children's photos
Vicki Powers
daughters and I'm not sure where to turn. We've tried several of the
large dept. stores and have had bad experiences (bad pictures and rude
service -- you get what you pay for, I guess). There are lots of photographers
in the yellow pages, but I know nothing about them. How does one go about
choosing a photographer/studio? I'm clueless! Also, I would like a rough
idea of the costs involved, has anyone done this (used an independent
photographer/studio)?
Thanks for any tips.
Vicki
--
Vicki Powers | When a student reads in a math book that there are no
Emory University | absolutes, suddenly every value he's been taught is
Dept of Math and CS | destroyed. And the next thing you know, the student
Atlanta, GA 30322 | turns to crime and drugs. - Mel Gabler
Susann A. Democker-Shedd
that would love to take photos. They need money, they need experience,
they need models for assignments. Even if they needed to do "weird
lighting for the assignment they could also take a few more traditional
poses. It would be a change from the boring sit a a fake rug with
painted clouds in the background sort of picture.
Marjorie Peskin
: I work at a large university and we have many good photographers students
Just what I was about to advise! I had a Harvard Grad Student come to
the house to take some photos last winter. She did black and white
portrait work, and some of the photos were magnificent. I saw her ad in
a local indoor playground, and after talking to her, she agreed to
photograph my kids for free in exchange for using some of the
photographs for her Master's show. It was a great deal for us both, and
I ended up with just what I was looking for, which were photos that
showed what our life was like at that moment in time.
--
Marjorie Peskin (formerly m...@world.std.com)
Mum to Graham and Gemma Topaz, 8/24/92
---Toddlers: Can't live with 'em...
Can't convince them what *NO* means!
Anne Hill Wiebe
trish <trici...@aol.com> wrote:
>In article <2d.62997.17...@exchange.com>, liz.w...@exchange.com
>(Liz Wallis) wrote:
>
>> V>I would like to have some professional photos taken of my (beautiful!)
>> >daughters and I'm not sure where to turn. We've tried several of the
>> >large dept. stores and have had bad experiences (bad pictures and rude
>>
>
>Kinderphoto with Jake and was pleasantly surprised! They generally run a
>"gitcha" special with lots of pictures for around $8-$10. These are "their
>choice" which I was not wild about - but when they came back they were
>great! They chose the ones I would have and we got lots of cute pictures
>for not much money!
>
>The catch with Kinderphoto is that they also take pictures on "premium"
>backgrounds with props that cost more and they try to get you to buy those,
>too. But I was happy with the promos.
Most of the dept. stores have this, where they choose for you.
Some of them do as Sears does, where only the first (usually
the worst) photo is the cheap one. This is so they can do the
hardsell and get you to spend $$$ since -- of course, HOW can
you leave behind these "irreplaceable" images of your darling
child? I think this kind of deal is pretty sleazy, myself.
I don't have a real answer. I do know that Penney's lets YOU
choose which pose is your coupon special. That's a plus, but
they still set up the poses and must take exactly the same
poses for each child. I've NEVER understood that. For myself,
I prefer a head&shoulders shot and CANNOT persuade Sears or
Penney's or Walmart or Kmart to do this. I don't get it.
I did have a good experience with Back-in-a-Flash; they have
their own photographer, and at least where we went, you could
have them take whatever you want. They then have the proofs
within an hour (we went and had dinner then came back) and
choose what to have made into a package. Not as cheap, though;
I was pretty surprised that the cheapest package was about $45
or so now -- but it *was* just what I wanted. If you have the
1993 photoalbum, our family photo was through Back in a Flash.
One exception is
--
Anne Hill Wiebe (p.176 PA) * Mom to Elizabeth: now she is six!
(wi...@goliath.csr.utexas.edu)*"Now that I'm six, I'm as Clever as
or: wi...@uts.cc.utexas.edu * clever, I think I'll stay six now
CSR, Univ. of Texas at Austin * for ever and ever!" - A. Milne
Donald R. Putnick
Anne Hill Wiebe <wi...@uts.cc.utexas.edu> wrote:
>
>I don't have a real answer. I do know that Penney's lets YOU
>choose which pose is your coupon special. That's a plus, but
>they still set up the poses and must take exactly the same
>poses for each child. I've NEVER understood that. For myself,
>I prefer a head&shoulders shot and CANNOT persuade Sears or
>Penney's or Walmart or Kmart to do this. I don't get it.
