Irritating Photographers

[Tom O.]

On board photography is one of those areas where cruise lines try to make up for having low prices for cruises. And as a result, there is a real push to sell this service.

I find the photographers to be sometimes overly aggressive in trying to get their pictures. 

This is especially true of the ones involved in trying to get you to pose by the gangway. I know that someone will say to just ignore them, and that is what I do. But I find it a little like shutting the door on a door-to-door salesman. I feel like I am being rude, when it is really the other way around.

I wish if they are going to take pictures at the gangway, they would set it farther aside, so that people who want their pictures taken can go over to the area. And I wish that they wouldn't bother those who aren't interested.

I noticed that Viking Cruises advertises that they do not have photography sales, so I must not be the only one who doesn't want to deal with photographers.

[daisy-mae]

What irritates me more is the waste of photo paper and ink when there is no guarantee that the subject(s) will want to purchase the photo.

[HamOp]

Just tell 'em "NO PHOTOGRAPHS, WITNESS PROTECTION PROGRAM......"😎

[Tom O.]

3 minutes ago, HamOp said:

Just tell 'em "NO PHOTOGRAPHS, WITNESS PROTECTION PROGRAM......"😎

That's a good one! 

[I like vacation]

28 minutes ago, daisy-mae said:

What irritates me more is the waste of photo paper and ink when there is no guarantee that the subject(s) will want to purchase the photo.

 It was all digital on the Nieuw Statendam in October.  Hopefully the rest of the ships will update soon.  You scan your card and any picture of you is displayed on a monitor.  The pictures are printed if you want to purchase them.

[Krazy Kruizers]

When the photographers approach us, I just say "no thank you" and keep on moving.

[Loreto]

We pass on embarkation photos without any problem....same for port pictures when you get off the ship.  We also decline dining room photos and have never been treated with disgust, the photographer moves on.  Ironically, when I would have liked a photo with my grand daughter for her birthday at gala night dinner on the Oosterdam last summer, one never stopped by.  It seemed that they pushed packages of photos instead of just one photo.

 

Karen 

[catlet]

35 minutes ago, daisy-mae said:

What irritates me more is the waste of photo paper and ink when there is no guarantee that the subject(s) will want to purchase the photo

On our Fall cruise on the Noordam, they no longer printed and posted the photos. You logged onto a computer with your cruise card and by facial recognition your pics were there. 

[FlaMariner]

We've never find them pushy....We just simply say "no thank you" and all is well.

 

 

[canadianbear]

We have actually found them nowhere near as pushy like they used to be.  We always say no thanks and the last couple years have had no issues like previous years.  

[Djptcp]

DH and I were just on a 10-day Koningsdam cruise and we commented during the cruise we never saw any photographers. In the past, we have just always said "No thanks" and they went away.

[daisy-mae]

24 minutes ago, I like vacation said:

 It was all digital on the Nieuw Statendam in October.  Hopefully the rest of the ships will update soon.  You scan your card and any picture of you is displayed on a monitor.  The pictures are printed if you want to purchase them.

 

I've seen that on other cruise lines; good to know that HAL is moving with the times.

Edited January 13, 2020 by daisy-mae
spelling

[Mary229]

I found the solution. I calmly pulled the aside and told them I had spiritual beliefs against photographing people.   They remembered for the whole cruise and left us walk by 
 

Edited January 13, 2020 by Mary229

[KroozNut]

36 minutes ago, catlet said:

On our Fall cruise on the Noordam, they no longer printed and posted the photos. You logged onto a computer with your cruise card and by facial recognition your pics were there. 

 

Wonder if this is true for all Vista Class ships... sure hope so, as we are sailing Oosterdam in March. 🙂

[MisterBill99]

1 hour ago, HamOp said:

Just tell 'em "NO PHOTOGRAPHS, WITNESS PROTECTION PROGRAM......"😎

 

Yes, we've been using that one for a while. Always gets a smile, from me at least.

 

Occasionally I'll say "it's not my wife" when they want to take a picture of us together.

