During our May trip, I found myself with a little extra time before my solo ride on Expedition Everest. I wanted to get some shots showing the attraction’s scale. The attraction and area design/theming do a fantastic job of creating the illusion that park guests are actually in the Himalayan region, partly because of the forced perspective in how the mountain part of the attraction is built. To me, the mountain looks like it really towers thousands of feet above where you’re standing.
The Forbidden Mountain overlooks all of Asia
I also wanted some shots of the details in the area around Expedition Everest. Disney Imagineers are well known, rightfully so, for their attention to detail – whether it’s in setting the scene in an imaginary place or in transporting to guests to places and times far from present day Florida.
Beat the heat with oxygen from Gupta’s Gear
The surrounding areas look much like photos and video I’ve seen from the Himalayan region – no big surprise given the extensive time Disney Imagineers spent there. The architecture, signs, and prayer flags resemble what we’d see if we were passing through a Nepali village during our trek to Everest base camp.
details like this transport us from Florida to the Himalayan region
And then there are the interior scenes – the expedition agency office, climbing gear shop, and other queue details, along with items that tell the story of the Yeti. On a side note, I almost dumped the marquee photo from the queue, but then if you look at the right, the sign ad includes my name. Yet another little detail like those seen in other Disney World areas using Magic Band & FastPass+ technology.
they must be out exploring
grab your gear and go looking for the Yeti
Top right: I didn’t know I was a spice trader!
Anyway, nothing too daring from a technical perspective – I shot all these with my Nikon D5300 & 18-55mm kit lens. What I tried to do though was compose shots better than I would have in the past. I came away with much better shots than I have on previous trips. We just missed the roll out of the night time features at Animal Kingdom, along with the extended park hours. I’d love to shoot this area (and the whole park) at night. I hope that’s not too far off.
I took some good daytime shots. Here are some others I’d like to try at night, either handheld or with a tripod:
Shangri-La Inn Second Floor
Expedition Everest
In a later post, I’ll put up my video of my GoPro footage from the front seat of Expedition Everest. In the meantime, if you have some Expedition Everest photos you’d like to share, send them in!
The Forbidden Mountain awaits
Since going to Walt Disney World and Disneyland at a young age, Chris has always enjoyed Disney music, TV shows, movies, and trips to Walt Disney World. But his appreciation of the overall Disney experience has greatly increased over the last few years. While waiting for the next chance to work on his Disney photography skills, Chris passes the time listening to Park/Resort audio, WDW podcasts, and checking out the work of other Disney photographers. To Chris, there are no bad Disney trip photographs or photographers.
Non-Disney pursuits include spending time with his wife and children, watching and listening to baseball broadcasts, and cheering for the Chicago Cubs and LSU. Chris is a third generation professional engineer in Louisiana, working mainly on asbestos, lead, mold and demolition projects. Follow Chris on Twitter @ChrisWhitePE and you can check out his Flickr photo stream: chris_white2323.
