People Using Flash Photography

fuzzylogic

Disney World Fan
Joined
Jun 20, 2004
Messages
71
I know this has been discussed before, but we just got back from a 10 day trip to Disney World and I'm still astounded at the amount of people who use flash photography in dark shows and dark rides.

I know it's against the rules and many people feel the rules don't apply to them, but geesh using flash photography is stupid for so many reason! In addition to annoying people (with bright lights) who are trying to enjoy the ride or show, here are a few more reasons why someone should NOT use flash photography on the rides and shows.

1) First of all, many times people are trying to photograph subjects to far away. Even a $500 flash is only great for about 10 - 15 feet. It can be decent enough for 20 feet at the MOST. People are trying to use their flash to capture images of subjects that are at least twice that distance away. That little $100 point shoot that they have (with the flash going off every 10 seconds) does NOT have the ability to be effective even at a distance of 12 feet; try more like 3 - 5 feet. Using the little flash on the point and shoot camera accomplishes nothing other than to annoy the other guests.

2) Typically, when there is a dark ride, it's for a reason. It adds to the ambiance of the ride itself. By using a flash, the "photographer" ruins the ability to capture their experience. By trying to light up the scene (that's not meant to be lit up) is NOT representative of the true experience at all.

3) In a show, if you use a flash, you're doing nothing other than lighting up all the people around you. I don't know about you, but I'm more interested in capturing all the heads of all the guests sitting in front of me. Typically the stage is too far for your flash to be effective, so the only thing you're doing is lighting 3 - 5 feet in front of you. So yeah, the guy with the big 'ol head that's in the row in front of you, all you did was to make sure that the back of his was lit up enough to get a great photo of his buzz cut.

People, please... If you're on a ride and it's dark quit using the flash! It annoys people, ruins the ride for children and accomplishes very little if anything at all.

Great! You're in a show and you want to take a photo the actors... Do this: Put your camera on the "spot" exposure setting, turn off the flash, and shoot in burst mode. Hopefully, you have a lens that fast enough for low light photography.

Using flashes for EVERYTHING, tends to wash it out and look horrible. The light can be very harsh and NOT subtle.

During the lighted parade at Magic Kingdom, people were still using flashes, those photos will be horrible.

Major photography tip: If you're are photographing light, the LAST thing you want to use is a flash.

I know this may belong in the photography forum, but really this is a post for everyone, not just the "photographers"
 
Until those abusers are either singled out, escorted off an attraction or ejected from the park... This abuse will continue and possibility get worse... If one sees it with no repercussion, others join in feeling free to do so too... Never ends !
 
Alas, I'm afraid that ship has sailed. Too many people carry devices with flashes now. And they just don't know how to turn them off.
 
I totally agree with you, but the "joke" is on those people as well. There are a million websites that have much better pictures that you could look at of those rides than these people could ever take using their own cameras.

To be honest, I'm not nearly as annoyed by flash photography as I am by people using their iPads to take pictures. :cool1:
 

Sadly, I don't think that most people even think about it. And if they do, I agree that they don't have a clue about how to turn their flashes off.

During our December trip, we did notice that ride operators on multiple attractions (Maelstrom, the new Little Mermaid ride, and Pirates come to mind) were coming on the intercom and telling people that flash photography was not allowed. The intercom announcements were equally distracting (these were during the ride, not the queue) but the flashes did stop and I hoped that at least a few people learned something from it.
 
I've helped so many iPhone photographers learn to turn off their flash. They had no idea the little lightning bolt was so important. :lmao:
 
To be honest, I'm not nearly as annoyed by flash photography as I am by people using their iPads to take pictures. :cool1:

^^^ This.

I'd wager 90% of the people who use their flash during dark rides, shows or *facepalm* fireworks, either a.) know nothing about photography or b.) just bought some new camera for their trip and have no idea how to use it. I like to think they are not being obnoxious on purpose, but who knows.

Take comfort in knowing their photos would look terrible.
 
^^^ This.

I'd wager 90% of the people who use their flash during dark rides, shows or *facepalm* fireworks, either a.) know nothing about photography or b.) just bought some new camera for their trip and have no idea how to use it. I like to think they are not being obnoxious on purpose, but who knows.

Take comfort in knowing their photos would look terrible.

Sounds about right. ::yes::
 
We just returned from the World as well. We didn't have too many people trying to use flash except in Pirates. The people in front of us were taking pictures every few feet and every time they looked at the picture, it was basically blackness with some shadowy images. Wouldn't you STOP at that point? Nope~~~

The other place that was just CRAZY was Fantasmic! There were people taking flash pics all the way through and getting NOTHING but the backs of people's heads AND pics of other IPads in front of them!!! It was so crazy!! But they just kept on going.
 
This is what it will come to some day...

nophoto_zps558bf468.jpg


No photography allowed in rides. Altogether.
 
First of all, many times people are trying to photograph subjects to far away. Even a $500 flash is only great for about 10 - 15 feet. It can be decent enough for 20 feet at the MOST. People are trying to use their flash to capture images of subjects that are at least twice that distance away. That little $100 point shoot that they have (with the flash going off every 10 seconds) does NOT have the ability to be effective even at a distance of 12 feet; try more like 3 - 5 feet. Using the little flash on the point and shoot camera accomplishes nothing other than to annoy the other guests.

