OMG Senior Pictures $$$$

[LoveBWVVBR]

Last year there was a senior doing his senior pics at JCPenney portraits when I was picking up my DD's pics. That's what I'd do. It would be $3.99 for an 8X10 and no sitting fee as long as you had a coupon or were part of the portrait club. We've always been very happy with the quality of our pics from there, so I don't think that it would be worth paying the $1800 premium to go to the portrait studio in the OP

 

[elgerber]

I got very lucky with my sons senior pictures. The woman who did them, only does them occasionally. She does weddings and theater etc for local papers, and once in awhile a senior sitting. She charged me $125, for as many outfits etc as we wanted. Took a bunch in her indoor studio then took us outside and did a ton more. We spent about 3 hours taking pictures. With that we will get all 200+ proofs, printed in a book, and a disc with all the original photos. We can take that disc and print what we want, when we want. I am so grateful to have found her. The pictures are fantastic!

 

[shelwoj]

We're doing our own. We've taken photo's at the ocean, at the high school with the "senior rock", at the local park, at a local pond, at band competitions with him in full uniform, and we plan on taking photos with him in his cap and gown when we get it. We've used his instruments and letter jacket as props. So far we're very pleased with the results. Plan on asking family if they want a photo and if so what size. We personally have a very small house and photos just get tucked away in albums when they are given to us so we want to give the family a choice.

The yearbook photo can be any that we choose as long as it's in portrait format, not landscape, due to cropping issues. Since the company that the school "recommends" for announcements and such is so outrageously expensive we've decided to make our own. We're going to put together a collage of our favorite photos and use them as both announcement and grad party invitations. For the thank you cards we're going to take a picture of our son with every guest and send it with my sons written thank you on the back. If we get a gift without the guest being in attendance we'll just send the generic thank you.

We've kept him very informed and involved in our finances and he's agreed that college is more important than high school senior pictures (among other things). The kind of money that is being spent on these photos could buy a few books in college!

Well I think I rambled on enough and hopefully my opinion and experience has helped someone else.

PS-I did read the date of the first post but since I and most of my friends are still taking senior pictures figured it wasn't that old and relevant to post on.

 

[fakereadhed]

This thread really makes me happy to pay the $225 for DDs senior pics on a CD!

As for the wine analogy, I've had great $5 bottles of wine and not so great $25 bottles. You can get quality for a less expensive price if you know what to look for!

 

[TammyAlphabet]

I think these photographers just prey on sentimental parents. I think photos are important at such a critical event in one's life but those prices are ridiculous. I would never pay that amount.

 

[LilSweetPeaPhoto]

WOW! I should have stayed away from this thread as a photog. You do know that a legit photographer is doing this as a job, to make money, not just for fun.

My session fee is $225 and I'm getting ready to raise it to $350. That gets you a session, nothing more.

My 5x7's are $40 and my "collections" start at $875. To get my disc, it'll cost you $1800 on top of the session fee.

I guess seeing as this is the budget board, I should expect people complaining about cost. But a legit photographer has top notch equipment (my camera was $3k, my lenses $1k-2K each), computers, software, etc. We belong to national professional organizations, and attending training to keep us current. We pay taxes (I'm married to a CPA, you betcha I'm legal, LOL), have CPAs (mine is free) or lawyers. There's so much more to it then snapping a photo and printing out a $.30 4x6 (btw, my lab isn't $.30, LOL).

I'm a true believer you get what you pay for. And senior pictures are a milestone that deserve proper photos!

Here's a good article on the cost of photography

http://lilsweetpeaphotography.com/blog/2008/04/11/why-does-custom-photography-cost-more/

 

[LilSweetPeaPhoto]

BTW, I'm NOT Box, LOL! But I do agree with him/her.

I'm going to guess most of the people out there charging $100 for a CD, or doing this as a hobby aren't paying taxes, and that really hurts those of us that are legit. FTR, I'm also a HS teacher, so I do this "on the side" and still file state and local taxes.

