OMG Senior Pictures $$$$

[jme829]

OP here....thanks for all the responses! I see now that I got pulled into the senior year wallet vacuum. LOL

We are not required to have SR pics taken, and the school will do the yearbook pic on registration day, so I"m not concerned about that.


Since the consensus seems to be that our pictures are highly overpriced, I think I will go with my plan "B".

We've already invested $330 into this "experience" because of the photographers requirements, so I think I will use that and just buy some "basic" pictures...maybe some wallets and the a collage so I have the "professional" images.

I think then DD and I will head on out with our camera and take some shots on our own and see what we can come up with to send out to family/friends in the grad announcements in the spring. I just have a regular 10mp Fuji Finepix, nothing fancy, but I have not been disappointed with the quality of pictures I have taken with it in the past, and with photoshop and all the other options out there now at the self serve kiosks, I think I can do a satisfactory job. Who knows? I may discover a new hobby! LOL


Thanks for all the input and to those of you who posted some of your own pictures..they are beautiful!

 

[DreadpiratK]

We just had our DD senior pix taken at Olan Mills at K-Mart. (Doesn't that sound awful!) The pix were excellent, and they spent extra time with her and let her take lots of poses. We ended up choosing only one pose, and got 20 sheets for $70. She loves the pictures and we liked the pricetag.

 

[smartkim]

Those pics are great! Ya'll have great photo-taking skills. Taking them yourself would have to save SOOO much money! I wish I was that talented!

 

[ElizK]

OP here....thanks for all the responses! I see now that I got pulled into the senior year wallet vacuum. LOL

We are not required to have SR pics taken, and the school will do the yearbook pic on registration day, so I"m not concerned about that.


Since the consensus seems to be that our pictures are highly overpriced, I think I will go with my plan "B".

We've already invested $330 into this "experience" because of the photographers requirements, so I think I will use that and just buy some "basic" pictures...maybe some wallets and the a collage so I have the "professional" images.

I think then DD and I will head on out with our camera and take some shots on our own and see what we can come up with to send out to family/friends in the grad announcements in the spring. I just have a regular 10mp Fuji Finepix, nothing fancy, but I have not been disappointed with the quality of pictures I have taken with it in the past, and with photoshop and all the other options out there now at the self serve kiosks, I think I can do a satisfactory job. Who knows? I may discover a new hobby! LOL


Thanks for all the input and to those of you who posted some of your own pictures..they are beautiful!

Your Fuji should do fairly well, actually! I had a Finepix before I got my DSLR. Shot a friend's wedding with it!

Do a search for senior pictures on the internet to get some ideas for posing. Be aware of your background, and, most of all, take a TON of pictures!

 

[MrsPete]

It doesn't all have to be expensive but you are paying for the experience and time, not for the print.

And the photographer's investment in expensive equipment, equipment that does wear out and must be replaced. And don't forget the photographer's training. (I thought I was a pretty good photographer, but when I took a couple classes, the quality of my photographs soared.) Also, the photographer is maintaining a studio, is advertising for senior pictures, and is paying people to process your photographs /fill your orders.

You're definitely paying for more than just a snapshot and a couple prints. An analogy: You can make a gallon of tea at home for perhaps fifty cents, but when you go to a restaurant you pay more than a dollar for a glass. You don't think this is unfair because you recognize that someone made that tea for you, provided a glass and ice, brought it to you, and cleaned it up afterward. You recognize that the service has a price.

 

[MrsPete]

I have a sneaking suspicion that this year is going to be VERY expensive!

Having taught seniors for almost two decades, I can tell you that you're right. It starts with senior pictures, but soon it leads into SATs, college application fees, cap and gowns, prom . . . senior year is very expensive.

Then maybe another hour or two for editing the favorite shots of the client? (If you are spending more time than that you either have a bad editing program or you aren't taking good pictures to begin with) For printing pictures? Professional lab printing is cheap! Just look at Mpix.com for prices.

Heck for that amount, go and buy one of the best canon pro cameras that is out and take all you want!

Remember that seniors come away from a photo session with at least 50 pictures. Digital editing for that many shots would take more than 1-2 hours. Then there's backing them up and saving them into your storage system, making a disk for the customer, and fulfilling the customer's print order. Oh, and don't forget that the photographer is also putting together all the pictures for the school's yearbook -- that's a part of the sitting fee. Having been involved in this type of thing, I assure you, it's more time-consuming than sitting down to order your own pictures from your family vacation.

Yes, the printing of the photographs is dirt-cheap, especially if you send them away to some of the professional online places. That's the least expensive item in the whole process. Some of the prices quoted here are absolutely outrageous, but it's also unfair to say, "Well you can print an 8x10 for fifty cents, so my total order should be around $20." That ignores a whole lot of other things that go into the taking of a quality photograph.

