Has anyone else completely avoided having your picture taken by the photographers?

[cruzincurt]

34 cruises, no photos except at the Captain's table. Just a polite no thanks and they move on.

[JimAOk1945]

My wife likes to scan the pictures that we buy and include them with pictures she takes, around the ship and in each port, in the photo books she makes on line at walmart dot com.

She has done this for of our cruises. They are wonderful coffee table books.

We actually enjoy having our pictures taken. We don't buy all of them, only the best ones.

[seaofwonder]

Yes!!!! We do :) now that we're diamond we do allow a few here and there so we can pick our free pics.

[Aquahound]

And of course the pictures aren't the same quality as a real photographer...the guys holding the camera are another time of the day your waiter or an artist in the theater...normaly they have the camera in "Auto" mode...

 

Where did you get that idea? :confused: That is not true at all. The ships photographers are dedicated photographers. They do not moonlight as waiters, etc.

[whyrlygig]

Never had our pictures taken in 10+ cruises. Just say a polite "no thanks" and keep moving.

[cruiserking]

There's never any obligation to buy the photographs and we rather enjoy browsing the photos after dinner and throughout the cruise. Once in a while we buy one or two.

 

Jonathan

[labeachcomber]

We probably set the record for most pictures taken without buying any. It doesn't cost you anything, so why not? Unless I suppose if you are not photogenic and just don't enjoy looking at yourself in a picture...

 

Really wish that they would give you different size options when buying the pictures. I don't want an 8x10 of us. And I certainly don't want to pay $24.95.

[Coralc]

I don't want an 8x10 of us. And I certainly don't want to pay $24.95.

 

Gosh! Is that what they cost now? I think last time we purchased a photo on RC, it was $19.99. :eek:

[mellygo]

Don't you have to have your picture taken when you board - to go with your sign/sail cabin key?

[Familygoboston]

Years ago I bought pictures of myself shaking hands with various captains. They started with me in sequins with a blonde French Twist, segued into a redhead in a silk formal pants suit, and from there to a frumpy housewife in slacks and flowery top. I can see myself changing hair color, clothing styles and adding weight. Thank goodness the captains quit shaking hands and I quit going to any celebrations sponsored by them.

I haven't looked at the photo gallery in years. If my picture's there, I don't know it.

 

Is funny;) LOL!

 

For us, we usually never buy photos, so what's the point of posing? And I never ever waste port time posing for those dockside photos. Two big buts...(and I'm not talking about the ones in our photos;))

 

1-Since we made Diamond and each get a freebie, we pose for a couple on suggested formal night (no matter what we are wearing) Just to get our freebies.:D

And

 

2- last year was our daughters senior year, it went by in a blur. My DH is a photographer and like a cobblers kids with no shoes, we put off taking DD's senior picture. ( Other than a head shot for the YB) We never included family shots or sibling shots like some folks do. We should have made an appointment with one of his colleagues and had an actual appointment, instead we just tried to fit it in...didn't work. BUT (see, there it is!) we posed for everything on DDs graduation cruise on Allure (except port pics) and we ended up with bunches of great couple. family, sister and senior pics for a very modest fee ($199) relative to what we'd pay here. DH got the files and we can do whatever we want with them (including cleaning up some of their shortcomings like the filthy white backgrounds, crap in the background he can crop out etc :rolleyes:)

 

So short answer is we rarely pose except to get our free ones, but the service can be great if you are traveling with family (especially extended families) and want to get some decent "group shots". Despite the evidence of all of us aging;) those pictures can be very precious...we take a large extended family photo every Christmas and one year my 42 yo cousin was in it and the next year, she was gone from cancer, we were very glad to have that last photo of us all together!

[Familygoboston]

Don't you have to have your picture taken when you board - to go with your sign/sail cabin key?

 

Yup, for boarding, but that's the only one you HAVE to pose for! You do that right at checkin, they have a little camera attached to their computer there, like they way some motor vehicle registry places do.

 

You can do what my uncle does- says "no thanks, I'm not with my wife" :eek:even though the woman with him has been married to him for almost 60 years ;)

[TEXASMUNK]

When I entered the witness protection program, they told me to avoid having my picture taken while onboard a ship

[RCcruisinfamily]

I can say on at least 2 cruises I have not had my picture taken. I hate waiting for the boarding photo. I could care less. I am not likely to purchase. Now if the kids are with me, I will purchase some pictures. I don't care about the crew member dressed up as a pirate though. One photographer caught a great photo of my kids playing in the sand on Labadee. I couldn't resist that one!

[Anthony63]

Not very hard to refuse photos, a simple, "no thank you" is all you need to do.

