Wow, graduation photos = EXPENSIVE!!

[maslex]

My son graduated high school last week. I had my younger son take photos of him & the family out in front of our house before heading to the school and also throughout the ceremony. He did get quite a few good photos. But they also had the professional photographer that took several types of photos at the graduation.

I got a chance to look at them online this morning and I chose 5 that I liked. There's a formal portrait of him in his cap/gown, one of him coming down the aisle, one of him coming off of the stage after receiving his diploma, a candid shot of all of the students that were sitting in his row and one of him leaving the ceremony. There was also one of him getting his diploma and shaking hands with the principal but my son got a really good picture of that, so no need to purchase this one.

Anyhow, I put all five photos in the shopping cart and originally I was just going to get 4x6's of these prints (I scrapbook and it's just easier with this size) But she wanted $10 for a 4x6 print!!! I was like: Then I noticed she charged the same $10 for a 5x7. So I'm going to get the 5x7's and incorporate them into the scrapbook as best as I can. I knew this photography place was expensive but wow, $10 for a 4x6 threw me for a loop. LOL

He never did get the professional "senior portraits" like many do but I've heard those are OUTRAGEOUS!!! Think I just might take up photography and change my career to professional photographer.

 

[PrincessNancy96]

10.00 for a 5x7 is what I just paid too. The photography company did not even offer 4x6. So, I too will be incorporating them into my scrapbook pages.

Now, his senior photos had to be done through this company to be in the yearbook with no obligation to buy... So, I decided at 10.00 for 5x7 would be okay...so I popped in the code number for his senior photo...they wanted 50.00 for a 5x7.. I did not buy.. So glad I had a family friend do his senior photos and as a gift she gave us the CD of all his photos to print whatever we wanted!

 

[clh2]

I do not regret NOT spending the money on getting DD's grad pictures. Trust me - those prices are a bargain. By the time I would have paid for shipping and handling, for 2 pictures - it would have been over $60.

I had enough photos to do some scrapbooking with.

We found a great photographer to do our DD's senior pics. Actually DD found the photographer, as this one did a friend's pictures the year before. 7 outfit changes, about 7-800 pics. $250, and a disk with 45 edited photos, plus all unedited photos.

Since a couple of you mentioned scrapbooks - we actually had family photos from the same photographer done the day before graduation. So we did get a good one with her in her cap and gown (no cords though, since DD didn't have them yet.) It is just DD, DH and me. We actually had the photographer take a picture of us each with our respective college sweatshirts on. We took that picture last as it was 90 degrees that day...but that picture is priceless!

 

[kacaju]

My son graduated high school last week. I had my younger son take photos of him & the family out in front of our house before heading to the school and also throughout the ceremony. He did get quite a few good photos. But they also had the professional photographer that took several types of photos at the graduation.

I got a chance to look at them online this morning and I chose 5 that I liked. There's a formal portrait of him in his cap/gown, one of him coming down the aisle, one of him coming off of the stage after receiving his diploma, a candid shot of all of the students that were sitting in his row and one of him leaving the ceremony. There was also one of him getting his diploma and shaking hands with the principal but my son got a really good picture of that, so no need to purchase this one.

Anyhow, I put all five photos in the shopping cart and originally I was just going to get 4x6's of these prints (I scrapbook and it's just easier with this size) But she wanted $10 for a 4x6 print!!! I was like: Then I noticed she charged the same $10 for a 5x7. So I'm going to get the 5x7's and incorporate them into the scrapbook as best as I can. I knew this photography place was expensive but wow, $10 for a 4x6 threw me for a loop. LOL

He never did get the professional "senior portraits" like many do but I've heard those are OUTRAGEOUS!!! Think I just might take up photography and change my career to professional photographer.

If you are going to spend the money anyway...just get the 4x6 if they are easier for you to work with..I know photo's are crazy expensive...but sometimes it is just so worth it! I just spent $37 on 2 8x10's and my daughter doesn't even look good in the picture...but it was a dog show picture of our puppy who won Best Puppy in Show!! so we will just crop the kid out...LOL!!!

 

[molliewalks]

i paid $25 for an 8x10 handshake photo and $25 for the ceremony video. crazy prices!!

Sent from my iPhone using DISBoards

 

[mjkacmom]

Dd17 is graduating tonight, but they are using the same photographer that they used for the yearbook (we don't have a choice). I bought a 5 x 7 for $65, and had copies made at CVS. $10 is nothing!

 

[powellrj]

We didn't get that option. We could get a group picture and a picture of the graduate. Silly me thought I was getting 2 pictures. No I paid $20 for a group picture and a small picture of DD at the bottom of the group picture. I am disappointed, but still glad I only ordered one instead of several like I had planned. I know my parents wouldn't have wanted a picture of her class!

 

[MamaLema]

Yes, it's crazy expensive but I don't regret it. I paid almost $300 but the pictures are of a high quality. High school is a big milestone and I wouldn't want to go to a cheap studio but that's just me.

 

[maccagerl]

$10 for a 4x6 or 5x7 is very reasonable. Just curious, what do you think is a fair price for a 4x6?
I am assuming the photographer was taking photos to make a profit and not spending the whole day there with her expensive equipment and experience in order to give away photos for free?
In addition to spending the day at the graduation, she must have also spent time afterwards to process and organize the photos.
Her time and experience have to count for something !
That is really what you are
paying for, not the little piece of paper the photo is printed on.

