Stop using flash!

[ucfknight]

There are so very few people who now have high-tech cameras (usually phones/tablets) thrust into their hands
that even have a rudimentary understanding of the gear's operation and menu-based controls.
Consider entire generations of people who simply NEVER figured out how to get their VCRs to stop flashing "12:00."
(Many even resorted to covering the clock face with tape.)

To many, the "little light" (AKA "flash") is just a part of the "way it works.",
"Oh, its always on. I take so many pictures and films (sic) that I don't even notice it."

They literally have no concept that it is controllable, or that it CAN be controlled.
(Much less, that it is totally ineffectual at all but the closest-distance photos.)

To make an announcement that say to "turn off flash and/or video lights" just does not register with
uneducated or technophobes camera operators.

I can't tell you how many times I've talked with family members or friends who say,
"Oh, it's just always on." in regard to flashes and video assist lights.
"It came that way" is a standard line, too.

That's fine if there at that many people too dumb to figure out how to turn off their flash. That doesn't explain why they continue to take pictures on rides knowing their flash is on. Almost every single attraction or show has an announcement, a mention in the pre-show, and/or information on the attraction signage indicating that flash photography and video lighting are forbidden. It isn't about being too technologically challenged to figure out something so simple, it is about being too self-absorbed and rude to follow the rules.

 

[Robo]

That's fine if there at that many people too dumb to figure out how to turn off their flash. That doesn't explain why they continue to take pictures on rides knowing their flash is on. Almost every single attraction or show has an announcement, a mention in the pre-show, and/or information on the attraction signage indicating that flash photography and video lighting are forbidden. It isn't about being too technologically challenged to figure out something so simple, it is about being too self-absorbed and rude to follow the rules.

There are many who don't even know what the term "flash" means.
No concept that it is their cameras that are causing a problem.
I'm not kidding.
There are so many millions of folks who now hold the tech in their hands and simply have NO CONCEPT about terminology or controls.
That yields rampant chaos in a place like WDW that is filled with first-time tech users.

Understand that I am in no way trying to DEFEND these goofs.
I am just saying that announcements and complaints are missing the target audience.
They don't have a CLUE.

 

[FelisLachesis]

And this thread is not directed toward you since you obviously know to turn off your flash. Those that are encouraging people to enjoy the now are just upset because the majority of people taking pictures/videos are NOT turning off their flash. They are not people who enjoy photography as a hobby; they're just doing what they do everyday with their phones with no regard to others or what a lighted screen/flash does to distract from the actual ride.

What I'm trying to say is that people are so focused on keeping the details within the viewfinder, that they're not looking at the viewfinder, itself. They're not enjoying the attraction or the show, but making sure everything is in focus.

Why? Why not just enjoy the attraction? Why not enjoy the show? They're missing out solely on the fact that they want to feel included. But by wanting to feel included, they're missing everything.

Enjoy Pirates of the Caribbean or Space Mountain or Happily Ever After the way it was supposed to be enjoyed, with your eyes.

Enjoy Disney for what it is. Walt and the imagineers worked tirelessly to immerse people in Disney magic. Trying to film every moment takes you out of the immersion and you just become "another person with a cell phone"

Happily Ever After had already been filmed, a lot, and it's all over YouTube. Disney did it, DIS Unplugged did it, 20 other bloggers did it, and that was all on the first night! Some of them used professional level photography equipment to catch all the detail. Why would I want to watch your iPad version?

I'm not saying don't ever take pictures. Photo pass is there for a reason. They'll even take pictures with your own phone if you ask! Take happy pictures with lunch or that perfect spot in front on Cinderella's Castle. Just don't let it be all you do in Disney.

 

[CrimsonCurls]

Always amazes me when I see people taking pictures/video of the castle with their flash on. Like their light is somehow bright enough to light up an already lit up castle.

The people that use flash to take pictures of things that don't need flash I picture as the same people who drive in the rain with their hazard lights on.

Or when people use their flash to take a picture of something that is more than 6-10 feet away. Your camera flash is not a professional flash, people. It works for a very limited range!

 

[BrianL]

There are so very few people who now have high-tech cameras (usually phones/tablets) thrust into their hands
that even have a rudimentary understanding of the gear's operation and menu-based controls.
Consider entire generations of people who simply NEVER figured out how to get their VCRs to stop flashing "12:00."
(Many even resorted to covering the clock face with tape.)

To many, the "little light" (AKA "flash") is just a part of the "way it works.",
"Oh, its always on. I take so many pictures and films (sic) that I don't even notice it."

They literally have no concept that it is controllable.
(Much less, that it is totally ineffectual at all but the closest-distance photos.)

To make an announcement that says to "turn off flash and/or video lights" just does not register with
uneducated or technophobe camera operators.
("If I 'change something,' it might not work anymore. I just leave everything alone.")

I can't tell you how many times I've talked with family members or friends who say,
"Oh, it's just always on." in regard to flashes and video assist lights.
"It came that way" is a standard line, too.

