A Cruise on the Disney Dream
Sailing in the Sun
The Aquaduck tube runs past one of the funnels of the Disney Dream, one of the ships of the Disney Cruise Line, as seen during our 2018 Christmas Disney Cruise.
I have taken a photo similar to this one on every Disney Cruise we have taken so far. Actually, I usually take more than one photo similar to this on each cruise, just to make sure that one of them turns out well. While they all may look the same to some people, they do all have their differences.
One of the main differences between this photo and the similar ones from our past few Disney Cruises is that the sun was out and the sky was blue for this photo. That did not happen much in our previous two cruises, where we had almost constant clouds and even a good bit of rain. We have still enjoyed all of the cruises that we have been on, but some nice weather was a welcome change for this last cruise.
Another difference that is not quite so apparent is that I was not sweating profusely while I was taking this. With the constant clouds of our past two cruises, I did not sweat all that much on those, either. But chances are good that whenever the sun was out on any of our summer cruises, I was sweating. This time around, the temperatures were cooler, but still warm enough to make us forget the start of winter back at home. In other words, the weather was just about perfect.
A Disney Cruise is still a fun time, no matter the weather. But pleasant weather makes it even better.
Take What You Get
Of course, Disney does not have any control over the weather. We do not have any control over it, either. Except that we expect the weather to be slightly cooler in December than in June. But that still is out of our control.
One of life’s biggest lessons is to be content no matter your circumstances. If there is something you can’t control, find a way to be happy with it. Or at least find a way to endure it until it changes. Because whatever it is will not last forever.
If we can do that instead of always complaining about things we can’t change, life will be so much more pleasant for us, as well as for those who are around us.
For example, while I was happy with the weather in the photo above, I have found that clouds can add an interesting element to a photograph. So I have to remember to be happy with the sun, or happy with the clouds. Because I can’t do much of anything else about it.
Bible Verse
For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. - 2 Corinthians 4:17
About the Photo
This photo involved a bit of layering work that I have not done much of on some of my recent photos. But I think that it helped a good photo to be even better.
The base layer is most of the elements in the photo: the funnel, the Aquaduck, the vents (those bent tube things) - everything except for the sky. Using the same original Raw file, I created a second layer where the sky was darker and more blue, which also brought out more detail in the clouds instead of having them washed out.
I masked the sky from that darker exposure into the main photo using luminosity masks. Here is a tutorial on luminosity masks and blending layers if you are interested in learning more
Photo: A single Raw exposure, processed in Photoshop. Read more about photography tips, photo software, camera gear, and more at Steve’s Photography Tips.
Camera: Sony Alpha A7 II
Lens: Sony FE 28-70mm f/3.5-5.6 OSS Lens
Date: December 19, 2018
Location: Nassau, Bahamas
