Why can't I stop taking taking pictures?

[fla4fun]

I would second the idea of getting a good quality compact camera with decent zoom to carry everyday. I have a dslr that I only take to the parks if I'm planning to specifically planning to photograph something, like the Halloween party, but prefer to go a little lighter for the everyday shots. Plus, if you have two cameras available, you don't have a crisis if one of them dies on you (I had that happen once as well, and had to replace the camera on vacation).

 

[BlueStarryHat]

OMG I take soooo many photos in WDW. Even things like the Castle. I take a million photos of the Castle. My sister always says, "It's not changing, you know." But still!!! And the Ball at Epcot, almost as bad. I make scrapbooks and I like to have a lot of choices. At least that's what I tell myself; the truth is I'm addicted to taking photos there.

 

[sunshine1]

Past trip last month to disneyland and wdw i hardly took any. Maybe 50 if that.

Mainly just pics with characters

My 4th trip to DL and my 7th trip to WDW and the pics i take i rarely look at so this time i didnt bother.

 

[Tigerlulu]

I can help you with this. In the end pictures and video are the only way to preserve memories. And life is short. I lost my nephew at 22 months old and have only a handful of pictures of him. No video. From that day on I promised myself I would never be in this position again. With that said, I jumped head first into photography and now years later I follow my kids marching band around--shooting every game, every show, every festival, every parade and every kid within it. I give away thousands of images every season. And just when I was questioning the time, effort and money I put into doing this for all the parents, we lost a band kid. My daughters best friend. Now one of the last images I took of her rests on her tombstone. At the funeral, almost all the pic on display were mine.

So learn a lesson from my life and never ever worry about taking too many pictures. Take more! You will never regret taking too many. You will always regret not taking enough.

Photographs are priceless. And with that said, print what you want to preserve!

 

[BarbieGal457]

I take a ton of pictures, and now with Memory Maker it's even better. I came home with 400+ photos on my iPhone, my boyfriend as well, and over 400 MM photos too. We loved stopping for the photographers and got amazing shots. Now with my phone I find it so easy to grab it, take a quick photo from the lock screen, and pop it back in my pocket. I do have a really nice, larger camera but we had no desire to lug it around all day once we got there. Luckily we both love taking photos so no one gets antsy.

 

[BlueStarryHat]

I actually had a nightmare a couple of weeks ago where I was at WDW and didn't get to ride anything or take photos. When I woke up it took me a second to realize that it had been a dream and the trip hadn't happened yet. I'm sad that way.

 

[Quellman]

I used to take tons of photos of things at WDW. I have since curtailed it to taking pictures of things that have meaning or would have meaning to us on our trip. Instead of a photos of every kiosk at the Food and Wine Festival, I have a plate of food on a table with the Monorail gliding in the background. A cleaner photo without the people, reminds us of the food we ate and where we ate it at. All in one photo! This is not to say I don't photo the park icons if I am in the area .

I also have switched more to photographing (and trying to get short videos) of the people on the trip. Those are more of what I want in a photo album. Us experiencing things. Sure there are some posed photos. How can you not? I do a photo with my son every trip at the Magic Kingdom at the Sword in the Stone. It'll be great to see how he grows over the years. The other thing I think about before whipping the camera out is if the image will have value for my intended use. Candid photos take effort to show what is happening and why what is happening matters. Check out some Disney photography sites or the photography board here to get inspiration for shots you may want to try on your next trip.

Oh and I have found I still have as much fun putting down the camera and experiencing things. I don't need to worry about trying to get good fireworks shots. I'd rather just enjoy them with my family.

 

[Vivianne]

My husband is the one with the camera problem and we're just 2 adults. He stopped making me the subject of his pictures once I bought my own smaller camera and when I got tired, I just pointed my camera at him & it was 2 people taking pictures of each other with a camera in front of them. Sort of a shoot off. . Plus, he missed some good photo opportunities. If you have kids, I say just take as many as they can tolerate since life is indeed too short and it's interesting to see in them photos at different stages of their lives.

