Hi everyone! I'm Marina. I was a PhotoPass Photographer in Epcot for the Spring 2010 CP.
Photopass is a very independant role. You work by yourself most of the time unless you're doing character shoots, in which you'll work hand in hand with the characters and the character attendants. I worked mostly with the princesses in the World Showcase and I loved it. Due to working in Epcot and working with characters most of the time, my schedule was awesome: usually 11 to 7 five days a week. I do know that Magic Kingdom Photopassers can work pretty late as they're still shooting castle shots post-Wishes and I had a friend who was Photopass at Animal Kingdom who, because of the short park hours, worked park open to park close every shift. Your day can go two ways, depending on if you're working a character shift or a regular shift.
They both start out by arriving at the entertainment base in your park at the start of your shift. You check out all of the camera equipment, put it together and set it up, take a few test shots, load up on extra batteries and photopass cards then get your assignment for the day.
Character shift:
You'll know ahead of time by the times youre working whether you have a character shift or not. With character shifts, youre with that character all day and have the same schedule that they do. With the Princesses, they had 45 minute sets, then would take a 20 minute break between sets, with an hour for lunch. During their breaks, the Photopass Photographers either stay at the greeting location and answer questions or "rove" in the immediate area and take pictures of guests with whatever pretty background is near. This is dependent on your location and the amount of time the characters break for. You'll get a thirty minute lunch break and two fifteen minute breaks during an eight hour shift and we could break in the character breakrooms which are nicer than regular CM breakrooms because they have leather couches. With characters, Photopass Photographers were at the front of the line and the attendants were roaming between the middle of the line and the back of the line, and would stand at the back of the line if they had to close it for a character break. This means that if the attendant is too far away to watch the whole line, you had to act as both photographer and attendant, so if a pen wasnt working, you had to have one ready. You also had to remind guests to have their autograph books open and keep the line orderly up front, as well as interact with the characters to help them with their conversations. You take 5-7 pictures per meet and greet.
Regular shifts, called Icon shifts:
If you have an Icon shift, you rotate between different positions in the park all day. You stay in one spot until your break, then after your break, you go to the computer and get a new location. Same thing each time you break and for lunch. These spots are entirely by yourself and are mostly pictures of the park icon. In Epcot, there were five different locations where PhotoPassers take pictures of guests with Spaceship Earth. Sometimes you get a good location like right inside the entrance where everyone wants a picture with the icon and sometimes you get the back of the icon or are placed on the side and you have to lure people in to get their picture taken. You take 3-5 pictures per session.
The number one thing they tell you is that PhotoPass Photographers are more like walking information centers that happen to take pictures. Since youre standing out in the middle of nothing (so no trees or lamp posts or whatever are in your picture), youre the first cast member guests see when they're lost or have a question so you need to know your park backwards and forwards, as well as general questions about WDW like what time Wishes is and how to get from Epcot to the other parks. You get a handy little pamphlet with this information thats updated with the park times and everything each week and you can keep it in your pocket.
Downsides: Because its so independant, its kind of hard to make coworker relationships. You can't really pal around at work because youre by yourself. Even in character shifts, you can't have real conversations with the characters of course and the attendants are always moving up and down the line. I had a lot of work friends, but thats because the Epcot entertainment CPs (characters, attendants and photographers) all got together every Sunday night to hang out. You have to make more of an effort to have work friends. Also, the equipment is really heavy. It weighs at least 10 lbs and youre lifting it at least 500 times a day for each session and even when you arent taking pictures, its hanging around your neck. A lot of people got wrist injuries over time, including myself, and have to wear braces when they work. This is the only reason I won't be applying for photopass again. It was just too difficult physically. Now there are people who have been doing Photopass since it started 5 years ago and have learned to manage but I just dont want to develop carpel tunnel or anything because of this job.
Upsides: Its soooo fun! Working with characters is awesome and being up front taking pictures is sometimes better than being an attendant because you get to watch them interact with guests but you dont have to deal with people being angry at you for closing the line. You do sometimes have to deal with the lingering family who "came all the way from Michigan to meet Princess Jasmine" but waited until her last set to come say hi and didn't get to meet her and now hates you for no reason. That heat is mostly on the attendants though. If youre doing an Icon shift, you get SO much guest interaction. The great thing about PhotoPass is that you only talk to guests who want to talk to you, so no one is in a bad mood or doesn't want to be bothered or anything like that. They're all nice and willing to waste some time with you chatting about their vacation so far or where theyre from. You mostly just stand there and wait for them to come to you. There's no sales quota or anything and youre encouraged to always ask guests if they want pictures on their cameras as well. The main point of Photopass is to be a service, not a commission based sales tactic. If you talk to a guest and all they want is directions or a picture on their cell phone, thats just fine. You do have to stay busy and be taking a certain amount of pictures per hour but its nothing you have to work towards, people will come up to you and you'll reach your numbers each hour without thinking about it. Its just there so you dont go sit on a bench somewhere and get paid to do nothing.
I think thats it, but for more detail my Spring 2010 CP blog is
http://marinawdwcp.blogspot.com
I know I'm interested.
