Shutters quality?

[CaLuCa]

Did you find purchasing the Our Cruise Photos unlimited worth it? I am a pretty picky and critical person when it comes to photos. (shoot in manual, edit, fuss around with color/contrast, etc.) Am I going to be happy with the quality?

That said, I would like to be IN some our our photos! Because I am always taking them, it's rare that I am ever in any. Ideally, I would like to get a few of us before dinner, when we are all dressed nicely and more casual ones around the ship. I'm not looking for the sessions (I don't think), but I don't want to buy the unlimited and then be disappointed with the overuse of flash, bad shadows.

But it would be really nice for us all to be in a photo together!

 

[PrincessShmoo]

Did you find purchasing the Our Cruise Photos unlimited worth it? I am a pretty picky and critical person when it comes to photos. (shoot in manual, edit, fuss around with color/contrast, etc.) Am I going to be happy with the quality?

That said, I would like to be IN some our our photos! Because I am always taking them, it's rare that I am ever in any. Ideally, I would like to get a few of us before dinner, when we are all dressed nicely and more casual ones around the ship. I'm not looking for the sessions (I don't think), but I don't want to buy the unlimited and then be disappointed with the overuse of flash, bad shadows.

But it would be really nice for us all to be in a photo together!

A bit of info, if you purchase a package (any package) and don't get enough photos to make the cost of that package "worth it", you can cancel it (as long as you do it by the last full day of the cruise) and the package cost will be credited to your onboard account.

We did that a couple of times. Just purchased the smallest package (10) and really only wanted 2 of the pictures. So we canceled the package and purchased just the two photos.

I find the quality of the photos to be good, but I'm not all that fussy.

 

[NAB]

I usually can find some really good ones have a hard time narrowing them down. But pretty well they point and shoot , pose you in sometimes strange ways...lol

If you go for unlimited just go to every photographer you see , take the good with the bad. You can always change your package if you don’t find what you like.

Sometimes there might even be a person there to take a picture with your camera.

 

[Rob1872]

We've gotten the unlimited package each time, and been happy with the quality of the pictures. (Of course, my DW ensures that we hit the pictures every evening, and takes many opportunities for other pictures.)

 

[FigmentSpark]

I'm happy with the quality of photos for sure. They are cookie cutter in that when you get them done, they have very specific poses for people. They get you in, pose you, then out. As a result, I can't say I've liked the way I look in some of them. But that's on me, not the photographer. I will be getting the unlimited once again.

 

[DietCokeMommy]

I don’t think you’ll like them. I think they look like mall photographer stuff.

 

[KashasMom]

We've always liked the photos but...they are mostly of my daughter and the characters/princesses so not quite as "posed".

 

[Dizney73]

I purchased the unlimited package on our 11 night southern caribbean cruise and we ended up with over 400 pictures! Yes, they are posed and there were some that I didn't like but we got some really great photos as well, especially of the kids! My biggest DISLIKE is if the kids have the kids' club band on. I always felt that I needed to tell my son to cover it with his other hand or request that he be on the other side of my daughter so it was hidden. We found a photographer that we really liked and would be sure to go to his station each night. If we asked for something different ... he did it! The pictures against the white floor/background are beautiful and always have a long line. Be sure to get to the lobby early before the lines get too long.

 

[mevelandry]

They're okay. (I bought a few of them). I still find it expensive when you can take your own and they will look almost just as good.

 

[mlayman7]

Yah we have done it twice and swore it off after the last time. Crazy expensive for less than new phone quality pictures. You don't have enough pictures either to justify the cost even if they were fantastic. Disney photopass does a much better job with way more photo opportunities for a cheaper price. Cost never made sense to me.

 

[Chrissy-Mickey]

A bit of info, if you purchase a package (any package) and don't get enough photos to make the cost of that package "worth it", you can cancel it (as long as you do it by the last full day of the cruise) and the package cost will be credited to your onboard account.

We didn't know that; great information. Thank you!

 

[CyndiLouWho]

A bit of info, if you purchase a package (any package) and don't get enough photos to make the cost of that package "worth it", you can cancel it (as long as you do it by the last full day of the cruise) and the package cost will be credited to your onboard account.

We did that a couple of times. Just purchased the smallest package (10) and really only wanted 2 of the pictures. So we canceled the package and purchased just the two photos.

What if you get the 10 pic package and decide you want them all? Can you upgrade to a higher package?

 

[dcassetta]

What if you get the 10 pic package and decide you want them all? Can you upgrade to a higher package?

