School photo sticker shock
October 17, 2017 7:34 AM Subscribe
My two daughters had their school pictures taken for the first time. They are great photos, and there are even a couple of them hugging and smiling because the school takes extra pictures of siblings together. I want digital copies, but holy crap they are a lot more expensive than I was expecting!
I want digital copies, but just the digital versions of these four photos would cost $260! (This doesn't even include their class photos, it sounds like those might be an additional $80. I want to be supportive of photographers and all, but holy crap is this pricing normal???)
Alternatively I could get two sets of 8x10 prints of all four photos for $160 and then scan them. This is the minimum order, so that's as cheap as it gets. If I do that will the quality of the scans be reasonable? Would they reprint ok if I decided later to make more prints?
I want digital copies, but just the digital versions of these four photos would cost $260! (This doesn't even include their class photos, it sounds like those might be an additional $80. I want to be supportive of photographers and all, but holy crap is this pricing normal???)
Alternatively I could get two sets of 8x10 prints of all four photos for $160 and then scan them. This is the minimum order, so that's as cheap as it gets. If I do that will the quality of the scans be reasonable? Would they reprint ok if I decided later to make more prints?
Best answer: For that price you could go to your local JC Penny or Sears and get a lovely session about 5 times over.
posted by Ausamor at 7:53 AM on October 17, 2017 [18 favorites]
posted by Ausamor at 7:53 AM on October 17, 2017 [18 favorites]
That's ludicrous. As someone with two kids in school, the most we've ever paid for school pictures for a single child is $50 --- that included 8x10, 2 5x7s, 8 wallets, etc. or something like that. I thought it was fair for what we were getting.
With both, I still don't spend much more than $50 - $60 and get fewer pictures of each. There is a more expensive package than the ones we get that can be as much as $80. The one we go for is the third most expensive mostly because I like having a few of the larger sized pictures for frames (eventually).
posted by zizzle at 7:54 AM on October 17, 2017 [4 favorites]
With both, I still don't spend much more than $50 - $60 and get fewer pictures of each. There is a more expensive package than the ones we get that can be as much as $80. The one we go for is the third most expensive mostly because I like having a few of the larger sized pictures for frames (eventually).
posted by zizzle at 7:54 AM on October 17, 2017 [4 favorites]
Yeah, it's a total scam. They know most parents are going to buy prints out of guilt.
The digital photos are more than the prints because once you have them you can make as many prints as you want. Scanning the prints would probably give you the quality you want, especially if you cleaned them up a bit with Photoshop afterwards. I've never been able to scan a print without needing to clean off a few dust spots. Yes, there are some copyright issues with doing that but that wouldn't concern me in the least.
I have also been known to just take screen shots of the sample photos available on the website. I wouldn't do this if it were some wedding photographer or an individual, but I have no problem doing it to a scammy school or camp photo company.
posted by bondcliff at 7:56 AM on October 17, 2017 [1 favorite]
The digital photos are more than the prints because once you have them you can make as many prints as you want. Scanning the prints would probably give you the quality you want, especially if you cleaned them up a bit with Photoshop afterwards. I've never been able to scan a print without needing to clean off a few dust spots. Yes, there are some copyright issues with doing that but that wouldn't concern me in the least.
I have also been known to just take screen shots of the sample photos available on the website. I wouldn't do this if it were some wedding photographer or an individual, but I have no problem doing it to a scammy school or camp photo company.
posted by bondcliff at 7:56 AM on October 17, 2017 [1 favorite]
Can confirm that it's normal in my area (Chicagoland)*. The school needs the one singular student photo for yearbook/ID and the class photo, but the rest is just a cash grab. Many schools contract with the photography companies and get a cut. Most of my parent-friends do "school picture day" and then take their kid to Sears/whatever to get their own photos taken for much cheaper.
