What is the disney photopass??

[kj4ever18]

I have never used the photopass.

what exactly is it?

 

[MattsPrincess]

It's a little card (like a credit card) they give you that any pictures you have taken by one of their photographers goes onto. It has a code to put in on the website. When you get home, you can go to the site, put in the code, and look at all your pictures. You can also edit them. Then you can order prints, a cd, etc.

They will give you a card the first time you pose for one of the photographers, then you take it with you and give it to any other photograpers you pose for throughout your stay.

It's really pretty neat, especially when you are used to having a member of your group missing in pictures because they are the one taking them all, lol. It can be used in places like Pixie Hollow and PFF, as well as the by the random photographers around the parks.

I think, if you go to the DLR Community board, there is a thread dedicated to photopass pictures that DISer's have gotten. So, if you go check that out, you can get a good idea of the types of locations and whatnot they do.

 

[kj4ever18]

thank you so much. you were a huge help!

 

[cwbronco]

This board has so much information I probably passed over it but there are two questions I haven't been able to find.

The first one is how exactly do you find the photopass photographers? Is there like a booth or are they obvious CM's walking around with cameras itching to take someones picture?

The second one is can you get the photopass photographers to take your picture with your own camera? I'd imagine you'd have to let them take one with theirs also but I'd really like to have some on mine as well.

 

[skiingfast]

They are easy to find by thier unique uniform and they stand there with a big camera taking pictures of guests. There is also a map for each park with thier locations on the photopass site.

http://www.disneyphotopass.com/

They are totally happy to take a picture with you own camera or both yours and there's. But their camera are set for the light and location.

 

[Sherry E]

I compiled some info quite a while back which I hope will be helpful to anyone who needs info on PhotoPass.

First, check out our thread:

Photopass Poses: the Cheesier the Better - http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1954446

Tip: Start at the last page and work backward. Because many of the PP locations change (especially as all the work on DCA is being done), and because some of the online lists on websites may not be totally updated, my suggestion for browsing that thread is to start at the very end/last page of our "Photopass Poses: the Cheesier the Better" thread and work your way backward. If you start at the beginning of the thread, you will see some poses or magic shots that are no longer available. If you start at the end and work backward, you will see the things that are more current and available first. Some of the photographers will not tell you about certain magic shots they can do or certain poses that are fun to do, so you always have to kind of know what your options are and ask them to do the poses or magic shots you want.


Photopass Photo Ops: Photographer sighting at DL (Update in progress) – Post #1 (by Justkeepswimmin) -

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1764912


Allears also has a list of locations, but don't know if it is current - http://allears.net/dlr/tp/dl-ppass.htm



And here are other bits of PhotoPass info/tips, which may or may not be of interest if you decide to try PhotoPass on your next DLR trip :

Tip: Become a 'fan' of Photopass on Facebook (they are listed under "Disney's PhotoPass Service”). They will send out little updates or posts that inform you of special discounts on CDs or other items, and sometimes the discounts are exclusive to Facebook members.


Getting the PhotoPass Card: All right, so let's say you arrive at DLR and you want to start taking PhotoPass pictures. You need to start by get a handy PhotoPass card (which is free). You can get that from any PP photographer, or you can pick one up at any of the DLR hotels. Every person in your group can also get a card, but if you want to keep everyone's photos on the same PP account, you make sure to collect all the cards at the end of the trip and enter in the corresponding code numbers into one account. If different people use their cards to create separate accounts, then everyone will have to pay separately for their CDs, etc.

Finding the PhotoPass Photographer: The PP photographers generally wear dark blue pants or dark blue shorts, and they tend to have khaki vests on as well. So you see a photographer in the dark blue pants/shorts by the floral Mickey at the entrance to DL, for example. You go over and wait in the line, if there is a line, either get your card(s) from that photographer OR give him a card which you have already obtained.

Tip: Ask all PhotoPass photographers what "magic shots" or which special poses are available. They may include holding Tinkerbell in your hand, pointing at Stitch in the ground, pointing at Mickey and friends “soarin” over your head, sitting on a bench with Mickey, or Minnie, or Stitch, hitchhiking with 3 ghosts in front of the Haunted Mansion…or even dueling with Captain Hook or Darth Vader!!! And there are others, too (see our “PhotoPass Poses…” thread).