Once on board, you can purchase any photo package you like. But, there won't be a discount like there is when you purchase the package ahead of time.

 

[PrincessShmoo]

What if you get the 10 pic package and decide you want them all? Can you upgrade to a higher package?

Of course. They'll be happy to take the extra money you want to give them for that.

 

[NaturalNine]

I’ve not cruised before so can’t comment - but as a comparison, are they the same, better, or worse than the park photopass photographers?

Because imo they are horrendous - I have a reasonable interest (but by no means a high level of knowledge) in photography and they certainly aren’t what I find acceptable

 

[PrincessShmoo]

I’ve not cruised before so can’t comment - but as a comparison, are they the same, better, or worse than the park photopass photographers?

Because imo they are horrendous - I have a reasonable interest (but by no means a high level of knowledge) in photography and they certainly aren’t what I find acceptable

"They" are horrendous - as in the photopass photographer's photos are horrendous?

Many people think the photopass photographers are better than the Shutters ones.

Personally I think the Shutters photos are pretty good.

 

[Keyser]

Did you find purchasing the Our Cruise Photos unlimited worth it? I am a pretty picky and critical person when it comes to photos. (shoot in manual, edit, fuss around with color/contrast, etc.) Am I going to be happy with the quality?

That said, I would like to be IN some our our photos! Because I am always taking them, it's rare that I am ever in any. Ideally, I would like to get a few of us before dinner, when we are all dressed nicely and more casual ones around the ship. I'm not looking for the sessions (I don't think), but I don't want to buy the unlimited and then be disappointed with the overuse of flash, bad shadows.

But it would be really nice for us all to be in a photo together!

OK, I guess I have a few comments

• We've often bought at least some pictures for exactly the reason you say - we want all of us in the picture, and it's an easy way for that to happen. In fact, while not the best "quality" pictures we've had (my wife is a good photographer), our main family "display" pictures that we've had out in our living room have been Shutters cruise pictures, for several years.
  
• As others have said, you don't have to buy them if you don't like them. There's basically no harm (other than your time) in getting them to take some pictures and seeing if you like them. If you are on a longer cruise, you'll have lots of chances to take pictures (photographers are set up around the ship at lots of times/places), and you might find some you like.
• As for quality, if you are particularly into photography, I think you will be disappointed for the most part. The pictures are fine, and the setups are going to be pretty good, but the photographers don't seem to be particularly well-trained or photography buffs themselves... I think they probably just get some cast members, give them some basic training, and then most of what they do is point-and-shoot (with OK cameras) with just some basic instructions about how to pose people. I imagine they get better with practice (and they get lots of practice), but it felt more assembly-line in most cases.
• BUT! That said, we did in fact one time have a cruise where there was one photographer who was actually really good. Once we realized how good (from looking at the pictures she took in Shutters), we found her a couple more times and had her take other pictures of our family. She stood out, not only in actually getting some really good (well-composed, with good focus/lighting, and actually captured personality, etc.) pictures, but also in (oddly enough) being one of the very few "not-so-friendly" Disney cast members - much more "business-like". But, she was really good. I seriously doubt she's still around, but the point is, that you might find a photographer who is actually pretty good, and if you get them at a time they don't have a line, and will spend time with your group, you might get some good pictures out of it.

 

[olafLover]

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[Van Houten]

80% of the time, I'll go with the Shutters photo's, simply because he can't compete with a professional flash set up.

That is the main reason to get the Shutters photos, even if you have your own high end equipment, theirs will still look better because of the lighting, and because they have ample time for prep. The only exception would be pics from the areas where they do not have space for full set up (upper deck open space, deck 5 mid on classics, etc.)
As for quality of the image itself, it is of a rather low resolution, 3000x2400, or 2400x1800 at Princess Gathering (not sure why, but it's always like that), and there is a border applied on every image, sometimes it is neat, sometimes cheesy.
BTW, photographers on DCL are not CMs, they are employed by another company, The Image Group, which also covers Celebrity and RCI. DCL is the most coveted assignment, so most of the photographers on Disney ships really want to be there, and do act like they are part of the cast. They work on commission, so the number of photos taken and sold does matter. This is also the reason why only the CMs, and never the photographers, will take your pictures with your own camera or a phone.

 

[Numtini]

IMHO, the photography on the ship is designed primarily to be idiot-proof, not for artistic quality. They want it to be well lit and they want it to be in focus and they want to take only one exposure. So lens stopped down, fast shutter speed, and heavy flash. I thought most were overly exposed and I was much happier with the ones from my camera handed off to cast members.