>
The reason is pure profit. If they limit the poses, they can set up the
camera, the lighting, and the background once. Then they can hire cheap
labor. To do anything non-standard would require time, skilled labor, and
an investment in a variety of lenses and lighting.
By the way, I love head and shoulders shots. But what that means is a
telephoto lens with a tripod and excellent lighting or getting right in the
child's face with a normal lens. In other words, not routine.
Children's photography is perhaps one of the most difficult assignments for a
photographer - uncooperative subject and demanding customer. You get what
you pay for.
--
Don Putnick
dput...@alumni.caltech.edu
Beth Weiss
>choose which pose is your coupon special. That's a plus, but
>they still set up the poses and must take exactly the same
>poses for each child. I've NEVER understood that. For myself,
>I prefer a head&shoulders shot and CANNOT persuade Sears or
>Penney's or Walmart or Kmart to do this. I don't get it.
I haven't had any trouble getting Penney's to do this. We found out
that the third picture is always the one they do the miniprints of, so
we request that the 3rd picture be a closeup, and they do that.
I know that the photographers we've had at Penney's have been willing
to adjust to the shots that we want (poses, props, backgrounds, etc.).
It could just be our store, of course (or that I gave one of the
photographers the breastpump FAQ file and the name of a local
lactation consultant :-)
We once had really good professional photographers do a family shot.
The quality really was much better than you get at any of the cheap
places. The pros are much more observant--the made sure that diapers
weren't showing, that collars were straight, etc. Unfortunately, we
waited over an hour past our appointment time to get our pictures
done, and as a result, we had a crying child instead of the smiling
one we'd had at the time our appointment was supposed to be.
(This was at Montgomery Wards, of all places, but I CANNOT recommend
them, due to the incredibly long waits and their astronomical prices.)
--
--Beth Weiss
bwe...@cs.arizona.edu
Liz Wallis
>daughters and I'm not sure where to turn. We've tried several of the
>large dept. stores and have had bad experiences (bad pictures and rude
Us too! (posting for daughter Katherine and granddaughter
Rebecah)
Kate got tons of coupons for pictures from local department
stores. Every one of them had some hidden catch that either made the
pictures cost more or excluded something.
Sears was the worst - Rebecah was squirmy and fussing and
Kate suggested after the first attempt that we come back in the morning
when Becky wouldn't be so tired. The photographer said, "Oh, no, I can
get a picture, I promise you!' She then BLEW IN THE BABY'S FACE to make
her stop fussing! After taking eight or ten different poses (only one
of which was even halfway decent) she told us that only the first
picture qualified for the coupon offer. If we had known that, we would
not have agreed to let her go ahead with an already fussy baby, but she
had implied that she could manage to take a good picture, without, of
course, telling us that it would cost us extra to get it.
Similar stories with all the others - I assumed that
professional studios would be too outrageously expensive, so didn't
check them out.
<<< LiZ >>>
---
* QMPro 1.0 41-9134 * A lie that can be passed off as truth becomes truth.
trish
> V>I would like to have some professional photos taken of my (beautiful!)
> >daughters and I'm not sure where to turn. We've tried several of the
> >large dept. stores and have had bad experiences (bad pictures and rude
>
> Us too! (posting for daughter Katherine and granddaughter
> Rebecah)
>
> Kate got tons of coupons for pictures from local department
> stores. Every one of them had some hidden catch that either made the
> pictures cost more or excluded something.
>
> Sears was the worst - Rebecah was squirmy and fussing and
>
> Similar stories with all the others - I assumed that
> professional studios would be too outrageously expensive, so didn't
> check them out.
