GAF Photo Tips - 1972

In 1972, during Walt Disney World’s first year of operation, GAF was the official film of the Vacation Kingdom. They also sponsored the handy information guide given to guests. The centerpiece of the guide was a four page spread of GAF Photo Tips. Here are words of shutterbug wisdom every bit as valuable in today’s digital camera age, as they were over thirty-five years ago. My favorite: Some pictures don’t need the family. (In other words--quit blocking the submarine!) Click on the images for enlarged versions.

Long before the advent of camcorders, home movie buffs were given these pointers:

Wind motor after each scene. This way you’ll never “run out of gas” in the middle of exciting action.

Important! . . .Don’t try to film the entire Jungle Cruise, for example, on a few seconds of film. Remember that a minimum of five full seconds is normally required for any movie scene to be enjoyed and understood.

Under the heading An Important Word About Flashbulbs is some information worthy of Lou Mongello’s next Walt Disney World Trivia book:

Don’t try to illuminate subjects or anything further than 12 feet away. Large or distant objects at night must be shot with time exposure. A flash picture of Cinderella Castle would require more than 100,000 flashbulbs!

The rest of the Information Guide is a great snapshot (sorry) of Walt Disney World shortly after its opening. I’ll share some of its other highlights in an upcoming post.