*This is not the case in school districts that are struggling, but for wealthier ones, yes, this is the norm.
posted by juniperesque at 7:57 AM on October 17, 2017
*This is not the case in school districts that are struggling, but for wealthier ones, yes, this is the norm.
posted by juniperesque at 7:57 AM on October 17, 2017
Best answer: You may run into problems trying to reprint scans of the photos. Most of the printing places I've used refuse to print "professional-looking" photos without some kind of release saying you have permission to do it. (Here are Walmart's policy and Target's as an example.)
These prices are way more expensive than the company our school uses. (I can get 8 8x10 photos for $40 or a high-res digital version for $12.) You can ask the school to use a more affordable company in the future; they might consider it if enough parents complain. We are looking at switching companies next year (for other reasons) and the change is 100% related to parent requests.
posted by belladonna at 8:28 AM on October 17, 2017 [3 favorites]
These prices are way more expensive than the company our school uses. (I can get 8 8x10 photos for $40 or a high-res digital version for $12.) You can ask the school to use a more affordable company in the future; they might consider it if enough parents complain. We are looking at switching companies next year (for other reasons) and the change is 100% related to parent requests.
posted by belladonna at 8:28 AM on October 17, 2017 [3 favorites]
School photos are a fundraiser. We have no one to give more than a few photos to, and take many pictures ourselves, so I just opt out and donate to the school at other times and in other ways.
The "scam" is that the school gets to keep some of the money. I can't fault that, schools fundraise constantly.
posted by 41swans at 8:32 AM on October 17, 2017
The "scam" is that the school gets to keep some of the money. I can't fault that, schools fundraise constantly.
posted by 41swans at 8:32 AM on October 17, 2017
I happen to have our school photo order form here on my desk. Its through 'My Life Touch' photos, and the cheapest option is a single 8 x 10 or 2 5 x 7s for $14.
Poke around in the pricing a bit more. Unless you are at a super swanky private school, they for sure have some option small print option to buy just a single photo for less than $40, because they want to price to every family, not just the top end. It might be listed with the "add ons" I always buy just one print (actually the 2 5x7s) and scan one. Have never had a problem getting reprints - I do mine through Shutterfly.
Also, as I look at this, our school's top end pricing is $73 for a bunch of prints, an 8 x 10 calendar, and a CD. So, this may be an artifact of us being in Maine.
posted by anastasiav at 8:39 AM on October 17, 2017 [1 favorite]
Poke around in the pricing a bit more. Unless you are at a super swanky private school, they for sure have some option small print option to buy just a single photo for less than $40, because they want to price to every family, not just the top end. It might be listed with the "add ons" I always buy just one print (actually the 2 5x7s) and scan one. Have never had a problem getting reprints - I do mine through Shutterfly.
Also, as I look at this, our school's top end pricing is $73 for a bunch of prints, an 8 x 10 calendar, and a CD. So, this may be an artifact of us being in Maine.
posted by anastasiav at 8:39 AM on October 17, 2017 [1 favorite]
Even at our super swanky private school you can order photos a la carte. The pack I ordered this year came with a photo CD and was only around $50. School photos are indeed a cash grab, but those prices are outrageous.
posted by Flannery Culp at 8:50 AM on October 17, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by Flannery Culp at 8:50 AM on October 17, 2017 [1 favorite]
Many professional photographers will give you a copyright release for free if you buy a print. Poke around on their website or Google for "QQQQQQ copyright release". This is even true of big companies like Disney Cruise Line that charge a fortune for prints. You then have the hassle of scanning in the print, but it's a lot cheaper and the print makers don't have to violate the law.
posted by wnissen at 9:20 AM on October 17, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by wnissen at 9:20 AM on October 17, 2017 [1 favorite]
Can you take a photo with your phone of the watermarked copies/website? That's what I do. Yeah, there's watermarks, and you can photoshop those out someday, but the photo is just as good watermark or not.
