Last March, not even a week before the entire world shut down, I went on a Hinge date. I was mostly over dating, very much over dating apps, and honestly not expecting much. I met Mike at a local restaurant for a quick drink and dinner. Fast forward a year later and he still had not gotten sick of me- and we still had not been to Disney, let alone on a vacation together, due to the current state of the world. But with our one year quickly approaching and more travel opening up- we booked a long weekend at The Most Magical Place on Earth!
So, in the beginning of March 2021 we checked into the Gran Destino tower for 5 days. The resort was even nicer than I had remembered from the first time I stayed there. We spent several days in the parks making sure to ride every ride possible, try unique drinks, and eat alllll the food on our list. We also made sure to document as much as we could and took a million pictures of where we went, what we ate and most importantly- each other.
Sometimes it seems that social media being such a prominent part of our lives make it second nature for us to document everything. But on the flip side, a lot of the photos we take don’t have as much meaning as they used to- I like a selfie as much as the next person but does the 40th picture of just your face at the same angle bring back a bunch of flooded memories? If it does, great! But for me, usually the answer is no.
Disney Photo Pass has always been a fantastic tool to make sure that you have a shot of everyone in your party with your surroundings- maybe the castle behind you on Main Street USA or a favorite topiary at Epcot during the Flower and Garden festival. I especially love the magic shots and have adored the Tangled lantern photo offered in Magic Kingdom. Clearly, I would love to recreate this with Mike now that he is in my life, but with slightly limited opportunities- I had to get creative.
As some of you may or may not know, my sister-in-law Brielle is a professional photographer. She specializes in weddings, engagement, and newborn photos so obviously she was a great source to reach out to on this. Since a lot of the typical photo spots that I was looking forward to are currently not an option, she gave me some really unique tips on how to get the perfect shot to capture our special moments. Here are the 3 photo prompts she provided me and the great pictures that came from them!
Choose a classic location but from a new angle! Take your average selfie up a few notches by changing the angles on the most photographed spots around the park. Think side, back, or below your classic photo spots- then just squeeze in extra close and smile!
For this one, I had to go with my favorite spot in all of Disney – the entrance to Epcot. I went ahead and put the camera on the ground for this and had it looking up at us and Spaceship Earth for a fun new perspective.
Grab a snapshot of the two of you holding hands. Flip your phone to a front facing camera and line up your hands with an epic background behind you- could be cute details around the park, a hidden Mickey, a favorite spot to hang out, or a delicious dessert behind you as the backdrop.
I immediately knew I was going to make this one happen on Prince Charming’s Regal Carrousel. We had a lot of fun for this one trying to make it work while our horses were moving around. I even took some video and looking back at it definitely has us laughing!
The last one is a classic couple shot! If you are able to find a great Photo Pass location still or even ask someone nearby to snap a quick photo for you, you can make this shot work almost anywhere. The key to this shot is to remember to make a “T”- have your partner standing with their shoulders square to the camera (they can even put their hands in their pockets) and then you turn toward them with your belly button facing them near their elbow. Wrap both hands around their arm and smile! The more your limbs bend the more flattering the shot will be.
This one I struggled with because I felt awkward asking anyone for a photo. But then on our last park day we saw a great opportunity- there was a nighttime PhotoPass shot in front of the carriage in Magic Kingdom- and no line! We took a few shots, and I tried my best to pose myself properly. How did I do??
I loved being able to get some unique photos at my favorite locations. We even caved and bought one of the small photo albums on our last day at World of Disney so now we have a bunch of wonderful photos to fill it! If you want some more inspiration, I highly recommend giving Brielle a follow on Instagram by clicking here.
