Disney Friends…Meet Scott Baxter! Scott is a husband, father, and Disney Fanatic! His day job has him doing graphic design in the Physics Department at FSU but it’s his hobby that has me fascinated!
You see… Scott is an AMAZING photographer! And his subject matter is something very near and dear to all of our hearts. Walt Disney World! I first met Scott on Twitter, where he goes by the handle PixieDustPix. I was browsing my Twitter Stream and came upon a post with a link…curiosity got the best of me and I clicked through to discover one of the most breathtaking images I had ever seen! After I had finished picking my jaw off the floor I headed over to his website Pixie Dust Pictures and poured through the most fantastic eye candy I had ever seen! Words could never describe the beauty that is contained within Pixie Dust Pictures. Take a look for yourself…
Breathtaking aren’t they? I got a chance to talk with Scott on the phone the other day and had to ask him what his secret was. How do these images look so magnificent. His explanation was that they were HDR Images or High Dynamic Range. Wikipedia defines HDR Imaging as “…a set of techniques that allow a greater dynamic range of luminances between the lightest and darkest areas of an image than standard digital imaging techniques or photographic methods. This wider dynamic range allows HDR images to represent more accurately the wide range of intensity levels found in real scenes ranging from direct sunlight to faint starlight.”
Scott explained that for each individual photo, he has to take a series of exposures and then marry them together with imaging software. On average, it takes him nine exposures of a single subject to make one finished product. Night shots are a bit trickier, but the outcome is pure Disney Artistry…
I asked Scott if he had any formal training in photography and he said that he had learned his trade through a friend who took commercial photography classes back in the early 90′s. He fine tuned that “real world” education as the Managing Editor of a small newspaper and it led him to his the expert craftsmanship he exhibits today.
Scott shoots his images with a Nikon D300. His business, Pixie Dust Pictures, was borne from his love of Disney. It started as a hobby really and then grew from there. I asked Scott what his favorite thing was to shoot at Disney and he told me it was Big Thunder Mountain Railroad and The Haunted Mansion.
Its hard to describe…but his photos just seem to make “The World” seem more MAGICAL!
Believe it or not…you can bring these Disney masterpieces into your home for very reasonable prices. Scott has made the prints available on his website www.Pixie-Dust-Pictures.com. Head on over there. Browse the “Walt Disney World Photography” Gallery. Click the print that you want, hover your mouse pointer over the image and then “Add to Cart”. It’s as easy as that. Prints start as low as $3.00! They can be ordered in almost any size and can be purchased in any form (puzzles, magnets, keychains, greeting cards, standout displays, mousepads, Luggage Tags, etc.) Imagine the Disney Lover close to you unwrapping one of these during the holidays! Buy one for yourself, wrap it up and put it under the tree and mark it as “From Santa”…they’ll never know! 
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Guess what? Scott has decided to give two LUCKY DisneyEveryDay.com readers a shot at receiving a Picture Pack Trio of his 5″x7″ Disney Masterpieces!!! All you need to do is leave a comment below and on November 21st I will randomly draw two people to receive this awesome prize! The winners will be announced in the Disney Every Day Newsletter so make sure that you’re signed up!
If you could commission Scott to do a photo for you anywhere on Disney Property, what would you have him create an HDR Image of? Let him know in the Comments Section below and remember that your comment will enter you into the drawing for the Picture Pack Trio. GOOD LUCK!!!!
Until Next Time,
P.S. If you would like a shot at our weekly $25 Disney Gift Card, subscribe to the Disney Every Day Newsletter and look for your “Where in the World are We” Contest Clues each week. Enter your name and email address below for a chance to win! The winner of Scott’s Photo Giveaway will be announced in the Newsletter next week.
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