I’m a big believer in the importance of family vacations. What are the things you remember the most growing up? A lot of mine are our vacations. You don’t always have to do a big trip like Disneyland but when you do make sure you take some pictures of it!  So think and plan ahead about getting a few good photos.  Even if they are just on your phone!

Disclaimer- it’s my pet peeve to read an article online from someone claiming to be a expert when they don’t really know what they are talking about. So here it goes- I’m not a Disneyland photographer and don’t claim to be an expert!  I’m a mom who has been to Disneyland 9 times in the last 12 years and loves taking pictures of my kids in the park! It’s my favorite part!  So while I’m not a expert I have learned a few things along the way that I thought I would share.

Here are my top Disneyland photo tips-

1- Capture the excitement! My kids are going crazy the first morning we head into Disneyland. It’s honesty one of my favorite parts of the whole trip. I get photos of or traveling to California, the night before- it all! Their faces waiting for the park to open are my favorite too. Pictures with a little emotion are always my favorite type. So watch for your kids excitement and be ready to snap a photo!

My son obsessed about the disney maps.  He still looks at them daily! So I love this photo- such a true moment.

2- Ride Photos– This is my favorite tip because I don’t see enough of these fun photos!   This goes for taking photos while on the ride and watching from the side.  Since I always have a kid too small to ride the bigger rides I’ve learned where the best spots are to get photos of my family on the ride if possible. For example if you keep walking past the Big Thunder Mountain railroad you will find a couple of spots where you see the train go by.  Scope it out! While your waiting for them to get on the ride walk around and see where the best spots are!  And use cell phones so family members can tell you when they are on the ride so you know about when to start watching for them.  One of my favorite shots from my last trip was my boys going down splash mountain and I just guessed about the time they would be coming down. It helped my husband is loud and I could hear him before they came down. 

3- Candids– I don’t know about you but if my kids are having fun the last thing they want to do is turn stop and pose for a photo. Get photos of them waiting in line, eating a disney treat and walking down main street for example.  This means you have to be ready for the moment. I actually have my camera around my neck for 75% of the trip.  And it’s heavy- But it’s worth it! How many of us have our phones in our pocket? Watch for the moments to whip out a photo.

4- Characters– First get the official disney App! It says right on it when and where the characters will be.  Total lifesaver for a mom who’s little boy wanted nothing more then to meet Buzz Lightyear this year. My biggest tip- start taking pictures the moment your child runs up to the character! My best shots are when they are interacting with my kids.  And this is where Disney characters are always pros.  They are almost always amazing with my kids.

Digital cameras make it so easy to take a lot of photos and delete the ones you don’t want later so click away! This is really how I capture moments- is watch for it to happen and click like crazy. You get the best facial expression this way!  I ended my trip with over 500 photos but only edited about 150. So don’t be afraid to take a lot of pictures especially when they meet a character.

My last character tip- get down on the kids level.  If I would have been standing up for the photo below I wouldn’t have been able to see woody’s face! Notice most of my photos are down on their level because usually the character bends down to hug my kids.

5- Get in the shot!– This one is HARD for me! And this is why- 

My camera is big and I have the focus botton in a funny spot so I had a lot of photos turn out blurry. But at least Vader is in focus right? Here is a little secret- those disney photographers you see will take pictures with your own camera as well. The only photos of me on the trip that are in focus (and not on my husbands iPhone) were taking by a disney photographer. If you don’t have a big crazy camera then about any disney employee can take a great photo for you as well. So do it! Make sure you have proof you were there too because if you are like me you did all the work to get there.

6- Now put your camera down and live in the moment. Honestly it’s taken me a few years to be better at this. I have this nagging feeling like what if I miss “the shot”. Let it go! Take some pictures then enjoy the moment!

For Photographers-

TAKE YOUR CAMERA WITH YOU! People ask all the time “should I take my big camera into Disneyland?” I always say YES! Why be a photographer if you don’t take pictures of your own family? Seriously! I document every day of my families life so they are used to me taking pictures and having my camera with me is second nature. I have a camera backpack that I have other things I need (like diapers and treats) and carry that on every ride.  And when I say every ride I mean every single ride.  Even the upside down one! I could take my camera out at a moments notice and safely pack it back away when I need to. Rides like splash mountain I kept it in my backpack until we were off the big hill and shot some of my favorite photos of the trip.

This is actually a cell phone pic because I didn’t want it blurry- but notice my big camera on me?  Totally worth it lugging it around.

I don’t take all my photo equipment. It’s too heavy! I pick one lens and go with it.  This last trip I took my Sigma 35mm 1.4 but my last one I had my Tamron 24-70 2.8. Either one was perfect for the park. If you don’t have a big camera and lenses it’s still important to remember to have all your batteries charged and ready to go!

I will say manual mode in Disneyland is hard because the light is changing all the time.  Shoot in raw so you can fix them in post if you need to.

Also Disneyland is a beautiful place! Especially at night! I took everyone of these without a tripod.

For my family disneyland really is the happiest place on earth! Now my kids love looking at my photos to relive the memories!

If you have any more tips put them in the comments below!

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