Photopass locations?

nunzia

You can't top pigs with pigs, but you CAN top Toys
Joined
Oct 19, 2007
Messages
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OK, so where are the Photopass photographers in DL and CA? The website for Photopass only shows locations in WDW.
The last time we were there I saw three and that hardly seems like it's worth it for the CD. There was one on Main Street, by Partners statue and entrance to California Adventrue.
 
We used our photopass when we saw Mickey, a random photog in Toontown took our pics on a trolley and he scanned our photopass. I believe anytime they have a photog available they can scan your photopass. They did pics in front of the castle, we got both day pics and night pics. There were photogs in other places that we didn't take advantage of. In DCA they were harder to come by, they did ours in front of the Golden Gate Bridge at night, and then during the day in front of the Hollywood Backlot area. I honestly don't know where else they hang out there. I hadn't purchased a CD before, since we will be there 5 days this time, I am considering it.
 
They are really all over. Once you start keeping an eye out, and maybe asking CMs, you'll start noticing them more.

DL ...There are usually people in front of, and towards the side of, the castle coming from Main Street. That's a good start. The castle photographers can do the special picture where they put Tinkerbell in your hand. :)

During the holidays they hang out where the big pumpkins and later where the big tree stand, so you might find them around that area, if you look around.

If you go to find Jack Sparrow on Pirate's Lair, he's got a whole set-up on the island. When he's there, in my experience, photopass is there. See the end of my trip reports for the Jack Sparrow pix. Actually, see the end of my trip reports for ideas on where to look for photopass people!

In Critter Country they stick around the characters that hang out over there.

In December, there was a photopass guy with Mickey in mickey's house in ToonTown.


I guess maybe other than the castle we usually see them with characters, but someone who was there in September right before me found a photopass person who was willing to walk with them for a little while and showed them all sorts of fun picture places, and took their picture, too. I keep wanting to do that, but we're always in such a hurry to get from point A to B!


In DCA we have always seen a bundle of photopass people right inside the gates, then further along (you can have your pic taken on either side of the golden gate bridge), then over in the big meeting area past Greetings from California (it has a name, I can't remember it).

I have never NOT seen one on the street towards Tower of Terror. That photog (and those near the plaza area) can take the "Stitch" picture, where you point at the ground and they put Stitch popping out of the ground into the pic in their camera. Though if you look at my reports you know that the photog didn't manage to do it, but I contacted photopass and they did it for me after the fact.

We've also found them on the road past GRR, but on the other side of it, so your picture is in front of the mountain.


They have also been at the Mater and Lighting McQueen meeting area near Soarin', though once they weren't there BUT there were CM who were happy to help with a picture anyway.

On the bridge with CA Screaming in the background we've seen photopass people taking the pictures that "put" the Mickey ears of the coaster's loop "onto" your head. silly picture.


I hope that helps a bit.

For what it's worth, if you prepurchase the CD but then don't get enough pictures to justify it to yourself, you can let them know and get a refund. On the other hand, if you're buying the one that allows editing (the prepurchase or the one after you get home) each one of those pictures can become 2 or 3 or 6....each time you crop and/or edit (add borders, add pixie dust, etc) it saves it as a copy, so 10 pictures can easily become 30 or more if you do enough with them. You can add signatures to appropriate character photos, too.

And I like to look at it as buying the rights to the pictures. If you want some pictures printed right then, look at the price of those prints vs the price of having them on CD to print on your own in perpetuity. if you just get the one print and you want a copy, you'll have to find a photo place that doesn't mind you copying that. Some people have a hard time finding such a photo place. But if you were going to order several pictures it would probably be better to think about the CD, because you can make as many prints as you want on your own time. :)
 
I'll be on the look out for all the PhotoPass folks when we are there. Since it's our first trip to DL, I'll be using them as much as possible! :) I have already pre-purchased my CD because I'm sure I won't be needing a refund - I'll have both WDW and DL pics on my account at the same time due to the DCL Repo Cruise! ;)
 

Thanks! I guess I need to really look, because this is a big trip and I really want alot of pictures. Me and DH, DS, DD DS and DIL and 5 grandkids..should be able to get alot!
May can't come soon enough. :)
 
I am going for a day or 2 with my friend and her kids that live in CA. I am going to tell her to use my account and I will send her the pics. It's easier and cheaper.
 
