The Story Behind the Shot: My First Look at the Tree of Life in Color
Aug 30, 2026
I have been fortunate enough to have visited Walt Disney World during the Holiday Season nearly every year over the past decade. It's become one of my favorite traditions, not just for the parks themselves, but for being able to spend time with them there.
The trip that I captured this photo on was the back in November 2016, and even back then there were new things to see.
To that point, I'd only ever known the Tree of Life the way most guests did: lit simply, in plain white light, standing quietly over the park after dark. It was always beautiful in its own understated way. But Disney had unveiled a new lighting system for the tree earlier that year. That new lighting system could light up our favorite tree in shifting, vibrant color. If you know me or my work at all, you know I have a soft spot for vibrant, colorful scenes, so I couldn't wait to finally experience it for myself.
My parents had actually already seen the new lighting on an earlier trip that year. So while I made my way toward the Tree of Life viewing area, they went to grab a snack and rest their feet, happy to let me have my moment. I didn't mind going alone. Some of my favorite photographs happen in those solo pockets of time, when there's nobody to rush me and nowhere else I need to be.
I didn't have to wait long. I found a good spot, set up my tripod, and then before I even touched my camera, I just stood there for a second. I let the scene sink in. The tree wasn't just lit anymore. It was alive with color, pinks and golds rippling through the canopy, completely unlike anything I'd seen it do before. It's a strange thing, seeing something so familiar transform into something entirely new right in front of you. I wanted to remember that feeling, not just capture it.
So I did what I always do in moments like that, I took the photo.
That image became "Disney's Animal Kingdom at Night," and it's been part of my collection ever since. But photographs, much like the trees they capture, don't always stay the same. Ten years later, I went back into that file. The editing tools available to me now can do things that simply weren't possible back then, but if I'm honest, the bigger difference isn't the software. It's me. A decade of practice changes what you're able to see in a photograph, and what you're able to pull out of it. So I gave this old favorite some new love, and the updated version is what you'll find representing it today.
That same night, just a little while later, I moved to a different spot for another angle, and ended up capturing a completely unexpected moment that became its own image, "Starlit Awakenings." But that's a story for another post.
For now, I'll just say this: ten years on, I still think about that first look at the Tree of Life in color. Some moments just stay with you.
