Stop using flash!

[Westcoastwild]

This is absolutely not what I'm saying at all. Africa and Disney are two totally different backdrops when it comes to taking pictures. There are things that happen in Africa that are unique all the time. You catch that zebra in just the right pose, go for it! The entire point of an African safari is to experience the adventure.

Happily Ever After, though, it's the same light show, the same fireworks in the same configuration every show. There's nothing unique about the show from yesterday compared to the show tomorrow compared to the show next month. Yes, it's fun to experience it for yourself, and I want people to be in the middle of the action. I just feel that someone taking another video of HEA pulls them out of the action.

That's what I mean by being in the now. Being able to take pictures of a lion tribe in Africa is being in the now. Taking a video of a fireworks show is not being in the now.

I have a good SLR camera, with a nice set of lenses. I brought them last trip to Disney. I'm bringing them my next trip to Disney. My intent, though, is to take pictures of my girlfriend as she runs on marathon weekend. I'm not running, but this is how I get in involved. This is how I get in the now. I'm there supporting her, I'm there making our own memories of our trip.

Do you want to experience Disney, or do you just want to spectate it?

I feel like you're splitting hairs there. That might be the only time they see that fireworks show. Could be the perfect end to a perfect day. There's a lot of emotion tied up with vacation photos sometimes. Photos and videos can be about taking that memory home with them, so it is about the experience.

 

[Catvondita]

This is absolutely not what I'm saying at all. Africa and Disney are two totally different backdrops when it comes to taking pictures. There are things that happen in Africa that are unique all the time. You catch that zebra in just the right pose, go for it! The entire point of an African safari is to experience the adventure.

Happily Ever After, though, it's the same light show, the same fireworks in the same configuration every show. There's nothing unique about the show from yesterday compared to the show tomorrow compared to the show next month. Yes, it's fun to experience it for yourself, and I want people to be in the middle of the action. I just feel that someone taking another video of HEA pulls them out of the action.

That's what I mean by being in the now. Being able to take pictures of a lion tribe in Africa is being in the now. Taking a video of a fireworks show is not being in the now.

I have a good SLR camera, with a nice set of lenses. I brought them last trip to Disney. I'm bringing them my next trip to Disney. My intent, though, is to take pictures of my girlfriend as she runs on marathon weekend. I'm not running, but this is how I get in involved. This is how I get in the now. I'm there supporting her, I'm there making our own memories of our trip.

Do you want to experience Disney, or do you just want to spectate it?

Again. People can experience it even if they are recording it. You don't like to watch through a camera? Great, then don't. I'll say it again for the people in the back "Just because you are recording a fireworks show or attraction doesn't mean you aren't experiencing it!"

 

[Hikergirl]

This is absolutely not what I'm saying at all. Africa and Disney are two totally different backdrops when it comes to taking pictures. There are things that happen in Africa that are unique all the time. You catch that zebra in just the right pose, go for it! The entire point of an African safari is to experience the adventure.

Happily Ever After, though, it's the same light show, the same fireworks in the same configuration every show. There's nothing unique about the show from yesterday compared to the show tomorrow compared to the show next month. Yes, it's fun to experience it for yourself, and I want people to be in the middle of the action. I just feel that someone taking another video of HEA pulls them out of the action.

That's what I mean by being in the now. Being able to take pictures of a lion tribe in Africa is being in the now. Taking a video of a fireworks show is not being in the now.

I have a good SLR camera, with a nice set of lenses. I brought them last trip to Disney. I'm bringing them my next trip to Disney. My intent, though, is to take pictures of my girlfriend as she runs on marathon weekend. I'm not running, but this is how I get in involved. This is how I get in the now. I'm there supporting her, I'm there making our own memories of our trip.

Do you want to experience Disney, or do you just want to spectate it?

You know what is funny, when I go to WDW without my camera I feel like a spectator. When I take my camera and take photos I am experiencing it.
And while seeing the same show may be the same old same old thing to you, I am able to find something new in it each time. I don't really take pictures of shows, but attractions, landscaping and architecture are my things at WDW. And yes I can take a photo of the same statute every trip, but I can capture different angles and shadows and moods. I can look at details and notice things I never saw before. That is how I love to experience WDW, or any place else, otherwise I'd just be going through the motions and spectating.

 

[Catvondita]

I feel like you're splitting hairs there. That might be the only time they see that fireworks show. Could be the perfect end to a perfect day. There's a lot of emotion tied up with vacation photos sometimes. Photos and videos can be about taking that memory home with them, so it is about the experience.

