Stop using flash!

[mickeyluv'r]

I have no desire to watch someone else's ride footage -- but we'll watch ours over and over. The value in filming the fireworks is in hearing the random things your kids say in the background, or catching their look, and thinking back on the good times. Even like the PP mentioned, a pic of the Washington Monument... You're not capturing the image of "it"... you're preserving a memory of when you were there with your family. That pic might trigger thoughts of how it rained, or was so hot, or about the drive, or about where you ate that day, or what your kids said... The pics are cool by me.

Call me crazy, but I've been riding the Haunted Mansion since I was a child.

And part of the fun of the attraction is the suspension of disbelief. Did we really see ghosts? Is the mansion really haunted?

It is the ethereal nature of the ride- and using only the memories in our head to capture it- that makes it so magical.

As for memory, I still have distinct memories of riding it many decades ago.

We don't have to photograph every moment of our lives to enjoy them or remember them.

 

[mickeyluv'r]

At my children's dance recital they tried this. They informed everybody that the event was being recorded by a professional and a free download would be provided so parents did not need to video their children. Yet still, iPads and phones were prominent.

That is unfortunate. Sometimes, as I said in my first post, it helps to have ushers or CM's around to enforce those policies, especially if the policies are new.

Back in the ancient days of WDW.....WDW didn't have to have CM's correcting every guest on every attraction.....They just had to have enough CM's in enough places so as to create a culture of respect and understanding.

 

[CrimsonCurls]

Actually, back in the ancient days of film, flashes on rides weren't really a problem. Back then, WDW actually did several things to mitigate the problem.

First, many attractions had far more actual live CM's that actually and IMMEDIATELY reminded guests of the rules if they did something inappropriate. I distinctly recall CM's in most theaters actually telling guests to move tot he end of each row. If any tried to say - sit in the middle of a row- the CM immediately talked to the guest.

Living with the Land used to have live cast members on every boat with a microphone. As SOON as someone misbehaved, the CM would say something to that guest.

Second, because film was expensive, folks didn't want to waste it. Part of the problem is that digital images are effectively FREE and UNLIMITED. Film also has technical limitations that make it hard to take good photos on dark rides, like long exposure times (=no moving the camera). In practice, most people just figured images taken in low light = a waste of film.

Third, back in very ancient times, Disney used to sell postcards and slides by the exit of many dark rides! Yes, strips of slides! If WDW gave every guest a free digital copy of their ride experience, then they COULD actually come close to eliminating this.

I've been to a number of live shows that use this exact strategy very successfully!

That all makes sense, but I swear I saw a flash, a single flash, when I was on Haunted Mansion in '97. it's been a long time, so my memory may be starting to get fuzzy on the subject, though. I remember being very upset about it, too. I was a kid with a strong sense of "you just don't break the rules!"

In addition, I've been involved in theatre or dance in one way or another for well over 20 years and I've seen flash at probably every show I've been at/been in. I don't think anything will ever stop people from using flash in the theater during performances, so I figure it will only be getting worse with dark rides.

 

[CrimsonCurls]

At my children's dance recital they tried this. They informed everybody that the event was being recorded by a professional and a free download would be provided so parents did not need to video their children. Yet still, iPads and phones were prominent.

I've been in shows where we were going to post every number on Youtube, and provide people with links, and we still got recorded by camera phones. I was the "official" recital photographer for two years at my sisters' dance studio and I got one of two responses constantly: "Can we get prints" (the answer was, yes, I was releasing print rights to the studio) and "You're in my shot", normally said while someone was using the flash on their camera. I got way more of the latter than you'd think.

 

[Gina Starr]

And don't forget those in dark shows that need that time to check their phones for emails or whatever. It dark everywhere, but that glaring screen.

That annoys me to no end! A teen girl was looking at her phone on full brightness during Carousel of Progress. I understand she might find it boring but it's my favorite and the least you can do is turn down the brightness or just close your eyes and enjoy the ac for 20 minutes.

 

[tinkerbellandeeyor]

Last time we were on Spaceship Earth (one of my faves!), a mother and child were behind us, and they took flash photos of every. single. scene. Sometimes, multiple photos... It really took away from the experience. We were not happy. We made some comments, but they chose to ignore us or did not understand English.

I might be reading to much into what you wrote but I think it would help if Disney posted no flash in multiple languages not just English

 

[beesly]

Someone has come up with a gizmo, it's a stand alone flash with a stencil over the end. It's triggered by the flash of another camera by a slave circuit. So when people take a picture of something this gizmo goes off and paints the target with a picture for just that 1/10000 of a second. You can't see it with the naked eye really but the pictures will all come up with your picture on them.

I'm intrigued - do you know what this gizmo is called?

 

[SgtTibbs]

Disney is adding flash photography to "Pirates of the Caribbean" so soon everyone on every single boat will get flashed.

 

[Robo]

I'm intrigued - do you know what this gizmo is called?

What it's called is a hoax.
A device like that could not actually work.

 

[mnamna]

The last time our family saw Wishes in the WDW hub, THIS was a HUGE problem! Simply put, our view of Wishes was completely obstructed by screens, and that is the problem.

I return to my example of live theater performances. Sometimes the audience is permitted to take footage from the BACK row. That CAN sometimes be less of a problem.

EXCEPT many performers HATE for any images to be taken, because too many folks post those images online, and their artistry is copied. As in, something they worked very hard to create gets totally ripped-off.

