Reymon de Real PhotographySAFAUXRI
Posted on September 23, 2016
I have always wanted to experience a safari adventure but when friends told me about camping out in the wild I immediately crossed it out of my bucket list. Camping for me includes hot showers, plush towels, soft beds and 24-hour wifi access. Thankfully, Disney had me in their thoughts when they built an African safari at their Animal Kingdom park in Orlando, Florida. The 15-minute tour takes you through forests and grasslands filled with “free roaming” animals for an Out of Africa experience. The photo above was taken at the grasslands sections with these rhinos crossing behind our tram. Luckily, I was sitting on the last row thus providing me an unobstructed view of a great photo opportunity behind me.
TEMPLE OF HEAVEN
Posted on September 17, 2016
This replica of the majestic Temple of Heaven in Beijing, China is found in the heart of Walt Disney World’s EPCOT Center in Orlando, Florida. The park has a world showcase complex featuring pavilions representing individual countries. The China pavilion features a paifang at the entrance as well as shops and restaurants showcasing Chinese art, cuisine and culture. The Temple of Heaven is the entrance to a 360-degree cinematic tour of China, which is the entertainment highlight of the pavilion. The tour takes you around China visiting natural and man-made landmarks as well as provide a basic understanding of the Chinese people and their rich culture. This pavilion is my favorite part of the park and I took this photo using my iPhone 6.
MAGIC KINGDOM
Posted on May 29, 2016
The Cinderella Castle is the very heart of Walt Disney World’s Magic Kingdom in reference to its location and it being the access point to every themed land in the park. I took this photo of the castle from Main Street USA, a street lined with shops depicting early-20th century small-town America and inspired by Walt Disney’s childhood. I was about to head out of the park when I decided to take one last look and saw the magical magnificence of the illuminated castle in the distance. I thought its light blue illumination made it pop out in the darkness while the golden lights of the Main Street buildings framed it beautifully from both sides. Truly a beacon for every child’s dream (and adults too).
VILLAGE LAKE BY DOWNTOWN DISNEY
Posted on May 21, 2016
Every time I visit Orlando, I always allocate one night of my trip for an evening of strolling and dining in Downtown Disney. This huge collection of shops, restaurants, bars, cinemas and arcades wrapping around a lake (named Village Lake) is the pitstop for visitors after a day in the park. The place has been recently renamed to Disney Springs but I prefer the old name because just like every city downtown, it is the very heart of the entire Disney complex. I took this photo on my way to dinner after noticing the beautiful colors in the sky just as the sun was about to set. The rich and bright colors reflecting on the water transformed the whole lake into a spectacular canvas of red, purple and gold. The amusing part of this photo, which I took in 2012, is that this was taken using an iPhone 4s.
WHERE DREAMS COME TRUE
Posted on April 7, 2016
During my interview with the company who hired me for work in the United States, the interviewer asked me where in the USA I would want to relocate and I replied “anywhere near Disneyland”. It may have sounded funny for the interviewer but I was dead on serious about living close to a Disney park. When I was 10 years old, a neighbor gave me a pictorial souvenir of Walt Disney World and I grew up staring at the photos dreaming of visiting it someday. Disney World was a childhood dream that always lingered deep inside my heart and mind so imagine my joy when the interview ended with a job offer to sunny Florida where Walt Disney World is located. My work assignment was in Miami but it was good enough for me as Orlando was just a few hours drive. Since my move to Florida, a visit to Walt Disney World has become part of my annual tradition and each time I step into the park and come face to face with Cinderella’s Castle, I pinch my arm to remind myself that everything is for real. I know I have come a long way from being that kid who once dreamed of coming to Disney and I am very proud to say that through perseverance and hard work I eventually made that childhood dream come.
Reymon de Real Photography 