Spaceship Earth is the iconic structure of Epcot, a theme park that is part of Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida. Epcot derives its name from the acronym EPCOT (Experimental Prototype Community Of Tomorrow), a utopian city of the future planned by Walt Disney. Geometrically speaking, Spaceship Earth is a pentakis dodecahedron consisting of 11,324 isosceles triangles. In addition to its impressive size—18 stories high—the building houses a ride that takes guests through a time-machine-themed experience.Barrie Brewer’s beautiful Spaceship Earth photograph features the geodesic sphere and its shimmering reflection in the World Showcase lagoon. Illuminated with multicolored lights, Spaceship Earth looks like an enormous iridescent pearl glowing in the night sky. Brewer used a Nikon D50 digital SLR camera equipped with a Nikon 55-200 mm zoom lens to capture the shot.
On her primary Web site, BarrieBrewerPhotography.com, the photos are organized by categories: Walt Disney World, Florida, Oregon, Michigan, Las Vegas, Italy, France, People, Class Photos, and Other. Click on the “Other” icon and you will see Brewer’s spectacular 2009 Focus on Disney World wall calendar. Spaceship Earth is the November 2009 image. “It’s really hard to choose just 12 photographs,” she says. Brewer distributes many of her calendars at MouseFest, an annual gathering of international Walt Disney World fans. Although the photographer lives in Portland, Oregon, she tries to make the long trek from the Pacific Northwest to Orlando at least once a year. Brewer says that Walt Disney World is her favorite place for shooting photos. She also posts a lot of her Disney World photographs on Yahoo’s Flickr.com photo management and dissemination Web site. “I’m a very visual person. I love taking photos in Disney World and sharing them online,” Brewer says. “My goal is to take pictures that evoke emotional reactions.” Judging from the numerous positive comments that people have posted on her “BarrieB” Flickr page, she has been very successful in that regard.
Brewer was born and raised in Kent, Ohio. She attended Kent State University for a while, and then decided to move to Oregon in 1986 to become “one with nature.” Brewer recently retired after spending nearly 30 years working and advocating for people with developmental disabilities. “Now I’m self-employed—doing photography, graphic design, and music production,” she says. “I am a self-taught photographer, but I wanted to increase my skills, so I’m taking my first photography class at Portland Community College. The more I learn, the more interested I become.”
During 2008, Brewer furthered her photographic education by launching a blog on January 2, 2008, called 365 Days and Learning: Becoming a Photographer (Web site address: barrieb.wordpress.com). Her objective was “to take one photo each day for 365 days.” Brewer also contributes to a photoblog on the Disney-themed Web site, AllEars.net, called Picture This! “The Picture This! bloggers—Scott Thomas, Lisa Berton, and I—recommend tips for taking memorable Disney World pictures, post our favorite photographs, and even sponsor some photo contests,” she explains. Brewer creates an online challenge every month using a cryptic photograph of something in Walt Disney World. Contestants try to identify the object and its location to win the prize.
In April 2008, Brewer was interviewed for a podcast by the Walt Disney World Today Web site. “I offered some helpful tips for taking better pictures when visiting the park,” she recalls. “My episode, number 396, ‘The World In Focus’ is available for download on WDWToday.com.” Brewer’s podcast includes pointers for photographing parades and fireworks. Regarding parade photography, she says, “Take a lot of photos because of the constant movement, and use a fast shutter speed to avoid blurriness.” Brewer also recommends finding a place where the sun is at your back to achieve the best shots of the parade. For capturing images of the Magic Kingdom’s nightly fireworks show, she advises, “Turn the flash off, set your camera to landscape ISO 100, with a shutter speed of 2 to 3 seconds, and an aperture of f8 to f16.” She adds, “Take some test photos with the first few fireworks that they set off. To steady the shot, use a tripod or set your camera on something stationary.”
The 2009 version of The Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World includes some of Brewer’s photographs. It is the first book in which her work has appeared. “I couldn’t be more excited!” she exclaims. “The Unofficial Guide is my favorite Walt Disney World guidebook and many Disney fans can’t wait to get the newest version.”
If you attend AMCP’s 21st Annual Meeting & Showcase in Orlando from April 15-18 and find the time to visit Walt Disney World, perhaps Brewer’s photographic advice will help to add a magical touch to your pictures.
Sheila Macho
Cover Editor
COVER CREDIT
Barrie Brewer, Spaceship Earth, digital photograph. Orlando, Florida.
Copyright© 2007.
SOURCES
Interview with the artist.
http://land.allears.net/blogs/photoblog.
www.wdwtoday.com.
111 Journal of Managed Care Pharmacy JMCP March 2009 Vol. 15, No. 2 www.amcp.org