I got a Photopass on our last trip, because I'm the family photographer and am hardly in any photos. I also wanted a "Stitch" photo with our kids, and a "Tinkerbell" photo.

We had photos in front of the castle and several at the park entrance in front of the Mickey head flowers; in DCA near the Golden Gate Bridge, at the waterfront (beautiful at night!), and in two locations near GRR. (One location had a pretty waterfall behind us, but for some reason the photog didn't get the waterfall into the picture. :confused3 :laughing: ) Oh, and I think some of the character photos were included on there as well. :thumbsup2

I wound up with around 30 photos, some with only DS7 and me (while DH and DS3 napped at the hotel), some with only DS3 and me (because DH and DS7 were DONE having their picture taken :laughing: ) And even though one photographer did a cute Tinkerbell photo, he apparently didn't scan it properly, so it didn't appear on our Photopass batch of photos. :headache:

Still, when you consider you pay $12 - $20 for a single 5x7 photo in the park, I thought the cost of the CD was well worth the price. And I finally got plenty of photos with me in them. :goodvibes
 
Alex2kMommy, did you already order the CD? If not, and if so for others or for the future, you can contact the photopass people by email and ask them to put it in. You have to spell it out...email address on your account, photopass card numbers, what pictures, what you were wearing...with my Stitch picture I even reminded them that it was the one where DS and I were randomly pointing at the ground. :rolleyes1 They were able to add it in for me once I got specific enough. Hope that helps; if not you, perhaps someone else!


Ooh, the waterfront at night? Didn't even think about that! OK now I want to do more photopass pix even during my solo trip. No no no! I just can't. I'll wait until the next trip. :upsidedow
 
Bumber, I was speaking of photos from our October trip. We bought the CD the last night of our stay (because somebody posted that it cost less if you bought it in the park... Though I'm not sure it did.) Another thunk to me. :headache:

I am trying to decide if I want to get one on a short trip the little sweetpea (DS3) and I are taking in 2 weeks. It's only 3 days in the park, will I really make it worth the cost? Of course, DS3 is the only one of the family who doesn't mind getting his photo taken, so this probably IS my best chance. :laughing:

I will definitely get one when the whole family goes in April/May. :yay:

Does anybody know what it costs now? At first it was around $120, then I think it came down a bit. Somebody said it was less if you bought it during your stay, somebody else said they were offered one for around $80, but I don't remember the circumstances...? :confused3
 
I had heard it was 60.00 if you bought it on site before you left..if you pre order it is 99.00 However, I think I read that if you buy it in the park you can't add borders and stuff, and if you use the pre ordered one then you can add things at home before you get the CD? Is that right?? I wish Disney was clearer about things..there are always so many variables you just don't ever know if you are the doing the right thing.
 
If you want the CD in your hot little hands before you leave, that should be 59.95. You would get it at the photopass place in Greetings from California in DCA, or in the photo place on Main St in DL.

You do not get to edit those at all.


If you want to buy it after you get back home...say you were overwhelmed by the number of pictures you managed to take but didn't realize you would be, you can order it for 124.95.

You can edit those like crazy. Cropping, adding borders (different borders are available at different times), add signatures to pictures you take with characters, add Tinkerbell floating and throwing pixie dust down on you, or crop AND do those things. :) See my trip reports for examples (especially the December report).


If you think you'll want to buy the CD (knowing that if you decide to not buy it you can get a refund within 2 weeks of the end of your trip), you can go here: http://www.disneyphotopass.com/previsitcdplan.aspx

That makes it 99.95, and you have all the same editing abilities as the post-trip purchase.

If you use the prepurchase page, you will be sent three emails. One saying "thanks for ordering", another saying "DO NOT DELETE" in the subject line in big bold letters, and a third, very confusing, email saying that your order has been shipped. Ignore the third, but DO NOT DELETE the one that, you know, says that in the subject line. That has the very important code in it that you use when you're back home, finished editing, and are ready to order!


OH, and when I was there in Dec, the Greetings from CA photo place was offering the no-edit CD and 2 5x7 prints for 74.95.
 
This is a really great thread with lots of useful information, thank you all for sharing, hoping to see many photopass photographers in March and Dec. :goodvibes
 
OK. So I will definately pre order this..thanks!
 
