Let's talk about on-ride photos.
To be honest, I have not given a thought to on-ride photos since... well, I can't remember when. On attractions where parks still operate on-ride photos, I try to end-run around the gaggle of people taking cell-phone shots of their photos so I can get out the exit path quickly and on to my next ride.
Even when Disneyland started offering free downloads of their on-ride photos, I still did not bother. But when I got an emailed reminder from Walt Disney World last week about my PhotoPass downloads from my recent Florida trip, I decided to take a look.
Granted, this photo is a bit unusual, since I am recording an on-ride video here. Clearly, you can see my concern that some random turtle who just appeared in my flume log might now be blocking my shot. Fortunately, they stayed out the way, and the POV turned out fine.
That said, does anyone prefer these overly-decorated photos to more traditional, realistic shots? I mean, as much as Disney has tried to remove all traces of "Song of the South" from what is now Tiana's Bayou Adventure, it appears that they cannot resist continuing to place live people within animated scenes.
I get what parks are thinking here. Characters and logos are branding that help fans remember just what thrill ride they were on and where when this photo was taken. Beyond that, you can't get those characters in your shot by taking a cell phone selfie. All the extra decoration can help sell a souvenir that people literally cannot create on their own.
But I also think that the focus on a great on-ride photo should remain on the people riding, not whatever extra stuff the park drops into image around them. To that end, however, the choice where to take an on-ride photo makes or breaks it. In my book, an on-ride photo should not snap at the most intense moment of the ride, but immediately after that.
The best on-ride photos capture us at either our best or our worst - or, ideally, both at the same time. On a flume ride such as Tiana's, photos of people after the drop are almost always more fun than shots of them going down the hill. Pretty much everyone has the same expression on their faces during the drop, but it's after the splash that you see a wider variety of reactions.
The juxtaposition of those various reactions make for much more interesting photos. Who's laughing? Crying? Angry? Defeated? The best post-soak shots should like a cast photo of "Inside Out 2."
Unfortunately, my Tiana's shot just looks like some TV production assistant stressing out while watching a scene replay in video village. Oh, well. So let me throw this topic to you. Are you a fan of on-ride photos? What is your favorite on-ride photo, and what would you like to see theme parks such as Disney do with this opportunity?
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I've got a collection of on-ride photos from various media events I've gone to over the years, and I don't think I've looked at those in nearly a decade. Even Disney PhotoPass pictures we've gotten from the times we've purchased Memory Maker, I've rarely gone back to look at the on-ride photos.
For me, on-ride photos are good for a quick laugh as you're leaving the attraction, but they just don't serve much of a purpose for me beyond that few seconds of sharing the embarrassment with your family/friends who rode with you.
On-ride photos must connect with someone, because they obviously must generate some revenue or parks wouldn't put them on new rides. They just have never appealed to me.
I admit we have a Few..
One of my favorites is from Typhoon Lagoon - I told the photographer to take a photo of my daughter in the water - and it came out great - he zoomed in and took a great head shot.
We bought One at Sea World on Manta, all three of us had a fantastic look on our faces of excitement and happiness..
But mostly we skip them.
I guess if you never been to a place like Magic Kingdome you might want a nice on ride shot.
I take the family to a Disney park about once a year. Ride photos and PhotoPass is how we get all of us in photos. We then do a photo book for every trip.
It is nice to document the growth in the kids as well as how their reactions on rides have changed over the years.
My only regret with an on-ride photo was not buying one the one time I rode the Hulk coaster at IOA front row and I was the only person in the row.
Other than that, I don’t mind looking at them coming off of a ride, but I have never considered purchasing one. Especially for a ride I have ridden many times in the past. I could understand how a family making a rare vacation trip to the parks would possibly consider a photo as a memorable keepsake.
I feel like it’s a low enough cost feature for the parks that when someone actually wants their pic they make more than enough than what it cost to print it. If they can figure out how to do this without having an employee man it, there’s even more profit.
The one time I’ve purchased a photo it wasn’t for a ride, but it was for the cave tour at Silver Dollar City. My partner and I thought it was a cool pic and they photoshopped a bat on my shoulder too.
We don't usually purchase them, with one exception: like AzDisney, we use a picture of the family on a ride to document the passing time. Our "annual snapshot" is always of a log flume drop (ideally with the silliest poses possible) and we get it made into a magnet. Our fridge is covered in log flume poses from over the years and from many parks.
On-ride photos used to be something we'd get when visiting a park with extended family as something to keep for memories. We'd rarely (if ever) buy them with just close family. However, now that we've all got cameras in our pockets, I can't recall the last time anyone seriously entertained the thought of purchasing a photo from the park. Much easier to snap a group photo elsewhere, and the result is usually superior in quality.
I do it occasionally when it's something special. My partner had never been on a coaster before she met me (thinks they're unsafe/not that interested lol). So the on-ride photo was me looking totally calm and she has a look of pure terror. We have it on the shelf at home and it never ceases to make people laugh.
I buy on-ride photos infrequently and mostly at out of area parks to memorialize the experience of having been there and done that. Wasn't sure I'd get back to Canada's Wonderland so got an on-ride photo of Leviathan. Although it's rare for me to purchase an on-ride photo at my home park, I'm awfully glad that a riding buddy got one on Kingda Ka and sent it to me because it's a great photo and something by which to remember him, as he is now deceased.
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Not my thing and my family not as into it but now and then pop for first ride for one of my nephews.