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

[Gorjus]

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. 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.

Photography is lighting and composition... and with bright sunny days in Florida prevailing a lot, its hard to understand why crappy pictures 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.

I can see that you have had bad experiences with photopass. For that I am truly sorry. And you are correct, there are people who don't put a lot of effort into the photo because there isn't a lot of incentive other than personal pride, to take an extra special photo.

However, when I said I am a professional photographer, I meant I have been doing portrait photography professionally for 20 years. I have my own portrait photography business. I am also a Disney Photopass Photographer. You have obviously never had me or some of my better fellow workers take your photo.

You are absolutely correct when you say that too often cast members in all departments talk to each other and whine about work in front of guests. Management needs to do some brushing up on show rules. However, Character attendants and Photopass photographers are partners. It is part of the job description for us to assist them and them to assist us. So they aren't "trying to be Character Attendants", they are doing their job assisting the character attendant.

The camera is a machine and at times it doesn't function correctly. Two days ago, half way through my day I was told to return to the base in the middle of my shift. Quality Assurance noticed my pictures were coming out awful. It turns out my flash was malfunctioning and just blowing people out and 80 percent of my photos were washed out. They changed my equipment and the rest of the day I had fabulous photos. And sometimes it is too dark and the camera just can't find the focus automatically. I simply switch to manual, or have someone hold their hand up for me to focus on, but others need to know that, you are correct.

Our cameras are set on P mode during the day and Night Portrait mode in the evening and it is a general setting good for changing lighting conditions all through the day. Yes, when you take your one photo we might need one setting for you, but as clouds roll in and out through the day, lighting needs change. And as for the $13, in 30 seconds they can print you a photo with Tinkerbell. You would have to find someone to take your photo, then spend 30 minutes in photoshop adding Tinkerbell to your photo.

And the photographers are trained, but there needs to be more. I would like to add some posing training to the course as well as training on how to get children and adults and teens to smile naturally. These are things I'm quite good at but I do see lacking in some of my fellow photographers.

So, please don't lump all photographers as Shutter Monkeys. When I say I am a professional, I am a professional.

Gorjus

 

[imallearsgurl]

I, for one, am very happy with PhotoPass. Our December vacation was our first trip to WDW since they started using it. In the past, I'd end up blowing $ 50 - $ 100 on a few mediocre pictures of our family in front of the castle. This trip, for $ 100 I got a CD with over 150 pictures on it, taken in all four parks as well as the Grand Floridian. More importantly, for once it actually looks like I was on vacation WITH my family, since I'm in the pictures!

We did have the photographers take pictures with our cameras, in addition to the ones they took for the Photopass. I had planned all along to buy the CD, but I wanted to have our own pictures in case there were any problems.

Looking back through all of the pictures we had taken, there were definitely some photographers that were better than others. However, I was pleased with the service overall, and it was especially beneficial to have good night shots in the parks (our cameras aren't sophisticated enough for that). I always found the photographers to be friendly, and they seemed to genuinely WANT to provide quality pictures. They were very patient with my 21 month old, trying to get her to smile.

I think the point here is, to each his own. Unlike some parks, WDW doesn't assault you with their photographers. If you don't want to use PhotoPass, no biggie, just keep walking. But for less than $ 1 per picture (as it worked out for me), it's nice to have this service for our family trip. JMHO :wave:

 

[Dagger]

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. I had expected to pay extra, but this was is outrageous. It was nice to look at the pictures and view them online, but I won't be purchasing any, not for $12.95 a print.

When we went, we were actually seeking out the PhotoPass photographers and still somehow got only 15 pics...there was no way I was going to buy the CD, but during MVMCP the prints were half price so we bought 3 5x7s and that'll be good enough for now. I think they need more photographers in different spots and more randomized so you can say, "Hey, get a pic of us over here please..." etc

 

[Dagger]

I always found the photographers to be friendly, and they seemed to genuinely WANT to provide quality pictures. They were very patient with my 21 month old, trying to get her to smile.