When we were there in November, it seemed like there were Photopass photographers everywhere! (There were also clumps of them walking around obviously in training.) There was one hanging out near King Triton's Carousel and I had him snap some pictures of the boys on me as we were waiting for the ride to start. What I did find interesting is that they really seem to wait for people to approach them. I think the only places we didn't have to ask a photographer to take our pictures was at specific Character photo-ops. The more "scenic" photo ops like in front of the big Christmas tree near the water in CA, we had to ask the photographer to take our picture. (Hmmmm, maybe I should take it as a hint that my family isn't particularly photogenic?:scratchin)
 
Tink, I bet they hang back because of all the people who think the photogs are going to charge them. I mean, I've heard that people turn down Dreams, because they don't know what it's about, or think that it's a scam or something...being approached by someone with a big camera, if you haven't done research (or read your map information) and know what it's about, could be unnerving.

I was recently reading the MSN Travel section, and there was a letter to a fix-it guy about how "Mickey was holding my pictures hostage", because either the CM didn't explain it right, or the guy didn't listen. The CM mentioned the cheaper price, but the guy didn't hear the words about having to buy it at the park. So the guy went home, went to order the CD, and was shocked by the 125 price. I'm not going to mention the outcome, which I found out b/c I wrote the column-writer about it, because it depressed me (I put the blame on the guy, but others did not).:upsidedow
 
Tink, I bet they hang back because of all the people who think the photogs are going to charge them. I mean, I've heard that people turn down Dreams, because they don't know what it's about, or think that it's a scam or something...being approached by someone with a big camera, if you haven't done research (or read your map information) and know what it's about, could be unnerving.
I think you're right, Bumber. I got the idea that lots of people were put off by the DVC folks at first, feeling like their hawking was a bit too much; you don't want to be hounded while you've paid so much to enjoy the park! I think Disney has made a point to offer a neat service but not push it on folks, which I for one appreciate! :)

I did know that if I bought the CD in the park, I wouldn't be able to edit/crop or add borders and such; I'm a scrapbooker, so that doesn't bother me, I'll add my own embellishments. :goodvibes

But I did SERIOUSLY want the cute Tink photo. We actually searched for it in the collection of photos associated with the (two) Photopass card before the CD was burned. The photographer took 3 or 4 photos at that time, and the others were there, just not the cute Tink one. {pout}

So... something on the To Do list for the next trip. DH couldn't remember what he'd paid, but he thought it was more than $80, so I was bummed. This time I'm going to pay attention when they tell me how much it will cost, and try to keep track of what photos are taken and where. Hopefully we won't lose any this time! :yay:
 
Oh, I was going to add that the CD is supposed to hold up to 300 photos, so don't feel like you HAVE to pick and choose photos. I only had 30 or so photos, so I just said to put them all on the CD. :goodvibes
 
Oh, I was going to add that the CD is supposed to hold up to 300 photos, so don't feel like you HAVE to pick and choose photos. I only had 30 or so photos, so I just said to put them all on the CD. :goodvibes

And they will give you as many CDs as you need! Included in whatever you paid for the CD (at the park, prepurchase, normal purchase).

I was on a mission to get as many pix as I could, especially when editing them, in December.

It helped that I ended up in an unusual and not-supposed-to-happen situation in which my pictures from September were actually still on the card and then on the account. So I got to play with the September pictures all over again, and edited them heavily. That's when you see the difference in borders; in September, the borders were all Halloweentime-based, or just generic. But when they showed up on my account in December, I was able to put the Christmastime borders on them. But that was just a WEIRD situation that I wasn't going to question! I doubt it will ever happen again to me (and maybe not to others, either).

Anyway, I didn't fill up even one CD, but I tried, I really tried!

Next year or in '09, when we go to WDW, that's when we'll fill a CD and maybe go into a second. :rotfl:
 
Wow! What great info!! I really want a pic of my DD4 with tink and dust. Now I am considering pre-buying the CD... But I don't understand the card? Do they send you a card to be scanned when photos are taken? Is it a card you pick up at the park? I'm very confused!!
 
I assume it works the same way with pre-paying, but I'm not sure.

Basically just approach the first Photopass photog. They will ask if you already have a photopass card; if not, they will give you one, and scan the barcode on your card to associate your photos in their computer system. With each subsequent photographer, simply hand them your Photopass card. Easy!
 








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