A method whereby personalized photographic images are obtained of patrons in an entertainment venue, such as a theme park. The system employs a unique machine-readable identification tap (49) located in a device such as a card, pin, or bracelet, which is attached to the patron (43). The identification tag is decoded by readers (52) positioned at various locations within the entertainment venue. This identification information is matched with electronic images of the patron carrying the identification tag that are captured by digital cameras (63). The electronic images along with the matched patron identities are collected at a storage device (71). At a distribution station (77), the patron can view images (85) corresponding to his tap identification, and the images may be printed (87) or may be delivered in electronic form on a videotape, CD, or e-mail. The images distributed to patrons may be single-frame images or video recorded images with audio. The images may be modified for entertainment effect prior to distribution.