On our last trip this past May, we were watching Wishes from the Poly beach and there were tons of people taking pictures of the fireworks with their flash going off then muttering to themselves wondering why their picture didn't come out :rotfl2:


If you're on a ride and it's dark quit using the flash! It annoys people, ruins the ride for children and accomplishes very little if anything at all.

This is one of my biggest pet peeves! I don't know how many times my DH or I have actually called out people for using their flash on Pirates, etc ... the normal response we get is either a blank stare or they grumble to their companions and keep on taking flash pictures :headache:
 
1) First of all, many times people are trying to photograph subjects to far away. Even a $500 flash is only great for about 10 - 15 feet. It can be decent enough for 20 feet at the MOST. People are trying to use their flash to capture images of subjects that are at least twice that distance away. That little $100 point shoot that they have (with the flash going off every 10 seconds) does NOT have the ability to be effective even at a distance of 12 feet; try more like 3 - 5 feet. Using the little flash on the point and shoot camera accomplishes nothing other than to annoy the other guests.

Fully agree on flashes in (especially in dark) rides is annoying.

For folks taking pictures outside the rides, the photographer in me compels me to say that a $500 flash can go well beyond 10-15 feet. I can push mine two or three times further than that. It's just a matter of knowing how to use the camera. Bumping the ISO up is the easiest way to push the flash range way out and with todays cameras, the ISO can be pushed pretty high and still produce really nice pictures.
 
Here's the problem with this thread. . .

WE know the facts that you just pointed out.

The "people" that are guilty of this affront don't come to the DIS.

If someone near me is taking pictures, I just say to them that the flash is screwing up their pictures.

If they are a few cars/boats/doombuggies in front of me, I amplify my voice to sound like a PA system and make them feel like
dumdums.jpg
 
I know this has been discussed before, but we just got back from a 10 day trip to Disney World and I'm still astounded at the amount of people who use flash photography in dark shows and dark rides.
[...]
1) First of all, many times people are trying to photograph subjects to far away. Even a $500 flash is only great for about 10 - 15 feet. It can be decent enough for 20 feet at the MOST.

I'm not challenging your conclusion at all. Totally agree. But usually flashes on a ride come from people with a point and shoot that don't know how to turn the flash off.

Also with a decent flash the strobe can light up your subject 50 feet or more away. That's not whats happening on PotC, but one shouldn't assume that a flash will always be worthless in the dark just because a subject is 30 feet away.
 
I totally agree with you, but the "joke" is on those people as well. There are a million websites that have much better pictures that you could look at of those rides than these people could ever take using their own cameras.

To be honest, I'm not nearly as annoyed by flash photography as I am by people using their iPads to take pictures. :cool1:

:thumbsup2:thumbsup2:thumbsup2 This drove me crazy on our last trip. At Fantasmic, a lady told the woman sitting next to me that she was blocking her view with her ipad. Then the woman took out her point and shoot.
 
It is super annoying. People, in general, suck. The flash on dark rides people bump that theory into Law territory.

:thumbsup2:thumbsup2:thumbsup2 This drove me crazy on our last trip. At Fantasmic, a lady told the woman sitting next to me that she was blocking her view with her ipad. Then the woman took out her point and shoot.

At F! I'd prefer they make an announcement to take off all the flashy head gear during the show. Again, proving the theory that people suck.

As to people taking photo's with their Ipads... :sad2:
 
I totally agree with you, but the "joke" is on those people as well. There are a million websites that have much better pictures that you could look at of those rides than these people could ever take using their own cameras.

To be honest, I'm not nearly as annoyed by flash photography as I am by people using their iPads to take pictures. :cool1:

First off, let me confess that me DH is one of those people who doesn't have the foggiest idea how to turn the flash off... I try not to let him touch the camera, but sometimes he steals it from me when I'm not paying attention... however, he has NEVER done it on dark rides, so save the flames! :goodvibes

Secondly, OMG YES!!!! WHY do people do this? First off, I think you sort of look like a heel holding that giant thing up anyway and second it is always in someones way! We had a lady do this to us during the Celebrate a Dream Come True parade. It was about half way done when she shoved her way through and I suddenly noticed I was watching the parade through her screen. She was beyond furious when DH told her to move... I mean come on!
 
It is super annoying. People, in general, suck. The flash on dark rides people bump that theory into Law territory.



At F! I'd prefer they make an announcement to take off all the flashy head gear during the show. Again, proving the theory that people suck.

As to people taking photo's with their Ipads... :sad2:

This! Amen.
 
We were at the beach last week and there was a group of ladies taking photos with their iPad. I offered to take a photo of all of them.

It was unwieldy, and I was on firm ground, not moving. Cannot understand how people can walk and take pics with this:confused3

As for flashes, I confess to having done this in the past, and I humbly apologize.
 
I think 99% of time people just use Auto mode on their camera and don't know any better. Usually they see their flash go off once and stop shooting. This I somewhat understand. When they keep on doing it it is quite annoying.

As for using an iPad to take a photo - the biggest component of a good photograph is the composition, not the equipment. So to give the benefit of the doubt - if is possible to get great photos with a camera phone. Personally, however, I think I will stick with my dslr when I'm out shooting :)
 


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