Formal Night Disney Style

Formal Night Disney Style

6^th February 2012

After training today, we had formal night. For the people who told me Disney Cruise Lines do not have formal night, you are wrong!

Originally, I was supposed to be working the first shift in Shutters. However, when I arrived, I was told I was changing places with Clarita and shooting Ship instead.  After all those months of shooting ship on Mariner of the Seas and there I was, shooting Disney Magic’s version of the Ship backdrop. My target was 425.

By the first session I’d shot 120 images so I wasn’t doing too badly and there was a constant stream of people coming into the studio for portraits. There was hardly any need for me to smudge, the complete opposite to Mariner of the Seas while cruising the Mediterranean.

Shooting Ressi went really smoothly as there are fewer guests than on Mariner. The atmosphere is more relaxed. You obviously have to wait for the kids to smile, look at the camera or parents constantly wiping the chocolate/crumbs from around their mouths.

A couple of parents even asked me to take a photo of their drooling “Sleeping Beauties” who’d crashed out across two chairs. On the Mariner, that would have been an excuse as to why you shouldn’t take their photo. “No, my son’s asleep and we want him in the photo… maybe another time.” I came out with around 129 images, which was within the Photog3 target.

Image have changed their rules again. Before, you were just given a target based on the backdrop, centrum or amount of people on your floor in the dining room. Nowadays, Image are preparing the targets by your status. If you’re P1, you get, for example, a target of 100. P2, 150 and P3 have a 300 image target.

Needless to say I was pleased with myself for hitting the P3 target, even though I know I won’t be promoted any time soon. Image have also put a ban on promotions from P2 to P3, as they say BM’s are being far too lenient. First you’ve got to hit the P3 targets, prove you can sell and print the way a Photog 3 should, complete you’re checklist and then maybe, you will be promoted. Having said that, if you are P3 and do the opposite, you can easily get demoted to a Photog 2 position.

Second session went smoothly and my overall image count was notched up from 120 to 280.

Ressi, again went well. I followed our Photo 3, Bjanca’s (Croatia) lead, completed my side and went up to the next dining room (Parrot Cay) with her.  Again I surpassed my photog 2 target and hit the Photo 3’s. I’m feeling confident that all I need to do is learn how to print and within the space of a month or so, I’ll be promoted. If not, I’ll be ever so slightly disappointed in myself.

To be honest, I’m secretly cursing Ritesh for refusing to show me how to print and constantly sticking me on ViewFinder. If he’d actually had done his job when I was scheduled for Lab Training, rather than “I’m too busy”, then there’s a possibility I’d have been promoted within weeks. Looking on the other side, if I’d have done my competencies while on the Mariner, Reuben would have promoted me to P3 without a problem. Having said that, by the looks of things, I’d have been demoted for my inability to print.

Last session of shooting Ship, again, went well although it was much, much slower than previous sessions. Everyone was on the deck below waiting to have their photo taken with Donald and Daisy Duck, Goofy in formal attire. By the end of the session I had 374 but the AMP, Diva from the Philippines, thought I’d done a good job.

There’s one huge difference from Royal Caribbean formal nights to Disney Cruise Line’s. On Royal Caribbean you have to stop people from taking photos, using their own cameras, in the studios at all costs. Here on Disney ships, guests are allowed to take photos with their own cameras, while you’re taking photos on your professional camera. It doesn’t make sense as it’ll obviously cut down our revenue. At one point, while taking photos of two siblings I had a parent on either side of me with Nikon D90s, snapping away.

Later on, while talking to two of the other photographers, I asked about pay. I was interested in how much they earned to get a rough idea as to what I should be expecting. Before joining I was told the photog 2’s were earning around $450 and photog 3’s $550 a week. Turns out that's a load of bull! In reality they are earning $240 (P2) to $280 (P3) a week. Do people over exaggerate our pay to entice us into coming back for another contract? I think so!

Let’s see what happens. I’m not expecting my first couple of paycheques to be high, but once I get into the swing of things, know the prices and details off by heart, I’m hoping the money will start rolling in. The lack of merchandise is shocking though, all we can sell are folios. There’s no cruise DVD, scrap books, photo albums, frames – nothing – and they were the items that bumped your wages up. My fingers are crossed that this is a money making ship but somehow I think my parade may get rained on!