 

[MrsPete]

Your Fuji should do fairly well, actually! I had a Finepix before I got my DSLR. Shot a friend's wedding with it!

Do a search for senior pictures on the internet to get some ideas for posing. Be aware of your background, and, most of all, take a TON of pictures!

Taking a ton of pictures is really important. You know the difference between an amateur and a professional photographer? The amateur takes 100 photographs and shows them all to you. The professional takes 100 photographs and shows you 10. No matter how good you are, you're going to shoot some junk.

 

[LisaNJ25]

My son did his last week. Thankfully he didnt care about changing outfits. There was no sitting fee for the basic package. Cap and gown and one with a white dress shirt (they even provided the shirt). Now if my daughter was the oldest.. I am sure there would be changing outfits etc lol

My tag to left was from a post about my senior picture.

 

[ElizK]

Taking a ton of pictures is really important. You know the difference between an amateur and a professional photographer? The amateur takes 100 photographs and shows them all to you. The professional takes 100 photographs and shows you 10. No matter how good you are, you're going to shoot some junk.

Exactly! So when I post more than 20 pics of DD's senior pics on FB page it looks pretty impressive. We just won't tell that I took nearly 300! (We were having a good time!)

 

[PebblesMK]

$3000-$5000 for senior pictures!!! Why would any parent/person spend this? (Seriously, if you have spent or would spend this on senior pics I would love to hear about it!) Wedding photographers aren't that much and you get so much more.

What justifies this super expensive cost? An hour of picture taking time? An hour or so helping the client pick out their favorite shots? Then maybe another hour or two for editing the favorite shots of the client? (If you are spending more time than that you either have a bad editing program or you aren't taking good pictures to begin with) For printing pictures? Professional lab printing is cheap! Just look at Mpix.com for prices.

Heck for that amount, go and buy one of the best canon pro cameras that is out and take all you want!

Great ideas of alternatives to expensive pictures!

There are other studio in the area that charge a fraction of his prices, but he also does amazing work. There are a few people who have come up from Florida, California, Utah and other places for his pictures. He also has professional athletes come in for family pictures. The prices vary, but it's 100-350 for a session fee (and most of these sessions last 1-3 hours), then you have an image booklet you can take home for 200 dollars, if you want a CD with the rights to the photos, I believe it's 500 with a package and something like 800 on it's own. an 8x10 is 99 dollars, 8 wallets will run 99 dollars....there are packages, but a lot of people add on and then they buy frames for the their pictures (which is pricey). Most of them will buy collages or large prints which will run 500-2500 dollars (one lady bought literally a wall sized portrait-like a shrine). So the packages in of themselves is not horrible, yes, expensive...but it's the add ons. Do people need to spend that much, no...but it generally is a once in a lifetime experience and so parents go out of their way. You also get digitital retouching, they are sprayed with a spray that makes them virtually indestructible, they're not just flimsy pics, he puts them on backboard material, the staff works extremely closely with families to ensure they are satisfied. If for whatever reason the picture isn't liked, he'll redo them. (That's what happened with the giant wall portrait....I think she came in twice with different outfits until the mom was happy with how it looked on the wall). So there is more that's put into the price than just pictures. It's the whole process from beginning to end. And to be honest, as much as I love his work...I will most likely never be able to afford it unless I start saving now. I know it sounds absurd, but some people really do go all out for these pics. Also, my aunt who is in Florida says that senior portraits must be a midwest thing because down there, they do a headshot and maybe one in the cap and gown.

 

[Kteacher]

We're very lucky that the HS yearbook allows seniors to submit candid photos for the senior portrait. All three of my kids went this route-they had friends take their pictures,and we printed them ourselves. They came out beautifully at very little expense.There are enough things that you will need to spend $$$$$ on during their senior year.The best thing about these photos is that they really represent how my kids looked -no glamor shot makeovers,no clothes bought that were never worn again.My kids picked out their favorite places to have their photos taken as well.My now 20 year old is an avid hiker and had his senior picture taken on the top of one of his favorite hiking mountains .I treasure these pictures!

 

[BabyTigger99]

My DSD had her senior pics done yesterday. Retainer fee was $300 (half paid by us, half paid by her mom), which was for 4 outfit changes, indoor and outdoor pics. The session took just under 2 hours. All that money goes towards pictures. Fee to take the proofbook out of the studio will be $100, which will go towards pictures (or you can purchase the proofbook for $150). The package we are looking at is $335 (8x10, 2-5x7, 4 3x5) plus purchasing two more 5x7 for $110, and then wallets (not sure what we are going to do with those yet, will talk with her mom when we place the order). We figure total for us will be about $600. It is an expense we knew we would have, so we budgeted for it.

