#1. I don't get to choose when they take the picture.
Jaden had a pretty awkward couple of months with his 2 front teeth protruding straight out in front of him because his big teeth were coming in. Am I a fan of holding on to memories that are awkward and embarrassing? You bet. So long as it's not me. Haha. But really. This is a time where if I wanted to capture that moment in time, I would do so with my own camera... for my own blackmailing purposes. But make this the poor kid's "First Grade School Picture?" Not so much.
#2. I don't get to pick the pose, or make sure my own kid is smiling.
Yes, this picture, does depict how shy Kaleb is in classroom settings, but it does not show how happy he is this year. He loves his school, and he loves his teacher. But do we look like we are having fun?
#3. The price is ridiculous.
I spent about $28 on each kid. But look what I got for Bradley:
I went to Walmart to have Brad's pictures done. I haven't gone there in the past 6 years because of a bad experience with Jaden's baby pictures. (Remember that, Sherrie?) I kind of boycotted the place. Well one day, my frugal instincts won over, and I'm glad that they did. Walmart had totally changed the way they do things since my last visit and I love the turnout.
For each of Jaden and Kaleb's $28 bucks, we got:
~ONE class picture
~ONE crappy 8x10
For Bradley's $28 bucks we got:
~4 different poses
~my choice of day for the picture
~CUTE outcomes
~(3) 8x10s
~(4) 5x7s
~(5) 3 1/2 x 5s
~(8) wallets
~(10) minis.
Next time they're all going to Walmart (or wherever I can find the best deal) and they can have a $5 class picture. Or even better, I'll have my dad or Shanade do them for free. Lesson learned.
Whatever, I totally love that picture of Jaden! You can hardly see his snaggle tooth! But yes, I agree, Walmart sounds like the WAY better option. I loooooooooooooove the pics of Bradman! I couldn't help but make an audible "aw" sound with each picture! He's so stinkin handsome in the first one, I love how suave he looks in the second one, and how you can tell he has been put into a pose in the third one but still manages to make it adorable (with his little puckered lips!!) and the last one just melts my heart!
ReplyDeleteToo funny! I thought the same, they are WAY overpriced so I didn't buy them. I still need to take Sam to JC Penney's to get his done for a $8.99 package. I love them! Sorry again that we weren't home today for them to play, I'm sure you weren't too sad, lol :)
ReplyDeleteI boycotted school pictures this year! I felt like an outlaw, but I HATED Sam's picture last year. Didn't capture his personality at all! So I took a bunch of pics on the first day of school and decided to count those as this year's "school pictures."
ReplyDeleteThere's a new-ish place in Draper called Fotofly where we went to get our family pictures done. $79 for the session and all your images on CD with the copyright release, and they take all sorts of pictures of the fam, each person individually, just the kids, just mom and dad, whatever you want. And the pics are AWESOME. Contemporary and cool and all that good stuff. That's where I intend to go from now on!
Here's a link to our family pictures, if you want to check it out:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=236786&id=640917606
Oh Jaden's picture looks amazing! Good thing he didn't listen to you when you told him to smile with his mouth closed...snicker snicker....He is getting so grown up, it's incredible. And Kaleb's well...it's just too painful to comment on. Oh Bradley, what a handsome stud!!! Mom and I were just trying to tell Dad how adorable his other poses were, I'm glad you put them up so he can see for himself.
ReplyDeleteKare- It was CRAZY how he would do exactly what the photographer told him to do. He would never do that for me. Which is is hard when I want someone we know to take the picture. He's not scared into submission enough!
ReplyDeleteHeather- I know, we used to do JCPEnney, but lately I've been too cheap for the club membership (or sitting fee.) And Jaden was really sad. Not to make you feel bad! Lol! But we'll really have to reschedule! :)
Tomi- I LOVE your pictures! So $79 for everything? That's less than what i spent on "school pictures" for the 3 boys. And I don't really need them printed. I hardly ever hang the pictures, I just want them in the computer for now, so when I finally decide what to do with them I can just take them to walmart or somewhere cheap and just order what I need. So that would be perfect. Thanks! I'll have to remember that.
Alli- I know. I was there for his retake and the first one, he did with his mouth closed. But his tooth didn't quite make it behind his lips. Lol! The second one, WITH teeth was surprisingly better.