News PhotoPass at some character locations being replaced by automated cameras

Kman101

Kman101

Well-Known Member
ToyStoryMiss said:
I’ve heard from a few sources that PhotoPass photographers are going to be taken out from character locations in favour of automated cameras due to( you guessed it!) budget cuts. Apparently it’s supposed to start with Tinker Bell on the 26th/27th.

I know it’s still just a rumor at this point, but I’ll be quite saddened to see this happen. I personally don’t use the photopass system, but it’s such a shame that this would have to go because of these budget cuts.

Any thoughts?
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I haven't read all 7 pages. Sorry, BUT I will. Just wanted to pop in a post.

I wouldn't mind this in certain locations actually, but to the extent of replacing actual people? ... SIGH. I don't like that. Not at all.

Gonna be a blast for Guest Relations when said cameras malfunction, etc. .... I know mistakes happen now with people but still ... this smells like trouble.
 
Worldlover71

Worldlover71

Well-Known Member
I have never purchased a PhotoPass picture but I have lots of great pictures with characters taken by the attendants. I have compared the pictures on my phone that were taken by attendants to the PhotoPass pictures on-line and rarely see any significant difference. Unless the attendants are told not to take pictures anymore, which i doubt, nothing will change for me. Save your money folks!
 
aliceismad

aliceismad

Well-Known Member
Honestly, I'm kinds surprised Disney hasn't done an auto photopass in the popular IG locations, like the Popsicle wall or in front of Star Tours or whatever. They could put their "Disney" frame on the photopass photos so it's evident to all where person is.

But replacing photographers at M&Gs is sad.

I have photographer friends who claim the general population's idea of "quality" photos has gone down with the rise of the smartphone. (Why pay lots of cash when I can take my pwn pics for freeeeee?) Maybe the number of people willing to pay for photopass (and by pay I mean those who pay for it directly and not have it included in the AP price) is declining?
 
TangledUpInKnots

TangledUpInKnots

Active Member
Sorry if I missed this somewhere in the thread , but when is this supposed to be completely implemented by? I'm going in December and curious how this will affect my wanting to get memory Maker.
 
Kman101

Kman101

Well-Known Member
aliceismad said:
Honestly, I'm kinds surprised Disney hasn't done an auto photopass in the popular IG locations, like the Popsicle wall or in front of Star Tours or whatever. They could put their "Disney" frame on the photopass photos so it's evident to all where person is.

But replacing photographers at M&Gs is sad.

I have photographer friends who claim the general population's idea of "quality" photos has gone down with the rise of the smartphone. (Why pay lots of cash when I can take my pwn pics for freeeeee?) Maybe the number of people willing to pay for photopass (and by pay I mean those who pay for it directly and not have it included in the AP price) is declining?
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I wouldn't be surprised if it's declining. They seemed to be trying to include it in different ways. It should come with your pass, any pass, personally, but I understand wanting to make money off of it.
 
tissandtully

tissandtully

Well-Known Member
Worldlover71 said:
I have never purchased a PhotoPass picture but I have lots of great pictures with characters taken by the attendants. I have compared the pictures on my phone that were taken by attendants to the PhotoPass pictures on-line and rarely see any significant difference. Unless the attendants are told not to take pictures anymore, which i doubt, nothing will change for me. Save your money folks!
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In my experience, the attendant will just stay in one spot and just hold the camera and take a photo. Photopass photographers will move around and get close to catch better moments, as they should be. We shouldn't assign two completely different jobs to one person.
 
kong1802

kong1802

Well-Known Member
Is this the second step in Disney realizing that they just can't make any money with the photopass? If this pans out, do they start implementing them at all M&G's and eventually go to these at outdoor locations as well?

The first step was "throwing" them in with AP's....
 
cosmicgirl

cosmicgirl

Well-Known Member
aliceismad said:
Honestly, I'm kinds surprised Disney hasn't done an auto photopass in the popular IG locations, like the Popsicle wall or in front of Star Tours or whatever. They could put their "Disney" frame on the photopass photos so it's evident to all where person is.