 

[lustergirl]

I like to take pictures of stuff I haven't before. My past trip in April I took a lot of pictures of FOF because it was my first time seeing it.

 

[epcotty]

I always like taking photos/video of us, attractions etc. I try to do that only when I really feel the need to but still end up with more than I intended to record

 

[klmall]

Over the years my picture taking at WDW grew from 20 or so in 1979 to >5000 in 2014. Yes, I love photography but I also find that I enjoy looking at all the shots afterwards almost as much as I did being there. As my skills improved I found that posting some of these on the DIS is fun and I love looking at the pictures taken by others. Some of my favorite shots taken were inspired by others on this board. Many photography boards (not DIS) will 'snub' photos taken by people like myself and aim to critique the composition etc. rather than simply enjoy the photos posted. I do find myself retaking some of the same shots but I am now trying to find a different angle, a different time of day for that icon. Believe me, not many boards will tolerate our photo mania like the DIS does!

Go ahead and shoot as many pictures as you want; these are your memories!

 

[hooch11bear]

I am in the same boat as many of you. I enjoy taking photos of different things each time we go. Maybe I'll take pictures of signs or different architecture within the parks. My DD is getting older now and doesn't like to take time to stop and take as many photos as she used to. That doesn't mean that I'll take any less pictures. We are taking an unexpected trip again in November. This time I'll have 2 new lenses with me!! My family better be prepared to take some pictures!!!

 

[Skywise]

Does anybody else *try* to take pictures on dark rides, without the flash of course. Sometimes I get lucky and some of them come out okay.

Yeah, but I bought a Canon T4i and the 17-55 F2.8 lens for that! (Ok not just for that but it's perfect for dark rides... Just not splash mountain... )

 

[Memaw2Wm]

I'm a bad grandma. I've taken my now 18 y.o. granddaughter to WDW multiple times ... usually for long weekends in January. Her 10 y.o. brother is now asking to go, BUT he H.A.T.E.S. to have his photo taken and I'm going to want to take photos of his first trip ... lots and lots of photos ... but I know he's not going to cooperate and that will anger and frustrate me ... so my solution is to not take him. Saves me $$$ and frustration.

 

[Jadyreen1282]

We had 390 mm and 800 SLR this past Sept. Got some good pictures for Christmas cards.

 

[threeboysmom]

Wow, I am so not a picture taker, lol. I hate lugging a camera around or taking the time to take a photo or pose for one. For a week's vacation, I'm lucky to come home with 5 pictures if that.

 

[GaryDis]

Is there a way to find a balance?

Hopefully, by now, you're firmly convinced that you're fine, and you don't need to force yourself to cut back.

But in the highly unlikely event that you're still looking for a way to cut back, just get yourself a used 35mm camera to use instead. Just having to stop and change the roll of film alone, every 15 minutes or less, will quickly limit your picture taking compulsion. JK.

 

[eliza61]

take more in the moment, candid shots. Less posing and asking for smiles! But yeah my kids know that if mom didn't get a photo of it, it didn't really happen lol.

Agreed.
I hate photopass shots and maybe take 3 of them. They ones in front of various sites looked phoney and lol, I really have never wanted a bunch of pictures with our mouths wide open screaming.

I do take a bunch of photos ~500 but 99% of them are candid shots.

 

[sherry7]

I have this issue as well. I took over 4,000 photos during our last WDW trip. Plus, we had a bunch of Memory Maker photos. Granted, the beauty of digital is that you can quickly snap ten or more photos and then just keep the best one.

 

[happypaws]

There is no shame in wanting to stop and take pictures and preserve memories. I used to take a lot of photos when I had a nice digital camera.
Unfortunately now that I use my iPhone as primary picture taking device I have taken a lot less photos over the last several years. Looking back through my digital albums actually makes me sad when I get to the point where there are fewer pictures.
I guess my point is if it makes you happy, do it, whether they are posed, candid, or of scenery that speaks to you, things that bring memories to life are priceless.