5 Popular Photos to Get at Disney's Animal Kingdom

Today we continue our series on "must have" pictures. The park of the day is Disney's Animal Kingdom. Now, I admit that I've spent limited time in this park, but I've taken a few shots themes with that I seem to see over and over in the Disney Blog-o-sphere. These suggestions for traditional shots are just the beginning of wonderful pictures that can be taken at this great park.

Tree of Life: This is the icon for Animal Kingdom and can be shot a variety of ways. Though it's vinyl leaves offer a stunning view from a distance, some of the most spectacular pictures of this centerpiece are up close shots depicting the intricate carved beasts.

The Tree of Life
Expedition Everest: Forbidden Mountain is another obvious focal point for photography at Animal Kingdom. I prefer to shoot with the Mountain in the background. The Tibetan imagery in the surrounding area is detailed and exquisite for 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 interesting images.

Prayer Flags and the Forbidden Mountain
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.

Di Vine In The Sun
Character Shots at 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. The safari inspired costumes are fairly timeless and will offer classic photos for years to come. During the winter holidays Camp Minnie Mickey gets decorated with wreaths and garlands, characters are also in winter dress.

Minnie Mouse at the Meet & Greet Spot
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.

A Lion Poses On Pride Rock
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!