 

[BadgerGirl84]

$10 for a 4x6 or 5x7 is very reasonable. Just curious, what do you think is a fair price for a 4x6? I am assuming the photographer was taking photos to make a profit and not spending the whole day there with her expensive equipment and experience in order to give away photos for free? In addition to spending the day at the graduation, she must have also spent time afterwards to process and organize the photos. Her time and experience have to count for something ! That is really what you are paying for, not the little piece of paper the photo is printed on.

My thoughts exactly. I'm a self proclaimed cheapskate and I wouldn't blink an eye at a $10 professional picture. Actually, I think it's cheap.

 

[maslex]

Dd17 is graduating tonight, but they are using the same photographer that they used for the yearbook (we don't have a choice). I bought a 5 x 7 for $65, and had copies made at CVS. $10 is nothing!

Oh wow. $65 for a 5x7? Guess my measly little $10 IS nothing. LOL

$10 for a 4x6 or 5x7 is very reasonable. Just curious, what do you think is a fair price for a 4x6?
I am assuming the photographer was taking photos to make a profit and not spending the whole day there with her expensive equipment and experience in order to give away photos for free?
In addition to spending the day at the graduation, she must have also spent time afterwards to process and organize the photos.
Her time and experience have to count for something !
That is really what you are
paying for, not the little piece of paper the photo is printed on.

Yes, I know the photographer was there for that hour or two during graduation to make a profit. Yes, I knew she wasn't there with her expensive equipment to give the photos away for free (I never insinuated that). And yes, I understand it takes time to process/organize the photos. All I was saying was it was quite the sticker shock to see $10 for a 4x6. That's all. Then I noticed the same price for the 5x7 and decided to go with those instead. And seeing that it is my son's graduation, if that is all she offered (a 4x6 for $10) I would have definitely bought a few, if I liked them. His graduation only comes once in a life time, ya know. I guess when I normally get my personal photos developed at places like CVS for 24 cents a copy, it just kind of shocked me to see $10 for the 4x6. And no, I was not expecting her to sell 4x6's for 24 cents a piece. I understand she's in business, I understand it takes her time and her expertise, I understand the whole concept. I just don't normally purchase photos from a professional, so I didn't realize what the going rate was.

I guess I look at it this way. And I'm by no means a professional, so I could be wrong. But if you have just over 100 graduates and charge that kind of money for photos there's probably a lot of parents who can't afford those prices. But if you were to charge less money, than I'm assuming more people are apt to buy them and probably buy more photos, no? That's just me.

 

[Geoff_M]

But if you have just over 100 graduates and charge that kind of money for photos there's probably a lot of parents who can't afford those prices. But if you were to charge less money, than I'm assuming more people are apt to buy them and probably buy more photos, no? That's just me.

Part of it may also be related to the fact that photographers know that a lot of people will just buy one photo and then go and have illegal copies made that violates their copyright on the image... and adjust their unit pricing with that assumption in mind.

 

[yoopermom]

Part of it may also be related to the fact that photographers know that a lot of people will just buy one photo and then go and have illegal copies made that violates their copyright on the image... and adjust their unit pricing with that assumption in mind.

That is trickier to do than it sounds, unless you're scanning it in and printing it at home off your own copier.

DS had his senior pictures taken by the BF of his GF, she's not a professional, but does a great job. When I tried to get copies made at Walgreens, Walmart, CVS, etc, none of them would do it, thinking that they were professional, copyrighted shots. I ended up having to get a signed affidavit from her stating that I could do so, which she, as an 18 year old thought was hilarious!

Terri

 

[maslex]

Part of it may also be related to the fact that photographers know that a lot of people will just buy one photo and then go and have illegal copies made that violates their copyright on the image... and adjust their unit pricing with that assumption in mind.

That could very well be.

 

[disykat]

I would be happy with a $10 price on any kind of photo I was buying from a business that snaps shots at that sort of thing. Don't most cost a lot more than that?

- And that's coming from someone who had her son's "senior portraits" done on special at JC Penny's.

 

[rapunzelrocks]

You don't want to know what my daughter just paid for her college graduation photos.

But we paid it. You couldn't get near the podium to see her get her degree. I was able to see her shake hand with the Dean only because I brought my binoculars.

Of course we took our own photos on campus, and we got a few pictures as she marched down the aisle.

 

[Geoff_M]

That is trickier to do than it sounds, unless you're scanning it in and printing it at home off your own copier.

DS had his senior pictures taken by the BF of his GF, she's not a professional, but does a great job. When I tried to get copies made at Walgreens, Walmart, CVS, etc, none of them would do it, thinking that they were professional, copyrighted shots. I ended up having to get a signed affidavit from her stating that I could do so, which she, as an 18 year old thought was hilarious!

Terri

Understood completely. I get that with my own work a lot too... but I've never had a problem once I agree to sign a one of the store's forms stating that I'm declaring that I have the right to make the copies and acknowledging that the store made the copies in good faith. Unless the photo has an explicit copyright notice contradicting my statement, they won't flinch. Other stores have self-serve scanners and photo printers where no one even checks.

 

[Flamingeaux]

The photos were one of the few things we did and we paid a lot for what we got. I talked the kids out of not getting rings.