Grand Floridian at Sunset
Colorful Sky
A boat sails across Seven Seas Lagoon past the Grand Floridian Resort at Walt Disney World at sunset one evening, as seen during our 2019 Florida Summer Vacation.
In case you are wondering, this photo was taken on the same night as the previously published photo “Seven Seas Lagoon Sunset at Walt Disney World.” I mentioned in that post that it was a beautiful evening, and I stand by that statement for this photo as well.
Obviously, this photo is slightly different than the previous one. After I had taken that earlier photo, I walked across the sand at the Polynesian Village Resort to the edge of the water. A boat had just left the Polynesian boat dock and was sailing right in front of the Grand Floridian. I zoomed in for a better view instead of the wider view that I used in that previous photo. The Grand Floridian is visible in both photos, but it is much more the star of the show in this one.
Just another reminder that a few minutes and a different focal length can make quite a difference in photos. And moving your feet a bit helps sometimes, too. Nothing can beat that old-fashioned zoom method of walking.
Fascinating Sunsets
Everyone loves a good sunset. A good sunrise is nice, too. But sunsets are even more popular. Why is that?
I think that it probably comes from the change in colors that sunset brings. During a normal day, everything has a good bit of a blue tint to it if the sky is clear, or a gray tint if the sky is cloudy. But at sunset, everything changes color due to the orange glow of the setting sun. Of course, there is a perfectly good scientific explanation of why the sun turns orange based on the light being filtered through more of the atmospheric gases as the sun nears the horizon. But for most people, just knowing that the sun turns orange is good enough.
We like to get a different view on things. It helps us to see things in a different way. Recently, I changed the angle of the blinds on my office window. Now, the light comes in the window from up above, shining right down on my desk. Since the window faces north, I never have to worry about direct sunlight coming in, but now it is nice to have the natural light coming down, seemingly from the sky. That change in light makes the whole room seem different, even though everything is pretty much the way it was before.
Changing things up a little bit can be fun sometimes.
Bible Verse
Blessed be the name of the Lord from this time forth and forevermore! From the rising of the sun to its setting, the name of the Lord is to be praised! - Psalm 113:2-3
About the Photo
In addition to the differences mentioned above between this photo and the earlier one, there is one other difference as well. This photo was processed using Aurora HDR, while the previous one was processed using Luminar.
Because both programs are from the same company, they have many similarities and work in much the same way. But sometimes they produce different results. I like both ways, so it is nice to change things up sometimes.
Another difference is that I dialed back the color saturation just a bit for this one. Because it was slightly later in the evening, I liked the more subdued colors here. Once again, it was something different to do.
Photo: A single Raw exposure, processed in Luminar. 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: June 10, 2019
Location: Polynesian Village Resort, Walt Disney World, Florida
