Opinion needed about pictures at The World

[11290]

Kind of an off-the-wall title but I am staying in Orlando for about 6 months and got a resident annual pass and go to WDW about 4 times or so a week, most of the time I am by myself as my wife is back at our Indiana house for about 6 or 7 weeks.

When I'm in the parks and see a wife / husband taking a picture of the other adult and their child / children I sometimes, not real often maybe 2 or 3 times in a day, I ask if they would like to have me take a pic of their full family, with their camera of course. I always have my DSLR with me and usually a bag with lenses also. 9 out of 10 say yes but I wonder sometimes if I am intruding on them.

When I scanned all of my old pics into digital files last summer, my wife and kids gave me a hard time about my not being in very many pictures, especially when the kids were young and when wife and I made our first trip to WDW in 1973. Have several pics with the missus in them but none of me.

Just kind of think that they might appreciate having a full family picture but on the way back from Epcot tonight got to wondering if people would feel that I was intruding.

Curious as to what some of you think.

 

[YesDear]

I do it all the time at WDW for that exact reason. You see a mom, dad, child and the parents are taking turns with pictures of the family. I will stop and ask if I can take their picture.

I think several have said no thanks and that is fine.

I have even taken pictures with my camera and they have given me emails and I will send it to them. While photopass photographers are great, sometimes they are not around.

I see it as my way of making a little magic for someone else! And, I get to take a picture!

 

[Aristocath]

I love when people offer to take our family picture. I like to use travel pictures for our Christmas card so we need a picture with all five of us.

I think it is wonderful for you to offer!

 

[Experiment_626]

Especially late at night, I take lots of pictures for HDR. I'm often set up in one spot for fairly long periods, with my tripod and D300.

I've lost count of how many times I've been approached by other guests who think I'm a Photopass photographer. Some just come up and thrust their Photopass card at me. I'm always very careful to explain that I don't work for Disney, but I'll happily take a photo for them with their camera if they like. Sometimes it is a little difficult to get across because of language barriers, but so far, so good. I don't offer to take their photo with my camera mostly because it is always set up to bracket, and I usually take multiple sets of bracketed exposures from the same spot for maximum flexibility in processing.

The last time I was there and did this in front of the Partners statue, there was another photographer a few yards away who saw me have to explain that I was just a guest shooting for myself at least four different times in half an hour. No one ever approached him. During a break, we discussed this. He thought it was a combination of my shirt (I wear Hawaiian shirts -- often with a Disney theme -- almost every day, whether I'm in WDW or not, and they're somewhat similar to those I see some cast members wear) and my tripod, which probably looked more impressive than his. I thought about it and realized that while I've often gotten these requests from guests since Disney started the Photopass system, they certainly have gone up since I got my decent Manfrotto tripod, as opposed to the Wal-Mart $30 piece-o'-junk I had previously.

Anyone else ever get mistaken for a Photopass person?

SSB

 

[11290]

Thanks for the replies. I've thought that I was doing something that people were appreciating but sorta got to wondering about it last night on the way home.

FWIW: most people always seemed to be thankful and appreciative to have their family pic taken, so I will keep doing a small amount of them.

 

[PhotobearSam]

We offer all the time and it's usually "We will take your pic with your camera if you will do the same for us..."

It's nice and if they don't want to they just say, "No, that's ok"


but 95% of the time, they are so happy to have a pic of all of them.

 

[zackiedawg]

I'd say you're fitting in nicely, and doing a very kindly service for folks...I don't see any problems with asking at all. I just got back from Disney yesterday, and took probably 8 different photos for other people with their cameras. I didn't particularly ask in every case - a few times, folks saw me with my camera and tripod and figured I was a little more serious, so they asked me. Other times I would see a couple or family trying to snap a photo with one of them missing, then swapping and trying with the other - so I'd offer to take both of them together. I've never gotten anything other than a very friendly response - usually "yes" but on rare occasion maybe a "no thanks, we've got it". Fine by me either way.

I also like to pitch in advice to camera newbies or folks who don't know much about photography. Most often, this comes at night when folks are struggling to get a photo, and sometimes look over at my LCD and comment on how they need to get a 'real' camera someday to get shots like that. While I love my DSLR and it does take great photos - I usually inform them that their camera can do a fine job if they just follow a few basic steps...and I walk them through the proper settings and how to steady the camera on a wall or ledge and use the self timer. To see their shock and joy when they see that they got a beautiful night shot with their little P&S, that's where the payoff comes for me.

So keep offering, I say. if they take you up on it, great. If not, no problem! Just the fact that you offered is what matters.