Anyone done an engagement photo shoot at Disneyland?

[ten6mom]

I have been considering it, but my photographer rightly worries that there won't be enough opportunities to take photos without other people in them. I know we aren't going to get the iconic Castle photo with no one in the background, but does anyone have experience doing this that would care to share?

 

[librarygeek]

I've seen lots of beautiful photos on Pinterest! When are you planning to go? I'm scheduled to do an anniversary shoot there in about a month.

 

[mom2rtk]

If your photographer is hoping for shots in Disneyland without other people in them, I think they need a reality check.

 

[SMD]

You might be better off having a traditional engagement photo shoot, then going to DL with a friend and duplicating some of the poses. People are a lot more likely to wait to pass if they see friends in a group taking a photo than a photographer trying to block them from passing.

If you want to try a shoot in the park some things you can try are going at rope drop on non MM day. If you go straight for something like Golden Horseshoe instead of Indy or Space you can get a few shots. The only problem is, once you draw attention to yourself you run the chance of people jumping up and trying to take pics too. Be on the first raft of the day to TSI. You wouldn't be able to to something like stand on the barrel bridge and take a bunch of shots, but there are corners and benches that many guests have no interest in and you can take shots between groups passing behind you. There's also the seating area near Matterhorn where the old motor boat ride was. It might not be recognizable as being in DL, but it gets very little traffic in the morning. Then there are places like the wishing well. You could snap 1-2 pics, then step aside, let people pass and let others take pics and then go in for a few more shots. It's just that holding a traditional photo shoot where your photographer takes a bunch of shots at once and tries different poses while expecting other guests to not walk behind and not get their own pics that would be a problem. You could do something similar with the stationary teacup by Mad Hatter, just snap a few shots then hop out if another guest is waiting, then wait for another turn. Then there are other things you could try like the carousel, where it's kind of expected that there would be other people in the background, so you could try for a time when there's not a lot of people, and then just open up the lens to blur them out. You could maybe try front and back elephants on Dumbo, but I doubt they're going to let a photographer turn backwards the whole time. You'd have to just sneak in a few shots every few seconds.

 

[chrisaman]

Sometimes all the people can add to the picture. Not take away. I think u should go for it. My sister and brother in law did it and they got some of the best pics I have ever seen. If ur photographer isn't creative enough to make it work. Maybe u should take ur money somewhere else

 

[ADLFAN]

I just Googled Disneyland engagement photo session and there were some very cute images! I loved the ones on the Mark Twain, around the castle, around Paradise Pier, through a hidden Mickey in a fence, and many more!

Some have people in the background, some are close up of just the couple, some... could have been better.

If I were considering this, I would make a big ole list of all the backgrounds I wanted that are obviously Disneyland or DCA and then try to get those done as early as possible so there are fewer bystanders.

Then you can move on to the close up shots with no big background later in the day as it gets more crowded.

I would definitely have a written list to guide me, so nothing I wanted pictures of would be forgotten!

Have fun, and I hope others will share their adorable pictures, too!

 

[ADLFAN]

The Dapper Day style seems pretty popular for the engagement sessions, and looks classic and neat. I think mouse ears would be adorable too!

 

[Plaid Princess]

We did ours at the Magic Kingdom (we met there, so it was the obvious choice for us!), there were definitely a few with other people in them, but we got tons of creative shots. As long as you're aware of the fact that you might have to do some creative cropping, I think you'll have a great time!

https://goo.gl/photos/v7ho61VFTuGVseaQ8

 

[dec2009mama]

omg - K!!! I am so jealous - u so sssmmmmaarrt!

 

[GromMom]

There's a trick your photographer can do but it requires a tripod and a filter and doing a very long exposure (We're talking like 2 minutes). Most people move within the span of 2 minutes, but you will have to keep very, very still. My husband saw a tip on how to do this online and was able to take a photo of me on vacation in a very crowded area and most of the people walked in and out of the shot, so were not there in the final shot.

It will look something like this:
http://www.cnet.com/how-to/how-to-take-dreamy-long-exposure-photos/

Good luck! I think having people on mainstreet will be charming though!

 

[bcla]

There's a trick your photographer can do but it requires a tripod and a filter and doing a very long exposure (We're talking like 2 minutes). Most people move within the span of 2 minutes, but you will have to keep very, very still. My husband saw a tip on how to do this online and was able to take a photo of me on vacation in a very crowded area and most of the people walked in and out of the shot, so were not there in the final shot.

