$12.95 per print for Disney Photo Pass?!?!

[Chase24]

On my photo package from Cinderella’s Royal Table it seems to indicate you can have this picture added to the CD? Has anyone else seen this. I did not notice this until after I got home and it was too late, but the number it refers to is on the Picture is also on the picture we bought at Chef Mickey’s. It would be nice to have them on the CD too. Anyone else seen this, or have this too look at?

Thanks.

 

[nibblesandbits]

Just wanted to make a few corrections:

=Yes, they do hire amateurs and some photographers don't care about the quality of their photos, but plenty of them do. I am a professional photographer and my photos are usually wonderful and I do my best to get the pose visually pleasing, everyone to look good and smile. And this is more than "squish together and smile".
=$12.95 is not a bad price at all for a professional photograph. Shoot, I charge $15.00 for a 5x7 in my private business. And you are paying for the photography service. While your camera may be able to take great photos, most cameras don't take pictures at night as well as the photopass cameras can because of a tripod.
=$12.95 includes Disney borders, icons, overlays, signatures, etc that can be put on the photo with the click of a button as opposed to an hour in photoshop.
=If you want a lesser price on 5x7's, purchase your photos in a camera store on property the last day of your vacation. After 3, every 5x7 is $9.95.

Buying the CD is the way to go.

Thank you. I work for a professional photographer and it amazes me how often people think that photos should cost next to nothing. Just because Walmart and Sears can charge next to nothing doesn't mean that everyone can. And trust me...$12.95 is very cheap for a 5x7. We charge 22...and that's pretty moderate in our business.

 

[CleveRocks]

Sometimes I think Disney is taking advantage of the situation. Like how you can't take food into the park, forcing you to buy expensive food and drink...

Food and drink are ABSOLUTELY permitted in the parks. Just no glass and no alcohol. The security guards/bag checkers always tell me that going through my backpack makes them hungry, when I pack lunches for the 4 of us, or a bunch of snacks and drinks.

 

[CleveRocks]

I did notice that when you get a picture taken they take several but only one is online to purchase. Do you think they have someone who determines the best photo out of the multiple pictures taken?

This wasn't my experience. During my 2 trips over the past 18 months, we typically saw 3 and sometimes 4 shots of each "pose" on the website. The same with the PhotoPass CD I bought this most recent time.

 

[CleveRocks]

Have they really lost it?

I expected the prints would be a bit more, but 12.95 per print?? That's insane, when you consider my local Walmart can do 5x7 prints for less than a dollar.

But notice that Wal-Mart didn't have photographers stationed all over Walt Disney World to take your picture, and Wal-Mart didn't provide the nifty backdrops and characters to take your pictures with.

Wal-Mart is just printing your picture. Disney did much more than that.

I don't take pictures of people, I do art photography, mostly waterscapes. My unframed 5x7s start at $25. And these aren't custom-made prints.

 

[CleveRocks]

You aren't supposed to but I guess you can sneak them in if you really wanted to. Coolers are not allowed though.

Number one, no sneaking is necessary. You can bring in dinner for 16 if you want. Just no glass or alcohol. I've lived the adventure. They have bag checkers. Yes, I know, they're not exactly the FBI. Come to think of it, the last time I was in MK last month I KNOW they didn't see the apples at the bottom of my backpack -- they were "hidden" under the bagel sandwiches and bottles of water.

Number 2, coolers ARE allowed. Soft-sided coolers, that is. They must not be bigger than what could theoretically fit inside one of the rental lockers.

 

[Zummi Gummi]

Thank you. I work for a professional photographer and it amazes me how often people think that photos should cost next to nothing. Just because Walmart and Sears can charge next to nothing doesn't mean that everyone can. And trust me...$12.95 is very cheap for a 5x7. We charge 22...and that's pretty moderate in our business.

Yes, but that's a posed photograph in a studio, with optimal lighting and such. I do not need a professional photographer to take a picture of my family standing in front of Cinderella castle. Especially when I could ask a passerby to do it with my own camera for free. Fortunately, in my experience, the Photo Pass people were very nice and would always take a photo with my own camera before taking their own.

