The reality of taking photos of kids in Disney

Hi All!

Come and find out our reality of trying to get that 'perfect' photo while we are in the happiest place on earth.

Candid photo at Disneyland Paris

So you finally made it to the happiest place on earth and you want to capture every single moment. You picture yourself getting home and looking at all your beautiful family photos that were taken on your memory maker/photo pass. You want to see big smiling, happy little faces staring back at you and then 'POP', your little bubble of hope is gone. Would your little darling even look at the camera while they were meeting Mickey? NO! Would they stand still for just one second while you captured that perfect 'in front of the castle' photo? NO! Did you get that magical moment where each person in your party were looking straight at the camera, in the perfect pose looking happy? NO!

Want to know why? Because they are kids! They do them, and to be frank, really don't care if you get a perfect photo of them.

Want to know how you can achieve the 'perfect' photo? Well at this point I'm going to apologize because I don't really have the answer. But, what I am going to do is give you some advice and tell you how we deal with taking any photos of our kids.

Pandora in Animal Kingdom

• I think this is probably the most important one and the most difficult. Lower your expectations. Take what you see on social media with a pinch of salt. That perfect photo probably either took ages to get, their kids actually like having their photo taken, or was a fluke. But what I am going to say is all the photos you have to look at when you get home are YOUR memories, no one else's, and it's better to have pictures of YOUR family rather than faces that have been put on. Its a tough pill to swallow; you might not get that stereotypical perfect photo, but you will get YOUR perfect photo.

A missing Hayden while meeting Sorcerer Mickey In Hollywood Studios

• Always ask your child if they want to have a photo taken BEFORE you go to a photopass photographer or Character meet. This sets everybody's expectations. It's ok if one child does and another doesn't. Hayden often doesn't want to meet a character or have his photo taken, and that's ok. Estella doesn't really like having photos unless she is meeting a character. We have loads of photos where someone is 'missing' for various reasons. But the photos we do have are what matters.

Fail on the 'get the photo first' strategy in front of the Tree of Life in Animal Kingdom

• Try and take your 'must have' photos at the beginning of the day. We find if we want that castle photo we have a better chance when they are rested and havent been dragged round a theme park all day. We also try and do our character meets early on for this reason. Its doesn't always work, but that's our strategy.

How lovely is this photo? I can totally remember us stood there watching the castle show

• Take candid photos. I snap anything and everything. Some of my favourite photos of the kids are ones that aren't posed. Sometimes they are just walking together, or playing on a wall. Think of it as taking photos of your kids in the wild! I also like to take photos of them watching something: the fireworks, a show, animals at the zoo. I get the back of their heads and then the thing they are watching in the frame and these have been some great photos to look back on.

Selfie on the Carousel at Disneyland Paris

• Don't underestimate the power of a selfie. I know some kids don't like them but ours don't mind, and both ours have quite willingly taken a selfie in front of the castle, or even in a queue for a ride. Estella likes a funny filter, and Jon also likes to do a good photo bomb if I'm trying to get a selfie and Hayden is well up for trying to get in on the action! Remember its the moment and the memory you are wanting to capture.

• Use video instead. When we are meeting characters I always film that initial meet and reaction and these have hit me in the feels. This is also really good if you do have a photo pass as the photographer can snap while you get the real life experience on film. But I do stop filming after a short while so i can take in the moment myself and not live it all though my phone. That leads me onto my final point...

• Don't live your trip though a lens!!!! I made a vow to myself that i wouldn't do this on our trip to Walt Disney World as i wanted to be there in the moment. Yes, take the photos and videos, but do remember to put the phone or camera down and just be there in it with your family. You can't replace those moments. Take a moment and just enjoy the magic!

Thank you for joining me and I hope I've managed to alleviate some stress and worries, and you have found the above tips helpful. Please do let me know how you deal with taking photos of your kids and family.

Don't forget to check out our YouTube channel, link below where we have a playlist all bout the reality of kids in Disney.

That's all for now and see ya real soon!

In Port on the Disney Magic on The Magic staycations at sea