Thing is, if the person taking photos or video has half a brain and uses it, it's super easy to get your shots WITHOUT obstructing the vision of others. You just have to learn how not to be a jerk, and you need to either not use your phone/iPad (who the heck carries a tablet in the parks in the first place?!) or turn the brightness of the screen ALL the way down.

It's not difficult. People are just jerks.

 

[mickeyluv'r]

I might be reading to much into what you wrote but I think it would help if Disney posted no flash in multiple languages not just English

The one time I visited a Disney park outside the USA, information was posted in multiple languages, and it helped.

Funny thing is (though not funny in the ha-ha sense) my fellow Americans were all too often the rudeness culprits, who then pretended they didn't know littering, etc. was unacceptable behavior.

 

[beesly]

What it's called is a hoax.
A device like that could not actually work.

Well they got me. I was getting frustrated that I couldn't find any relevant Google search results.

 

[klmall]

All this talk of phone photography etc. now at Disney (and elsewhere) reminds me of how a few years ago people complained on the DIS about loud phone conversations in the parks. How rude of others to spend their time on their cell phones while at Disney (before FPs)? How awful it was to be forced to listen to private conversations while waiting in line!

I think several posters here have expressed my feelings about photography at WDW. I truly enjoy actually taking the pictures, viewing them even before getting home and then as I process them afterwards. My pictures of all the details and the CMs and the flowers and the skies all take being at Disney to a new level for me. And then I get to share them with fellow Disney lovers here on the DIS. Pictures taken by others teach me, inspire me and make the whole experience even better.

If we're mentioning camera flashes and bright phone and tablet screens you also have to add those annoying lightsabers that kids sitting on shoulders are swinging madly around during performances. We had our "Star Wars Dessert Party" experience obstructed by the parents who squeezed in front of us in our reserved viewing area and then allowed their DS to swing his lightsaber around wildly while his mother was videotaping the entire show. She kept saying "We'll watch the show later on tv". Well, then invite us over to watch also because my DH on his scooter couldn't see anything. And without using the zoom on my camera I would have seen little as well.

(And I found out many years ago that my little standard Canon point and shoot took good indoor and night shots without the flash simply by turning the flash off. All it took was a bit of shadow/brightness editing to bring the shot to life.)

 

[cobright]

I'm intrigued - do you know what this gizmo is called?

It's called an image fulgurator.

What it's called is a hoax.
A device like that could not actually work.

It can and does.

Well they got me. I was getting frustrated that I couldn't find any relevant Google search results.

They? I'm just me. Here's a link...

http://makezine.com/2011/10/19/projector-disguised-as-camera-flashes-images-into-others-photos/

 

[cobright]

A device like that could not actually work.

I'm curious, which part of this actual device do you think is impossible?

I will concede, I described it as a stand alone flash when in reality the device looks like a standalone camera with flash of a sort. In practice people don't suspect that the device is anything other than a persons camera so I'm giving myself a pass on this as a minor discrepancy. I was remembering it from articles published almost a decade ago.

 

[dizneegirl]

I'll say that since I got my first SLR in the early 90s, I've loved taking (many!) pics at Disney - and find ride photos to be a great challenge. Love to try to capture a piece of a favorite ride! That said, I don't always take my camera... I like to go just experience it live, too. But I do find a great joy in both capturing my own photos, and looking at them years later.

And I'll admit, at least on two occasions, I was an idiot and had a flash go off in a dark ride. Not only did DH instantly chastize me, but I was mortified as soon as it happened, and was extremely sorry for doing that to everyone else around me. *hangs head in shame*

 

[Lothlórien]

this will never happen. Imagine how many times a ride would have too be stopped. And when a ride is stopped it's not that simple to restart it. Lines would be super long

They can make an announcement though. "Will the gentleman in the red shirt please refrain from using flash photography??" Universal does it. Disney has the capability, too. They are just so afraid of frivolous lawsuits that they don't force the rules. Just the same as they don't enforce the rules regarding kids using Heeleys in the parks. The only rules I have seen fully enforced are no selfie sticks and no glass bottles.

 

[CaliTex]

I'm so sick and tired of my smartphone and of being tethered to it because of my job. I do not get why ppl want to drag out their phone every 5 seconds. These ppl waited 30+ minutes to go on a 3 minute ride and they spend their time on that ride looking at or through their phones?

Don't get it. Wait 45 minutes, get on a 3 minute ride, then check your email on POTC or HM, lighting up your dang phone like a search light. Sick.

 

[Phdmama06]

This is, by far, my #1 pet peeve at the theme parks. And it seems like the darkest rides bright out the worst offenders. (HM, Pirates, anyone?) Can't people just set down their devices for a few minutes and stop trying to take dozens of photos which are going to come out terrible anyway? If you want a picture of what's in a ride, there are tons of great images (that didn't use flash!!) on the internet you can look at. Not directing this at experienced photographers who are considerate enough NOT to use flash in these situation - it's the people taking flash snapshots with their phones who have no regard for those around them - and in many cases won't even necessarily look at those photos they took ever again. (And if you don't know how to disable the flash on your device - learn! IT's not rocket science!) So, so rude. I've never had the heart to say anything to the offenders, but I've gotten extremely close to doing so. Nothing more annoying than waiting 30+ minutes for a ride only to have it completely spoiled by someone who just HAS to take their dreadful flash photos.

 

[P'colaBeachBum]

We won't do POTC anymore because of the constant bright cell phone light. Last trip the first 2 rows of the boat had cell phones in the air recording. Very rude and annoying!