School Photographer rant

[candidrachel]

It was school photographer day last week. Got the proof today and as usual it was rubbish! I have never got a decent school pic of my son in all 7 years:

Yr R: Photographed in his outdoor coat!
Yr 1: He was crying!
Yr 2: Looked like he has been dragged though a hedge backwards
Yr 3: Silly expression
Yr 4: Joint snap with sister (she looked like Yr 2)
Yr 5: Eyes closed
Yr 6: This is the worst one of the lot. He looks like he has been overdosed on cologen implants. His lips looks treble the size!

I give up! I'm not the only parent to complain. There were loads of unhappy parents.

I have taken so many more natural looking photos of him wearing his school uniform for grandparents to put up on their wall. I'd like to break into school photography and take some decent candid shots of kids in the classroom environment at least that way the parents will get some idea of what their kids do at school. I normally get the bog standard reply of either "can't remember" or "dunno" whenever I ask the fatal question of "what did you do today at school?".

[chalkie7]

I totally understand your frustration. My daughter is all grown up now, so I don't have to endure this yearly extortion anymore (I mean, you HAVE to buy them, don't you...regardless of how bad they actually are). Saying that, I do still get a photo each and every year of my nephew from my sister...what a treat that is!

Maybe there is light on the horizon...I have seen this year two sets of school pictures that seem to have stepped out from the norm, got rid of the same old crappy tye-dye backdrops and actually produced something pretty decent. Let's hope this is the dawn of a new era!

[candleman]

Originally Posted by candidrachel

I normally get the bog standard reply of either "can't remember" or "dunno" whenever I ask the fatal question of "what did you do today at school?".

hahha, i get those too.. most of the time i get "nothing"

and i think i may agree with that.

[WPCatfish]

Our school photographer, or whoever they use, is a miracle worker. Made my youngest look angelic for her 1st grade pics. That was the year that she got me on a first name basis with the school principal.

[candleman]

Originally Posted by Sjdj12995

Our school photographer, or whoever they use, is a miracle worker. Made my youngest look angelic for her 1st grade pics. That was the year that she got me on a first name basis with the school principal.

HAHAHAHA...sounds like fun..

[Jim Bryant]

Most school photographers who work for these big companies aren't really full time photographers at all and couldn't care less. Remember dSLR's are PhD cameras..........Press here Dummy

[WPCatfish]

Originally Posted by candleman

HAHAHAHA...sounds like fun..

That's what I keep telling my wife! Of course, she reminds me where the kids get their disdain for authority...

[Sterling]

Yr R: Photographed in his outdoor coat!
Yr 1: He was crying!
Yr 2: Looked like he has been dragged though a hedge backwards
Yr 3: Silly expression

LOL! At first glance, I thought you were talking about the photographer!

[candidrachel]

Lol he/she would have been if I had got my hands on them!! It always makes me laugh when I see those awful tacky booths set up in shopping malls. I give them a wide berth!

When my son had his photo with his coat on I was in hospital having just had my daughter and when I asked hubby why the heck he didn't think to take his son's coat off he said that he didn't have a chance because all the parents were ushered into the hall it was like click! next! click! next! click! and so on....

[Ma Noob]

I must say my sons pics are pretty good, but my daughters gee i was peeved.

She goes to childcare and they are a community one and they get 'school photos' done each year (group shot of each section plus individual if wanted) which is great i have nice keepsakes of both the kids from since they were both one.

One year my sons were really crap, no we are talking about taking photos of 6 week olds up, so you have to want to do it, but this mob didnt want to do it. the photos were small and dark and a bit disappointing. Lucky im on the parent comittee and they havent been back.

The last two years though we have had really really great people, they have two set ups one for the individual and one mob doing the group and they keep going with the kids until they are done, really friendly great with the kids.

well this year they told me to get my daughters individual done but while i was getting it done they started getting the kids together, and despite me asking another girl to tell them to wait they started. So we rushed her individual ones (which she wouldnt smile for) and got her in the last couple of group shots.

I was a bit worried she would be left out, so i said to the director if she was in the proof photo and of course she wasnt, so i got in touch with them and they did organise to have her in the photo. Then when we got the photo she was in it which was great, but they not only spelt her last name wrong, they called her a compleley different name!! And it was a name that wasnt even remotely like her name, and to make it even funnier (they called her Jessica) there isnt a single Jessica in the centre!

I will say they have been good though, and they are going to send me out a new photo with the correct name on it though, but it has been alot of mucking around, If the photos wernt so nice, and they wernt helpfull i would certainly be reccomending that we ditch them for next year.

But its frustraiting especially when you pay so much money for them. Its a shame sometimes that a bit more time cant be spent taking a nice pic.