 

[SoonerSarah]

This thread really makes me happy to pay the $225 for DDs senior pics on a CD!

As for the wine analogy, I've had great $5 bottles of wine and not so great $25 bottles. You can get quality for a less expensive price if you know what to look for!

Exactly. You can buy a lot of things for XX amount of money, and a lot of things for XXXXX amount of money. A higher cost does not mean better care, better quality or a better outcome.

Party A can spent $2,500 for their Disney trip, and Party B can spend $10,000. The added cost does not guarentee them a more memorable outcome, or a better experience.

 

[MomtoAlexnWilliam]

WOW! I should have stayed away from this thread as a photog. You do know that a legit photographer is doing this as a job, to make money, not just for fun.

My session fee is $225 and I'm getting ready to raise it to $350. That gets you a session, nothing more.

My 5x7's are $40 and my "collections" start at $875. To get my disc, it'll cost you $1800 on top of the session fee.

I guess seeing as this is the budget board, I should expect people complaining about cost. But a legit photographer has top notch equipment (my camera was $3k, my lenses $1k-2K each), computers, software, etc. We belong to national professional organizations, and attending training to keep us current. We pay taxes (I'm married to a CPA, you betcha I'm legal, LOL), have CPAs (mine is free) or lawyers. There's so much more to it then snapping a photo and printing out a $.30 4x6 (btw, my lab isn't $.30, LOL).

I'm a true believer you get what you pay for. And senior pictures are a milestone that deserve proper photos!

Here's a good article on the cost of photography

http://lilsweetpeaphotography.com/blog/2008/04/11/why-does-custom-photography-cost-more/

Yeah, you probably should have stayed away from a thread on the budget board about ridiculously high fees for photography!

Bottom line for me...I like nice photos and have paid a significant amount for them. However, I can't help but think some of the fees I have seen lately around town and on this board are way too high!!!

I am a lawyer and my hourly fee isn't as high as the PP's soon to be upped session fee. (And I have/had those same taxes to pay plus law school loans, plus CLE, plus insurance.) As much as I like nice photos, I place a much higher value on good legal services over good photography services. It just doesn't make sense to me.

 

[Colleen27]

BTW, I'm NOT Box, LOL! But I do agree with him/her.

I'm going to guess most of the people out there charging $100 for a CD, or doing this as a hobby aren't paying taxes, and that really hurts those of us that are legit. FTR, I'm also a HS teacher, so I do this "on the side" and still file state and local taxes.

As someone who has done that sort of side work in the past, I don't think that's a fair assumption. Just because I don't charge what someone making his living off of any of the things I dabble in charges doesn't mean I disregard tax laws.

And when it comes to rates, if you stay busy at your prices more power to you (and knowing the area you're in I'm sure you have no problems on that count) but the reality is that there's a need for senior pictures at a wide range of price points. Not everyone has thousands of dollars to spend on pictures, and that doesn't make senior year/graduation any less a milestone for them.

It doesn't take tens of thousands of dollars in equipment and professional association fees and classes to capture a memory, nor does it take $300+ sitting fees to make a living at it. The photographer we go to makes his entire living - no other day job - with his photography despite much lower rates, and he does great work that people in our town can actually afford. If he tried to charge what you do, it wouldn't matter if he were Ansel Adams - he couldn't stay in business. People out here make 30 or 40K/year, and just can't afford to spent a month's pay on senior pictures.

 

[mickeynminnie08]

I agree with the poster who said use someone who does photography as a hobby. You might also be able to find a photography business that is just starting out. I have a cousin and a sister-in-law who are both of these. They are A Lot cheaper than the big photography companies in town and they have Great pictures. My sister-in-law has taken senior pictures for friends, family, and then others who have come to her as friends of friends or family. EVERYONE loves her pictures and she charges a Fraction of the cost.

 

[mommyof2princesses]

WOW! I should have stayed away from this thread as a photog. You do know that a legit photographer is doing this as a job, to make money, not just for fun.

My session fee is $225 and I'm getting ready to raise it to $350. That gets you a session, nothing more.

