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I have always loved taking photos of my kids but have never taken much video. Recently I have gotten into taking video of them on my fancy camera and I’m loving the results. This video is from our day spent at my parents farm and I love how it can bring me right back to that moment.

Our family went to Disney World in February and one thing I tried to plan was how to take great photos while we were there. However, I was disappointed in the amount of information I could find on this topic. Disney World is definitely a difficult place to take photos so I thought I would share a few tips that I learned!

1. Have a plan

Plan out the photos that are the most important to you and how you plan on getting those photos. Research that spot so you are aware of what you are getting yourself into and the best time to go to that location. For my trip I knew that I wanted a castle photo, photos with Mickey Mouse and a photo of my kids eating a Mickey treat. And that’s about all that I took. Having this plan allowed me to take those photos quickly and put my camera away the rest of the time and enjoy the trip!

2. Don’t be afraid to pay money to help your plan to succeed

Disney World is expensive, crowded and busy. If a certain photo is important to you and there is a way to pay money to get that photo then don’t be afraid to pay that money. Ultimately, what is an extra $50-$100 on top of a Disney World trip. For me, the castle photo was the most important to me. So we bought Early Morning Magic Tickets which get you into the park early. It was still extremely busy in front of the castle but thankfully I had a back up plan to use the back of the castle where there were no people. This was without a doubt the best investment we made on our trip! 1. I got the photos I wanted from the very first hour of our trip so I wasn’t stressing about getting photos. 2. It was just such a good experience. We started our trip by going on ride after ride without a line and then had fast passes for those rides until noon. It resulted in us not waiting in a single ride all day on our first day. You can also make dining reservations for before park opens and then just pay the cancellation fee and take that time to take photos. I would just recommend you do it on a day that there is no Early Morning Magic scheduled.

3. Find a Quiet Corner

Disney World can be extremely crowded which does not make for the best photos. But if you keep your eye out you can spaces that have no one around them. Like I said previously, I knew I wanted photos of my kids with Mickey Mouse treats and I also knew they wouldn’t last long after we bought them. When we left the bakery on Main Street it was anything but quiet! However, I took the girls around the corner and found a wall that was quieter and we were able to take our time snapping some photos without anyone getting in the way. I also found that the evenings were the best time for photos as the crowds tend to calm down a bit.

4. Embrace the crowds

As much as I tried to avoid the crowds in photos, they are a part of Disneyworld and cannot be avoided. It’s not a bad thing to embrace the crowds and have them in your photos (they are a part of the trip after all!) You just want to make sure that the crowds are in the background and there is still a separation between your subject and the crowd. You can also take advantage of pre-parades where the streets are clearer and have your subjects in the middle of the street with the crowds on both sides framing your subject.

5. Capture the emotion!

Outside of a wedding day, you will likely never be able to photograph as much emotion. Capture those smiles and tears!

6. Plan the outfits

I’ve mentioned it before but a well planned outfit makes the world of a difference in a photo. For my castle photos, I knew that I wanted a pastel theme so I put the girls in neutral colours (and Owen but he refused to be in photos…) . I knew that the rest of the time I wanted to have the girls in Mickey and Minnie colours as much as possible so I brought a change of clothes for the rest of the day. I planned their outfits even down to the colour of Mickey band I chose (red and yellow) as I knew they would match their outfits and look good in photos. I do wish I would have planned better shoes for Addie but when you’re at Disney comfort is definitely more important than style! And because I know someone will ask, I got these adorable dresses for super cheap off of Ali express!

7. Take advantage of the outdoor characters

This is something that Disneyland does much better than Disneyworld. At Disneyland the characters all roam around the parks and you can get amazing outdoor photos with the golden light if you plan it right. Unfortunately, at Disney World the characters are all inside the darkest rooms that are terrible for photos! There are some outdoor characters though! If you check your My Disney Experience App you can see where you can find the characters around the park.

8. Take advantage of parade times!

Parade times can be great to do things with no lines. Take advantage of this time to hop on your favourite ride or find a quiet nook off of the parade route for photos. We took advantage and quickly ran over for photos with Tinkerbell who usually had an hour wait and walked right up to see her. It was extra magical for my kids when we walked out and Tinkerbell was in the parade a few minutes later.

9. Buy the Photo Pass!

This may be funny to say on a post about taking photos but just buy the photo pass! I went into it expecting it to be like Disneyland where as I mentioned you could get amazing outdoor photos. I chose not to get the photo pass because I thought I could get better photos. But honestly your options are so limited with character photos and the photopass photos were actually pretty good! There are some that are under exposed and some that are out of focus (the Peter Pan one above is one of those) but for the most part they are good! The photo pass photographers are used to the area and know exactly what settings to use and then you can edit them to look how you want them. And most important of all, you don’t need to miss out on the moments. I so wish I would have just bought the photo pass and therefore not worried about taking photos. It’s a tough balance between knowing when to document and when to enjoy. In the photo above I didn’t bring my camera to the park and it ended up being my favourite moment of the whole trip and I was so sad I didn’t have my camera! Thankfully the photopass photographers got great photos to document it. We did end up buying the photo pass later on and those photos were a large reason why.

10. The Gear

I brought my camera bag to the park with me. This allowed me to not worry about how my gear was stored and it also has a waterproof cover which came in handy a few times. I primarily used my 35 mm but was also happy to have my 85 mm with me to get some Bokeh shots. Although you would be completely fine with a 35 mm for your whole trip. Just don’t be like me and lug your really heavy 135 mm lens around the park for three days before realizing it’s in there for no reason!

11. Have a Magical Time

Disney World is truly one of the most magical places there is! Remember to put the camera away and enjoy!