As of January 1, 2019, we have closed our forums. This is a decision we did not come to lightly, but it is necessary. The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk. The server software itself must be updated, and it cannot be without removing the forums.
So it is with a heavy heart that we say goodbye to our long-running forums. They came online in 2000 and brought together so many wonderful Disney fans. We had friendships form, careers launch, couples marry, children born ... all because of this amazing community.
Thank you to each of you who were a part of this community. You made it possible.
And a very special thank you to our Guides (moderators), past and present, who kept our forums a happy place to be. You are the glue that held everything together, and we are forever grateful to you. Thank you aliceinwdw, Caldercup, MrsM, WillCAD, Fortissimo, GingerJ, HiddenMickey, CRCrazy, Eeyoresmom, disneyknut, disneydani, Cam22, chezp, WDWfan, Luvsun, KMB733, rescuesk, OhToodles!, Colexis Mom, lfredsbo, HiddenMickey, DrDolphin, DopeyGirl, duck addict, Disneybine, PixieMichele, Sandra Bostwick, Eeyore Tattoo, DyanKJ130, Suzy Q'Disney, LilMarcieMouse, AllisonG, Belle*, Chrissi, Brant, DawnDenise, Crystalloubear, Disneymom9092, FanOfMickey, Goofy4Goofy, GoofyMom, Home4us123, iamgrumpy, ilovedisney247, Jennifer2003, Jenny Pooh, KrisLuvsDisney, Ladyt, Laughaholic88, LauraBelle Hime, Lilianna, LizardCop, Loobyoxlip, lukeandbrooksmom, marisag, michnash, MickeyMAC, OffKilter_Lynn, PamelaK, Poor_Eeyore, ripkensnana, RobDVC, SHEANA1226, Shell of the South, snoozin, Statelady01, Tara O'Hara, tigger22, Tink and Co., Tinkerbelz, WDWJAMBA, wdwlovers, Wendyismyname, whoSEZ, WildforWD, and WvuGrrrl. You made the magic.
We want to personally thank Sara Varney, who coordinated our community for many years (among so many other things she did for us), and Cheryl Pendry, our Message Board Manager who helped train our Guides, and Ginger Jabour, who helped us with the PassPorter-specific forums and Live! Guides. Thank you for your time, energy, and enthusiasm. You made it all happen.
There are other changes as well.
Why? Well, the world has changed. And change with it, we must. The lyrics to "We Go On" for IllumiNations say it best:
We go on to the joy and through the tears
We go on to discover new frontiers
Moving on with the current of the years.
We go on
Moving forward now as one
Moving on with a spirit born to run
Ever on with each rising sun.
To a new day, we go on.
It's time to move on and move forward.
PassPorter is a small business, and for many years it supported our family. But the world changed, print books took a backseat to the Internet, and for a long time now it has been unable to make ends meet. We've had to find new ways to support our family, which means new careers and less and less time available to devote to our first baby, PassPorter.
But eventually, we must move on and move forward. It is the right thing to do.
So we are retiring this newsletter, as we simply cannot keep up with it. Many thanks to Mouse Fan Travel who supported it all these years, to All Ears and MousePlanet who helped us with news, to our many article contributors, and -- most importantly -- to Sara Varney who edited our newsletter so wonderfully for years and years.
And we are no longer charging for the Live Guides. If you have a subscription, it's yours to keep for the lifetime of the Live Guides at no additional cost. The Live Guides will stay online, barring server issues and technical problems, for all of 2019.
That said, PassPorter is not going away. Most of the resources will remain online for as long as we can support them, and after that we will find ways to make whatever we can available. PassPorter means a great deal to us, and to many of you, and we will do our best to keep it alive in whatever way we can. Our server costs are high, and they'll need to come out of our pockets, so in the future you can expect some changes so we can bring those costs down.
Thank you, thank you, thank you for your amazing support over the years. Without you, there's no way us little guys could have made something like this happen and given the "big guys" a run for their money. PassPorter was consistently the #3 guidebook after the Unofficial and Official guides, which was really unheard of for such a small company to do. We ROCKED it thanks to you and your support and love!
If you miss us, you can still find some of us online. Sara started a new blog at DisneyParkPrincess.com -- I strongly urge you to visit and get on her mailing list. She IS the Disney park princess and knows Disney backward and forward. And I am blogging as well at JenniferMaker.com, which is a little craft blog I started a couple of years ago to make ends meet. You can see and hear me in my craft show at https://www.youtube.com/c/jennifermaker . Many PassPorter readers and fans are on Facebook, in groups they formed like the PassPorter Trip Reports and PassPorter Crafting Challenge (if you join, just let them know you read about it in the newsletter). And some of our most devoted community members started a forum of their own at Pixie Dust Lane and all are invited over.
