride on the new Slingshot attraction! The event overall was above and beyond what I expected, and the $10,000+ raised for Give Kids the World was just icing on the cake. Below are some photos from the event. More can be found on my Flickr page here in higher resolution: CLICK! Enjoy! Welcome to CP! Snowy Midway Maverick Train (or part of one...) Wheels More Wheels! Millennium Force Lapbars! Maverick Frame Wall-O-Wheels! Off to Dragster! Dragster Panel Arms Down! Construction So Purty! Millennium Force Trains... All over! Under the MF train! Thank you Cedar Point! See you in May! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ajfelice Posted February 23, 2014 Share Posted February 23, 2014 Wow! Great Pictures! Looks like you had a great time. In light of recent CP announcements, did anyone have the guts to kindly ask what made CP decide to increase Iron Dragon's height requirement during the question/answer session? As an operations person myself, I'm very puzzled by this decision. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Invertalon Posted February 23, 2014 Author Share Posted February 23, 2014 Thanks AJ! Someone did actually. The GM explained after a review with management or something they decided on it. Was quite a vague answer. Does not make much sense to me either. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beatle11 Posted February 23, 2014 Share Posted February 23, 2014 These are some fantastic photos! Especially those last few! I didn't know about that height requirement increase until now. Strange that they would do that now after 25+ years. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
edmx Posted February 23, 2014 Share Posted February 23, 2014 Wow! Fantastic photos! Thanks for sharing! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigDipper 80 Posted February 23, 2014 Share Posted February 23, 2014 Gorgeous photos as always! I love the across-the-bay shots at the end. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
XLRBR Posted February 23, 2014 Share Posted February 23, 2014 These pictures are gorgeous! I really need to make another trip back there... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CPSFMMCW Posted February 23, 2014 Share Posted February 23, 2014 Wish I could've been there! I would've loved that. Looks like you got some great photos, and had a good time! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Invertalon Posted February 23, 2014 Author Share Posted February 23, 2014 Thank you everyone! Might I suggest checking out the final photo (the panoramic) on Flickr, at original size... Which is 29,237x3450 in resolution. It was created by stitching together around 10-15 images shot at 280mm. Just click on "view original size" and you can just pan around. Pretty cool stuff! Sadly, by the time we made it over there the skies and conditions in general took a turn... Air conditions got a little less ideal and is the reason for the "haze" conditions you see at full size. When shooting telephotos over very long distances, the air quality is a huge variable in getting the best resolution. I want to go back when the conditions are just right to make a simply stunning, giant panoramic. This one is nice, but I want better! I also want to use another telephoto lens I have, which will enable me to shoot around 400mm instead, and by using more photos (30-50) will enable even higher resolution and fine details. I just hope the skies and air cooperate when I do! It's simply beautiful looking over the water at the park. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BiZaRpErMaN Posted February 23, 2014 Share Posted February 23, 2014 What type of camera did you use? The quality of the pictures were really good. Looks like you had an awesome time. Cedar Point always puts on great events. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lareson Posted February 23, 2014 Share Posted February 23, 2014 I'm impressed with how nice the pictures look! Looked on your Flickr and saw you shoot with a Canon 5D mark III and the 16-35mm F2.8 lens for this trip. Photography major myself so I like looking at all of the EXIF info, especially when I can tell someone knows how to use a camera! I've done that panorama before of CP and it's not an easy one to get a clear, sharp image. Cranking up the aperture and using a sturdy tripod helps tremendously. Even on a clear day, mine still didn't come out very sharp, mainly because I got "heat waves," similar effect to seeing the reflective mirage when driving down a road on a hot day. I do know a trick in Photoshop that'll help clear haze in a picture, dodging and burning, although it's a non-destructive one that doesn't use those tools. That's what I use when I do landscape shots during a humid day and you get a similar haze and it helps clear it up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Invertalon Posted February 23, 2014 Author Share Posted February 23, 2014 Thanks Lareson! Yes, I used the 5D III and 16-35 II, as well as the 70-200 II (plus 1.4x III at times). Also was using a circular polarizing filter on all of the 16-35 shots within the park and on the 70-200 across the lake only. Yeah, conditions have to be perfect to get razor sharp images across the water there, especially with the difference in heat radiation coming from the water vs. land, much like you get at airports often when shooting due to the difference between the grass areas and concrete. I thought with the lack of sun and colder temps that it would ideal yesterday, and it was improved from other times I shot that panoramic, but still not perfect yet! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rcjp Posted February 23, 2014 Share Posted February 23, 2014 Those last pictures look really cool! I mean, they're all nice but those ones stand out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aceattack52 Posted February 23, 2014 Share Posted February 23, 2014 I liked the panoramic one at the end the best! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Invertalon Posted February 24, 2014 Author Share Posted February 24, 2014 Thanks! I highly recommend anyone who has extra time to stop at Battery Park for some great views! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mrlittle Posted February 24, 2014 Share Posted February 24, 2014 Did Gemini station get a paint job or did it always look so bright? Thanks for showing the photos. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Invertalon Posted February 24, 2014 Author Share Posted February 24, 2014 You know, I am not sure... But I just realized this past weekend how cool that station does look. I never noticed it before to be honest, especially the cool roof on it. I rarely ever ride it, so that is probably why! It did look really bright and clean though... Not sure if any work was done on it though. Anyone else? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coasterkyle Posted February 24, 2014 Share Posted February 24, 2014 It was painted last off season..... I remember help cleaning up all the old paint chips before the park opened for the season. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arby Posted February 25, 2014 Share Posted February 25, 2014 Great pictures! I love seeing behind the scenes of parks in the off season. Too bad my local park didn't do something like this. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mrlittle Posted February 26, 2014 Share Posted February 26, 2014 It was painted last off season..... I remember help cleaning up all the old paint chips before the park opened for the season. Ahh, I guess I didn't notice last year. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
805Andrew Posted February 26, 2014 Share Posted February 26, 2014 Cool pics! Did they fire up any of the rides for you guys? I'd love to see a park run coasters in the snow (even if it's just for a weekend) and they could market it as a Winter Wonderland coaster event. If it were on a holiday weekend and the conditions were clear (like in this picture) they could attract a decent crowd. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gerstlaueringvar Posted February 26, 2014 Share Posted February 26, 2014 My nerdy heart stopped while reading this TR! Love it! Thank you very much! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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