How do I get that perfect “magical” shot with ALL THESE PEOPLE around?

Admit it…you don’t know how to perfectly edit unwanted photo-bombers out of your image. Am I right? Need to brush up on your photo editing skills? That’s ok! Who has time for that, anyway? I do know how to, but I don’t want to spend the time doing it for each and every castle photo.

Now that we’ve established that fact, let’s learn some quick and easy ways to make the most of your mini-shoots at Magic Kingdom and beyond! I mean, you’ve paid for this trip and want to get some good IG content, right? Here’s how to do it with zero photoshop skills!

It’s all about the shot. Creating a beautiful image is less about the editing and MORE about the composition and original shot! If you concentrate on finding the right formula to begin with, you’ll spend less time editing and tweaking your image later! Let’s look at what’s important when taking your photo.

The right angle means everything. See the photo above on the right? If I had shot that at eye level, or as an adult standing taller than my child (as most would) you would have been able to see LOTS of park-goers in the background of the image. Who wants that? What I did do was squat down all the way to the ground, shooting way upward on my subject. This allowed the beautiful stone railing behind her to cover all those unwanted friends admiring the castle around us. Now, it just looks like we got into the park super early to create this magical shot! Remember, when shooting upward, it’s more flattering for your subject to look “in the distance” and not directly at you. It becomes awkward and adds lots of chins to the subject, I’ve found! :)

Off the beaten path is almost always the right choice! In a busy park, sometimes (ok all the times) it’s difficult to find a location for a photo that isn’t crowded. And, who wants a crowd in their photo? Not I, said the cat. After all, with little ones our seconds are limited and precious when trying to get them to “look” or “pose” for a photo. I don’t have time to wait for someone to move for my perfect shot. Having said that, there are lots of amazing “less crowded” locations to step aside to and take lots of beautiful pictures. The above photo on the left in at Magic Kingdom across from the “Tangled Bathrooms” right before the shortcut-archway to Liberty Square. If I had stood in front of the Tangled Bathrooms to get that typical lantern shot, I would’ve been fighting crowds upon crowds, since that’s part of the main walkway in Fantasyland. Disney World has lots and lots of beautiful architecture, walls, textures, and areas for photos…you just have to look around and think outside the (crowded) box!

Be brave…try manual! Have a fancy DSLR camera you don’t know how to use in manual settings? Then, it’s likely you aren’t getting the most out of your photos and photo quality. I recommend, at least for a few shots, to turn your camera on manual (eek!) mode. If you don’t know how to change settings on your camera for things like ISO, aperture, and f-stop (the trifecta) I’d suggest googling your camera OR reading the dreaded instruction manual. Or, you can check out great instructional videos on YouTube-from people like DSLR Mom. When shooting outside, which is going to be 75% of your time in the parks when taking photos, I recommend putting your camera’s ISO on a low setting like 200. Make sure you adjust your aperture and f-stop while standing very close to your subject (pointing the camera to their face) and then step back for your photo. I know it can be very overwhelming turning your camera to manual mode. However, I recommend trying it for just a couple of photos and seeing what you think of the quality! Don’t forget to turn it back to auto settings for the rest of your trip, if your’e a beginner :)

Those tips may seem like common knowledge. Still, I invite you to step away from that typical park photo and try grabbing your own magic shot next time your’e in the parks. Sure, stop for the family photo on Main Street with a lovely Photopass photographer as your guide. BUT…then, step closer to the castle…all the way closer…and take your own shot using these pointers. I’m betting it’ll give you a more unique photo for Facebook than you’d have otherwise :)

Happy shooting!

The dresses:

Beautiful Cinderella custom dresses by the talented HeartmadeCreations. I also love Cinderella dresses by shops like VeryChicBaby and ThePMB.