Walt Disney World Dolphin Fountain / Still Here

Fountain with Dolphins

The large fountain in front of the Walt Disney World Dolphin Hotel and a bright blue sky, as seen during our 2019 Florida Summer Vacation. And yes, this is from last year’s trip. We are still here at home this year, which is a good thing.

I can’t say exactly why, but this fountain at the Walt Disney World Dolphin always interests me. I’m sure it does not have to do with the fact that the dolphins don’t exactly look like dolphins, which has been discussed here before. Perhaps it is interesting just because of its size. The large shell above the dolphins looks large here, and it looks even larger in person.

I have shared a few other photos of this fountain before, such as this fisheye view from several years ago, and this view of the entire building. In that second photo, the fountain was actually turned off due to renovations on the building. But it still gives a good idea of its size. And that second photo also shows that the large shell is just the bottom shell of a series of shells. Water flows from one shell into the next, until it spills out into the pool at the bottom that you can see here.

So for something different this time around, I chose a different view. Yes, you might not be able to see the entire Walt Disney World Dolphin fountain here as in some other photos, but I liked how this captured the feeling of being right there, almost being under the large shell. It is fun to find a different view of a familiar location sometimes. It creates a challenge for a photographer to find a different view or a different angle on something you have photographed several times before. That makes it fun!

Still Here

In a “normal” year, this would be the time when I would be making a post saying that we are back home from our usual Florida vacation. But of course, we did not go this year. And even if we had gone, there would not have been much that we could do while we were there.

I say all of that not to get sympathy or pity because I know most everyone is in the same situation. That is the reality that we are all dealing with right now. In fact, I have probably mentioned our non-trip a few too many times. After all, it does not really matter all that much.

Even though it sometimes seems like it is getting old to say it, we are still at home. Mostly. We do go to stores for necessities, and our church has now reopened.

I am definitely thankful for all of this time that we have gotten to spend together. It has been good for our marriage and good for our family. Before all of this started, we were always running here or there to go to something. While we have missed some of the activities that we would have been involved in, all of the time we have been able to spend together has really been nice. Even though we did not go on our usual vacation, in some ways this whole time has seemed like a nice, long vacation. It has all been a great blessing to us.

If you are not yet married and are looking to get married, I would strongly encourage you to marry someone that you enjoy spending time with. If it turns out that your life is pretty busy, that love will make you long for each other, and it will make the time that you do spend together even better. And if it turns out that you are quarantined together for a few months, then that time will fly right by and you will in some ways hope that there is no end in sight.

I feel sorry for those who feel trapped with their spouse, especially during all of this together time. If that applies to you, try to focus on what it is that you loved about that person enough to marry them. Do things that you both enjoy doing together. Focus on meeting the needs of your spouse, whatever they might be. Show that person that you live with all of the love you can show, and it will eventually come back to you.

Extra time with someone you love is a blessing!

Bible Verse

Let marriage be held in honor among all, and let the marriage bed be undefiled, for God will judge the sexually immoral and adulterous. - Hebrews 13:4

About the Photo

For this photo of the fountain, I wanted to use a slightly slower shutter speed to capture the motion of the water and make the water streams look a little more smooth. I had a neutral density filter on my camera lens, and that helped me be able to use a slower shutter speed without the photo being too bright.

However, there was still a good bit of difference between the brightness of the sky and the darker areas of the photo. I exposed for the sky, so that it would not be blown out and just look white, but I knew that would make the other areas of the photo look dark.

Thanks to the Raw file, I was able to recover some of that darker area detail using Aurora HDR. It took a little work to lighten up the areas at the lower right of the photo, but it was worth it in the long run. Here is a before-and-after look at the photo to give you an idea of what I am talking about:

Photo: Each photo is 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 12, 2019
Location: Epcot Resorts, Walt Disney World, Florida