But notice that Wal-Mart didn't have photographers stationed all over Walt Disney World to take your picture, and Wal-Mart didn't provide the nifty backdrops and characters to take your pictures with.

Wal-Mart is just printing your picture. Disney did much more than that.

The nifty backdrops and characters are there whether you use Photo Pass or not.

 

[PhotoDave219]

You are not just paying for the cost of the print. You are also paying for the cost of the photographer, and the equipment.

Well, the quality of the photographer certainly sucks. The last two i used couldn't even focus their camera.

And their pay, well, i know some of the older Photopass cast gets paid more than i do at the paper i work at.... And their photos suck.

 

[PhotoDave219]

=Yes, they do hire amateurs and some photographers don't care about the quality of their photos, but plenty of them do. I am a professional photographer and my photos are usually wonderful and I do my best to get the pose visually pleasing, everyone to look good and smile. And this is more than "squish together and smile".

No, [Photopass photographer] are button-pushing shutter-monkeys. [Photopass] stands there, [They] push a button and [They] say "Next."

 

[MissM]

Well, the quality of the photographer certainly sucks. The last two i used couldn't even focus their camera.

Agreed! A vest and a camera does not a professional make! I've never gotten good pics from PhotoPass photographers. I get them to take it with my little 3.2 megapixal point-and-shoot and the shots from my camera always look better than the ones they take.

I mean seriously. Is this shot worth $13???

Terrible, terrible images.
-m

 

[lilclerk]

Ouch...
I was considering getting the CD til I read some not-so-great reviews of the quality.

I'll just get people to take our picture with my camera, haha. I paid enough for that, might as well use it.

 

[Eeyore]

No, you're a button-pushing shutter-monkey. You stand there, you push a button and you say "Next."

You clearly have some kind of personal (irl) problem with Gorjus, that's a shame. But, let's keep away from personal insults and stick to the topic at hand please. Thanks :wave:

 

[JaclynR]

Just purchased the cd. We only had about 40 pictures on it, but we rarely get a photo with all 5 of us together. Last January, I purchased about 7 pictures individually and it cost almost the same as the cd.

 

[mouselvrmom]

It sounds like some of you have had bad luck with getting bad photographers. We have always had really good luck getting nice pictures. They have always come out looking really crisp & in focus. Last year I ended up buying 9 of them, they were so cute. This year I think I will try the cd since it will obviously be cheaper.

 

[PhotoDave219]

I mean seriously. Is this shot worth $13???

In a word? Nope. I have yet to see a quality image come from that department.... Of course most of them are too busy trying to talk with their fellow cast members or try and do the job of a character greeter. (Which are hiring, you can transfer)

And the comment before was not specifically personal; rather it's a generalization about what photopass is and does - They push buttons. There is no creativity, skill, or quality generated from it's cast. They're shutter monkeys. For them to alledge themselves as "professional" i find pretty demeaning to my profession as a whole. There is no sense of professionalism as a whole, even technically. I'm constantly amazed at the new levels of awful that photopass tries to pass off as quality work. Most of the people who participate in our photo contests put out better images than the people Disney is using. The excuse i've most commonly heard is blaming the camera. My favorite was a photopass person telling me she couldnt focus her camera on me because it was too dark out.

Case in point - Cindy's royal table. It's a set location. How hard would it be to hide a monolight up with the rest of the lights and put a pocket-wizard on it? (You can HIDE these things easily) You put some nice lighting on it and volia, nice lit portrait, (1/4 power flash, f/8-f/11) rather than some Piece o Crap photo that's got my face washed out in it and the background looking like poo-poo. It's not hard. Photography is lighting and composition... and with bright sunny days in Florida prevailing a lot, its hard to understand why crappy pictures (see above) continue to exist. (Shoot that above image at about 1/250 at f/13, ISO 200 and a TTL'd fill flash - maybe 1/4-1/8th power and you'll get the proper exposure. Can't do much for the composition tho, except adding the castle).

