Pioneer Hall in Fort Wilderness / A Different Perspective

Rustic

Pioneer Hall in Fort Wilderness Campground at Walt Disney World, seen here during our 2019 Florida Summer Vacation, is home to the Hoop-Dee-Doo Musical Revue dinner show.

We did not see the Hoop-Dee-Doo Review on our Walt Disney World visit last summer, but we were passing by Pioneer Hall after our visit to the Tri-Circle-D Ranch at Fort Wilderness, so I took this photo as we walked past. And this photo only shows the upper half of the building, because there were lots and lots of people out in front of Pioneer Hall waiting for their dinner show time. So instead of focusing on the people, I chose to photograph the building and the Spanish moss-covered live oak tree next to it.

The scene down at the ground level was pretty hectic with all of the people there. Of course, it was as well-organized as possible, and no one was fighting, shouting, throwing food, or generally causing a ruckus. But the show does hold lots of people, and the area outside Pioneer Hall is the only waiting area around. However, by focusing on the scene right above them, this photo looks much more peaceful than you might expect with a few hundred people all together right there. A different perspective can change everything.

And by the way, although we did not see the show during that 2019 trip, we had seen the Hoop-Dee-Doo Musical Revue on another trip a few years earlier, and it was great! The comedy was right up my alley, and the food was good, too. It was definitely worth waiting with all of those people outside to see the show.

A Different Perspective

Just as changing the perspective of this photo created a more peaceful view, changing your perspective in your life can make a difference, too.

When things get busy and tiring, it is best to take a step back and examine things. Take a look at what all you are doing and see if everything that is making you so tired is absolutely necessary. The lockdowns and quarantines of COVID-19 have forced many of us to take a look at things. For us, we are wondering how much of what we did before might be able to be cut out entirely, or at least cut back. It is good to be involved in things and to have something to do, but is it really worth it if all of those things are taking all of your time? While we do miss some things that we were able to do before, we wonder if some other things might be good to leave behind. We would not have even had those thoughts if we had not had this time to reflect and to see how much more relaxed we feel right now. That has been a blessing.

But then sometimes a change of perspective is necessary, even if it is not pleasant. All of the unrest of the last few weeks has caused many people to examine what they really think, or what they put into practice, or how they treat other people. While much of it has not been pleasant, it has also forced people to look at things from another perspective. Some changes have been made, and perhaps other, more long-term changes are coming, too. It is important to remember that the perspective that you have had for so long might not be the right one, or at least it might not be the only right one.

Often, a change in perspective is good, even if it is not always pleasant. You might not permanently change your perspective, but it still might help to see things from someone else’s point of view, just to understand where they are coming from and why they feel the way they do.

Sometimes, we have to be forced to change our perspective, and that really isn’t a bad thing.

Bible Verse

Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. - Philippians 4:8

About the Photo

I mentioned above about changing the perspective of this photo. That is easier to do with a zoom lens like I used here than with a fisheye lens like I have used for several years previously. With the zoom lens, you can zoom in more on just what you want to capture, while a fisheye lens gets just about everything possible in the photo. Yes, you can crop the photo later on, but sometimes having a little more control over things initially helps, too. It really depends on the kind of look that you are going for and the kind of photos that you want to take.

The processing on this photo is similar to what I have been doing for the past several months. I really liked the look this gave to the clouds, as well as all of the detail in the tree leaves. Never let a few clouds ruin a good photo opportunity.

Also, this is not necessarily related to the photo. But with typing Hoop-Dee-Doo and Tri-Circle-D in the same post, I am suddenly realizing just how many hyphens there are at Fort Wilderness!

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: June 14, 2019
Location: Fort Wilderness, Walt Disney World, Florida