I agree with this and it's a pleasant change from JC Penney or Picture Place photographers lol...I also like how they'll take a pic using your camera although I was surprised by it and wouldn't be surprised if they "weren't allowed anymore" to in the future.

 

[mousermerf]

One nifty thing photpass can do..

I can crop other people out of my onride photos. I just got rid of the other 4 people not in my party in my Test Track ride vehicle by using the zoom-crop function and the Test Track border they offer. It well designed and placed so that you can zoom in on 2-3 people. I can also order the full vehicle photo with or without the border.. So, that's nice.

Regular in-park photos.. i dunno. This Test Track photo is my first ever photopass photo. In-park photographers never talk to lil old me

 

[figment1985]

Yeah, I def agree that it's so-so..., I wish that Gorjus had taken my engagement photos!! When my fiancee proposed to me, this young girl took the photos in front of Spaceship earth, and you can't even SEE MY REACTION! She could have told me to turn or move my hair or something! I was so dissapointed... it was cool to have a photo of being proposed to.. but it would have been nice if it came out better and clearer.

The photos are tooooo expensive, but they are good quality.

 

[Cynderella]

Yeah, I def agree that it's so-so..., I wish that Gorjus had taken my engagement photos!! When my fiancee proposed to me, this young girl took the photos in front of Spaceship earth, and you can't even SEE MY REACTION! She could have told me to turn or move my hair or something! I was so dissapointed... it was cool to have a photo of being proposed to.. but it would have been nice if it came out better and clearer.

The photos are tooooo expensive, but they are good quality.

I agree. I just got engaged on 11/26/06 in front of the Castle and the guy who took our pictures afterward didn't really even give me a chance to compose myself. But the picture turned out pretty decent with the partners statue and the castle in it. And he only took 2 pictures and the 2nd one my bangs were in my face. So I really only had one choice. Though we got many other pictures throughout our stay and a decent handful of them came out really good.

 

[PhotoDave219]

The camera is a machine and at times it doesn't function correctly. Two days ago, half way through my day I was told to return to the base in the middle of my shift. Quality Assurance noticed my pictures were coming out awful. It turns out my flash was malfunctioning and just blowing people out and 80 percent of my photos were washed out. They changed my equipment and the rest of the day I had fabulous photos. And sometimes it is too dark and the camera just can't find the focus automatically. I simply switch to manual, or have someone hold their hand up for me to focus on, but others need to know that, you are correct.

I'm not going to continue to fan the flames here, nor tout my own photographic skill or knowledge. Suffice to say that a camera is not merely a machine, its an artistic tool to tell a story, whether that be the plight of Tornado Victims in Daytona Beach or a nice family photo in front of the castle or snapshots of the latest ride to open at the mouse. Each one has a story and if youre sole job is to capture or document those elements of life, you need to know how your tools work. To blame it on the camera is IMO just a reflection of someone who doesn't quite know what theyre doing. Every photographer that i know understands this and the simple concepts - Rules of thirds, basic composition and the sunny f/16s rule. (That last being shutter speed = 1/ISO at f/16 in bright sunlight.) Relying on the camera to perform in automatic function seems kinda silly when everything is posed out, stand here, look this way, etc. I'm surprised that the flash isn't on manual, I'm surprised that Disney isn't taking full advantage of the equipment that they use and I'm still surprised they don't train people beyond "push the button."

The quality of the images that are produced by Photopass are proportional to the amount of training that's given. Granted, you can't expect a picasso by giving just anyone a paintbrush; likewise you cant expect someone with 3 days experience to take a decent photo. But Disney simply should not be advertising this as a professional photo service when clearly it is not, and the quality isn't anywhere near what a professional photo studio.... or newspaper photojournalist would be expected to bring back. Disney should not be charging what they charge until the quality is there.

