The Animal Kingdom Photo Project

This project is the culmination of months of learning about the amazing park that is, Disney’s Animal Kingdom. I started working at DAK as a Kilimanjaro Safaris guide in April of 2023. Up to that point I had come to DAK many times as a kid and multiple times since I had moved to Orlando in 2022. But when I started to work there something inside of me changed. Ever since I was a kid I have always been an animal lover. But when I had the opportunity to take part of the great story of conservation at a great place like DAK, it changed me. I started to see why Animal Kingdom was built in the first place. Why it stands apart from every other theme park in the entire world. This really made me passionate about the park. So as I continued to work at Kilimanjaro Safaris I learned more and more about the park and about the Safari. I was trying my hardest to be the best Safari guide I could be and the most knowledgeable on the park. For most, DAK is overlooked because “it doesn’t have enough rides” or, “its a half day park”. This is simply not true and working there is what made me see the way that it was designed. But then I had to leave my job.

Leaving was a massive mistake. From the day I left and for a year straight I tried to get my job back but I coulnd’t. I lost some of the spark I had for the park just because I was sad that I couldn’t be apart of it anymore. But over this past fall I did a lot of soul searching, a lot of figuring out what is important to me. I realized that even though I could not be apart of the story I can still learn so much about the park. So that’s what I did. I dove into every single piece of history, artwork, Imagineer stories, and more that I could find. I started to level up my knowledge in a way that I had not previously come close to.

For this project, it was a simple idea for me. I would combine my passions to show people the way I see the greatest theme park in the entire world. By combining my photography skills with my vast knowledge and passion for DAK I created the Animal Kingdom photography book. The goal of this book was to document and highlight the parts of the park that ignite my spark. Those things being: wildlife, nature, conservation, storytelling, artistry, and detail to name the main points. Through this book I hope I can show you why I speak so highly of this amazing place. I am extremely fortunate to be able to spend so much time in DAK. And I am also extremely fortunate to be starting to work there again in the near future. If you are interested in this project the book can be found below. High quality prints of my favorite photos are available as well.

Much more to come in 2025.