"Formal Night" Photographer's Backdrops...

[Steven_&_Daniel]

We've never purchased any photos from a cruise line. We may get one or two for the next trip but only because it's for my parent's 50th anniversary. Otherwise, we'll do our own photos and ask others to take our picture once in a while. Most people are willing and many want you to take one for them after taking one for you. It's more fun that way than feeling forced by a photographer.

 

We always hate those port photos. On our last cruise all the passengers started refusing to have their photo taken at one of the ports. Once one couple managed to get a way with a refusal everyone after them did the same and everyone just walked off the ship past the photographer. We thought it was rather funny. :D

[khicks1101]

We've never purchased any photos from a cruise line. We may get one or two for the next trip but only because it's for my parent's 50th anniversary. Otherwise, we'll do our own photos and ask others to take our picture once in a while. Most people are willing and many want you to take one for them after taking one for you. It's more fun that way than feeling forced by a photographer.

 

We always hate those port photos. On our last cruise all the passengers started refusing to have their photo taken at one of the ports. Once one couple managed to get a way with a refusal everyone after them did the same and everyone just walked off the ship past the photographer. We thought it was rather funny. :D

 

Our pic here is from a formal photo taken on the Grand Princess and we are happy with it.

The port photos we let them take as you don't have to buy them, but if you really like one you can do so, we purchased a couple of them because they turned out really good.

Mind you I remember one on a harrowing morning of rushing about with our 5 yo at the time we had a great laugh at but would never have bought it, lol.

Basically I am saying what is the harm in having the happy snap, you never know it might be the one that you want.

 

[the_dylaness]

We never let the photographers take our picture... I feel bad about the waste. I much prefer the "candid" shots we take with our digital cameras or have someone snap for us. One of our very favorite pictures is formal night, with us at the lobby bar on the CB (taken by our favorite bartender mat). It shows us from the waist up sitting at the bar with two beautiful martinis- for us, it is exactly the memory we love to have of formal night and it turned out to be a great picture!

[PescadoAmarillo]

We never let the photographers take our picture... I feel bad about the waste.

Absolutely my feelings too!!! There is no reason at all that the entire process can't be digitized...your ship's card could be scanned when the photo is taken, and then it could be viewed later and prints ordered on your cabin TV set. And think of the photo gallery space it would free up (for another money making venture, I'm sure). I cannot understand why anyone would want to 1.) wait in line on formal nights to have a photo taken, 2.) spend hours of a cruise hunting down their photos and then 3.) wait in line to purchase those photos. We are Diamond level on RC, and get two photos for free on each cruise, and STILL don't take advantage of it...not worth the hassle.

 

As for the backdrops...I frankly resent the space the photo taking stations take up, and they way that they cheapen the prettiest parts of the ship (and preclude the rest of us from snapping a digital photo ourselves in most of the atrium areas).

 

Just call me...not a fan of cruise ship photo departments!

[JLC@SD]

We never let the photographers take our picture... I feel bad about the waste. I much prefer the "candid" shots we take with our digital cameras or have someone snap for us. One of our very favorite pictures is formal night, with us at the lobby bar on the CB (taken by our favorite bartender mat). It shows us from the waist up sitting at the bar with two beautiful martinis- for us, it is exactly the memory we love to have of formal night and it turned out to be a great picture!

I agree......my brother and I take 3,000 photos each on a ten day cruise......and most are better than the stiff posed portraits that the ship photographers take......and they are in natural settings..........like your bar shot that remind us of a great moment on the cruise.....instead of a memory of standing in line to pose.....:)

[Steven_&_Daniel]

Has anyone used the suite perk of photos in their suite?

 

I just wondered if they set up a background or if they're just taking pictures of people on their sofa or standing in front of the TV.

 

It seems to me I read someplace that instead of taking the photo in the suite, you can make an appointment with the photographer to do photos at a scheduled time.