POSTED: Tue, 01/28/2014 - 06:00 | POSTED BY: Kristen Kirk Tue, 01/28/2014 - 06:00 |

Today we're pulling some photo tips out of the archive to revisit our series on "must have" pictures. The park of the day is Disney's Animal Kingdom. This is a beautiful park for photography with so much color and texture around it's difficult to take a bad picture. There are a few shots on themes that I seem to come across over and over in the Disney Blog-o-sphere, these popular location capture the essence of the Park. Traditional shots are just the beginning of the wonderful pictures that can be taken at this unique Walt Disney World Park. So get in close, be creative, shoot like an artist, the magic is all in the details.

1) Tree of Life:

This is the icon for Animal Kingdom and can be shot a variety of ways. Though its vinyl leaves offer a stunning view from a distance, some of the most spectacular pictures of this centerpiece are up close photographs depicting the intricate trunk of carved beasts.









2) Expedition Everest:

Forbidden Mountain is another popular focal point for photography at Disney's Animal Kingdom. When I'm taking pictures, I prefer to focus on something else and shoot with the Mountain in the background. The Tibetan imagery in the surrounding area of Anandapur is so detailed and exquisite, it offers many great points of interest. This shot highlights prayer flags, but other sacred objects such as colorful boats, bodies of water, sculpture and, Yeti Alters make for charming and interesting images.











3) Di Vine:

If you're lucky enough to come across the graceful and elegant Di Vine while at Animal Kingdom be sure to stop and take a picture. Though she'll let you get fairly close, use your zoom feature to respect the performers personal space. My best Di Vine shots incorporate a play of sunlight and shadow.











4) Character Shots Adventurers Outpost, The Discovery Landing, and Camp Minnie Mickey:

This may be my favorite meet & greet spot in all of Walt Disney World. The lines here are frequently small on you can shoot a lot of photos. I always feel like the Characters at Animal Kingdom offer a little extra attention to the guests. In addition, the safari inspired costumes are fairly timeless and will offer classic photos for years to come.











5) Animals:

You can't really shot at Disney's Animal Kingdom without including a wide variety of animal pictures. After all, they're the very heart of the park. The shots I see most often around the web are: the Gorillas of the Pangani Forest Exploration Trail, Lions on Pride Rock, Zebras on the savanna, and Tropical Birds. To be sure I capture just the right moment I often shoot live animals on the camera's burst setting, and fire off a couple of rounds. I may have an excessive amount of photos, but one is almost always what I was looking for.











When shooting throughout this park be sure to be sure to watch your light, you don't want to get home to edit and notice that shadows from the ample vegetation have blocked out your subject.

What do you like to take pictures of at Animal Kingdom? Do you find yourself shooting one thing over and over again? Did I miss an important picture that captures the essence of this park? Leave me a comment below and tell me what your favorite shots are!