I got 50 well-edited engagement photos with multiple outfits and locations for around $250 with a seasoned photographer. Many wedding photographers are great at interacting with kids and have specials around they "off season" or during the week.
posted by bbqturtle at 10:00 AM on October 17, 2017
I got 50 well-edited engagement photos with multiple outfits and locations for around $250 with a seasoned photographer. Many wedding photographers are great at interacting with kids and have specials around they "off season" or during the week.
posted by bbqturtle at 10:00 AM on October 17, 2017
Best answer: I agree those prices seem astronomical - I'd pass on the photos.
But please, don't label it a "scam" - running a photography business is a lot of work and requires a lot of skills - and in the school-photo business they are essentially working on spec -
And please, if you don't buy the photos, don't rip off the photographer by scanning the sample prints or whatever - that's just wrong. Even though you may be angry or embarrassed by the high prices they are asking that doesn't give you the right to steal someone's work.
posted by gyusan at 10:27 AM on October 17, 2017 [9 favorites]
But please, don't label it a "scam" - running a photography business is a lot of work and requires a lot of skills - and in the school-photo business they are essentially working on spec -
And please, if you don't buy the photos, don't rip off the photographer by scanning the sample prints or whatever - that's just wrong. Even though you may be angry or embarrassed by the high prices they are asking that doesn't give you the right to steal someone's work.
posted by gyusan at 10:27 AM on October 17, 2017 [9 favorites]
+1 for "those prices are outrageous." I just ordered school pictures - we have a "pick three sheets of pictures for $35.00" option. You can also pay for the CD with the digital images.
Check around their website and see if they have make-your-own packages. Otherwise, I would not be spending that much dough on school pictures. And I would for sure let the administration know that, in case they're the ones jacking up the prices.
posted by lyssabee at 10:51 AM on October 17, 2017 [1 favorite]
Check around their website and see if they have make-your-own packages. Otherwise, I would not be spending that much dough on school pictures. And I would for sure let the administration know that, in case they're the ones jacking up the prices.
posted by lyssabee at 10:51 AM on October 17, 2017 [1 favorite]
What gyusan said. Those prices are much too steep and I wouldn't pay them either, but it's not a "scam." There's no fraud happening here, it's just regular ol' capitalism. Scanning and reproducing the samples and photoshopping out the watermarks, however, is objectively wrong. The fact that the photos are overpriced does not justify theft of the photographer's work. Please don't do that.
Just hire a local seasoned photographer, they'll get some great photos of your kids together and separately for a more reasonable price. The official "annual school photos" thing has the strong pull of tradition for lots of us who grew up with that, but it's okay to let it go.
posted by desuetude at 10:59 AM on October 17, 2017 [2 favorites]
Just hire a local seasoned photographer, they'll get some great photos of your kids together and separately for a more reasonable price. The official "annual school photos" thing has the strong pull of tradition for lots of us who grew up with that, but it's okay to let it go.
posted by desuetude at 10:59 AM on October 17, 2017 [2 favorites]
That's hella expensive. I paid $60 for mine (West of LA). Go to Sears / Walmart. One of the best portraits I have came from an impromptu Walmart shoot.
posted by St. Peepsburg at 11:18 AM on October 17, 2017
posted by St. Peepsburg at 11:18 AM on October 17, 2017
I apologize for using the word "scam." I agree, there is no fraud happening. I do believe school photo prices are artificially inflated and there is pressure on parents to buy them. That's what I meant. Incorrect word usage on my part.
posted by bondcliff at 11:23 AM on October 17, 2017
posted by bondcliff at 11:23 AM on October 17, 2017
I paid $75 last year for 3 jpg files from my son's college graduation. So it won't get better as they get older!
posted by COD at 12:15 PM on October 17, 2017
posted by COD at 12:15 PM on October 17, 2017
Price and photo quality varies greatly from company to company, but as others have said, this may be on the upper end of the price spectrum, but it's not the completely unheard of. Also of note: some companies store the digitals online, which you can retrieve with a code. Then you can get a whole goofy range of items with those photos on them, but you can also get coupon codes from time to time. I'm not sure if you can decline to purchase photos now and hold out for a future discount code, but you may be able to dig around more if you search for information on the company online.
