Wilderness Lodge Wide Angle at Walt Disney World
As you have probably figured out from most of the recent photos posted here, I enjoy wide angle views. Really, really wide angle views. A great place for those kinds of views is the Wilderness Lodge at Walt Disney World, so here are a few of those views from our July 2017 visit.
The garden area at the Wilderness Lodge is a perfect place for these wide views, with its mountains, rocks, waterfall, and stream. And of course the interesting architecture of the Wilderness Lodge itself in the background. The sky on this particular day was a very nice shade of blue as well, which was a bit unusual during this trip in which we saw lots of clouds and a good bit of rain, too. So we were happy to see the blue sky whenever we could.
As you can probably tell, the Wilderness Lodge was designed to be reminiscent of the National Park lodges, particularly those in the western United States. Likewise, the landscaping around the lodge was designed to have that same feel. Lots of “natural” elements, many of which are not really natural, but they are well done and definitely have a rugged feel to them.
This second photo above was actually taken slightly to the left of the previous photo. At the far right, you can see where the water drops off at the waterfall of the first photo. While I liked the first photo because of the waterfall, I like this second photo because of the footbridge. It is a small, simple element, but I like what it adds to the photo.
By the way, the stream starts out as a “natural” spring inside the lobby, flowing as a stream into the courtyard, down the waterfall, around the pool, and out into the lake. Of course, being that much of this is not real, it does not all actually happen that way, but it is a good illusion. Many guests probably do not take the time to notice all of that, but it is just an added layer that adds to the National Park feel of the place.
One more view, moving just a little farther down the way from the previous photos, looking out from where the waterfall is flowing just out of the left side of the frame. If you put these three photos side by side, they would probably give a good panorama of this area of the Wilderness Lodge, although I was not simply standing in the same spot and turning when I took them.
Where were all the people in this view? If you are wondering, you can see that some people are visible behind the trees, and those people are enjoying the pool. There were actually several there at the pool, although they are mostly hidden here. And the rest of the people were apparently inside the hotel trying to stay out of the sun and out of the heat. Not us, however; we were out enjoying the sunny moments, even if that did make it a little warmer outside.
The wide angle of a fisheye lens helps to get much of the scenery in the frame, which would be difficult with a lens with a more narrow view. But of course each type of lens has its own use and its own fans, and that is okay, too.
Here is the other of my favorite uses of the fisheye lens. As you have no doubt noticed, I took lots more photos like this on this trip than I have in the past. It might seem a little silly at the time, and you might get a few strange looks from people, but I am glad to have these now that we are back home. They make great memories for us from our fun time together on the trip. So who cares what other people might think when they are giving us those strange looks, anyway? While these photos are more for us, I do enjoy sharing them here as well, too.
Love and faithfulness meet together; righteousness and peace kiss each other. - Psalm 85:10
About the Photos
You probably figured out from either the title, the words above, or just the style of the photos which lens I used for this. But if you did not, these were taken using the Rokinon 7.5mm fisheye lens. Just for reference, the smaller the focal length, the wider the angle of the photo (you can read more about that in Finding Your Focal Length, one of the Steve’s Photography Tips posts). While the wide views may not be for everyone, they are definitely for me. Most of the time. The fisheye lens and other wide angle lenses certainly do well for landscapes and other interesting vistas such as you find at the Walt Disney World hotels.
Interestingly, I sometimes go through “lens phases,” in which I prefer one lens over all of the others and use that lens almost exclusively, and then I will change to a different lens for another phase. I have had fisheye and wide angle lens phases in the past, but this current fisheye phase has been the longest for the wide angle format. Just in case you are wondering. It may last a good while longer, or then again it may not. Who knows? I certainly don’t. But there is nothing wrong with changing your mind about things when it comes to photography.
Photos: Each photo is a single Raw exposure, processed in Photoshop. Read more about photography tips, photo software, camera gear, and more at Steve’s Photography Tips.
Camera: Olympus OM-D E-M10
Lens: Rokinon 7.5mm f/3.5 Fisheye Lens
Date: July 19, 2017
Location: Wilderness Lodge, Walt Disney World, Florida