(lots of stuff about bad experiences with dept. store pictures deleted)
I don't know if they have them in your area or not - but I just tried
Kinderphoto with Jake and was pleasantly surprised! They generally run a
"gitcha" special with lots of pictures for around $8-$10. These are "their
choice" which I was not wild about - but when they came back they were
great! They chose the ones I would have and we got lots of cute pictures
for not much money!
The catch with Kinderphoto is that they also take pictures on "premium"
backgrounds with props that cost more and they try to get you to buy those,
too. But I was happy with the promos.
I can see where this could work out "not so well" - but for us it was good!
YMMV of course...
David Kassover
...
>
>I don't have a real answer. I do know that Penney's lets YOU
>choose which pose is your coupon special. That's a plus, but
>they still set up the poses and must take exactly the same
>poses for each child. I've NEVER understood that. For myself,
>I prefer a head&shoulders shot and CANNOT persuade Sears or
>Penney's or Walmart or Kmart to do this. I don't get it.
>
department store studios are not photographers; they are assembly
line operators in which some of the machinery happens to be
cameras and strobelights and such.
IMO, the suggestion of finding some photo/art students at a
reasonable sized university is a good one. For that matter, one
might inquire if the university's staff photogs are able and
willing to take commissions. Or see who the senior class
yearbook committee hires to do theirs.
Or find a wedding/funeral/barmitzvah photographer; some of them
do make housecalls 8-)
Don't forget, in some sense you are commissioning "ART"; if all
you want are some snaps you might was well try one of those
booths in the mall that offer 3 poses for a quarter. (no doubt
I've just dated myself 8-)
I will say that I, in some sense a serious amateur, have taken
better photos than I have gotten back from Penney's. OTOH, the
rest of my family does appreciate me being in the picture for the
canonical formals.
--
David Kassover "Proper technique helps protect you against
RPI BSEE '77 MSCSE '81 sharp weapons and dull judges."
kass...@aule-tek.com F. Collins
kass...@ra.crd.ge.com
sue marquette poremba
our own portraits of the kids last Christmas.
We picked a setting, which in this case was our library with the fire
roaring in the fireplace. Jack took the pictures. He used a tripod, but I
think only one type of lens. Some of the pictures didn't turn out so great,
but there were a few that were incredible. We picked the one we liked best
and had them blown up into 8 by 10 sizes. We had a coupon -- by 2 get a 3rd
free -- which really cut down on the price. We also picked a second picture
and had copies made that we sent out in Christmas cards or used in creative
presents.
The con to doing this was number of good pictures was limited. Only a
couple turned out well enough to be used. And it means that you need
someone who you can trust to take good pictures. (Jack is big into
photography, so he enjoyed the "session.") But the pros outweighed the cons.
We didn't have to worry about cranky kids -- we could have done this any
time. We were able to use our puppy in the pictures, which thrilled the
kids, and the people who got the pictures liked that little touch. But to
me, the most important aspect was there was no one forcing the kids to
smile. Dylan takes his best pictures when he isn't smiling, partly because
when he is told to smile, he gets this goofy expression on his face (I dread
his school pictures). Jack was able to capture the kids'personalities
because he knew them. I got a lot of feedback about the pictures: people
wanting to know who took them, people who had never seen our house who
wanted to know if the background was real (I can't tell you how many people
said "That fire looks so *real*."), and nearly everyone thought that the
pictures really caught the kids as they are.
Sue Poremba (mom to Kristi and Dylan, aka Teddy)
Susann A. Democker-Shedd
yr. And the different stores vary on the quality of the photographers.
We finally found one where the photographer actually seemed to enjoy her
job. Now they have this really cool process. They take 5 poses with
five different backgrounds (including some new choices) after they take
each pose they show it on a color moniter for you to approve or deny, no
more closed eyes, weird smiles, hair sticking up, If you don't like it
they redo it! At the end of the session they show you all 5 poses and
you choose which one you want made into the package (usually 103 photos
for 14.95, 3 10x13, 4 8x10, 4? 5x7, 40 2x3, and a lot of micros). This
way there are no surprise when you pick up the picture and you decide
then what you want to buy. before when you went to pick up the photos
they made you sit down and look at them all and if you didn't want all
they would tell you they were throwing them out! I hated that!