If you choose to go the JC Penny or Sears way, on the plus side they constantly have ads that steeply discount the shoots, printed photos and/or digital photo purchases. On the down-side, while the photographers are decent, they're very rushed, and get you through poses in 15-20 minutes tops. They may not bother getting you or your family in the best pose, in part because of the time crunch, and perhaps because it's just a job and they don't particularly care. And in the end they'll push you to buy physical photos, to varying degrees. Some folks really walk you through all the options (that they're required to run through), others will respect your wish to just get the digital files, and they check the boxes (literally) really quickly. There's also "repeat buyer" incentive cards that will also decrease the cost of a photo shoot and other purchases, which will get you to get more family photos, and give you a chance to test out the various photographers to see if there's some you like more than others.
Still, cheaper to get digitals than annual photo shoots.
posted by filthy light thief at 12:27 PM on October 17, 2017
If you choose to go the JC Penny or Sears way, on the plus side they constantly have ads that steeply discount the shoots, printed photos and/or digital photo purchases. On the down-side, while the photographers are decent, they're very rushed, and get you through poses in 15-20 minutes tops. They may not bother getting you or your family in the best pose, in part because of the time crunch, and perhaps because it's just a job and they don't particularly care. And in the end they'll push you to buy physical photos, to varying degrees. Some folks really walk you through all the options (that they're required to run through), others will respect your wish to just get the digital files, and they check the boxes (literally) really quickly. There's also "repeat buyer" incentive cards that will also decrease the cost of a photo shoot and other purchases, which will get you to get more family photos, and give you a chance to test out the various photographers to see if there's some you like more than others.
Still, cheaper to get digitals than annual photo shoots.
posted by filthy light thief at 12:27 PM on October 17, 2017
It's totally fair to call it a scam, and no, it's not capitalism – the photography company has been granted a monopoly by the school. If it were capitalism, there would be competition on price, and there would be very little demand for photos priced this high.
There's even a term for this: the principal-agent problem (the school makes the purchasing decision, but you have to pay).
It's probably the school who failed you, and if I were in your shoes I would inquire. Did the school approve the packages offered? Did the school consider other companies?
This is not to devalue the photographer's time or expertise. Based on other anecdotes that have been shared above, these prices are dramatically above what other sustainable photography businesses charge.
posted by reeddavid at 6:02 PM on October 17, 2017 [5 favorites]
There's even a term for this: the principal-agent problem (the school makes the purchasing decision, but you have to pay).
It's probably the school who failed you, and if I were in your shoes I would inquire. Did the school approve the packages offered? Did the school consider other companies?
This is not to devalue the photographer's time or expertise. Based on other anecdotes that have been shared above, these prices are dramatically above what other sustainable photography businesses charge.
posted by reeddavid at 6:02 PM on October 17, 2017 [5 favorites]
Best answer: I just got digital versions of my kids' school photos for less than $20 each, so yes, your price seems high. But then, are they super good? Ours are mediocre, and they don't take the time to bring siblings together, either. If I had the chance to get really excellent ones of my kids together, and the whole thing happened at school without my having to put in effort, I'd pay as much as I would for a professional session. Yes, I'd pay $260. But only if it worked in lieu of me booking a pro later.
posted by Knowyournuts at 8:37 PM on October 17, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by Knowyournuts at 8:37 PM on October 17, 2017 [1 favorite]
Best answer: "It's totally fair to call it a scam, and no, it's not capitalism – the photography company has been granted a monopoly by the school. If it were capitalism, there would be competition on price, and there would be very little demand for photos priced this high. "
Sorry, still capitalism. The school photos aren't the only option to get photos of the kids — there is competition.
And they'd only be a scam if there was some over-promised benefit to buying the school pictures at the inflated price — that kids get better grades when their parents buy the photos, or that kids are more authentic when shot by school photographers rather than private photo sessions.
As for whether you can scan and reproduce the photos, that's another question of "what's good enough?" Like, depends on the print, depends on the scanner, depends on what size you want your prints. If you want them big, you'll probably notice significant degradation from the rescanning process — or maybe not, depending on how discerning you are of prints.
