Adventures Around Animal Kingdom

Well hello there!

I got to go on an adventure this weekend! I'm a little Disney-obsessed, so I'm sure there will be plenty more Disney World pictures in the future! This weekend was unique though; since I live so close to the parks I don't usually stay at the resorts. It was unique because I got to stay the Treehouse Villas at Disney's Saratoga Springs Resort for one night. Simply put, it was fabulous! I would die to have a Disney Vacation package and try out all the different resorts, but I'm at least lucky enough to have friends with connections. The Treehouse Villas are individual raised rooms that have a grill, outdoor patio, full kitchen, living room and can sleep up to 9 people total! Plus, since they are standalone units surrounded by trees, you don't have to worry about making too much noise! Here are some photos from the Treehouse Villas Resort area.

The following day, I got to go to Animal Kingdom. I was really looking forward to taking pictures at this park because the cultures on display are so rich and colorful, and there are loads of animals to look at while you walk through the park. I personally adore the Kilimanjaro Safari ride especially early in the morning right when the parks open. The animals are usually out and walking around. In the past when I have gone in the afternoon when it is hot out, the animals aren't very active and it sometimes it was hard to really see them at all. Luckily though, it was cool this weekend so when we did go on the Kilimanjaro Safari ride in the afternoon, I was able to get some great photos!  I have to say though; it is quite difficult to get the animal in the frame and focused when the car is moving around so much!

I really love quotes, and obviously I love Disney. I know my quote from last week was also from Walt Disney, but to be honest, it seems rude to end a post about visiting Disney World with a quote from anyone other than Walt Disney himself. Go on, soak in that inspiration.

Until next time,Lo Jo

There's a First for Everything!

Hello, and welcome to my first blog post!

My name is Lauren, but my friends call me Lo Jo. I'm 24 years young and have recently gotten a Nikon D3200 HD-SLR camera. I have decided to share my journey learning new design and photography techniques while creating my first portfolio. This will be learning process for me, but hopefully my posts will help inspire others who are starting their own creative journeys.
 I majored in Anthropology in college because I loved learning about different cultures of the world and especially how humans evolved over time. Recently I have been taking Graphic Design courses; I found it to be a creative outlet I’ve been missing. Art has always been a passion of mine that I've only ever made it a hobby. Going forward, it is scary to begin taking classes and trying to find work in a more artistic field like Graphic Design instead of in a research-oriented field like Anthropology. I can definitely say it isn’t what I pictured while I was writing my thesis the week before graduation. Two years later, it feels like design and photography will be a part of my life from now on.

If you are making a decision to start something new in your life, it is always going to be hard to begin. You are starting and at first inexperienced. Maybe you just don't want to fail at something you haven't tried yet. I’ve come to the decision that I'd rather fail trying to do something artistic that I love instead of looking back in the future and always thinking "what if."

Photography solidifies moments of time into snippets of digital memories we can have forever. Our lives are an adventure and they deserve to be documented.

This is a picture from the first night I took my camera out of the box. I'm slightly obsessed with it.

This is my 92 year old Grandmother, but you would never know she is that old if you met her. It was taken a few days before Christmas so we had not yet arranged the decorations.

I love this photo. It makes it look like my Grandmother is watching my father as though he were still a child playing in the kitchen.

This is my 7 year old cockatiel Finn. She is a girl and has a male name because we didn't find out she was a female until she randomly began laying eggs last year!

This is Ava my boyfriend's 1 year old cockatiel. She is a sweetie pie, and here she is trying to persuade him to massage her head.

Black cats are underrated. This is Izzy, the smallest of my parent's cats.

Nicki is my parent's lovingly large house cat, we'll more along the lines of their mini indoor black panther.

As you will soon come to find out, I adore flowers. They are so rich with life and vibrant color that they should be shared. This is a rose from the anniversary bouquet my boyfriend gave me. 

I hope this will be a blog that you will enjoy to read, or maybe just one to skim while you look at the pictures. I promise to include more photos in the future and less captions, but I wanted to introduce you to my interests. There will likely be many photos of my birds, cats, flowers I find, and any adventures I go on.

Time to end this blog post with an inspirational quote, one that really captures the mood. I think Walt Disney can always do that best! 

I didn't make this graphic but it is a favorite of mine. 

Come back soon!

Lo Jo