Grand floridian photo shoot worth it?

[mndisneylovinmom]

Our Disney vacation is coming up in November. We'll be staying at the grand floridian, theme park view room, club level.
My question is, has anyone purchased the photography shoot available at certain resorts?
I called today and talked to our itinerary planner and got all the information and pricing.
I like the idea, but just wonder why I can't capture some great pictures myself with my Canon around our resort.
So, has anyone ever purchased this? Is it worth the $ ( $150-$300)

 

[aj2hall]

We did this 6 years ago when it was free with photo pass. I liked the pictures and am happy to have some good ones of all of us together. Not sure if I would pay $300 for them, though.

 

[mndisneylovinmom]

I'm purchasing the photo pass, but it still costs extra.

 

[SueInBoston]

We did it about 5 years ago with the photo pass and I don't remember if we paid extra. The photographer took A LOT of shots and the result were a mixed bag. (Photography is my hobby, so I may be a bit more critical) But overall I was happy to have about a dozen really nice shots (looking at them on my wall right now I think it was good in sense that the photographer knows the area, knows which tree/brush/bench is pretty, knows where the hammock is for the kids to have a cute shot on the beach, and they can also ask people to move out of the way for the shot.

 

[Pooh2]

Is the photo shoot cheaper if you also purchase photopass plus?

 

[Disney Princess]

We JUST did this at the Polynesian at the beginning of September. We did the mini session for $150. For that price, you get 30 minutes of picture-taking and a flash drive with all the unedited photos and the license to print them. In our 30 minutes, we got over 130 photos. Our photographer didn't include any photos with eyes closed or the baby not looking. We got 130 GOOD photos.

We thought it was worth it and would do it again. We used this as our chance to take pictures for our 1-year-old. We would have spent that much, or more, at home, so for us it seemed reasonable. The quality of the pictures is great, and there aren't many edits we would want. Our photographer told us that if there is one we want edited, we just needed to call. I'm sure there would be a fee, but he said Fine Art Photography would help us out. We don't think any need editing, at least nothing beyond what we can do here at home.

They asked what we wanted when we made the appointment, and our photographer arrived early and knew exactly where to take us for what our desires were. We got a few of just the baby, a few of my husband and myself, a few of us individually with the baby, and lots of our family of 3. We brought a Mickey cupcake to the session and he helped us do the "smash cake" series on the beach with the castle in the background.

Like I said, we were very pleased and thought it was worth it. We put a few of the photos in our trip video (link here). The photos start at 18:18 if you want to see what they look like. I'd be happy to answer more questions if I can.

Also, we don't do PP or PP+, so I have no idea about the inclusion in those programs. And to answer your question about your own photos, you probably can take nice shots yourself, but you won't have any of your entire family, your photographer knows what areas are best, he can clear the space, etc.

 

[JediBonas]

Is the photo shoot cheaper if you also purchase photopass plus?

No (at least it wasn't for me).

 

[beansmom]

we also did this a few years back and while I do like the pics they took, I don't think I would pay more than $50 for the shoot.

 

[lauradis]

We JUST did this at the Polynesian at the beginning of September. We did the mini session for $150. For that price, you get 30 minutes of picture-taking and a flash drive with all the unedited photos and the license to print them. In our 30 minutes, we got over 130 photos. Our photographer didn't include any photos with eyes closed or the baby not looking. We got 130 GOOD photos

Ty for the detailed info.

one reason why we have never tried this is My eyes are never and yes I meant never open in photos

Takes 30 min to hour for one good photo.

 

[livsmom04]

Thank you for the information. My husband and I want to have pictures taken together in place of our engagement pictures since we never had any taken. We also want to incorporate our daughter in the pictures too. I will let my husband know about this option.

 

[MrsDrewsky]

JMHO, if I was going to spend that much money I would look into an Orlando area photographer. We hired one to take family photos at the boardwalk area this January. It's the same cost that Disney charges, but I felt like I was getting more. I like how I can communicate with my photographer beforehand, I know I like her photography style, and she's even letting us change outfits during our session. The photographer we hired is a former Disney fine art photographer, so she knows her way around property.

 

[MinnieForMe]

Hi,
We did it when it was free or at most $50. For that amount, it was worth it!

If I were spending $300, I'd hire a professional photographer!

 

[Princess Disney Mom]

I've done the $150 shoot for our anniversary a few years ago and this past August when we stayed at the GF figured we can take our own pictures.

Having done both I say get the photo session if you want good pictures. The photographer captured many shots in a short time and they were very good and we had many of all four family members.

When we took shots on our own we had to have friends take the shots. Even though I knew the good shots from our photo shoot prior it was not the same. There were shadows in the photos. The picture was taken too far away. One person that we recruited hated taking the pics of us. The other friend took a few but I could not ask them to take so many. Then I did photograph their family so it was more time consuming for not as good pictures.

Next year I am doing the photo shoot for our 25th anniversary.

Sent from my iPhone using DISBoards

 

[Crystal824]

JMHO, if I was going to spend that much money I would look into an Orlando area photographer. We hired one to take family photos at the boardwalk area this January. It's the same cost that Disney charges, but I felt like I was getting more. I like how I can communicate with my photographer beforehand, I know I like her photography style, and she's even letting us change outfits during our session. The photographer we hired is a former Disney fine art photographer, so she knows her way around property.

I would do this too. There are several great professional photographers in the area. Disney has no issue with them taking photos at the resorts. We usually hire Jen Stevenson of Jen Stevenson Photo. You will get better images, edited images, and the option to purchase professional prints.