Submit your caption for this month’s Walt Disney World photo contest using you first name and list initial (one per person, please) in the comments section below. Please limit captions to 200 characters or they can’t be considered for voting.

Caption entries will be accepted until December 15th at midnight EST. We will then pick up to 20 entries and then put them to a vote. The winner will receive a prize from the WDW Radio prize closet.

Also, I am looking for fun and interesting photos that have been taking on Walt Disney World property for future contest. If you have something good, please email it to me at lori@wdwradio.com

Thanks to Jamie R. for providing this month’s photo.

The post Walt Disney World Photo Caption Contest – December 2012 appeared first on WDW Radio - Your Walt Disney World Information Station by Lou Mongello.

We want to highlight Self Shots taken by YOU – the readers and members of the WDW Radio family here on the blog!

So we’re asking YOU to send in your Self-Shots from within the Disney parks and resorts.  We will choose some every Tuesday to highlight here on the blog.  The self shots can be alone or in a group, funny or serious.  Send them to us, and we will feature some each week.

Here are the guidelines for Self Shots:

• Take of photo of yourself a Disney Park/Resort using your cell phone or camera
• It can be an individual shot, with a character, group, etc.
• You must be in the photo and have snapped the picture yourself
• Send it in to be posted on blog every Tuesday – please indicate what names should be posted (if any) with the picture.

We’ve included a couple of Lou’s Self Shots as examples.  Have fun and check back with us often!

Send your self shot to photos@wdwradio.com or Tweet them to @LouMongello and then check the blog each week.  We’ll post new pictures every Tuesday! If you have any questions, please email Christy@WDWRadio.com

The post Share Your WDW Photos for WDW Radio Self-Shot Tuesdays! appeared first on WDW Radio - Your Walt Disney World Information Station by Lou Mongello.

If you have ridden a thrill ride in Disney World, you know that a camera is located at the peak of the ride so that it will catch you off guard. These pictures are entertaining to look at, and some people buy them to put in a photo album or to bring out to embarrass somebody in the picture. After riding an attraction that involves a camera multiple times, you learn where the cameras are and expect the flash. People have embraced this knowledge and have used it to their advantage by posing and giving everybody a laugh when they see what the person was doing in the picture. Here are ways to have a unique Disney ride photo.

Using signs on rides are a unique way to get a message across in a photo.  You can just fold a piece of paper in your pocket and wait until towards the end of the ride to get them out of your pockets and facing the camera. One of the most famous (infamous) ride pictures are four best friends in the same log who held up signs showing that they loved to party on Splash Mountain. My absolute FAVORITE picture involving signs was actually taken in Disneyland.  Four guys and one man’s girlfriend hopped on a log embarking on a journey. Little did she know that it was going to be a journey she would never forget. When it came time for Brer Rabbit to get sent back down to the Briar Patch, the four men behind the lady (she was in the front) faced the camera and held up these signs. When they exited the ride and went to see their ride photo, Lindsay (the woman in the log) bursts into tears. The signs read “Lindsay will you marry me?” with a ring. One of the men proposed through a ride photo! Now how unique is that!

Posing is another easy and simple thing to do on attractions. Some make more sense on certain rides, like making the famous “Rock On” sign on the Rock N Roller Coaster (I have done this one before) and looking like you are about to dive on Splash Mountain. One of the most famous poses on the internet (and the one that I most commonly see when I am in the parks) is falling asleep. All you have to do is close your eyes, put your hands together and then place your hands under your head and lean on them. This one looks better when everybody on the ride does it.

My absolute favorite things to see in ride pictures are props. You can plan to make a face during the ride or make signs minutes before, but it take planning to use props for the picture. Some include playing a board game like chess or Monopoly (this has to be on a long, slow ride like Splash Mountain) and reading a book or newspaper. “Talking” on the phone (“Hello? Why am I not getting any reception?”) requires, well, a phone. But if you are on a ride that could get you wet like Splash Mountain or goes super-fast like the Rock N Roller Coaster, I wouldn’t recommend it. Instead, attach 2 cans to a piece of string and talk to somebody else on the ride! One that is always funny is acting like you’re lost with a park map.  The picture I have included is a great example of what I am talking about (Thanks to Haley for letting me use her picture. And yes, I am aware that this was taken at Disneyland.) Taking a photo of the camera taking a picture of you would look best on Tower of Terror or Test Track, since Splash Mountain could get your camera wet, Rock ‘N’ Roller Coaster won’t give you time, you are concentrating on beating your partner during Space Ranger Spin, and DINOSAUR! is a dark ride (I hate when people use flash during dark rides). Plus, on the Tower of Terror, you can see the camera clearly and you are usually at the top for a few seconds before moving.

A group of ride snapshots called “School Comes First” would be great if you are missing school to visit the parks. You take a notebook or textbook on every single ride with a camera (the same notebook or textbook). In the picture, try to look like you are studying hard. Don’t forget to show your teachers when you get back home. When you are putting together your photo album, make sure that they are back-to-back-to-back. It would make it SO much better and funnier! Shaving could also lead to a very comical picture, but I believe would look better on Splash Mountain.

A very simple thing to do before that flash goes off is to make faces. These can be planned in the queue line or even on the ride itself! I have done a few of these, including looking bored. This is great, especially if the whole vehicle decides to do it. Looking confused is a classic one that I have seen people do. Maybe you could even capture the picture “Wait: this isn’t It’s a Small World…” or something of the sort. That is sure to get a laugh!

Costume is an element that I haven’t seen in a lot of ride pictures. Disney won’t allow people dressed as princesses and other notable characters inside the park gates, so if you wanted to do this don’t make it too obvious. If you wanted to go as a character, don’t get a full blown costume. You won’t see the bottom half anyway! For example, if you wanted to go to the parks as Tinkerbell, don’t wear a wig or the shoes – maybe even just wear a shirt that looks like the top of her dress and jeans. If you don’t dress up as a character, you should not have a problem. I’ve seen two boys dressed up as the Men in Black Agents (or Secret Service Agents) and ride Splash Mountain. The picture is priceless! Dressing up like a pirate is one that works great at any of the Magic Kingdom rides because they sell Pirate gear in the Pirates of the Caribbean gift shop and dress you up at the Pirate League. As long as you don’t go all-out (not including the Pirates League – unless you look a lot like Johnny Depp) you should have a smooth trip past security.

Keep in mind that if you do something inappropriate, the Cast Member will not show you your picture. It will not be available for purchase, and you could risk being kicked out of the park. So don’t do something stupid- this is meant to make your pictures fun. On that note, do you have any ideas of what to do when you see that flash? Leave a comment down below letting me know! I would LOVE to try some new things next time I go to Walt Disney World!

Diane got my “Where in the World?” question correct first. It is the truck where you can find Little Red at the end of Kilimanjaro Safaris.

See ya REAL soon!
~Makena W.

Quote of the Week: “The ancients spoke of it. It is the heart of this fierce land. It is carried in the wind. Born of our legends and when we are put to the test, it is the one thing that we must always be.” ~ Merida, Brave

The post Distinctive Disney Ride Photos appeared first on WDW Radio - Your Walt Disney World Information Station by Lou Mongello.