 

[Tbasko]

My son was a senior last year. Their portraits were scheduled to be taken in the summer and we were going to be gone on vacation. A close friend of ours who is a photographer took pictures of my son all over San Francisco. They came out wonderful. In the fall, they had a make-up day for the kids who didn't get them taken during the summer. The kids were able to take photo's with different outfits if they wanted to, plus the cap and gown and tux, (for the yearbook). I only liked maybe a couple of the photos based on the proofs, and decided to wait to buy. Then thought since we were going to Disney World for spring break to take my son's pictures there (his favorite place in the world by the way). We took his cap and gown and a sport coat for the photo session. They came out great. We bought the CD and went to Costco and had pictures made for announcements and grandparents for a fraction of the cost.

 

[Spacepest]

I would have killed for a digital camera when I was growing up, then I could have taken some real senior pics instead of being forced to go to the crappy photographer the school mandated!

These costs being posted are outrageous. When I went to high school, even the low end packages were never that high. There was no sitting free, and if you wanted your picture in the yearbook you HAD to go to the photographer specified by the school. There was one free pic that was yearbook only that had the student in cap and gown, if you wanted your pic to be different in the yearbook then you had to purchase a package starting at $70, which was one 8 x 10 and like 30 wallets.

However, while our packages were affordable, the photographer I got for my sitting was AWFUL. He made horrible, stupid comments throughout the whole sitting, antagonizing the students taking their pictures, which ended up in everyone making awful, shocked faces just before each photo was snapped. My parents (along with many others) were ordering a $200 package which we ended up cancelling once we got the proofs back. Terrible pictures, and one of the students even had her mouth open in shock and disbelief when the photographer told her to "smile, and think of her boyfriend naked!" just before he snapped the shutter. When outraged parents contacted the photograph studio to re-schedule sittings with of a different photographer because of the proofs they got back, the studio refused to reschedule! That studio lost alot of money that year.

 

[bzkds]

I paid $90 for my son 2 years ago.. that was for the sitting fee at the required portrait studio (to be in the yearbook, it is the only studio we are allowed to use) and ONE 8x10. Thankfully he did not have any desire to change outfits, have a sports or activity picture taken, etc.

My daughter will be a Sr this coming fall. I just paid $200 for her sitting and digital photo/proof CD with a friend who is a photographer. We will have the CD and can order as many pictures from it as we want, from any place (online or wherever). She will have 3-4 outfit changes and be outside, etc. Then I will also be paying the same fee to the required studio as my son used for her yearbook picture. I will only order the 8x10 for that.

As for the rest of the Sr year "fun" expenses, I told her she will be required to pay for anything above the most basic. My son did not attend Grad night, and only got the basic school ring. I think I got off easy with him! lol

 

[EllenFrasier]

I paid an $8.00 sitting fee. The proofs were mailed to us and I had to choose which one I wanted in the yearbook and then pick any I wanted for myself. I chose the same pose as the yearbook and chose two 5x7's - one for me and one for my Mom. $58 which included shipping and tax. I thought that was expensive until I read your post!

 

[LoriNSC]

I went through this last year too. I think we spent around $350 total for 2 poses & not a lot of pics. They were good pics but way over priced for the few pics we got.

So when prom rolled around, I got out my Canon Rebel xsi & took some pics of DS & his gf at our house & at a near by university that had beautiful grounds. They left there to go eat & her mom & I hit Walmart. We put all the pics on CD's & printed what we each wanted. I'm no professional by far, but the pics turned out great. When they got home from prom, they each had a prom photo album that her mom & I put together that night. Hubby didn't go to the university to shot the pics with me & even he was so impressed.

If you or someone you know has a good camera, I suggest buying just the basic pics & take your own.

 

[jenseib]

Exactly! So when I post more than 20 pics of DD's senior pics on FB page it looks pretty impressive. We just won't tell that I took nearly 300! (We were having a good time!)

I hear you there. LOL!

I don't think I have ever heard of the cap and gown senior pics before. I know not in our area at least. They don't even get there caps and gowns till a few weeks before graduation.
I have seen some "formal" pictures too with prom looking dress and tuxes...all online, Never seen anyone in my area do that either, but it's kind of neat.

 

[disneybound31]

around here the school gets a percentage cut from the profit made by the photog...sooo that may be why some schools get such outrageously costly senior pic photog comapnies.

 

[EKW]

When my son is a senior I'll pay for the lovely $15 package at J.C. Penney. Senior pictures are such a waste of money.