Keeping photo-taking fun while on your Disney trip starts with a little bit of soul examining.
Why are you taking photos on your trip? To capture memories? To capture perfection? To change the world?
Okay, you don’t have to go too in-depth, but you need to see what you are planning to get out of your Disney photos. Capturing the memories for sure, but perfection shouldn’t be the goal. Instead, focus on keeping things fun and enjoying your vacation.
Let’s take a look at a few of the best ways to help keep photo-taking photos fun while on your Disney vacation.
1. Keeping Your Expectations In Check
Let’s be realistic here.
Yes, we all want the most amazing Disney park photos. You know the ones. The ones that belong in a Disney World magazines.
Yet, odds are, your photos aren’t going to be perfectly posed, styled, or airbrushed. You know what though? Your photos are going to be uniquely yours. They will have your family and friends in them, and that is all that matters. Yes, they might showcase the sweat, stickiness, and chaos that goes along with a Disney trip, but that’s real life. Odds are you probably wouldn’t change that because that means changing the experiences.
Therefore, be sure to head into your days at Disney knowing that your photos are going to be different from what you see showcased by Disney. In the end, they are going to be magical and wonderfully yours!!
2. Take Hundreds, Only Keep a Few
It is crazy how many photos I take on my Disney trips. The number is in the thousands. Between using my DSLR and my camera phone, it’s not hard for me to easily reach a few hundred photos in a single morning at the parks. Thank goodness for digital, eh? Can you imagine if those were all on film? I’d need a huge bag to carry all the film alone!
Despite taking hundreds (okay, thousands) of photos, I never end up keeping every single one. There are tons of my family blinking, blurry, or just badly composed. I tell you this so you can anticipate (most likely) not keeping all of your photos either. Which ones to keep and which ones to pitch is a detail you can worry about later though. For now, just shoot away and worry about narrowing things down once you get home from vacation.
Shoot often and shoot a lot. Going for variety and not worrying about making every single shot perfect helps to keep things fun.
3. Not Every Kid Wants a Camera In Their Face 24/7
My oldest son is hot and cold towards the camera. At times he can’t get enough of it.
‘Look mom! Take a picture of me playing with these trucks!’
‘Mom, over here! I’m eating noodles. Will you take my photo?’
Other times it, ‘Mom, no. No more pictures.’
I get it. Sometimes taking pictures gets old. It takes a LONNNNGGG time for me to get there, but it happens!
Be willing to be flexible in regards to what your kids are telling you and try not to force photos on them. If they aren’t being really receptive to having their photos snapped, step back and ‘secretly’ take some candid shots. Sometimes candid shots are the best types of shots to take in order to really capture the magic on your trip!
I’ve been known to hide behind a garbage can or a bush to grab a shot. Usually, I get busted and discovered by my kids, but the smiles I get as a result of being busted usually look real cute.
4. Focus on the Fun
Going back to the statement in the tip above, be sure to focus on the fun. Not every single place at Disney needs to be a stop for a posed photo. (But, trust me, I totally agree that it could be!) Take a few posed photos here and there, but if you can, try to limit the posing.
Instead, capture the action and activities as they happen. Give your kiddos a few Mickey bars and have them go to town. Then snap away. Having them enjoy a treat is a magical moment that you want to be able to capture. Plus, a lot of the time it’s better to capture it in a candid sense than a forced posed shot. Besides, that Mickey bar is going to melt before you can blink your eyes if you force that posed shot!
5. Leave Your Camera Out
If you recall my post about the most important photo tip at Walt Disney World, you know that I am a huge advocate of leaving your camera out. If your camera is out and on your person, you’ll have an easier time of documenting the magic and action as it happens.
Leave that camera tucked into a bag and you are probably going to miss out on some key moments. I know I have for sure!! Learn more about why leaving your camera out is important and how it helps keep things fun when taking pictures at Disney World.
If your camera is left out you don’t have to take a break from the candid fun that is happening in order to fetch it!
6. Keep a Positive Attitude
Your kids probably know you better than most people do. They WILL sense when you are stressed. Frustration from a photographer often leads to less than desirable photos. If you keep your cool, even if your family is having a meltdown, not all hope is lost. Let your family get a moment to cool down, quit the photos for a little bit and then come back to take more photos at a later time.
Or, if you are finding yourself feeling frustrated and you need a moment, take it! You don’t need to be snapping photos the entire day. You don’t want the photos to become a chore!
7. Make Taking Photos a Game
One of the best ways to make taking photos fun is to make it into a game.
For example, I like to have my kids look into the camera and see if they see Mickey. The catch is Mickey only appears if you’re smiling. If you don’t smile, Mickey won’t be there! (Mickey really is just my shutter opening and closing! Ha!)
Alternatively, we go on a hidden Mickey hunt and I capture my kiddo’s faces as they are hunting around the park. There are so many hidden Mickey heads around Walt Disney World that this game can keep you busy for hours.
Conclusion to 7 Ways to Keep Disney World Photos Amazingly Fun
There ya go! 7 easy tips to help keep Disney World photos fun! As you can tell it’s all about moderation and keeping expectations in check. Focus on the main reason you’re at Walt Disney World (to have fun!) and that will help you keep your Disney World photos fun! What things do you do to help keep photos fun at Disney World?
Now that you know how to keep things fun, learn what types of props you can include in your Disney photos to make things unique. Plus, learn how to get the best photos of Cinderella Castle and the must-do photo spots at the Magic Kingdom.
Then be sure to check out the Number One Thing I recommend for getting great photos at Walt Disney World!
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