-Karlovsky,G.B.
Susann A. Democker-Shedd <sade...@mailbox.syr.edu> wrote:
>I have been taking my daughter to Sear's every two months until she was 1
>yr. And the different stores vary on the quality of the photographers.
<stuff deleted>
>you choose which one you want made into the package (usually 103 photos
>for 14.95, 3 10x13, 4 8x10, 4? 5x7, 40 2x3, and a lot of micros). This
Just FYI, this package is no longer available. We went to Sears last week
for these, perfect for us because with three sets of grandparent and one set of
parents, there would be enough 8x10s. Alas, the current package is the same
minus 2 of the 10x13s and 1 of the 8x10s making it 100 photos for 19.95.
Okay for most, but not for us.
---
Gail Karlovsky
gail.ka...@att.com
Mom to Adrienne (4/30/90) and Ian (9/26/93)
Susan Hough
>In article <36hl8l$3...@curly.cc.utexas.edu> wi...@uts.cc.utexas.edu (Anne Hill Wiebe) writes:
>...
>>
>>I don't have a real answer. I do know that Penney's lets YOU
>>choose which pose is your coupon special. That's a plus, but
>>
>department store studios are not photographers; they are assembly
>line operators in which some of the machinery happens to be
>cameras and strobelights and such.
I'm not so sure...there are a _lot_ of people in the world with
a good eye for photography & most of them are not going to end up
being 'real' professional photographers. Some dept. store photographers
may have an abject lack of inspiration, but my hunch is that a lot
of them do have considerable aptitude.
I've only ever had formal baby portraits done once, and was not at all
impressed. They were technically quite good, but the photographer just
wasn't able to get my daughter's face to 'light up'. Meanwhile I've had
a couple of really good pictures taken at Sears/Penney's/whatever.
Sue
Mike Dedek
|> Just FYI, this package is no longer available. We went to Sears last week
|> for these, perfect for us because with three sets of grandparent and one set of
|> parents, there would be enough 8x10s. Alas, the current package is the same
|> minus 2 of the 10x13s and 1 of the 8x10s making it 100 photos for 19.95.
|> Okay for most, but not for us.
When we were at Sears last week, they said the 103 picture offer was good
until 10/31, as long as you have a coupon with that offer that hasn't
expired. They quit publishing the coupons a couple of months ago. We've
been saving one of them for our Christmas family portrait.
I agree the new offer isn't as good, and we may try another studio because
of it.
-Mike Dedek
Jeff Jackson
Its not really all that hard to take good photographs yourself. In
fact, its a lot more fun. Plus, when you do it yourself, you can take
them "on location" rather than using those cheesy backdrops the
studios always have. Take them to a park with a lake and pose them on the
picnic table. Or in a canoe. To to a butterfly zoo and capture their
expression when a gorgeous butterfly lights on their hand. To a regular
zoo and capture their antics as they imitate the apes.
If you don't feel competent enough to focus, get a autofocus camera,
like a Nikon or Canon. Shoot lots of pictures. Don't just snap one
shot of a pose and move on to the next. Shoot several shots of each.
Refocus each time. Shoot from a different angle. Shoot when they are
looking at the camera *and* when they aren't. The more you shoot, the
more likely you'll get some good shots. The more you shoot, the
better at getting good shots you'll get. Study both the good shots
and the bad ones to determine what you did right *and* what you did
wrong.
Don't go on location for the purpose of shooting some pictures of the
kids. Go on location for the purpose of shooting some pictures of the
kids having fun. Let them shoot pictures too.
--
===========================================================================
Jeffrey Glen Jackson _|_Satan jeered, "You're dead meat Jesus, I'm gonna
j...@ssd.csd.harris.com | bust you up tonight."
x5483 Bungee till | Jesus said, "Go ahead, make my day."
you drop! ~~~~~~~~~ -- Carman, "The Champion"
Murphy_Billie
> Anne Hill Wiebe <wi...@uts.cc.utexas.edu> wrote:
> >I don't have a real answer. I do know that Penney's lets YOU
> >choose which pose is your coupon special. That's a plus, but
> >they still set up the poses and must take exactly the same
> >poses for each child. I've NEVER understood that. For myself,
> >I prefer a head&shoulders shot and CANNOT persuade Sears or
> >Penney's or Walmart or Kmart to do this. I don't get it.