Many have absolutely no idea that the "no lights" announcement is meant for THEM.

Everything you say is true, but I'm still going to be very frustrated with anyone who used their device in that manner whether unknowingly or on purpose.

 

[Ariel Wanna-be]

If someone wants to spend their time in Disney behind a camera, that is no business of mine. I'm FAR from an expert photographer, but I still can't resist snapping pics of the castle on every single trip, despite the fact that it's pretty difficult to tell the 2011 castle from the 2012 castle from the 2013 castle, lol. I totally get that some people want to film or photograph rides/attractions for themselves rather than googling the images. Not for me, but to each their own.

The ONLY time it becomes my business is when it affects me. Taking a pic on POTC? Great. Taking a flash pic on POTC? Not cool. Filming the fireworks? Great. Recording the fireworks on your bright-*** screen so the people behind you are blinded? Not cool.

 

[angierae]

What I'm trying to say is that people are so focused on keeping the details within the viewfinder, that they're not looking at the viewfinder, itself. They're not enjoying the attraction or the show, but making sure everything is in focus.

Why? Why not just enjoy the attraction? Why not enjoy the show? They're missing out solely on the fact that they want to feel included. But by wanting to feel included, they're missing everything.

Enjoy Pirates of the Caribbean or Space Mountain or Happily Ever After the way it was supposed to be enjoyed, with your eyes.

Enjoy Disney for what it is. Walt and the imagineers worked tirelessly to immerse people in Disney magic. Trying to film every moment takes you out of the immersion and you just become "another person with a cell phone"

Happily Ever After had already been filmed, a lot, and it's all over YouTube. Disney did it, DIS Unplugged did it, 20 other bloggers did it, and that was all on the first night! Some of them used professional level photography equipment to catch all the detail. Why would I want to watch your iPad version?

I'm not saying don't ever take pictures. Photo pass is there for a reason. They'll even take pictures with your own phone if you ask! Take happy pictures with lunch or that perfect spot in front on Cinderella's Castle. Just don't let it be all you do in Disney.

How do you know they're not enjoying it? Just because you wouldn't enjoy filming something doesn't mean they aren't.

(I agree wholeheartedly on flash issues. But if someone next to you is unobtrusively filming something, why do you care?)

 

[Shanti]

How can you tell someone how to enjoy their experiences? Some people very much enjoy documenting their experiences as they happen. We are all different.

It's against the rules for people to use flash photography during dark rides, which is what the OP was complaining about. It is a distraction to other guests who are trying to enjoy the ride. Also, holding your camera, phone or iPad above your head during fireworks blocks the view of those behind you. If you get your jollies from constantly using a gadget, that's one thing, but interfering with other people's enjoyment is another.

 

[CrimsonCurls]

That's fine if there at that many people too dumb to figure out how to turn off their flash. That doesn't explain why they continue to take pictures on rides knowing their flash is on. Almost every single attraction or show has an announcement, a mention in the pre-show, and/or information on the attraction signage indicating that flash photography and video lighting are forbidden. It isn't about being too technologically challenged to figure out something so simple, it is about being too self-absorbed and rude to follow the rules.

EXACTLY. In the ancient days of film cameras every point and shoot with a flash had a switch to turn off the flash and you'd still see people using flash in dark rides, perhaps fewer because the technological learning curve was less. But also every cameraphone has a very visible Flash on/off/auto button in the application, so....there's no excuse to use flash more than once on accident.

 

[JaxDad]

 

[FelisLachesis]

How do you know they're not enjoying it? Just because you wouldn't enjoy filming something doesn't mean they aren't.

(I agree wholeheartedly on flash issues. But if someone next to you is unobtrusively filming something, why do you care?)

If that's what they want to do, fine. It's not bothering me, whatever. But I think they're not actually seeing the attraction. They're seeing their viewfinder, and the attraction through that.

They're spending all this money to come to Florida just so they can look at the back of their camera or the front of their cellphone the entire time? I can do that at home.

 

[fractal]

As a photography hobbyist, I love taking my camera and lenses to WDW. In fact, WDW is one of the best (and most challenging) places to photograph.

The rules clearly state "no flash photography" in dark rides. Not only does it ruin it for the other riders, the flash photo turns out terrible as the lighting designed by the imagineers for the particular scene is washed out.


For those that say there are a million pictures online of "such and such", please remember that those photos are the property of the photographer. If you download or copy them without permission you are essentially stealing, which to me is worse than shooting off your flash in a ride (but not by much).

 

[brooke789]

The worst for us was on Little Mermaid. Someone in the next shell was videoing with the light on. Everytime we spun we were blinded by his light...

 

[Senk]

I'm generally pretty chill about this stuff but last week we had dinner at BOG. I didn't know what to expect and let them seat us anywhere. We were in the West wing and after dinner everyone comes by to look at the rose and the changing portrait. OOur table was right between them both. As if having a constant parade of people walking by the table wasn't annoying enough the groups that would stand there taking multiple flash photos of the rose and fireplace with my family eating dinner in the foreground was the worst.