Agreed. If someone only has the chance to see HEA once, you could argue 'oh yeah they should watch it without any "distractions"' but then you could also argue, 'well this is their one opportunity to see the show, let them take some photos and videos so they can look back on it'. To each their own and I really wish people wouldn't act so judgy about it.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

-Apologies for the long post-

Well this thread took an interesting turn. I've def. seen threads regarding flash but I must confess I haven't seen a thread turn into a "don't take photos really because then you're not really experiencing the trip" I'm confused why someone who takes photos professionally is considered okie dokie but a person with their phone is shame shame shame you're not really getting the experience of your trip.

A big regret to my 2011 trip.......I didn't take many photos....like really I think I have maybe 15 or less because I was so focused on wanting to just experience the trip. Now 6 years later I am soo regreting that decision to "live too much in the moment"; I don't have the exact memories in my mind for some things and I'm honestly upset that I don't have as many tangible things to look back on. I used to use disposable cameras a lot growing up so it's not like my desire to take photos is just a new thing with phone cameras.

For those who say there are people who don't know flash and etc sure that's true but honestly that's probably a small percentage of people. Most phones do have the lightning bolt symbol on the screen as you open the camera app. A lightning bolt with a line through it means the flash is off, a lightning bolt with an A next to it means Auto flash, and a lightning bolt with no symbol next to it means flash is always on. Also if you change the settings on it usually the camera app will have the text on the screen showing what is being changed.

Also unless the phone was just taken out of the package there's a greater chance that someone has taken a photo of someone before or of something near dark and has had someone say "oh your flash is on" and knows what flash looks like and the flash settings and just chooses to ignore them. The amount of people who truly have never ever been told something like "your flash is on" and have clue what in tarnation that darn flash even means is likely very low. However, the amount of people who understand flash and choose to use it anyways at inappropriate times (like dark rides) is likely higher than those truly uninformed folks.

Really there just needs to be a balance when it comes to places with other people. Be considerate of those around you with your screen brightness and where your camera is--i.e. looking around quickly to see if you're in someone's way, please don't play your video with the sound on where I'm forced to listen to it, and def don't use flash (or use your phone with the screen brightness high) in enclosed spaces like dark rides, listen to the instructions of the CMs and the warnings you see.

 

[linzbear]

I took a not so great video of HEA on our trip. I've watched the better ones, but I've watched my own version more. Why? Because it has my kids saying, "oh, that's so cool." "Look, Moana!" "Buzz" "Look, tinkerbell!" "Mom, where's my necklace?" Because it has the video move when one of them gave me a hug. Because it's MY family.

I've done live in the moment trips, video free trips, and trips where I come back with over 2500 pictures to sort through. More is better.

As an aside, I made my mom put away the camera after flashing us on NRJ, and she claimed that she thought she turned the flash off. That drives me nuts. I go into my camera's menus and turn off the display, flash, and orange autofocus light when I do dark pictures. Many of them don't come out, but enough do.

 

[LoopyDoopy]

View attachment 244370

No way this is accurate. They'd be holding the phones vertically.

 

[Bianca and Bernard]

I don't care if you take your photos.
Just not with the flash, especially in the dark rides, or by holding your pad/phone in my line of sight.

 

[barbliny]

How about killing time on your phone on a dark ride?? Just stop it!! I was on Haunted Mansion last week and someone was on their phone the entire time in the buggy in front of (next to) us. Adding to my annoyance is that this inconsiderate clod rushed to insert himself between our family when coming out of the stretch room. Why in such a hurry buddy? wanted to sit quickly to read your phone??. I glared him down at one point - he was oblivious and lost in social media, but his companion made him put the phone against his belly. That was the way he rode the rest of the time - if our buggies were side by side, the bright phone slowly went from being in plain bright sight to being clutched against him. Why didn't he just stay outside??

 

[cobright]

In the interest of full disclosure, I'll own up to being 'that guy' just once or twice... the auto-focus illuminator light. I have it turned of 95% of the time but when I switch between RAW and JPEG or maybe between profiles, something in the menu flips it back. It's like a square orange spotlight, not terribly bright but on a dark ride...

So... if anyone's been hit by a weird orange light on a dark ride, on the off chance it was me, I'm so sorry.

 

[JerseyJanice]

I've actually been asking and waiting for front row at dark rides such as Pirates to not have someone right in front of you constantly flashing or recording. and I try to move away from the iPad recorders at the finishing shows. It's tougher to see around that big screen. I sometimes feel bad asking them to not to use flash because they should be able to commemorate. But I remind myself that especially if we've waited a really long time for the attraction, it's distracting for the others... and they should be able to enjoy the rides too. And it is disney policy not to use flash on the dark rides.

But if you do that, you may wind up soaking wet.

 

[Auntie_Maim]

Slightly off topic, but do people find it annoying when a person is filming something in the parks and narrating/commentating? For example, at F&W and someone is filming and saying, "Here I am at France, gonna tell those escargot to get in my tummy."