There's a lack of training. They're simply not taught how to do things other than to push the button... hense the name "Shutter Monkey". And that's Disney's fault, plain and simple. If the Disney name is supposed to stand for quality and value, you simply cannot put those words in the same sentance as photopass. Because that quality doesn't exist as of yet. To expect a guest to pay $13 for a crappy photo is just unreasonable and unacceptable.

 

[PhotoDave219]

Thank you. I work for a professional photographer and it amazes me how often people think that photos should cost next to nothing. Just because Walmart and Sears can charge next to nothing doesn't mean that everyone can. And trust me...$12.95 is very cheap for a 5x7. We charge 22...and that's pretty moderate in our business.

People have the perception that because its a digital camera, somehow the costs are lower. Rather quite the opposite, really. The equipment costs run upwards of $2000 for a basic DSLR setup with a nice lens or 2 and a decent flash, memory cards and the whatnot. Don't forget computer, photoshop and printer. Or paper. Or ink. Or any of the associated costs of doing business even before you start seeing a profit.

Now, Tyoing photopsss into this, Theyre running around with a Nikon D70 (899), an SB-800 flash (299-ish), an 18-55 lens (in the 200-300 price range) plus all their other things. For the equipment they use, they should be turning out quality images every time.

 

[nibblesandbits]

People have the perception that because its a digital camera, somehow the costs are lower. Rather quite the opposite, really. The equipment costs run upwards of $2000 for a basic DSLR setup with a nice lens or 2 and a decent flash, memory cards and the whatnot. Don't forget computer, photoshop and printer. Or paper. Or ink. Or any of the associated costs of doing business even before you start seeing a profit.

Now, Tyoing photopsss into this, Theyre running around with a Nikon D70 (899), an SB-800 flash (299-ish), an 18-55 lens (in the 200-300 price range) plus all their other things. For the equipment they use, they should be turning out quality images every time.

well...yeah...that is true...they should be...

If you don't teach them how to take a good photo, the whole thing is moot.

And you are definitely right about all the cost that people don't see that go into creating a photograph.

 

[nibblesandbits]

Yes, but that's a posed photograph in a studio, with optimal lighting and such.

Actually, you are wrong. Yes, we do the posed photos in a studio, but we also do a lot of outdoor type photos. (Which are posed, yes, but those photopass photos are too...maybe not posed well, but they are posed.) Many of which people prefer over the ones inside with optimal lighting and such.

And I gotta say, if I could afford to have a professional photographer follow me around the Disney parks and take photos, I would love to do it. I think it would be so neat!

 

[Cynderella]

I was just there the week after Thanksgiving and I bought a ton of photopass pictures. I ended up having like 45 or so pictures and the main reason I didnt like most of them was myself or my fiance smile. I didnt like how I looked in them. Other than that every picture on there was a really nice photo. I ended buying like 15 pictures by the time I was done. Granted I got a handful during MVMCP so I saved a little bit. But I always end up getting some photopass pictures because I can usually find a couple that I really like. Guess it's just very hit or miss with people.

 

[sjc03]

saving webpage

Just to let you know, that when you save the webpage to get the photo that's considered theft. You are stealing copyrighted material that you have not paid for. No photo center will print the photo without a copy right release form that they give you with the cd.
And to PhotoDave219, that photo was not taken by a Disney Photopass Photographer, it was taken by a Kodak photographer. Disney Cast Members were not on Main Street, USA until June, 2006.
You cannot expect incredible, breath-taking photos every single time. If you are a photographer, you know that when you take your own photos, you only end up using a small fraction of those you took. If you are using film, you might only print just a few off of a 36 roll of film. People blink at the last minute, kids get distracted, etc., that's why there are some many spots to get your photo taken, to give you a nice big selection. As for you night photos, a digital SLR needs contrast to focus. If you are all wearing dark colors, for example, the camera cannot focus.