On-Ride Photo idea

I had this idea a while ago and was wondering if anyone else had though of this, or of anyone could shed some light on the "technical" end of how on-ride photo systems work.

For years I thought on-ride photos were a big waste of money, but lately I've enjoyed buying a photo now and then for the "collection". One of the bigger reasons I don't like getting the photos isn't because of the price (which IMO is kind of expensive...) but the fact that once you purchase the picture, you have to carry it around the rest of the day.

Soooooo..... an idea for on-ride photos in the 2000's -- a system whereby a rider could purchase the photo and the park would E-MAIL the digital photo to you, rather than having to carry around a picture all day.

I'd much prefer a system like this, and I would certainly buy more if I didn't have to carry them around. Not to mention that every time I get an on-ride photo, I end up scanning it anyways. Having the digital version would save me the trouble AND gave me the original digital version.

I'm not sure how logistically or technically feasible this would be for a park.

Seriously though, the park could charge less (since they don't have to provide a frame, photo paper, ink, etc.) and most likely increase consumer purchases. I know *I* would buy more.

Comments?

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Men are like parking spaces... the good ones are all taken and the rest are handicapped or too far away.
www.TiggerMan.com

As good as your idea is, I don't think it would be widely accepted as a replacement. Now, if you wanted to add it as an extra service, making it an option to have it emailed to you or given to you physically, that would not be bad. A lot of people get the pictures to put in a photo album. Besides, you would need a high quality printer and paper to get a decent looking picture if you ever wanted to print it out from email. In the long run, it might be more trouble to the consumer and it would make a lot of trouble for the park. Plus, you have to worry about whether they remember to email it to you. At least when you get the physical picture, they give you a receipt and you can wait there and actually get the picture.

I can't help but think it is also some sort of marketing reason for the physical pictures. Getting them forces some people to pay money and rent a locker, bringing more money to the park. The prices seem steep but relatively speaking, they are not that bad when compared to an amusement park pricing system. The pictures are generally high quality, in color, and fairly big. Besides, the technology to get a picture of EVERY seat on the coaster, that good, going that fast cannot come cheap.

Bottom line, it is a good idea but a lot of issues arise with it. If handled correctly, I am sure it could work but I am also sure that they would charge more.

I think it would be cool to get them sent thru email. I'm sure they would get a ton of people who forget there email or give them the wrong addy. Charging less would be one reason a park wouldn't do it. But then again with a cheaper price they may sell more photos that way. Althogh there is the option of dropping them off at the car after you make several purchases.

I think the best thing they could do is to do what Disney does. When we were at DCA last year we bought an on ride photo at CA Screamin and they held onto it till the end of the day. When we were leaving we stoped at the pick up place gave them the order number and got our photo back.

At PKI when I was there in 2000 they had e postcards. I think it was $5 the machine would take your picture in front of the fountains and tower then you could write a short message and send it to 5 people thru email.

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Knoebels visits in 2002. 6

Put it in a locker. Pick it up on your way out.

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Kara owes me two cookies. hmmmmm cookies.

Viper: Exactly... I am not suggesting it as a replacement, but rather an additional service parks could provide to (possibly?) increase revenue from photos.

PkiFan: I am quite well aware of lockers, I wasn't born last week. :)

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Men are like parking spaces... the good ones are all taken and the rest are handicapped or too far away.
www.TiggerMan.com

I think that's a great idea.

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www.coasterimage.com
Dorney Park visits in 2002: 14

I agree about it being a good idea. A park could offer this second option for a few dollars less than for getting an actual print to take with you. With little to no material costs to incur, this would be even more profitable to the park than actually printing the photo out.

Hell...why stop there? Offer patrons the chance to have that photo they take as you walk into the park emailed to you as well.

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James Draeger
-Proud co-founder of the Coasterbuzz street team

I think it's a great idea, or even just to get your postal address and have it mailed to you.

This shouldn't be a foreign concept. I mean, at BGW, you can have them hold the stuff you buy at shops and pick it up on your way out. It's a great service.

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Jeff - Webmaster/Admin - CoasterBuzz.com, Sillynonsense.com
7/27: Subdivision Cam becomes party cam at the year's hottest Ohio luau!

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TiggerMan said:

Seriously though, the park could charge less (since they don't have to provide a frame, photo paper, ink, etc.) and most likely increase consumer purchases. I know *I* would buy more.

Comments?