So we encourage you to stay in touch with us and your fellow community members wherever works best for you!
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I'd be surprised if anyone's done a survey. They shoot under a variety of conditions, so, like most photographers, they'll have a variety of lenses to work with.
While we're always curious to know what equipment the pros use, there are so many ways to shoot a scene...
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Co-Author, PassPorter's Walt Disney World, PassPorter's Disney Cruise Line, and PassPorter's Disneyland and Southern California Attractions
Well, I have to say that several taken on our recent Fantasy cruise do not meet "professional" standards". Several were over exposed, more I think due to lighting (washed out) or had shadows to the point where I thought to myself, I could do that or better. I didn't review the pics on board figuring they'd be o.k. but am disappointed in several once I downloaded them. I guess I'm happy they aren' the ones I really wanted and it gives me incentive to really learn how to use my flash and take some of my own next year which is why I am curious as to what lens they use for most of the "backdrop" pics onboard.
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Disney Photogs - the ones taking the snapshots - have a variety of experience levels. It's a crap shoot. I've had some look at me in horror as I tried to talk camera with them, or - worse - give them my slr and ask them to shoot.
I've also had them redo my settings, telling me they were wrong (and that I'd get a better pic if I did it their way) only to have the pics be crappy as I told them they would be.
It's kinda like if you use Sears Portraits. All of the actual camera math is done by the company, they just hire people to push the button.
That being said, some are fantastic, and I'm sure that's how they pic their portrait and wedding photogs.
A few of the camera operators are knowledgeable but most are button pushers. I like talking to people about their photo equipment but learned quickly that the Photopass people didn't know much about what they were using. A Photopass guy in DHS told me he was not allowed to make any adjustments to the camera. He was ok with that since he didn't know how to make them anyway. I believe they are given equipment for their station/area and they don't change lens. Not sure if all lens are the same or not.
Nice... With that setup, you should be able to do a fine job, maybe even take a few pictures for others and pay for the trip I preach all the time that it's not the equipment that makes the photo, it's the photographer/subject...
i do have an external flash but don't really use it that much. I think that will be on my list of to do, use it more to learn more about using so that I can take a few more of my own next time around.
Flash can make a big difference depending how you use it. Some people think you just turn it on and it makes light. On most external flash you can control the power and the angle of the flash and that makes a ton of difference. Flash is also good to use on sunny days when you use it for fill light.
It's always good to have reasons to expand your skills! Though, of course, if you're the photographer, you'll be in fewer photos yourself.
Speaking of skills... Since you're judging photo quality by downloaded files... Have you tried working on them in a photo editing program? One of the reasons pros get professional results is that they know how to improve their work in the darkroom (digital or chemical), but when you download files, you're getting the shots as they came out of the camera, warts and all.
That 24-70mm (which on an APS-C camera like yours is equivalent to 36-105mm on a full-frame camera) would be just fine for most of the shots they take in front of backdrops, though I suspect they have a 28-105mm-equivalent or thereabouts - 28mm would come in handy in the case of a large group. 105mm is perfect for portraits of individuals.
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Co-Author, PassPorter's Walt Disney World, PassPorter's Disney Cruise Line, and PassPorter's Disneyland and Southern California Attractions
I agree with Dave. Iam not sure but I am thinking the work with a wide angle. Reason:
They are usually shooting families and trying to get icons in the shot, so they do not have to get a lot of length. Also sometimes here are low light conditions which sometimes wide angles help with.
I am a Canon user so not familiar with Nikon lens/bodies so I never really looked.
My experience has been that the expertise varies greatly with Photopass photogs. The settings I believe are done for them based in where they are shooting/ conditions. I haven't had many issues with their exposure as much as their focus being totally off. But I've never looked closely to see what lenses they use.
For what it's worth, I almost exclusively shoot with my 50mm f/1.4 and have yet to find a situation I can't make that work in. I want to try the 24-70mm though and have been eyeing it as my next lens purchase- I think that would be a fantastic lens for WDW.
And I haven't ever used my external flash at WDW, again I've never found a situation I couldn't make work without it (a main reason I use my trusty 50mm- handles low light like a champ) and its ones less piece of equipment to carry.
I have inquired with many of the Photopass photographers while at WDW - noticing that many of them are using Nikon D80's or 90's with a 18-105mm lens.
I currently have the Nikon D7100 and have a 18-300mm lens on there that I LOVE for WDW, as I am able to get such a variety - the zoom is fantastic for capturing those safari rides, while the wide angle is fantastic for landscapes and full body character interaction. I also do not use external flash at WDW, as others have said, don't really have an issue with that, plus it does make the bag lighter!
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Lisa Co-Guide to Sharing the Adventure: Disney World Trip Reports
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I preach all the time that it's not the equipment that makes the photo, it's the photographer/subject...
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