Deviations of the Sedov-Taylor scaling at three different laser ablation regimes (500 mJ in a 0.8 mm spot, 50 mJ in a 0.8 mm spot and 500 mJ in a 2.5 mm spot) were investigated using Schlieren photography in combination with optical scattering and optical emission spectrometry, among others. For each case, the time evolution of the shock front was related to the formation, expansion and properties of the plasma. Both, the time scale of the different radiative processes and that observed for vapor condensation into nanoparticles and sub-micron particles are compatible with the divergences found between the model and experimental data.