My 5x7's are $40 and my "collections" start at $875. To get my disc, it'll cost you $1800 on top of the session fee.

I guess seeing as this is the budget board, I should expect people complaining about cost. But a legit photographer has top notch equipment (my camera was $3k, my lenses $1k-2K each), computers, software, etc. We belong to national professional organizations, and attending training to keep us current. We pay taxes (I'm married to a CPA, you betcha I'm legal, LOL), have CPAs (mine is free) or lawyers. There's so much more to it then snapping a photo and printing out a $.30 4x6 (btw, my lab isn't $.30, LOL).

I'm a true believer you get what you pay for. And senior pictures are a milestone that deserve proper photos!

Here's a good article on the cost of photography

http://lilsweetpeaphotography.com/blog/2008/04/11/why-does-custom-photography-cost-more/

I do think if I wanted some really special pictures of my family to treasure forever, I MAY pay for a real photographer to do it. I have seen some great work that is definitely worth it. But, this is a photo for a yearbook. I haven't even touched my yearbook in over 10 years. I don't care what I, or anyone else, looked like when I was 18! My parents don't even have my hs photo hanging anymore. They have my family's picture with my dh and kids, pictures of grandbabies, and MAYBE my college grad photo.

I think it is ridiculous to expect parents to pay the fees they are wanting for a yearbook picture. On top of that, they have prom pictures and costs, senior field trips, college app fees, possible exam fees and downpayments for college! Pictures should be the last worry!

 

[Rock5456]

I am amazed that you anyone here is worried about the price of photography when you will spend thousands of dollars at Disney World or Disneyland. I was at Disney World once and don't care if I ever go back. Talk about a waste of $4000! I would rather have spent that on portraits of my kids that will be around for 50 years.
The people on this board that are worried about spending money on portraits of their kids are the same ones that probably drive to Disneyworld 3 times a year and spend thousands there and get their in their Escalades, and Lexus's and Mercedes Benz.

No way they are going to spend $500 or $1000 on senior portraits.
My kids portraits mean more to me than some silly amusement park!

 

[MomtoAlexnWilliam]

I am amazed that you anyone here is worried about the price of photography when you will spend thousands of dollars at Disney World or Disneyland. I was at Disney World once and don't care if I ever go back. Talk about a waste of $4000! I would rather have spent that on portraits of my kids that will be around for 50 years.
The people on this board that are worried about spending money on portraits of their kids are the same ones that probably drive to Disneyworld 3 times a year and spend thousands there and get their in their Escalades, and Lexus's and Mercedes Benz.

No way they are going to spend $500 or $1000 on senior portraits.
My kids portraits mean more to me than some silly amusement park!

Just a few questions:

Are you a photographer who charges a lot and feels attacked by this thread?

If you don't care about DW or DL, why are you on this board?

You seriously mean to say that a picture hung on a wall or placed in an album/scrapbook means more to you than a week of fun filled memories with your kids?

 

[mommyof2princesses]

We pay around $1800 on our vacation to disney for all 4 of us and yes, we do go once a year. It is the only vacation we take every year so we save for it and pay it off before we even leave. We own a Honda CRV and it is our only car. We have 0 debt in our lives and do not spend money on things like cell phones. ( We just sold our house so in the next few months we will have a mortgage again, but that will still be are only debt.)

And we have tons of great pictures of our children on vacation, at the park, at holidays. Is a senior picture really going to be a great memory to value for 50 years? I think I will value the pictures of the children showing all the great times we had together. I would pay some money to take some great pictures of us doing something we all enjoy!

And if you don't ever care to go back to Disney get off the Dis boards!

 

[LilSweetPeaPhoto]

I'm not going to argue my worth on a budget board I will say those that "shoot and burn" are either not 100% legit (aka paying taxes) or high volume. There's no way you can spent (even a low ball estimate) 5 hours on a session, charge $100, pay taxes, bills, etc and come out ahead UNLESS you are doing a ton of sessions.

As someone with a FT teaching job and 2 little people, my time away from my family is precious and therefore $$$$. People don't have to book me. Photographers are a dime a dozen these days.