It will look something like this:
http://www.cnet.com/how-to/how-to-take-dreamy-long-exposure-photos/

Good luck! I think having people on mainstreet will be charming though!

Doing that in Disneyland can attract a lot of attention and I'm guessing a warning. There was another thread on professional photography, and I found the relevant rules. Apparently a tripod being used must be small. One of those big pro ones that folds to 3 ft probably won't be allowed.

https://disneyland.disney.go.com/faq/parks/permitted-items/

Folding tripod stands or monopod stands that can fit inside a standard backpack are permitted.

Equipment used for unauthorized photography, videotaping, recording, broadcast or transmission of any kind for commercial purposes is not allowed. Professional photographers with professional cameras or recording equipment, who are visiting the Disneyland Resort with the intent to take photographs or recordings of people, Disneyland Resort properties, or icons for professional purposes must request permission and make prior arrangements with appropriate Disneyland Resort representatives. Permission for any recordings or broadcasts on the premises are within the sole discretion of Disney.
​

 

[GromMom]

bcla has a good point, I didn't think about what types of tripods are permitted in Disneyland, the photo my husband took was not at Disney so we don't have any experience with being asked to put our cameras away there. We do love to take photos and often will bring 2 DSLRs with us when we're on vacation, so it's probably good to be versed in the rules so it doesn't ruin our next DL trip!

The other engagement photo I've seen at DL is I believe at California adventure, I saw a couple with some magical saying (this was over 5 years ago so I don't remember the exact wording) but when I was in the animation building I saw that saying somewhere and it was a really charming photo... hopefully someone who has been more recently than I have knows that I'm talking about, it's near either an exit or an entrance to that building.

 

[MommyJKM]

The other engagement photo I've seen at DL is I believe at California adventure, I saw a couple with some magical saying (this was over 5 years ago so I don't remember the exact wording) but when I was in the animation building I saw that saying somewhere and it was a really charming photo... hopefully someone who has been more recently than I have knows that I'm talking about, it's near either an exit or an entrance to that building.

Do you mean this? It's just on the wall.

My husband and I did a smallish photo shoot when we were engaged and it was pretty easy, I would say go for it.

 

[GromMom]

Do you mean this? It's just on the wall.

My husband and I did a smallish photo shoot when we were engaged and it was pretty easy, I would say go for it.View attachment 112262

Ding ding ding! That's exactly it! Totally an adorable place to take a photo

 

[lalasmama]

Do you mean this? It's just on the wall.

My husband and I did a smallish photo shoot when we were engaged and it was pretty easy, I would say go for it.View attachment 112262

We did a similar thing.. But on the "once upon a time..." side for our honeymoon. And then, when we adopted our daughter, we did our family picture on the "... and they lived happily ever after" side. (Her adoption was in the works before we got married, so it just seemed "right" to us to have her in our happily ever after photo. )

 

[tiffjoy]

Doing that in Disneyland can attract a lot of attention and I'm guessing a warning. There was another thread on professional photography, and I found the relevant rules. Apparently a tripod being used must be small. One of those big pro ones that folds to 3 ft probably won't be allowed.

https://disneyland.disney.go.com/faq/parks/permitted-items/

Folding tripod stands or monopod stands that can fit inside a standard backpack are permitted.

Equipment used for unauthorized photography, videotaping, recording, broadcast or transmission of any kind for commercial purposes is not allowed. Professional photographers with professional cameras or recording equipment, who are visiting the Disneyland Resort with the intent to take photographs or recordings of people, Disneyland Resort properties, or icons for professional purposes must request permission and make prior arrangements with appropriate Disneyland Resort representatives. Permission for any recordings or broadcasts on the premises are within the sole discretion of Disney.
​

As I stated in a previous thread on this topic, Disney also has a rule against bringing in food, but as well all know, they do not enforce it. Many of these rules are in place to allow Disney to enforce at their discretion. There are a number of photographers who do pictures in Disney. I think Disney would enforce it should these photographers bother other customers or use their pictures in a way Disney disapproves of.

Currently, Disney doesn't offer photo sessions in the parks. The photopass photographers will not go around the parks with you, on rides, in various areas, and do photos that they then professionally edit and provide to you. Since Disney doesn't have a competing product, I imagine they don't care as long as it doesn't bother the other visitors. A number of CMs saw us doing our photos last year and didn't say a thing.