This week is Picture Day at school. I always loved Picture Day when I was a kid. Mama always curled my hair and I wore my most favorite shirt. All the students looked nice and they were better behaved than usual.
When I married my husband, my Mother-in-law gave me a 5x7 of every school picture from Kindergarten to somewhere in middle school. Actually, now that I think about it, he probably stopped getting school pictures taken about the time that his dad died.
So, school pictures have always been valuable to me. I can already envision the posterboard at my kids' graduation that showcases their school pictures from every year.
Here's my problem: they're expensive!! The smallest package I can order is $15.00. That might not sound bad to you but multiply that by 3 kids. For $45, I would get one 5x7 (of each kid), two 3x5s, and 21 of those itty-bitty pictures that kids like to trade around. The worst part is, the pictures are never good. Last year, they gave my daughter a blue background and both boys gray backgrounds. One kid always has their eyes half closed and another kid always does a fake smile.
While we were in San Francisco, I got awesome individual shots of each one of my kids. We were on a pier by the Bay Bridge and the lighting was beautiful. It was a bit foggy and it made for great shots. So, everyone has a great individual picture right now that shows their character.
Here's where you weigh in. Do I keep up the tradition and pay to have the classic school pictures taken or do I spend a couple bucks to get their nice, personal photos printed?
2 comments:
I personally hated those school pictures. I think the photographers intentionally try to take the worst picture possible. And you are right, they are expensive. This is what I have started for my grandkids. Well, really it's for their mothers. All year long I pull every picture possible from every possible source and save them. At Christmas, I find my favorites and have one of the many photo books company make books for each child. They can cost as little as $15, but I usually go for the more expensive books. My daughter-in-laws love the books and my grandson's do too. Someday they are going to have something better to had to their in-laws than a crappy school picture. If your kids really want to pass around pictures of themselves, you can get them better ones made for less at Walmart.
I'm so sorry you've had such bad experiences with those school pics for your kids. I've been working for one of those companies that takes the pictures, and I can guarantee that including myself, I don't know a single photographer that would be satisfied with anything less than a "great" photo.
Having said that, I know that it's an expense that you can't sneeze at when you have to buy multiple pkgs. So, my answer: use the pics you took yourself, or take more with a more traditional background! (maybe just purchase the class photo for each child).
Hope that helps.
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