Capturing the Magic: Character Greetings

The first time your child meets their favorite Disney character is a moment you want to capture for years to come. Of course you're going to get that picture of everyone smiling and looking at the camera, but what about all those in-between moments?
The characters at Disney parks are always in the mood for playing, giving hugs and kisses, or telling a good story. There's more to a meet-and-greet than just the autograph book and the photo. It's all those other moments of laughter and smiles that you'll really remember, not just the "Say Mickey!" photo moment.
When I was younger, my parents were pretty good about capturing those candid moments on camera. If you look a the photos of my very first character greeting, you'll find the best shots aren't the ones of us looking at the camera, but are of me cowering on my mom's shoulder and refusing to let Tigger tickle me. We still laugh about how shy I was (it didn't take long before I got over that and was tickling right back :) on that first visit. Now, I have a great memory to share with my own children, especially if they're nervous about meeting anyone.
So when you're next in line to meet Mickey, or Belle, or Tink, or Goofy, remember to always keep the camera rolling (or clicking!) to capture every wonderful moment. I practiced this in February when my younger sisters-in-law were meeting all the characters for the very first time. They both wore their "1st Visit" badges every day, and the characters always noticed. It provided for some great memorable moments, like with Buzz and Woody:



Some tips for capturing these great moments:

• Turn off your flash. Great moments are gone in an instant, and if your camera is too slow, you won't get the shot. Turning off your flash can help speed up your camera (it also saves your battery). However, if you are at an indoor meet-and-greet (like Buzz and Woody, Mickey, or Tinkerbell) you will probably need to turn your flash on since these areas tend to be a little darker. For outdoor greetings, you shouldn't need a flash.
• Step back. Let the moment happen. The characters have their own  great ways of encouraging interaction. It may take a minute for the child to get over being starstruck, but the characters are super patient. By the time you leave, your kid will have a new best friend, and since you've been taking photos the entire time, you'll have great images of it.
• Jump in! Don't forget to jump in the photos too! The characters love to interact with parents and adults as well as kids. February was my first trip being the "adult." I mostly tried to sit back and let the girls have the spotlight and enjoy their first visit, especially with the characters. But I quickly learned that the Disney gang was not going to let me be ignored. Both Brandon and I were literally pulled in by the characters more than once (I didn't need to much prodding though! :). It made the girls laugh and made more great memories for us.
• Badges. If it's someone's birthday, anniversary, or first visit, make sure you ask a cast member about getting a celebration badge that let's everyone know you're celebrating. If you stay at a Walt Disney World Resort hotel, you'll probably be asked at check-in what you are celebrating. Even if you're not celebrating anything specific (like we usually are), you'll still get an "I'm Celebrating" badge. You can write anything you want on these badges. For example, in February I celebrated my 15th WDW visit, but they don't make badges for that, so a super sweet cast member made one for me from an "I'm Celebrating" badge. When I met Peter Pan an few minutes later, he noticed and commented on it. (By the way, meeting characters is awesome, no matter how old you are. This was the first and only time I've ever met Peter, and I was so EXCITED! He was awesome!)

Every Disney character is unique. They each have brilliant personalities (which has made them so successful for so long), that always shine through when you meet them. Over time you begin to feel like you know them. Like I know that Goofy loves to tickle, or that Minnie will blow me a kiss when we say goodbye, and Mickey will always give the BEST hugs.
I'll leave you with one of my favorite images of my sister-in-law Ashley and Mickey. This is one of those moments that she'll treasure for years to come, and I'm so glad I was able to capture it for her.

Until next time, keep shooting!