Rules regarding cameras in DL....

[BELLEDOZER]

Hi There, just to let everyone who has a camera and have been wondering about DL camera policies regarding them, I finally received a message from DL, after contacting them 2 weeks ago, and asking for clarification on their camera policies. The following is the response I received from them:

Our current policy does not allow professional photography equipment into the park. Any camera lens that is larger than 6 inches will be stopped by our Guest Screeners. Guests may be asked questions as far as the intentions for the camera. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause you, however please be assured that this is for the safety and comfort of our Guests and Cast.

I have a problem with this rule to a certain extent, as it will affect NostalgicDad, and others on this board who take some of the most amazing pics I have seen. They shouldn't be harassed just because they are professional photographers for a living. Or are recreational photographers who happen to have put alot of money into their cameras so that they can take better photos, only to be harassed by security, or be banned from entering the park, simply because they have a high quality camera.

Hopes this helps clear up some of the confusion regarding the camera issue.

Best Regards,

Trish

 

[Catgyrl]

Thanks for posting their reply, Trish. Yeesh... my response to them would be "My intentions are... TO TAKE PICTURES!!" Yeah, like we're going to say we're paparazzi and are scoping out Lindsey Lohan, or something.

 

[wazowskiLOVER:)]

Thanks Trish for getting all the information !

I was just there this past weekend and I saw a man with a crazy long lens on a Nikon by Soarin' on Sunday. He was taking pictures and everything. I'm hoping this is a good sign that they are letting people bring in there zoom lenses into the park if they are doing it for recreational purposes. How else would we be able to enjoy the park throughout the rest of the year when you are not able to go !

 

[NostalgicDad]

Trish......Thanks for providing us with this information. It helps to hear this stuff before I spend thousands of dollars on airfare, hotel, etc
getting my family out there then only to find out the hard way. I'm curious as to what method you heard back from them. Was it via a letter,
phone call, etc? I've communicated with their PR department before on another topic, but I have considered sending them a letter on this current
issue.

Thank you also for the very kind words regarding my pictures. I love posting them on this board since I know there are a lot of people here who
haven't been in many years and enjoy seeing the parks through my lens. It also allows me to experience DL over and over again by selecting and
choosing one to post each day. I would like to make a point, however. Since it's been tossed around that I am a "professional" photographer, I
feel obligated to state my position on that. I am by no means a "professional" photographer. The definition of that will vary depending on who
you talk to as well. I am a dad, network engineer, and paramedic. My hobbies are cycling and photography (don't ask me in what order ). Yes, I
have a pro account with smugmug but I pay the $150/year to gain other features such as being able to upload my original, very large image files
for example. I also have the ability to customize my site with various features besides just having the standard smugmug layout. It also gives
me the ability to set pricing above and beyond what smugmug default pricing is. However, the only pictures I have ever sold are ones from bike
races. Those I do make a profit on. But even having said that, I have never even received a payment from smugmug since I have never even
submitted a W9 to them. They require one for tax purposes before sending any profit checks. And, they will not automatically send a check
unless my account goes over $500 or if I manually request one. Now, most of you will recall that Sy (crazyduck) did purchase a 20x30 DL print a
few weeks ago when making a point on the other thread regarding this issue. I definitely appreciate the thoughtfulness, but I didn't receive a
profit since all of my DL galleries are set at smugmug default. I have a policy of never selling pictures I take at DL or any other Disney park.
This is purely pleasure for me. Also, I have ordered countless prints from smugmug but I still have to pay their printing fee for my own
pictures.

Sorry to get long-winded but I just want to clear up any confusion regarding all of that. It's very unfortunate that DL is apparently sticking
to such a ridiculous rule. Just saying that a lens over 6 inches is not allowed makes no sense and leaving that judgement to a security guard
with no knowledge of cameras will get really frustrating when going through bag check day after day. My 70-300mm lens is 5.6 inches in length
when not extended. Have they clarified that small bit of information? Should we all carry a ruler in our bag to prove the length of lenses that
are border-line? Simply preventing a "long" lens is a waste of time. Many point and shoot cameras have extremely powerful zooms. I have a
camcorder with a 20x zoom. I've seen paparazzi pictures that were taken at 70mm and less. My point is that it just doesn't make sense and I'm
not sure what they think they are accomplishing. Granted, I can take a lot of pictures with smaller lenses I have in my bag. I just don't like
being needlessly limited on my creativity knowing I could have gotten a better shot with the lens that is sitting back in the hotel room. To me,
this detracts from my vacation and has already made me re-think when I'll return to DL.

 

[BELLEDOZER]

I'm having problems posting for some reason, so I'll keep this short. I contacted DL directly via email, and asked them about their camera rules, as I was hearing alot of confusion about what cameras were being allowed and what were being banned. And wanted clarification of their rules regarding cameras. They got back to me today with their response. I find the rules stink, as how do you differentiate between a rec photog, and a prof photog based on the camera that they have?? Who ever thought up this rule has a few screws loose if you ask me. All I can say is how can a lens longer than 6 inches be considered a safety hazard?? I just shake my head over it, and am against this rule, as it discriminates against people who have chosen to purchase and use more expensive cameras so that they can take better pics. I hope that this does not change your future plans about visiting the mouse. And it would be a crime, as you take the most amazing pics I've seen. Let's just hope that DL regains some sanity down the road and revokes this latest restriction. It restricts creativity, and all people who have chosen better cameras to take photos with. I have despite this bought a SONY DSCH-50 SLR camera to take to DL in Feb/09. It's a much better camera that what I've got, and is much more versatile than the camera I had. My new camera has a 15X zoom, I wonder what they are going to make of it when we go in Feb? Have a great day!!

Trish