>
> I haven't had any trouble getting Penney's to do this. We found out
> that the third picture is always the one they do the miniprints of, so
> we request that the 3rd picture be a closeup, and they do that.
>
> I know that the photographers we've had at Penney's have been willing
> to adjust to the shots that we want (poses, props, backgrounds, etc.).
> It could just be our store, of course (or that I gave one of the
> photographers the breastpump FAQ file and the name of a local
> lactation consultant :-)
We have also had good luck at Penney's 3 out of the 4 times we used them.
The first Penney's we used were exactly what you would expect with a coupon,
department store photo studio. The second and third time, we went to
a different Penney's. The ladies there were very patient and not at all
unhinged when Alex would raise his arms everytime he smiled. I had to sit
back and let them handle him. They were very coaxing.
They have a new system so they will take several pictures of each pose and
let you pick which of them you prefer. Those are the ones they make the
most copies of but they do make copies of all the poses.
We only used Sears once and never again. My son behaved very well but the
quality of the photos (developing process and focus) were very poor. They
also have a computer that lets you view the prints and give you a copy
of the shots, but they pick the "package special" and you can bet it isn't
the best shot.
I used to go to Dillards Department store, very professional looking portraits.
But, they remodled the store and took out the studio.
Billie
l...@xap.xyplex.com
In article <36f0p4$l...@octaman.mathcs.emory.edu>, <vi...@mathcs.emory.edu>
writes:
>
> I would like to have some professional photos taken of my (beautiful!)
> daughters and I'm not sure where to turn. We've tried several of the
> large dept. stores and have had bad experiences (bad pictures and rude
> service -- you get what you pay for, I guess). There are lots of
photographers
> in the yellow pages, but I know nothing about them. How does one go about
> choosing a photographer/studio? I'm clueless! Also, I would like a rough
> idea of the costs involved, has anyone done this (used an independent
> photographer/studio)?
>
> Thanks for any tips.
>
Check your local yellow pages for Olan Mills they are a chain but are
professionals and do a beautiful job. Usually they have a special package
that you can purchase that gives you several sittings over the course of
several months and include a single 8 x 10. You can always purchase more
photos but they can be rather pricey.
They do guarantee satisfaction and if you don't like any of the photos they
will do another sitting for free.
I have been very happy with all the photos they have taken.
I have also used the chain Kinderphoto and they are great if you want a lot
of pictures for a cheaper price. They specialize in taking kids photos.
They are great if you have 2 sets of grandparents that you want to share
the photos with.
But whoever you choose by all means have them done - I am so glad my
parents did and now it's great fun to compare my 'baby' pictures with
Gracie's at the same age.
Lynne (Gracie's mom 12-20-91)
or...@skydivskylit.dseg.ti.com
--
I have had the best luck with K-mart. When they start a pose, I just ask what
they're planning and make my own suggestions from there. You are paying for
it so you get to choose. I try to have a friendly but demanding attitude that
says "It's my money. I had other places to choose from to obtain this service/
product but I would like to get it here. It's OUR time - let's make the most
of it." Some people seem amazed at what I can get and get away with but I'm
not all that pushy or demanding and definitely not rude about it. I even
bargained with Macy's and got $50 off a CD-player. You should see me with
car dealerships...
Regards, Bonnie
*******************************************************************
I hate paranoid people, they're everywhere!
Anne Hill Wiebe
>
>Check your local yellow pages for Olan Mills they are a chain but are
>professionals and do a beautiful job. Usually they have a special package
I'm glad you had a good experience with Olan Mills. I
personally think it's awful to print their name on top of my
photo, then claim they have a *copyright* to that photo since
they took it! Good grief! This means it cannot be copied
except by them. And I thoroughly resent being made to
advertise this photographer just to display a portrait of a
family member.
