Current Opinions on Photopass Quality

[FlyTriPacer]

Posted this in general discussions yesterday and got nothing, maybe it belongs here more...

We're planning a trip to down in September and I'm contemplating prepurchasing Memory Maker; however, I was less than impressed with the overall quality of pictures from our last trip in 2013 (composition, focus, etc seemed subpar). We did have really good pictures, but it didn't seem worth the $$. What are current thoughts on the quality of the photographers/pictures...before I spend $169?

Thanks

 

[CaptainAmerica]

We loved Memory Maker but I'm totally ignorant about photography. Couldn't tell you what "composition" is. I think its value is primarily driven by the on-ride photos.

 

[DisneyDreamer08]

We did not purchase memory maker, mainly because the photopass photographer will always take a picture with your camera as well, but we did view our pictures online. We were glad in the end we did not purchase- most of the time the pictures on our camera were better. In a lot of the photopass photos my daughter was blinking or not looking at the camera. It seemed the photographer was focusing more on the background, getting the right angle etc and would often just click away without trying to get my daughter to look and smile. The on ride photos were useless as well as my daughter is so small she was usually blocked by another rider. And, we had several pictures of the wrong family.

 

[Tuvalu]

We got Memory Maker for free last summer as part of a promotion. Over half the pictures were terrible, either out of focus, off center or some other issue. And I am not a photographer. I was very glad we did not pay for Memory Maker, because I would have been pretty angry with the quality we received.

 

[FlyTriPacer]

We loved Memory Maker but I'm totally ignorant about photography. Couldn't tell you what "composition" is. I think its value is primarily driven by the on-ride photos.

Thanks for your response. I'll have to decide if the ride photos are worth it. It' 10% of our trip cost...

We did not purchase memory maker, mainly because the photopass photographer will always take a picture with your camera as well, but we did view our pictures online. We were glad in the end we did not purchase- most of the time the pictures on our camera were better. In a lot of the photopass photos my daughter was blinking or not looking at the camera. It seemed the photographer was focusing more on the background, getting the right angle etc and would often just click away without trying to get my daughter to look and smile. The on ride photos were useless as well as my daughter is so small she was usually blocked by another rider. And, we had several pictures of the wrong family.

Thanks, forgot they'll take pictures with my camera too. Planning to leave my DSLR at home, but will have a couple point and shoot with me.

We got Memory Maker for free last summer as part of a promotion. Over half the pictures were terrible, either out of focus, off center or some other issue. And I am not a photographer. I was very glad we did not pay for Memory Maker, because I would have been pretty angry with the quality we received.

Thanks. Will probably save my money...

 

[sophie_the_pooh]

We used memory maker during our April 2014 trip and I was very satisfied with the pictures. I'm not a pro, but I think it was a great service, allowing us to have multiple good quality family pictures in varied locations. I purchased it again for our Sept. trip this fall, did not hesitate!

 

[lilclerk]

I did love having the ride photos and videos, but the photos around the park weren't the best. Plus I could just ask the photographer to take them with my camera if I really wanted them.

 

[Chezman1399]

I love memory maker. I've said before in other post, I thought it was a waste of money. Then, we got it, I like Ride photos, my wife likes to stop for photos around the park, and I hate carrying around extra stuff or digging around for a camera, plus I was rarely in pictures. Now that we get memory maker, I'm in all the pictures, I'm not constantly digging around for a camera, I get all my ride photos, my wife gets all the pictures from around the park she wants, and it feels like our whole trip is more efficient.

That said, I'm also at a place in my life where I don't feel that cost vs. the amount I spend on plane tickets and food in WDW, and it wasn't that way for me 2 or 3 years ago, so I'm not really sure if I'd pull the trigger or not if it was 10% or more of my budget back then for a convenience purchase.

 

[dreamfinder]

We loved Memory Maker but I'm totally ignorant about photography. Couldn't tell you what "composition" is. I think its value is primarily driven by the on-ride photos.

Composition can make or break a photo. Basically it's looking at how parts within the photo are laid out. A common composition issue is when people overlook the background. So someone in the picture might look like they have a lamppost or a fountain growing out of their head. Or if the photographer was supposed to be taking a photo of the family in front of Cinderella's castle, but someone managed to arrange the group and the shot so that you cannot see the castle, but only the people and maybe the tips of the spires. Or heck, even just taking a picture of your family, but instead of zooming in on your family and filling the frame with them, your family only occupies 10% of the picture, with random strangers walking by taking up the remaining 90%. Basic things like that. There are a bunch of generally accepted ways to compose a photo that make it more appealing, using the rule of thirds for instance, but for most of the stuff Photopass does, it's more about not making stupid decisions when telling your family where to stand.