Tip: Be as open-minded and as flexible as possible. Tell your Photopass photographer (him/her) that you will do anything wacky or crazy they come up with. Sometimes they expect adults to be restrained and not all that fun, so they don't have them doing the really goofy stuff that makes for the best photos. Be willing to get silly, let your hair down, make ridiculous faces, point up, point down, put your hands on your hips, look sleepy, look shocked, hold your hands out for no reason, look like you are about to be run over by a train, etc., etc. Let your inner child out to play!!

Tip: Copy the number on the back of your PhotoPass card. After your photos are taken, the photographers scan a little sensor thing on the card and will hand you back your card(s). Either write down the code number from the back of the card OR take a photo of it. It's not so much the cards themselves that are important as it is the numbers ON the cards. You will need those numbers on the cards in case the cards get lost or stolen. This way, you will still be able to get online and view the photos and make purchases with the numbers even if you don't have the cards.

Tip: Have the photographers take photos with your cameras too, as back-ups. Even though they will not be able to do the "magic shots" on your own cameras, and even if their photos will probably be a little bit better than ones taken with standard cameras, you don't want to risk missing out on a priceless photo in case something goes wrong. One picture with Mickey on your camera is better than no picture with Mickey because the PhotoPass Mickey picture was lost forever in their 'system.'

Tip: Get as many photos taken as possible, even if you repeat certain poses/locations. So you just keep taking the same card(s) around to every photographer you see and would like to stop at. If you are at DLR for multiple days, don't hesitate to visit the same PhotoPass locations over and over again during the course of the whole trip. You never know - Monday's pose by the floral Mickey may be better than Saturday's floral Mickey photo. Sunday morning's photo by the Partners statue in DL may be better than Tuesday morning's pose at the same location. The nighttime photo by the Golden Gate Bridge in DCA may be better than the daytime shot you took at the same location earlier that morning. Don't be afraid to take as many photos in the same spots as possible - redundant though it may seem. Experiment as much as possible to get that 'golden' shot!! You pay the same $59.95 price for the CD whether you have 20 pictures on it or 2000 photos on it - so the more photos you get on the account, the better!!!

Tip: Reviewing your photos before you get home. You may want to stop in at one of the locations in DL or DCA where you can glance at your photos before you leave to see if it appears that anything is missing. Let's say you took a great picture sitting on a bench with Mickey. You don't see it? You can ask a CM to check their system for it right there, using your description of the date and approximate time and location it was taken, what you were wearing, and any other pertinent details, and they can find it for you!! You may also wish to purchase photos before you get home, but you won’t be able to make any fun edits or apply Disney borders and effects if you buy them at the parks. You can only do that when you get home.

Starting Your PhotoPass Account, Editing Your Photos and Ordering the Photo CD or Prints: So now you're home. You have had a fun-filled trip to DLR and you have collected all the PhotoPass cards from everyone in the group. You have 30 days from when the very first photo on the account was taken to create an account, enter in the card numbers and claim your pictures. You go onto the PhotoPass website and create your account. You enter in all the numbers from each card you collected at DLR and you will be able to view all of your photos online. You can also share them via email with family and friends at no charge. Again, if you notice anything missing at that point, you can contact PhotoPass and give them the details of the missing images, and they are pretty good about doing their best to locate them for you.

Once you have created the account and claimed your photos on the PhotoPass website, you have an additional 30 days to purchase a CD or whatever else you want to buy. This gives you time to edit.

Tip: Utilize all of the borders and enhancements available to you on the PhotoPass website. Some borders work better with certain photos. Some photos look spectacular in black and white with a certain border, while another one might look better cropped and close-up with no border. Try out all the borders and experiment with as many edits or tweaks as you can handle. Get the most out of the $59.95 you will spend on the CD by getting as many photos taken as possible and editing all of them as much as possible.

You will pay $59.95 plus $2.00 shipping for the CD if you live in the U.S., but the shipping price will be a bit higher if you live out of the U.S. And, as I said, keep an eye out for discounts posted on the PhotoPass website or on Facebook! But everything - all the photos taken, all the edits and enhancements - are free until it's time to buy something from the PhotoPass website.

Have fun!!

Hope that helps!

 

[kj4ever18]

wow i never knew they had this.!!

I cant wait til we go in june! We are definitely going to do this.

 

[Dizneydaz]

We were there on Monday and stopped by to say hi to a few of our fav. PP photographers. I noticed that the one at the Partners statue (it was Dave on Monday) was actually taking more pictures with guest's cameras than his own. He volunteered to take guests pictures with their cameras and then if they wanted he would take some with his.

They are more than willing to take pictures using your own camera. But, yes, the ones with their camera will come out better.