But replacing photographers at M&Gs is sad.

I have photographer friends who claim the general population's idea of "quality" photos has gone down with the rise of the smartphone. (Why pay lots of cash when I can take my pwn pics for freeeeee?) Maybe the number of people willing to pay for photopass (and by pay I mean those who pay for it directly and not have it included in the AP price) is declining?
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I understand where you're coming from but how would this help? If this comes to fruition on a large scale the number would only continue to decline and at a faster rate than before.

ETA: yes, costs would go down, but they'd be left with far less revenue, as well. The main user base would only consist of APs and UK ticket holders who certainly don't pay $169 a pop as part of their admission.
 
LukeS7

LukeS7

Well-Known Member
aliceismad said:
Honestly, I'm kinds surprised Disney hasn't done an auto photopass in the popular IG locations, like the Popsicle wall or in front of Star Tours or whatever. They could put their "Disney" frame on the photopass photos so it's evident to all where person is.

But replacing photographers at M&Gs is sad.

I have photographer friends who claim the general population's idea of "quality" photos has gone down with the rise of the smartphone. (Why pay lots of cash when I can take my pwn pics for freeeeee?) Maybe the number of people willing to pay for photopass (and by pay I mean those who pay for it directly and not have it included in the AP price) is declining?
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I agree with the sentiment that the bar has been lowered for what is a "quality" photo; but as a photographer, I didn't see the value in PhotoPass on our last two trips.

The equipment they have doesn't appear to be all that much better than what's in most modern day phones and the training for what to use at what time (ex: not needing to use a flash in broad daylight) seemed to be not all that great. I took my camera with us when we went and setup the exposure settings before handing it off to them and 100% of the time, the photo on my camera was better than the one they took in the exact same spot with theirs (and my camera is not a top-of-the-line model)
 
TangledUpInKnots

TangledUpInKnots

Active Member
IanDLBZF said:
11/26.
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But is that for all locations by then or just the tinkerbell? Just hoping for a few non green box photos when we go. So sad. It reminds me of the awful photos we get at Chuck e cheese with my kids where they look crazy because they didn't actually know where the camera was to look. How very magical. 🙄
 
N

natatomic

Well-Known Member
IanDLBZF said:

Odd, don't you think?
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Not true. There are a number of non-unionized groups. I’m in one, and I make more money, the quality of cast is better, and my area keeps hiring, and growing the department.
(Having said that, I still don’t like this move. But as someone else said, people are preferring their free selfie shots more and more, and phone camera quality keeps getting better and better. Maybe fewer people are shelling out the $$$$$ for photopass?)
 
DisAl

DisAl

Well-Known Member
TDO has yet again proven the validity of the saying "Genius has its limitations, but stupidity knows no bounds."
Each trip we pick what was for us the top three cast members and send a letter to Disney. For our last trip this past June, our NUMBER ONE cast member was the photo pass photographer at Castle Couture (Chris from Alexandria, VA). We would have never gotten the photos he did from a "dumb" automated system. He could to several character voices VERY well and had our 3 year old grandson's complete attention.
Bottom line is that if they eliminate human photo pass photographers at the meet and greets they just eliminated 90% of the reason we have been purchasing the Memory Maker package. I am really glad I have not yet purchased it for our upcoming trip in March.
 
HauntedPirate

HauntedPirate

Park nostalgist
Premium Member
More alleged cost savings. More blandification©.

Honest question: Many times, the photographer would be able to get kids to look at the camera, smile, simply pay attention, etc. How will the green box get kids to do the same?

IF this is tied to trying to extract more $$$ out of PhotoPass/Memory Maker... why not just drop the price a little? (I'm funny, I know. ;) ) More people potentially buy it who otherwise wouldn't have, so more $$$ is generated. Seems like a no-brainer but... no-brains is TDO's hallmark these days (To be fair, they're just following the example set by their bald-headed P&R merch guy).
 

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