 

We are apparently in the minority and actually like a photo from each cruise and at this point have quite a few photos. We like the boarding photo or photos that have the ship name or date. We get coupons for free photos so we have a few taken to make sure there are two we like. If we strike out, we look around for a family or young couple and "buy" them a photo with our coupon

 

If you want photos, there are plenty of opportunities. If not, no problem.

 

M

 

That is nice buying a photo for someone else. I also like to have my photo taken as you board. I always wear nice clothes and a comb for the hair when i go to board.

[Colorado Babe]

We always purchase the first on board photo, a formal photo and a picture of the ship and buy the photo album. It's the only souvenirs we buy. The memories last a lifetime.

[Joyce From Yardley]

When I entered the witness protection program, they told me to avoid having my picture taken while onboard a ship

 

 

Hi,

 

Here I thought that I was the only person using that as an excuse.

 

Happy cruising to all.

 

 

Joyce & Of Course Harvey

[ebradley23]

We search out the photographer at each port, but we don't take serious pics. We're the couple posing in the goofiest poses possible. We plan the night before what silly thing we're going to do. As soon as my son is old enough to learn to do goofy poses, we'll get him in on the action.

 

 

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[Shak]

I didn't know camera avoidance was a sport. To each their own I guess.

 

Shak

[Stay1978]

We usually try to get a least 1 picture on formal night the rest of the time we avoid them for the most part. I absolutely hate the photographers in the dining room. Just what I want a picture while I'm chewing and the photographers in the dining room on our last cruise were so pushy when we refused the picture. Pictures in the dining room are one of my biggest peeves.

[Kelv_2013]

Stay1978, I agree with you. I have no problem in us posing for a few of their photos, they are only doing their job after all, but we really didn't appreciate the Liberty photographer urging us to get up from our chairs and pose for him halfway through our main course in the MDR. He seemed very disappointed when we (politely) declined.

 

 

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[Brandis]

Problem is they are not really professional photographers. Very often, the exposure or the scene set up is really bad.

 

So we never have photos taken during dinner, just tell them "No thanks" and also just walk by them at the gangway when getting off the ship.

 

But on Formal Nights, we go around the ship, and getting pictures taken at different locations, then choose the best ones and get them with the free photo coupons.

[leaveitallbehind]

What's the point in getting no pictures taken?

 

And of course the pictures aren't the same quality as a real photographer...the guys holding the camera are another time of the day your waiter or an artist in the theater...normaly they have the camera in "Auto" mode...

 

You are completely incorrect in this statement. The photographers are part of The Image Group, a professional photography company contracted as a third party by RCI and several other cruise lines. They are not RCI employees or part of any RCI staff "moonlighting" as photographers. To verify visit www.image.com.

[Brandis]

While it is true that they work for an independent contractor and don't do any other work on the ship, I think many of them are not professional photographers with many years of experience. They probably give them some kind of crash course on photography basics and then send them to the ships.

 

Looking at their website, the only requirement related to photography they ask of potential candidates is:

 

- Sound knowledge of the workings and operation of a Digital SLR camera

 

Another interesting detail, they are not provided a camera to work with but have to either bring their own or buy one...

[leaveitallbehind]

While it is true that they work for an independent contractor and don't do any other work on the ship, I think many of them are not professional photographers with many years of experience. They probably give them some kind of crash course on photography basics and then send them to the ships.

 

Looking at their website, the only requirement related to photography they ask of potential candidates is:

 

- Sound knowledge of the workings and operation of a Digital SLR camera

 

Another interesting detail, they are not provided a camera to work with but have to either bring their own or buy one...

 

My point was only that they are not waiters and other ship's crew on other duty - not to their level of training, of I don't have knowledge. But even with basic training and minimal experience that would be far better than ship's crew efforts.

 

After 20+ years of cruising we typically avoid having our pictures taken as we seldom buy any - only so many of the same type of picture we like to have. (We actually have used our free coupons recently for pictures of the ship just to use them :D).

 

But that being said, we have for the most part found that the quality of the picture is good - just not maybe a result in the picture with us that we like. But with so many pictures being taken at the dining table, formal backdrops, exiting / entering the ship, etc., not much personal time to compose the best shot can be given to any one customer.

 

The separate for-pay sessions that are offered on board do a very good job, however, and the results are very professional IMO.

[palofmine]

its not that hard to avoid it. Just say NO at the dinner table, and avoid the formal pictures. Our tablemates took alot of us with their camera, and our camera, so we got a good bunch.

 

I was shocked to find so many BAD pictures taken of us... bad lighting, just overall not great pictures.

 

 

We have the welcome abroad picture ( always get that), and the best formal night picture gets bought. We also had that buy one get one 50% for gold members so it was worth it.

 

Other than that, I wouldnt get that package, ever.