I work sometimes as a photographer, and this is one of the reasons that I offer pretty liberal licenses on most of my work: because if it's too restrictive or expensive, people will scan the prints themselves and have shittier versions of my work. I also try to work with people because (just in terms of materials and overhead) really good prints are a lot more expensive than most people realize, and most people just want a "good enough" picture to put up on Facebook. In that case, it's not worth me agonizing over color corrections and retouching — it's going to be shown on whatever uncalibrated monitor they have anyway, and most of the resolution won't come through.
My advice would be to reach out to them about other packages that better fit your budget, or find a local photographer who can do the shoot for you and get you better prints for less money. The other caveat there is that most places that use a digital printing process end up with pretty crappy prints overall, but if you're not planning on looking at them super close or you're not someone that's bothered by jpeg artifacts or poor aliasing, it's not a big deal (basically, the photo version of "most mp3s are good enough, honestly").
posted by klangklangston at 12:03 PM on October 18, 2017 [1 favorite]
Sorry, still capitalism. The school photos aren't the only option to get photos of the kids — there is competition.
And they'd only be a scam if there was some over-promised benefit to buying the school pictures at the inflated price — that kids get better grades when their parents buy the photos, or that kids are more authentic when shot by school photographers rather than private photo sessions.
As for whether you can scan and reproduce the photos, that's another question of "what's good enough?" Like, depends on the print, depends on the scanner, depends on what size you want your prints. If you want them big, you'll probably notice significant degradation from the rescanning process — or maybe not, depending on how discerning you are of prints.
I work sometimes as a photographer, and this is one of the reasons that I offer pretty liberal licenses on most of my work: because if it's too restrictive or expensive, people will scan the prints themselves and have shittier versions of my work. I also try to work with people because (just in terms of materials and overhead) really good prints are a lot more expensive than most people realize, and most people just want a "good enough" picture to put up on Facebook. In that case, it's not worth me agonizing over color corrections and retouching — it's going to be shown on whatever uncalibrated monitor they have anyway, and most of the resolution won't come through.
My advice would be to reach out to them about other packages that better fit your budget, or find a local photographer who can do the shoot for you and get you better prints for less money. The other caveat there is that most places that use a digital printing process end up with pretty crappy prints overall, but if you're not planning on looking at them super close or you're not someone that's bothered by jpeg artifacts or poor aliasing, it's not a big deal (basically, the photo version of "most mp3s are good enough, honestly").
posted by klangklangston at 12:03 PM on October 18, 2017 [1 favorite]
Response by poster: Thanks for all the feedback everyone. I decided to buy the digital version of my favorite sibling photo for $70 and count it as a win that I at least get one great photo of them together that will make perfect Christmas presents for the grandparents.
I feel like this is a good balance of not having to mess around with scanning while also not completely giving in to the extortionate pricing. (Which I mainly blame the school for. The photographer has a right to charge whatever she wants for her work, but the school should not hire someone that expensive!).
This also means I will feel less guilty about buying their class photos, which I really want because I loved those when I was a kid!
posted by insoluble uncertainty at 3:32 PM on October 18, 2017 [1 favorite]
I feel like this is a good balance of not having to mess around with scanning while also not completely giving in to the extortionate pricing. (Which I mainly blame the school for. The photographer has a right to charge whatever she wants for her work, but the school should not hire someone that expensive!).
This also means I will feel less guilty about buying their class photos, which I really want because I loved those when I was a kid!
posted by insoluble uncertainty at 3:32 PM on October 18, 2017 [1 favorite]
This thread is closed to new comments.
I can't guarantee that the quality of a scanned and reprinted copy will be anything close to the original, but I can tell you that I wouldn't feel guilty about trying because $260 for four photos is NONSENSE. Our school charges $107 for the "sibling package" digital copies and even that is way too steep.
posted by lydhre at 7:51 AM on October 17, 2017 [3 favorites]