I previously blogged about Disney’s Hollywood Studios in my first installment of blog posts chronicling my photo adventures at Walt Disney World. In this post, I will share some photos I took at Disney’s Animal Kingdom.
The first stop at Animal Kingdom was Dinoland, USA, for a FastPass+ reservation for the Dinosaur ride.
I rode Primeval Whirl and Triceratops Spin for the first time since the lines were very short early in the morning. Primeval Whirl is like a kiddie coaster, except the ride vehicle also spins around in circles as it navigates the track. Triceratops Spin is like a Dumbo ride except not as fun.
Most of the images you’ll see in this post were taken with my new Tamron 150-600mm lens. This lens is a little on the heavy side for handholding over long periods of time, but still pretty lightweight considering its zoom range.
The Kilimanjaro Safaris ride gave me a chance to use this lens under difficult circumstances. The ride vehicle bumps and jostles over the terrain and only stops periodically. A fast shutter speed and a high ISO were necessary to get sharp photos. A lot of the time I was just firing off tons of shots in burst mode and hoping for the best.
I love this shot I got of an okapi, known as the ghost of the forest, but the fencing does sort of ruin the authenticity.
It’s hard to go on this ride and not see at least one giraffe.
Elephants at play!
Flamingos in the foreground; elephant in the back.
An ostrich headed our way.
Up close and personal with cheetahs.
Pumbaa blending right in with the scenery.
The monkeys caught my attention and were the subject of many of my photos.
The view from Expedition Everest as it climbs to the summit allows guests to see the park from above.
And, the obligatory photo with the ride car plunging past.
Lunch at Tusker House is always fun! I love the open air market feel, and meeting the characters dressed in their safari gear is an added bonus.
Towards the end of the meal, the characters lead a parade around the restaurant.
After lunch, it was time for the Pangani Forest Trail and Maharajah Jungle Trek; more opportunities to photograph wildlife.
The gorillas are fascinating to watch!
Not a huge fan of bats but this one had a cute expression on his face.
The Maharajah Jungle Trek is designed to look like a ruined palace in Nepal.
The cotton top tamarinds were too cute for words!
Before heading out, I grabbed this shot of the Tree of Life with my new infrared filter. I’m not really all that into infrared photography, but it’s nice to add a little variety to my collection of photos.
Stay tuned for my next post, where I’ll share my photos of EPCOT!