 

The only ship I let then take a photo of me is on Royal Caribbean since I get a free photo for being Diamond, and then just a couple of shots.

Edited January 13, 2020 by MisterBill99

[jimmy2x]

I’m a bit hesitant to say this, but I’m very happy that as many photos were taken of my wife and I especially during the early years. Like some other folks here, I lost her two years ago. We are usually not professional photographers, and some of the photos taken and purchased by us are priceless, at least to me. 

[Seasick Sailor]

2 hours ago, Tom O. said:

On board photography is one of those areas where cruise lines try to make up for having low prices for cruises. And as a result, there is a real push to sell this service.

I find the photographers to be sometimes overly aggressive in trying to get their pictures. 

This is especially true of the ones involved in trying to get you to pose by the gangway. I know that someone will say to just ignore them, and that is what I do. But I find it a little like shutting the door on a door-to-door salesman. I feel like I am being rude, when it is really the other way around.

I wish if they are going to take pictures at the gangway, they would set it farther aside, so that people who want their pictures taken can go over to the area. And I wish that they wouldn't bother those who aren't interested.

I noticed that Viking Cruises advertises that they do not have photography sales, so I must not be the only one who doesn't want to deal with photographers.

 

Perhaps Tom O., photographer's may find you so dapper and charismatic they can't resist asking to take a picture of you! 😎 

[Cruising-along]

I have no problem saying "no thanks" and keep walking.  There was only one time that a gangway photographer was a little pushy.  We were rushing to make our tour on time and I mentioned that -- and she said "you have plenty of time" (!)  I just looked at her and laughed.  

[MisterBill99]

3 minutes ago, Cruising-along said:

I have no problem saying "no thanks" and keep walking.  There was only one time that a gangway photographer was a little pushy.  We were rushing to make our tour on time and I mentioned that -- and she said "you have plenty of time" (!)  I just looked at her and laughed.  

 

I would have had a different reaction to that one.

[RuthC]

In recent years I have found it easy to bypass the embarkation and port photography setups. They are usually off to the side a bit, and not entirely blocking the route, as they did in the past. 

[Tom O.]

1 hour ago, canadianbear said:

We have actually found them nowhere near as pushy like they used to be.  We always say no thanks and the last couple years have had no issues like previous years.  

I agree. They seem less pushy. But that may be because I have switched cruise lines. I used cruise Princess and NCL. On NCL they were the worst.

 

43 minutes ago, jimmy2x said:

I’m a bit hesitant to say this, but I’m very happy that as many photos were taken of my wife and I especially during the early years. Like some other folks here, I lost her two years ago. We are usually not professional photographers, and some of the photos taken and purchased by us are priceless, at least to me. 

Sorry about your loss. We have some photos from cruises that we really like too. Mostly the formal photos. But we don't have them taken anymore, we have enough.

39 minutes ago, Seasick Sailor said:

Perhaps Tom O., photographer's may find you so dapper and charismatic they can't resist asking to take a picture of you! 😎 

Thanks, but I find that unlikely.

[kevingastreich]

1 hour ago, Mary229 said:

I found the solution. I calmly pulled the aside and told them I had spiritual beliefs against photographing people.   They remembered for the whole cruise and left us walk by 
 

Is that true or just a ruse like the "Witness Protection Program" thing?

[kevingastreich]

We usually pose for one or two during each cruise.  Sometimes we buy them and sometimes we don't  They are expensive but make good souvenir keepsakes.  You'll enjoy the photo long after you forget the money you spent on it.

[kazu]

We vary between no and yes.  It depends and yes, we buy the odd one.

 

Especially if it is a special occasion where friends are involved or an especially good shot.  There aren’t many but there have been some 😉 

Last year we did our first embarkation photo in years.  We said no and when the photographer said that there would never be another Prinsendam embarkation photo, we caved and hammed it up.

 

I don’t find them pushy.  If we say no thanks, it’s all good and if we pose, it’s good too.  Our choice 😉 

[summer slope]

We always get the embarkation photo to remind us of where we went.  I have a book with all those.  Never purchase any others.