Everyone has something they splurge on. For most on this board, it's Disney. For me, it's concert tickets, and for my clients it's photography I'm lucky that I have clients who either don't care about my pricing, or save to do sessions with me, and I'm very grateful for them (as they send me to Disney each year and allow me to splurge on concert tickets, LOL).

My PSA would be to atleast get a decent photo of your child. I can't even tell you how many "photographers" I see out there charging $XXX for photos that our out of focus, poorly exposed, horrible composed, off coloring (oompa-loompa children), etc.

I'm not saying do it every year, but a few times in a lifetime would be nice Trust me, photographs leave your legacy! I have photos from my great grandma's wedding that are amazing to have and look back at history. And sometimes photos are the only memories we can hold onto Yes, even those tacky senior photos (mine is still hanging in my mom's living room).

 

[Colleen27]

I am amazed that you anyone here is worried about the price of photography when you will spend thousands of dollars at Disney World or Disneyland. I was at Disney World once and don't care if I ever go back. Talk about a waste of $4000! I would rather have spent that on portraits of my kids that will be around for 50 years.
The people on this board that are worried about spending money on portraits of their kids are the same ones that probably drive to Disneyworld 3 times a year and spend thousands there and get their in their Escalades, and Lexus's and Mercedes Benz.

No way they are going to spend $500 or $1000 on senior portraits.
My kids portraits mean more to me than some silly amusement park!

What a lovely first post. Why would you register on a Disney fan forum if you think Disney is a waste of money?

BTW, we've spent more than 4K our Disney trips, sometimes a heck of a lot more. No Benz or Escalade, though, and we wouldn't dream of taking two or three days to drive when we can get there in under 3 hours by flying.

Photos are nice and all, but they just don't compare to a week's worth of family fun and memories that last a lifetime.

 

[jenseib]

I am amazed that you anyone here is worried about the price of photography when you will spend thousands of dollars at Disney World or Disneyland. I was at Disney World once and don't care if I ever go back. Talk about a waste of $4000! I would rather have spent that on portraits of my kids that will be around for 50 years.
The people on this board that are worried about spending money on portraits of their kids are the same ones that probably drive to Disneyworld 3 times a year and spend thousands there and get their in their Escalades, and Lexus's and Mercedes Benz.

No way they are going to spend $500 or $1000 on senior portraits.
My kids portraits mean more to me than some silly amusement park!

Nice 1st post! Why are you here if you hate Disney then?

Personally to me, Disney has many more lasting memories and I capture them with video and a camera. They will last us 50 years as well.
I graduate high school 23 years ago. My mom doesn't have my picture still sitting out, nor my sisters who are younger than me, One much younger. She does have my children's photos put though.

I think it doesn't matter what each of us think . Some are willing to put alot of money on a vacation, while others on photos. To each his own, but to cut someone up for not spending "enough" on Sr. pictures is really a bizarre way of thinking.
A vacation is a memory that the whole family will have 50 years down the road. Disney may not be everyones choice, but you can still spend big money on other destinations as well.

 

[MomtoAlexnWilliam]

I'm not going to argue my worth on a budget board I will say those that "shoot and burn" are either not 100% legit (aka paying taxes) or high volume. There's no way you can spent (even a low ball estimate) 5 hours on a session, charge $100, pay taxes, bills, etc and come out ahead UNLESS you are doing a ton of sessions.

You are trying to argue your worth and the vast majority on this thread -- and I would guess in the real world -- just don't see it! (BTW, you said earlier your fee was for the session and that is it. Do you normally have 5 hour sessions?!)

You are also insulting other people by accusing them of breaking the law if they don't charge what you do. Please stop. It is not nice. Feel free to disagree just don't accuse someone of being a criminal.

 

[pearlieq]

What a lovely first post.

If that's a first post, I'm Tinkerbell.

Box, if you're going to register multiple names to agree with yourself on a Disney budget board, well, I'm sure there are some top-notch medications available to help you with that.