Disney Dream in the Afternoon Sun
Ship of Dreams
The afternoon sun shines on the Disney Dream, one of the ships of the Disney Cruise Line, as it is docked at the Bahamas island of Castaway Cay. As seen during our 2018 Christmas Disney Cruise.
Sunlight in the late afternoon is always pretty cool, especially on a mostly clear day. On this particular day, we were just a few days away from the winter solstice, meaning that the sun was far down over the southern hemisphere. Couple that with the late afternoon hour, and you can see from the lighting on the Disney Dream that the sun was low and rather far away, much more so than when we have been at Castaway Cay close to the summer solstice.
It had been a beautiful day all day long. At the end of the day, when it was time for the last of us stragglers to leave the island paradise of Castaway Cay and go back to the ship, the sun was giving everything a nice, golden glow. As we were walking on the path back to the Disney Dream, I couldn’t help stopping every now and then to get a photo of the ship. After all, it is rather difficult to get a photo of the entire ship when you are onboard the ship. And the busy ports like Nassau are crowded enough that you can’t get a good view of the entire ship, even when you are not on board. I had to use the opportunity I was presented with.
So that is what I did. Sorry to the people who were walking behind me when I stopped suddenly. I didn’t know you were there.
This photo is another reminder of a fun day with family at Castaway Cay.
Science and Kids
During my school years, I had a lot of science classes. After my school years, I have continued to learn about science, because I find it interesting. So I can explain to you why the sun was low in the sky on that day. If you didn’t skip over the paragraphs above, you probably already saw that.
But then I think back to when I was a kid. None of that mattered quite as much to me. I knew things would change with the seasons, but it did not really matter why.
I remember one winter afternoon being out in the yard and seeing just how long my shadow was. It was at least three times my height, maybe four. I could pick up my leg, and my shadow leg would look really, really long. I didn’t stop to think, “Well you know, the sun is way down to the south, so the sunlight is coming in at a lower angle than normal, which makes the shadows really long in the winter compared to in the summer.”
No, instead I just thought, “That is so cool! I have really, really long legs!”
Of course, I am not against teaching science in school. I think it is good to know how the world works and why. But then sometimes it is good to just let all of that go. Stop trying to figure it all out.
Instead, just take a look around and say, “Wow! That is so cool!”
Because it is.
Bible Verse
The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it; for he founded it on the seas and established it on the waters. - Psalm 24:1-2
About the Photo
If you have looked at several of the photos here at the Burnsland website, you probably know that I like bold colors. So once again here, I increased the color saturation a bit to bring out the blue of the sky and the golden tones of the sunlight on the Disney Dream.
I also don’t mind that slightly distracting weed-like plant at the right of the frame. Maybe you didn’t notice it until I mentioned it just now. Or maybe you thought it was in the way.
Photo: A single Raw exposure, processed in Aurora HDR. 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 18, 2018
Location: Castaway Cay, Bahamas