OP, if you do buy it, feel free to ask them to take more pictures, different poses, etc. The CM's are professional photographers for the most part, but do a serviceable job. Don't be afraid to stop multiple times as every photographer has their own take on the process.

 

[DisneyDreamer08]

And just another thought for the OP- do you have kids? Be prepared for long waits at every photo pass spot. We experienced lines of 7-10 families for 95% of the photos we wanted. We skipped a lot if my daughter couldn't wait. After waiting for rides, food, bathrooms etc, something had to give. A friend of mine pre purchased MM recently and had to force her kids to wait in the long lines just to get their monies worth. With all the benefits of MM in recent years, the popularity of photo pass photographers has gone way up.

 

[Weather_Lady]

We got Memorymaker last May (2014) and were unimpressed. At each stop, we had the photogs take pictures with their own cameras, and with my little point-and-shoot Canon (nothing fancy). In almost every case, the photos taken with my camera were clearer. Although composition typically wasn't an issue since the photo spots are pre-selected to provide decent photos, the photos themselves all required plenty of cropping, rotating and general editing. In fact, photographers routinely "captured" undesirable elements in composing their pictures, like the edges of fake backdrops at character meet-and-greets. The on-ride photos were nice to see, but only slightly more clear than the days when I'd point my camera at the post-ride video display and surreptitiously take a photo-of-the-photo. They certainly weren't "frame-able" quality, and some of them didn't even come out, due to the on-ride camera not being properly synched with the flash.

I should also add that we had no interest in the "magic shots" (where they photoshop Disney characters in the photo, so you can remember that time you held your arms out and pretended to hold a cartoon Simba -- wasn't that an awesome day!??) so those didn't factor into the value of Memorymaker for us.

To each his own, but we wouldn't bother with Memorymaker again.

 

[Tom 55]

My opinion is that there are less Photo pass CM around now than there was years ago. I have done meet and greets that there was no Photo Pass CM there. I have bought Memory Maker for the last 2 trips and love all the extra pictures that they include. Also the ride pictures and the little movies they are adding.

 

[Weather_Lady]

My opinion is that there are less Photo pass CM around now than there was years ago. I have done meet and greets that there was no Photo Pass CM there. I have bought Memory Maker for the last 2 trips and love all the extra pictures that they include. Also the ride pictures and the little movies they are adding.

Good point -- I'd totally forgotten, but your post reminded me -- yes, some M&G don't even have a photographer there, so your Memorymaker is of no use. (For example, we went to Pete's Silly Sideshow, and only the Minnie/Daisy side had a photographer. If you wanted a picture with Goofy or Donald, you were on your own!)

 

[Jahona]

My only real experience with photopass photographers was back in 2012 and it wasn't that positive. The poor photographer wasn't even trained on how to operate her camera. I handed them my Nikon D100 that I did some quick exposure settings to after she took our photos with hers and when she handed it back she commented on how much better the photos looked on my camera. I ended up sitting down with her for ten minutes giving her a crash course in photography and light. My trip last year I took with friends we just made due with holding a camera at arms length and taking selfies.

 

[FlyTriPacer]

Thanks for all the posts! I think my wife and I will pass this trip...

 

[Jahona]

My sister is using Memory Maker for our trip this July. I'll report back here how the photos turn out.

 

[RKSteel]

Here's my $.02. We got MM for free last August and liked it so much that I purchased it again for our upcoming trip.
The CM will take multiple pictures compared to only one from your own camera. Quality was fine to my untrained eye.
Never had an instance where a CM was not around for a major character M&G (did not do princesses). Ride photos were great bonus since we like to "pose" for the camera and we enjoy the magic photos as well. Got a great one last year of me holding ballons and the family hanging on, trying to keep me from floating away.
Also, you are able to enhance your photos; put a frame around it, add the year, fireworks, etc, before you download them.

 

[EvilQueen-T]

We really liked it during our trip in November but when we got it again this past March a ton of pics were over exposed, magic shots missing the magic element.

 

[FlyTriPacer]

Thanks y'all. Here's a little background for y'all...I've been shooting with an SLR since the late 90s and typically don't shoot on "Auto". I also get lots on compliments on my pictures. I also get questions from the folks who do photography at work, so I'm fairly critical when I pay for pictures. In 18 years when I retire, I plan to move to FL and attempt to get a job as a Photopass photographer.

Thanks again for the comments/input!

 

[Jahona]

In 18 years when I retire, I plan to move to FL and attempt to get a job as a Photopass photographer.

Thanks again for the comments/input!

You might be the most qualified Photopass photographer then.