I’ve just returned home after spending a weekend in Orlando, Florida. While there, on Saturday afternoon, I decided to drive over to a local modern furniture store so that I could try out some of the chairs I’ve been perusing online. (I’m planning on remodeling my home office in the near future and am still trying to figure out exactly how I want to furnish it.)

When I left the furniture store, I looked up and could tell there was going to be an awesome sunset shortly. I guess I’m starting to get the hang of this whole photography thing because I’m now able to look up into the sky in the late afternoon and tell whether or not the upcoming sunset is going to be blah or filled with vibrant colors.

It was about 4:45pm and I had previously checked on the sunset time, which was going to be at 6:11pm. I suddenly got the idea that a great spot to shoot the sunset would be at Downtown Disney. I had no idea from which perspective I’d get a picture from… All I knew was that Downtown Disney was a pretty cool place that had a small lake/pond in the middle of it.

I didn’t have my camera gear with me, so I had to rush back to my hotel, which was about 20 minutes away. Of course, the afternoon traffic was picking up and I was getting very impatient as I slowly approached my hotel. I kept looking up at the sky and sure enough, it was getting more and more colorful.

I arrived back at my hotel around 5:15pm and quickly gathered my camera gear and then sped over towards my destination. Fortunately, my hotel was only 2 miles from Downtown Disney, so I was on the grounds by 5:30pm.

I began walking around the area at a very fast pace as I searched for a good location. Unfortunately, everywhere I walked to had an obstructed view of the sun. I noticed that across the lake, there weren’t any obstructions, but I had no idea if or how I could get across to the other side.

As I continued scurrying around, I began walking towards one of the exits to Downtown Disney. It appeared that once I left the grounds, I could follow the road over a bridge and it would hopefully lead towards where I wanted to go. I got lucky, because that’s exactly where it led to. Once I crossed the bridge, there was a walking path for guests who were staying at one of Disney’s Resorts, which was conveniently located across from Downtown Disney.

The above photo was taken around 6:10pm, which was 2-3 minutes after I arrived at this location. There weren’t too many areas that I could choose from in order to get a good composure, but I think the one I found was just perfect. What do you think?

Sorry… You’re either not currently a “VIP Member” of this site, or you’re not logged in. If you were, you’d be able to see the -2 (underexposed) version of this shot, which helps to show you exactly why shots like this can only be taken with HDR. Worry-not, however, for becoming a VIP Member is FREE and just a click away. Click here to learn more and signup.