Old Photo: Main Street USA at Walt Disney World in 2011
Walking Right Down Main Street USA
Continuing in the Old Photos series, we have this look down Main Street USA in the Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World from June 2011, almost 10 years ago.
The average observer would have a difficult time telling that this photo is from a decade ago. Unless you are keenly aware of what the window displays are, and have been, over the last several years, you probably could not put a definite date on this photo. And because the only person in the photo is walking away from the camera, you are not even able to see if there are any masks being worn, which would obviously be present in a current photo.
As is our custom, we had arrived at the Magic Kingdom pretty early in the morning on this particular day. Most of the people in the park were making their way on toward the popular attractions instead of lingering along Main Street USA. As you can see, one of the citizens of Main Street was out strolling around, making her way back up Main Street from where we were. We did not usually spend that much time watching the citizens do their thing, but I liked the added touch that they gave to Main Street, making it feel even more like a real place.
Even though this photo has an interesting angle and a beautiful blue sky, I don’t believe I have ever posted it before. I find that a little surprising because Main Street USA is one of my favorite areas of the Magic Kingdom to photograph. I did share a nighttime photo from these buildings a few years ago, however, if that counts for anything.
Picture Perfect
This is almost one of those “picture perfect” photos to me. Everything is just right. The angle is interesting. And since this is not a portrait, the person in the photo adds to the scene without distracting from it. Not to mention that the colors are nice and the blue sky looks fantastic.
But just like in real life, not everything is as perfect as it looks. There was a big spot in the sky due to some dirt on either the camera lens or sensor. Fortunately, I could remove that in Photoshop. And the colors were nowhere near this perfect, at least in the original photo. Everything had just a very slight purple tint to it, and I corrected that using Luminar AI. Things might not always be quite what they seem.
Just remember that in life not everything is perfect, either. The people who seem to have it all often have some very deep problems that they try to keep hidden. Products that are advertised on television are not quite as good as they look once you try them in real life. A nice place in a photo could have a large throng of tourists just out of the frame.
But don’t let the imperfections of life get you down. A good life is not having everything be perfect. It is just dealing with things as best as you can while keeping a positive attitude about it all. Finding the joy in everyday life. And being flexible enough to handle the not-so-perfect things when they come your way.
Life does not have to be perfect to be good.
Bible Verse
But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong. - 2 Corinthians 12:9-10
About the Photo
This photo was obviously taken back during my wide-angle days. As you might know, for a long, long time I took most of my photos with either a wide-angle zoom lens or a fisheye lens. I have gotten away from that some over the last few years, although I do still like the photos that I took with that wide-angle look.
As I mentioned above, for processing I used a combination of Luminar AI to get the right look and Photoshop to easily remove the ugly spot in the sky. I had neither one of those tools available back when I took this photo. So maybe it looks even better now than it could have back then.
Photo: A single Raw exposure, processed in Luminar AI. Read more about photography tips, photo software, camera gear, and more at Steve’s Photography Tips.
Camera: Canon EOS Digital Rebel XT
Lens: 10-20mm zoom lens
Date: June 7, 2011
Location: Magic Kingdom, Walt Disney World, Florida