I blame Disney for putting tables there and encouraging people to look around after they eat but also the guests that clearly didn't think about the people they were hovering and flashing over.

 

[Catvondita]

If that's what they want to do, fine. It's not bothering me, whatever. But I think they're not actually seeing the attraction. They're seeing their viewfinder, and the attraction through that.

They're spending all this money to come to Florida just so they can look at the back of their camera or the front of their cellphone the entire time? I can do that at home.

Sometimes I take videos of the attraction. Sometimes of the fireworks. I don't use a light or flash I just take my videos and pictures and then watch the rest of whatever. I'm not constantly on my phone and I still feel like I am enjoying the experience. In fact, I feel I am enjoying the experience and then have something to look back to that I know I took and it brings me memories of that exact moment rather than looking at random videos or pictures online. Yea people are spending all this money to come to Florida so let them enjoy it how they would like...

 

[MaryKatesMom]

Whenever we step onto POTC my kids say "No Flash Photography" to mock me reflex telling someone that years ago. They were in the back of the boat in front of us and turned around to take pictures. Couldn't help myself didin't feel like going through blinded.

The worst was on the deck of the California Grill and the behind and to the left of me was using flash to take the pictures of the fireworks. I really wanted to turn around and ask how many pictures of the back of my head do you need? But they were a large and loud group so I did not think it would go over well. We ended up leaving it was so annoying.

 

[mort1331]

What I'm trying to say is that people are so focused on keeping the details within the viewfinder, that they're not looking at the viewfinder, itself. They're not enjoying the attraction or the show, but making sure everything is in focus.

Why? Why not just enjoy the attraction? Why not enjoy the show? They're missing out solely on the fact that they want to feel included. But by wanting to feel included, they're missing everything.

Enjoy Pirates of the Caribbean or Space Mountain or Happily Ever After the way it was supposed to be enjoyed, with your eyes.

Enjoy Disney for what it is. Walt and the imagineers worked tirelessly to immerse people in Disney magic. Trying to film every moment takes you out of the immersion and you just become "another person with a cell phone"

Happily Ever After had already been filmed, a lot, and it's all over YouTube. Disney did it, DIS Unplugged did it, 20 other bloggers did it, and that was all on the first night! Some of them used professional level photography equipment to catch all the detail. Why would I want to watch your iPad version?

I'm not saying don't ever take pictures. Photo pass is there for a reason. They'll even take pictures with your own phone if you ask! Take happy pictures with lunch or that perfect spot in front on Cinderella's Castle. Just don't let it be all you do in Disney.

Going on this theory, then every trip I take to Africa I should not take pictures. I can get them all from |National Geographic website. Or google images. I take over a thousand pics every trip, and two trips a year. Why, because sometimes I get some great pics I have never seen or had before. Pics of fireworks with lightning going thru it, or pics of the castle in a new color that I haven't taken yet.
For those that have their ipads, or other devices, hey that is the camera they have. Not all of us can have a dslr slung around our neck. And very few know how to use the multitude of functions their new phones have.
Snap away everyone, where you are allowed.

 

[Westcoastwild]

One hundred times this. I live in the Washington, DC area and when we're at the zoo or one of the museums and people are holding other people up to take a picture of, I don't know, a zebra, I just want to say, "Let me tell you about a secret website that will show you millions of pictures of zebras in about .1 seconds. In fact, thousands of pictures of this very zebra, and most better than the picture you're taking! It's called...shh... google images....."

If your kid or family is in the picture, I get it, but do you need to take a picture of just the Washington Monument?!?!

Could be the light?

I mean I know what you mean, but I've taken photos of DC monuments because of the light or the weather.

And it's also worth noting that you can't use google images for projects, your own albums or whatever- copyright issues.

 

[sunshine1]

disney need to arm the cast members up with tasers and be on 'taser watch'.

anyone who uses a flash - then ya know what happens.

Nothing worst when you are on Haunted Mansion with some idiot taking pictures whilst using the brightest flash in the world.

 

[Hikergirl]

If that's what they want to do, fine. It's not bothering me, whatever. But I think they're not actually seeing the attraction. They're seeing their viewfinder, and the attraction through that.

They're spending all this money to come to Florida just so they can look at the back of their camera or the front of their cellphone the entire time? I can do that at home.

You "think" but you don't actually know. I am not seeing my viewfinder, I'm seeing the attraction, I just see it differently than you. Part of the enjoyment of my trip is being able to capture moments, things that will become part of my history. On top of that I love capturing those little things with my camera that you may just not notice because you are just focused on the attraction.
I don't expect someone who thinks "you can just do that at home" to understand that concept so its ok that you have the opinion you do. However those of us who actually know what we are talking about because we actually do it, know you are wrong.


And money, LOL. My camera and all my gear probably cost as much as a Disney trip, and I'm just a hobbyist.
If I just did that at home, it would be a colossal waste of that money.