Photoshopped School Portraits draw ire of parents

[MattG]

This media report is doing the rounds here in Australia. Essentially some parents and students are upset as their school portraits have been edited to change hairstyles and jewellery at the request of the school. The photographers are quoted as saying that the school requested the changes.

So if the students and parents are the end clients, do the school have a right to do this? Or as the school is the commissioning body for the photos, do the students and parents have any reason to question the results if signed off? It's an interesting issue, I think.

[mshockley]

I know here in the states the parents pay for their kids school portraits, speaking for myself I think I would be pretty pissed if someone changed my kids hairstyle.

[NgaiHill]

Here in NZ its the parents that pay for the childs photos as well. I'd be pretty upset if the school decided to change my child's appearance in a school photo. I note that the mother says the her daughter complied with the school's dress code which is about the only reason something should be changed. But then, the school could've asked the girls to comply, with regards to earrings and hair, prior to the photos being taken.
I'd be interested to see what the school had to say about this - I note that the article doesn't give the school's response, if any.

[graciousness]

I'd comment, but then you'd bleach my brain from all the swearing I'd be typing about this subject.

@*#*#$U#(#FH#*#*W@#(@#U#*#*FHH#*)!@##@@R%#!#(%#939 12!!!@$@#!!!E!!!!!

[JFSanders]

Should not be doing any alterations unless the parents were notified prior to signing up. I pay for my kid's pictures and as such it should be my decision. Just my opinion but I would have been PO'd.

[MattG]

Update here School adamant they did not request the touch ups and pushing for a re-shoot. Not good publicity for the company, named National School Photography, I would suggest.

[jdepould]

So they did massive retouching and didn't save the originals? Why the !@#$#@$%$#% would you need a reshoot? Just go back to the original files!

[UlpilotSC]

In my school the pictures were always taken for the yearbook by the school. If the student wanted to buy pictures that was good, but not buying pictures would not prevent a student from being in the yearbook. Essentially the parents who buy pictures subsidize the photos of the cheap parents (not to mention the plethora of pages of ads in the back of the book).
So if the school is taking the photos for the yearbook, free of charge to parents, would they not have the right to edit the photos?

[graciousness]

Originally Posted by UlpilotSC

In my school the pictures were always taken for the yearbook by the school. If the student wanted to buy pictures that was good, but not buying pictures would not prevent a student from being in the yearbook. Essentially the parents who buy pictures subsidize the photos of the cheap parents (not to mention the plethora of pages of ads in the back of the book).
So if the school is taking the photos for the yearbook, free of charge to parents, would they not have the right to edit the photos?

The "cheap" parents probably do not have the means to buy the photos, or perhaps the children don't like the photos and don't want them. You're jumping into unfair conclusions about other parents' motivations or decisions in regards to their children's school 'activities'.

If the school wanted to have their yearbooks done, it doesn't mean that it is free of charge to parents. It is only free of charge if: 1) copies of photos are given to parents; 2) copies of yearbooks are given for free. I doubt that this would be the case.

Unless the students are made to sign an agreement giving rights to the school to have photos of them edited as they please, then no, the school do not have the right to edit their students' photos as they please.

[MattG]

The counter claim from the Photography studio is that the changes were made at the request of the school - and it appears no originals are there if they have to re-shoot the girls in question.