Animal Kingdom

The Tree of Life

Finally I have a decent shot of DAK's icon. The expanded roots area at the base of the tree (not in the picture as it was filled with guests and Photopass) is a great addition to the front of Discovery Island.

Dawa Bar

The once lonely Dawa Bar "sign" has been joined by a Wild Africa Trek sign and has made for an interesting little corner on the Tusker House building.

Lower Garden

I love the light strands in the Asia section of DAK, because they provide great lighting at night and become a great part of a photo with the starburst you can get out of them. This night I was especially a fan of the seating area next to the Drinkwalla stand.

Prayer Flags

One of the best themeing elements in the Asia section of DAK are the lengths of prayer flags that litter certain areas. I originally saw them as just more clutter to my photos until I decided to try and actually use them to my advantage. Towards the end of the tiger viewing area in the jungle trek they are especially thick (there's got to be a story element to why there are so many in this particular spot, but I don't know what it is), and it becomes possible to compose a beautifuly chaotic image with the flags taking up most or all of the image space. I don't know why, but I find this image oddly compelling and hope you do, as well.

Sleepy Tiger

This tiger decided it was time for a cat nap after running over from the other side of its area.

Lazy Cub

One of the tiger cubs at DAK just laying on the fountain wall, contemplating life.

Yeti Palace Hotel

I love this section of Asia at night. The lighting is great and the scene looks really authentic. One of the few good things about spring break is being able to photograph DAK in the dark.

Return of the (Lion) King

Going back to my eventful safari for this image, the male lion relaxing on his rock after we rudely interrupted the pair. He looks rather thoughtful and calm in this picture.

Bridge to the Floating Mountains

Pandora at night is a completely different experience, and this was one of my favorite "wide views" last night in the land. The area comes alive in a new way with the plant life glowing all around and above you.

A Calm Night on Pandora

Pandora: The World of Avatar at Disney's Animal Kingdom shines in nighttime long exposure shots. This is an HDR blend of 3 shots from 18 sec. to 78.