Oh yeah, and will someone please tell the managers that covering the camera with a plastic bag in the drizzle looks pretty bad. Rain gear for cameras isn't that expensive.

 

[kurros]

The SB-800's AF assist pattern has worked very well for me when I have had to use it at night. (I'm not DPI, jus sayin).

My flash knowledge isn't very broad as I prefer to use fast glass and natural light. Just a fill flash when necessary.

 

[FantasiaBish]

I have to pipe in here... We went at the end of September, for a week, and ended up with 250 pics on our CD. We had some GREAT photographers who were willing to take some shots that weren't really "Photopass" shots... backwards down Main St, with all of the smaller statues around "Partners", fun stuff like that. We even found a photographer at AK who was heading back to base to get more Photopasses... and we walked with him and he took a few Everest shots for us as well as some other not official pics in Asia. But what was the icing on the cake, and the reason we bought the CD, was day 1 in the park, that being the 21st, in front of Partners I proposed.... I didn't warn the photogprapher, and he didn't miss a beat... we got 10-15 pics of the proposal and the hugging and kissing that followed. I wish I knew who it was but we didn't get his name. I can say we were very proud of the quality and attention we received from all the staff involved.

 

[Gorjus]

I'm not going to continue to fan the flames here, nor tout my own photographic skill or knowledge.

Yet you continue to.

To blame it on the camera is IMO just a reflection of someone who doesn't quite know what theyre doing.

I would like to have your camera that never breaks down or hiccups or has any mechanical issues whatsoever. Especially if it received the kind of constant use that the Disney cameras do every day (1000 photographs per photographer each day)

Relying on the camera to perform in automatic function seems kinda silly when everything is posed out, stand here, look this way, etc. I'm surprised that the flash isn't on manual, I'm surprised that Disney isn't taking full advantage of the equipment that they use and I'm still surprised they don't train people beyond "push the button."

Disney does train people beyond push the button, but no, they don't go into a 4 year course either. And I agree that more training could be done on posing because there is more to a portrait than "stand here and look this way" (which I rarely do). I can tell you that it is the rare family that I let pose themselves and I work to make a good portrait. As for the camera, Disney tells you the exact camera settings to set your camera on for the variety of situations you are photographing. The show you sample photos of EXACTLY what your photograph should look like in each location and you are not to deviate from it. They then provide you with the opportunity to do a couple of creative shots as well.

The quality of the images that are produced by Photopass are proportional to the amount of training that's given.

No, the quality of some of the images YOU received isn't what you might take.

Granted, you can't expect a picasso by giving just anyone a paintbrush; likewise you cant expect someone with 3 days experience to take a decent photo.

We have a lot more than three days experience and you seem to run into the less than dedicated CMs or you look for bad photos and write off good ones as luck. But even the worst Photopass photographers often do better than your average joe.

But Disney simply should not be advertising this as a professional photo service when clearly it is not, and the quality isn't anywhere near what a professional photo studio.... or newspaper photojournalist would be expected to bring back. Disney should not be charging what they charge until the quality is there.

No where does it state "professional photographer" It always says Photopass photographer. Disney does not claim to have people who know a ton about photography, just people who know how to take photos the way Disney wants them done. And the charge is completely in align with what most mass quantity studios charge. You aren't going to get private studio quality because the lighting isn't there (except at Bibbity Bobbity Boutique) and the time isn't there to be sure each person is looking exactly as they should. Remember, these people are gracing us with their presence for 20 seconds before they rush off to Rockin Rollercoaster. They aren't going to stand for a lengthy photo session.

Oh yeah, and will someone please tell the managers that covering the camera with a plastic bag in the drizzle looks pretty bad. Rain gear for cameras isn't that expensive.

I agree, but budgets are what they are and while rain gear isn't expensive for one camera, it is hugely expensive for 3000 cameras. Shoot, we can't even get hand warmers which might be $.50 a piece.

Please don't use Photopass. You obviously can do better.