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Men are like parking spaces... the good ones are all taken and the rest are handicapped or too far away.
www.TiggerMan.com

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The parks don't want to sell them for less, they need/want your money. I like the idea as it would be very convienient, but it just wouldn't happen.

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Go AVS!!! AVS will repeat!!!

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Jeff said:

This shouldn't be a foreign concept. I mean, at BGW, you can have them hold the stuff you buy at shops and pick it up on your way out. It's a great service.

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BGW isn't alone in this. I know CP offers it as well (at some of their stores at least).

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James Draeger
-Proud co-founder of the Coasterbuzz street team

The only draw back about this whole process would be sending out each individual email or just plain....mail. It'd take to long and would cost the park more because of the salaries of the people they'd HAVE TO higher to get this whole process done.

Good Idea but parks have figured out the easiest way. After the guest buys it they don't have anything to do with it anymore. NO additional mailing.

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Kara owes me two cookies. hmmmmm cookies.

Last year at the OC Fair, they has an onride pic on the Wild Mouse. You had the option of not getting a printout, but a floppy disk version of the photo. You still have to carry it around, however.

I really like the e-mail version idea. If it were only 2-3 bucks, I'd buy alot more. Even the average "less than $100" color printers will print just great on photo paper, so I doubt that is even an issue. Besides, the people who want the e-mail pics will know how to print them.

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Nothing... NOTHING... can prepare you for... the Fourth Dimension!

Great idea. The onyl downside though is what if someone gives the wrong addy and wants there money back?

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The former CPJunkie. CB Club Member. 120 coasters :)

Its a good idea, but unless you have one of those Kodak Professional Printers and a certain type of paper, the quality wouldn't be as good.

It would also mean the parks would have to have more computers hooked to the internet.

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"The fish are eating the guest, sir

in some UK parks they have started to use a system where you can email your ride photos to an anyone you want. i think it is about £5 for email whereas a normal photo is about £4.50. it is good value i think as you can send the photo onto as many people as you want and print out as many people as you want.

PkI FaNaTiC: What people do you need to "higher?" It's all automated. Do you think when I order photos from Ofoto someone takes my uploads and manually feeds them to the printer? Do you think that if such a system existed they would do anything more than take your e-mail, and the image would be sent immediately? I should hope not.

Dukeis#1: You don't need fancy printers. As it is, the printers they use are overkill for the low resolution cameras they use. I can get 8x10's out of my cheap HP printer that look great when I'm printing shots I did with my high res digital camera (Canon D60). Anything I want for keeps I upload to Ofoto and get it in the mail in two days.

Laurence has illustrated it's already being done in the UK.

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Jeff - Webmaster/Admin - CoasterBuzz.com, Sillynonsense.com
7/27: Subdivision Cam becomes party cam at the year's hottest Ohio luau!

Heck with all the interactive things being incorporated into our lives would it be really hard to install some kiosks where you simply swipe a credit card, select (or input) your desired photo's ID number (you already use this when buying a photo) and inputting your e-mail address. The photo could automatically be e-mailed to you. Seems like an obvious upgrade to me. I'd spend $5 to have the stuff waiting in my inbox when I got home. The whole thing costs the park nothing but the installation of the kiosks. No additional staff, no complaints about wrong e-mail addresses - you did it yourself.

I fully expect royalties once this system is implimented in parks across the world :)

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www.coasterimage.com
Dorney Park visits in 2002: 14

*** This post was edited by Lord Gonchar on 7/25/2002. ***

But then they wouldn't make any extra cash. You've got 4 friends sitting in a row on Raging Bull, then only one person has to purchase the photo and/or the option to get a digital copy, they'll just e-mail it to their buddies.

It's a great idea though. :)

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If you're skating on thin ice, you may as well tap dance.

We were at Epcot last year at the Technologies exibit. There you could send an e-greeting video to someone online. All you did was give them your name, e-mail and the recipients e-mail. No rocket science. So I sent myself a 30 second greeting from Epcot. So it is easy to do and not to mention Disney did it for FREE. I really like the idea and think if they charged less it would work for me as well.

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Soggy said:
Last year at the OC Fair, they has an onride pic on the Wild Mouse. You had the option of not getting a printout, but a floppy disk version of the photo. You still have to carry it around, however.

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I thought (though I could have just seen what you said above) I remember that at this year's fair they could E-Mail the picture to you.

Its a good idea, but honestly, I'd rather have the printed out picture on the spot. I have a feeling that even with a decent color printer, the quality of their photos would be better than what I could print myself.

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