Usually I don't take many pictures (am not a very good photographer) and try to appear in as few as possible (while not ugly per se I am very unphotogenic). But our trip this fall is for my parental units' anniversary and the siblings and I are all going to take lots of photos and videos so I can put together a "movie" as a gift for the parental units. I'm trying to get a nice movie made for them but don't want to annoy the heck out of everyone.

 

[mnamna]

Slightly off topic, but do people find it annoying when a person is filming something in the parks and narrating/commentating? For example, at F&W and someone is filming and saying, "Here I am at France, gonna tell those escargot to get in my tummy."

Usually I don't take many pictures (am not a very good photographer) and try to appear in as few as possible (while not ugly per se I am very unphotogenic). But our trip this fall is for my parental units' anniversary and the siblings and I are all going to take lots of photos and videos so I can put together a "movie" as a gift for the parental units. I'm trying to get a nice movie made for them but don't want to annoy the heck out of everyone.

I would probably give weird looks, to be honest. Why not use the voiceover option to add narration afterward?

 

[ashleyann31]

Slightly off topic, but do people find it annoying when a person is filming something in the parks and narrating/commentating? For example, at F&W and someone is filming and saying, "Here I am at France, gonna tell those escargot to get in my tummy."

Usually I don't take many pictures (am not a very good photographer) and try to appear in as few as possible (while not ugly per se I am very unphotogenic). But our trip this fall is for my parental units' anniversary and the siblings and I are all going to take lots of photos and videos so I can put together a "movie" as a gift for the parental units. I'm trying to get a nice movie made for them but don't want to annoy the heck out of everyone.

That is a cute idea and is basically vlogging. Just be mindful of people around you. You'll be fine. AND TURN OFF THAT FLASH.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

Slightly off topic, but do people find it annoying when a person is filming something in the parks and narrating/commentating? For example, at F&W and someone is filming and saying, "Here I am at France, gonna tell those escargot to get in my tummy."

Usually I don't take many pictures (am not a very good photographer) and try to appear in as few as possible (while not ugly per se I am very unphotogenic). But our trip this fall is for my parental units' anniversary and the siblings and I are all going to take lots of photos and videos so I can put together a "movie" as a gift for the parental units. I'm trying to get a nice movie made for them but don't want to annoy the heck out of everyone.

My mother-in-law does the whole narration thing though she's not always doing it for the whole video. Perhaps the annoying thing about it is we don't usually know when's she doing it so we're just talking away and then she starts saying things and we're like sorta like how you don't know all the time if someone is talking to you or someone on the phone with the ear piece bluetooth things.

Just be respectful of those around you. During an actual ride it could be very distracting to have someone speaking such as you are describing so to me personally I wouldn't do that-it's like someone who tells you what happens in a movie that you haven't seen yet but plan to. But your France example sounds perfectly fine to me. There are tons and tons of vlogging videos for WDW on YouTube and at least from what I've seen there haven't been weird looks or annoyed looks from other guests in the videos. The DIS does vlogging and I watch The Tim Tracker too if you're interested in seeing how they narrate/comment while in the Parks.

 

[ravenclawtrekkie]

I've been the obnoxious person shouting "TURN OFF YOUR FLASH!" on dark rides when some fool doesn't know how his own camera works.

Slightly off topic, but do people find it annoying when a person is filming something in the parks and narrating/commentating? For example, at F&W and someone is filming and saying, "Here I am at France, gonna tell those escargot to get in my tummy."

I would only be judging them for (presumably) being an adult and using the word 'tummy.'

 

[Jennasis]

vloggers are in the parks all the time now, narrating their videos. It's common. No problem with it.

 

[Auntie_Maim]

Why not use the voiceover option to add narration afterward?

Because I'm a Luddite who didn't know that was possible.

 

[Nick6300]

But if you do that, you may wind up soaking wet.

Yes you're correct. Well not soaking but a little wet from the drop splash. But we're usually ok with a little cooling off after 30k steps (per Fitbit) in the heat

 

[Mambo Junkie]

100% agreed! And I have also begun, unashamedly, to say something to people. PotC was the worst for me last time. So disrespectful, selfish and rude.

Yes, that was my experience as well. We had a boat full of people who all knew each other beside us. The people in the front kept turning around and taking pictures of the people behind them who were, unfortunately, in front of us. Nothing like flash photography in your face while trying to enjoy a ride. After getting annoyed, I started photobombing, making faces, doing claws , bunny ears, pretending to shove my finger up my nose, picking my teeth with exaggerated facial expressions, etc. I couldn't wait for them to check out the pictures later. My son was mortified.