Theme Park Shots: Cheetahs, Dragons and a Purple Minion

I’ve decided to start a new series featuring some of my favorite theme park photos. There are so many talented photographers roaming the parks, snapping pics that inspire me (and make me a little jealous). But social media never gives those great images more than a few seconds before they disappear into the scroll.

So each week, I’m going to collect a few of my favorites here. Most will come from photographers on Twitter or Instagram. I might poach a few from other theme park websites. And since it’s my site, I’ll sneak in a few of my own.

Chris White

We’ll start with a pair of beautiful Animal Kingdom golden hour photos from Chris White. Whenever Chris posts, I’m reminded of just how much I still have to learn as a photographer.

One of the best ways to learn is by asking for the camera settings for any shot you particularly like. Luckily, Chris shared those details with us.

Here’s how Chris describes his DAK photo session:

“Just over an hour before these shots, it was raining buckets. In fact, I was kicking myself for even having my camera bag with me because I was worried about my camera and my gear getting wet. At one point, I decided I was not going to shoot at all.

“The sky was completely washed out, and the light was bad—it was really wet. I was thinking about just leaving the park and heading back to the resort, but I stuck around to wait and see if the light was going to change and if there was anything worth shooting.

“And I’m glad I did because in true Florida fashion, the clouds started to clear up, the light changed, and I was able to get these shots, which are some of my favorites from Animal Kingdom. The lesson that I learned that day was don’t give up until you really are sure that light’s not going to change.

“Because if you wait a little while, and wait for sky and light to change, you can end up with great shooting conditions. For both of these, I like the little bit of drama in the sky, the reflections, and the light. I wouldn’t have gotten shots nearly this good if the weather had been good all afternoon.”

Derek Bell

Next up is Derek Bell, master of the puddle pic. This week’s reflective image was taken at Riverside Mill & Market at Disney’s Port Orleans Resort – Riverside.

I can always count on Derek for a stunning image whenever I need one for an article or countdown. He’ll be featured here regularly.

Tyler Church

Tyler and I met up for the grand opening of Universal Kids Resort. We had a blast talking shop while photographing a brand new theme park.

But his first image has nothing to do with a kids’ theme park. With Halloween Horror Nights kicking off this week, I decided to go with one of Tyler’s Nightmare Fuel: Circus of Decay pics from last year. Shooting fire isn’t easy. Well, for people other than Tyler.

Evan Patel

Evan Patel, a Kilimanjaro Safaris guide, knows how to photograph his ride. Even knowing how many times he travels through the attraction, I still don’t know how in the world he pulled off this cheetah photo. Good grief, do I wish it were in my portfolio.

Jay of All Trades

Sticking with Animal Kingdom, here’s Jay of All Trades’ photo of the David Greybeard sculpture found beneath the Tree of Life. Greybeard was the first chimpanzee Jane Goodall studied in the Gombe Stream National Park in Tanzania. Imagineers honored him and the revered scientist with the sculpture.

Dylannn_1998

Dylannn_1998 is one of the best young photographers on Twitter. He recently stopped by Universal Studios Florida to snap this beauty of a sunset pic. The coaster in the foreground is Fast & Furious: Hollywood Drift and its massive spike. That coaster debuts in 2027.

Test Shot Tyler

Test Shot Tyler also visited Universal this week and captured the Gringotts Bank dragon in all its glory. Tyler has contributed several articles and dozens of photos to this site. These two photos make it pretty easy to understand why.

G00fySh0tz

G00fySh0tz showed why it’s worth it to visit Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster at night, beautifully capturing the psychedelic vibe of the giant guitar outside G-Force Records.

Danielle

Danielle, our favorite former Jungle Cruise Skipper, is also a supremely talented photographer. Like Tyler, she’s contributed her photos and articles to this site. I try to surround myself with people more talented than I am. I’m doing a pretty good job of that.

Danielle’s Pixar Pal-A-Round shot is perfection.

Bioreconstruct

Any discussion of theme park photography starts and ends with Bioreconstruct. He’s equally adept at capturing beautiful photos from the ground or 3,000 feet in the sky.

We’re not sure of his altitude for this particular shot, but it illustrates what everyone already knows about Bio: He takes tack-sharp, perfectly framed photos no matter where he sets up shop.

Epic Universe’s Dark Universe is getting ready to expand. For whatever reason, Universal placed three former Monsters Cafe statues in the expansion lot between two dumpsters. I think Universal knows Bioreconstruct is inevitable. Since they can’t hide anything from him, they might as well have some fun.

Me

Finally, here’s one of mine from Universal Kids Resort in Frisco, Texas. This Purple Minion is one of my favorite things about our local theme park.

Think one of your photos belongs on these pages? Send us your best!