Back in the day, professional photography was almost synonymous with cruise travel, what with staff ready to snap guest images at the gangway or ship railing with an analog single lens reflex camera. Of course, back then, digital photography was not yet ubiquitous nor was the selfie, which makes one wonder what the future may hold for such traditional services onboard cruise ships.

On most mainstream lines, photographers do still make the rounds to take images now on their DSLRs, sometimes even tethered to a key reader to electronically tag the specific guest in it, and many of them are still printed and displayed throughout the halls for purchase.

However, the landscape is also changing.

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More and more are switching to all-digital kiosks where images can be viewed and printed on-demand. This ensures that photos are not printed and recycled, unnecessarily producing environmentally hazardous collateral, unless a buyer has already committed to a purchase. Others have abandoned photo programs entirely such as Viking Cruises.

Besides, plenty of guests have their own equipment that is far superior to what was available even a decade ago, and as smartphones have taken off in popularity, so too have selfies, negating the very need for a third-party photographer, professional or otherwise.

What is starting to be seen more often are professional photo studios onboard. Rather than capturing candid images of guests around the ship or, worse yet, at the dinner table, sittings are available to schedule for fully-produced portraiture. Even Disney Cruise Line’s newly remodeled Disney Wonder added a Shutters Portrait Studio for family images.

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Disney Cruise Line is also likely to be one to remain strong as a provider of candid photo sales thanks to the continuous scheduling of character meet-and-greets. What is refreshing in those cases is how the cruise line will capture the image on its cameras in addition to the guests’ should passengers opt not to pay for prints.

One thing that would be nice to see more of is an option to just buy the digital files. So many life experiences are now centered around social media that printing photos is not as crucial as is the means to share them online.

In fact, an added perk of annual shoreside passes to Disneyland is unlimited complimentary access to Disney PhotoPass for those with Disney Signature level theme park entry or above. In other words, every professionally taken portrait in the park is almost immediately available to freely download in full resolution to the smartphone app for saving, sharing or printing. How great would it be if a similar option was offered onboard, even if sold for a flat fee.

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