I had reason to confront this, when my mother died suddenly.
The only fairly-recent portrait of her, for her church directory
picture, had been made by Olan Mills, and I had the only copy.
I of course wanted to duplicate this portrait for my siblings.
I went to a photography studio who wouldn't touch it because of
the Olan Mills name branded across her hands (how tacky!) --
they said they could be sued for copyright infringement. I
then called Olan Mills; the portrait had been taken three years
previously, and apparently they do not keep the negatives that
long. So they said they would send me a release letter so I
could get a duplicate made. Well -- it took over a year and
several more contacts with Olan Mills before the release letter
was finally sent.
Who wants to have a studio name printed OVER their portrait?!
David Kassover
>personally think it's awful to print their name on top of my
>photo, then claim they have a *copyright* to that photo since
>they took it! Good grief! This means it cannot be copied
>except by them. And I thoroughly resent being made to
>advertise this photographer just to display a portrait of a
>family member.
>
Firstly, according to current and past practice and law, the photographer
owns the right to make copies of any image sie makes, and
will not need to ask the permission of the subjects (or the
owners of the subjects) except under certain circumstances, or in
cases where the photographer has specifically waived those
rights.
The subjects (or the owners of the subjects) are often asked to
sign a release, before or after the images are made, and this
release should be executed before the circumstances which require
the release happen, if at all.
Read the fine print of your contract with the studio; almost
certainly it contains a description of rights and a release.
Like [almost] any contract, in theory these are negotiable, but
in practice the commercial studios will probably not.
Now, about the practice of engraving logos on the prints.
There's nothing wrong with it, if done "tastefully". If you
object, you can negotiate, with your feet if necessary. It is
really no different than the little sticker or piece of trim
indicating the dealer's name on an automobile you might buy. Has
anyone tried to negotiate a fee for such evidence of sponsorship
[for an ordinary street vehicle, not a track car or some such?]
>I had reason to confront this, when my mother died suddenly.
>The only fairly-recent portrait of her, for her church directory
>picture, had been made by Olan Mills, and I had the only copy.
>I of course wanted to duplicate this portrait for my siblings.
>I went to a photography studio who wouldn't touch it because of
>the Olan Mills name branded across her hands (how tacky!) --
>they said they could be sued for copyright infringement. I
>then called Olan Mills; the portrait had been taken three years
>previously, and apparently they do not keep the negatives that
>long. So they said they would send me a release letter so I
>could get a duplicate made. Well -- it took over a year and
>several more contacts with Olan Mills before the release letter
>was finally sent.
If one is not concerned with defending against copyright suits,
it should be fairly easy to locate someone with appropriate gear
and software, just like the stuff the pros use.
>
>Who wants to have a studio name printed OVER their portrait?!
Not many, but that's just a guess. On the other hand, I suspect
there is a fair number of people to whom the hassle of
negotiating up front, or the monetary cost of a successful
negotiation, is not worth it. Similarly, explaining *why* one
refuses to do business with a particular vendor, thus providing
valuable feedback (well, *some* businesses value it), is too
much trouble for some people.
For the chain studios, which, as I've said before, are simply
machines run by technicians, it is much too costly to expect the
logo to be moved to a location which will not obscure it unduly,
and also not unduly interefere with the main subject matter.
(are there enough commas in that sentence? No? Well, take it out
and photograph it. I mean, shoot it 8-)
Robin Hershey
;}
Robin
b
Barb Luongo
MD>until 10/31, as long as you have a coupon with that offer that hasn't
MD>expired. They quit publishing the coupons a couple of months ago. We've
MD>been saving one of them for our Christmas family portrait.
MD>I agree the new offer isn't as good, and we may try another studio because
MD>of it.
Try JCPenney. They have Kinderfoto, which we really liked when we lived
out east. They have better selections than Sears and the price is good.
If you get on their list, you'll get coupons too.
After having tried so many places, I like JCPenney's portrait studio the
best!
Barb
barb....@totembbs.com or tnv...@prodigy.com or barbl...@aol.com
* OLX 2.1 TD * 98% of all constipated people don't give a crap.