To wonder why the school photographer is trying to sell me a picture of my daughter with her eyes closed?

[mumbelievable]

Dd got her school photos taken last week and today has come with the proofs and order form. There is only one pose for sale and it's not a nice picture at all. She has her eyes squeezed shut and is doing something wierd with her teeth. i don't want to pay £30 for it (cheapest package on offer) as i took much better pics myself on her first day of school.

But my family are upset as they wanted to get a 'proper' photo of dd. I promised them i'd give them one each out of the school photo package (this was before i'd seen the pictures. I didn't expect them to be so bad). I've told them i'm not buying but they can if they want. They've refused as it's too expensive. I've offered them copies of the ones i took but they've refused these too. Apoarantly they're not good because my wallpaper's in the background.

I'm just really annoyed now. At hometime, I glimpsed some of the other children's proofs and they're all smiling nicely in them. I mentioned to one of the other mums I'm not buying mine and she looked shocked. She said i had to buy my dd's first school photos.

AIBU not to? By the looks of it, i'll be the only mum not buying, and my family are upset by it. I don't want dd being upset when she's older either if she asks to see her primary one photo.

[BettySwollocksandaCrustyRack]

You wont be the only mum buying...I never buy them!!

£30 for a photo you dont like is madness....get your camera out, sit her down in a chair and take a better one yourself.

[BettySwollocksandaCrustyRack]

only mum not buying!!

[SuperSesame]

Don't buy it if its awful.
Your DD will relax more at home and you'll probably get a better photo.
Copy the pose the prof shot had her do. Get a neutral background and snap a few in her uniform if she has one. Job done.
Also, put the portrait mode on your camera if you have such a mode. It will make her sharper looking and blur the background.
(Charge the relations for it too, if you are feeling enterprising!)

[JamieandtheMagicTorch]

Oh, my mum makes me feel a bit guilty about not buying these, and neither of my DSs has ever been doing anything funny with their teeth. I wonder if it harks back to a time when fewer people had cameras, never mind endless digital pics they never look at.

Take a nice photo and send it to her

[WorraLiberty]

The photographers take around 3 or 4 shots as a rule...especially if the child closes their eyes in the first couple.

It's not their fault your child wouldn't open her eyes, yet I'm sure if they decided not to offer you any photo you'd (quite rightly) say it's for you to decide whether it was worth buying or not.

[Hassled]

I often don't buy and to be honest don't ever really do much with the ones I do buy. And your DD will look much the same in yr1 as she does in Reception, and the uniform will be the same presumably. When you've got hoards of the things in 10 or so years' time you won't even be able to identify which school year it was.

Agree the photographer could have maybe tried again.

[JamieandtheMagicTorch]

My mum even commented on the fact that I bought black and white ones one year. I expect she thought they were too attractive and tasteful

[CPtart]

There were so many complaints from parents about the quality of photos taken at our school last year, that the company was re-called in and had to repeat the lot.
Ask around, you may not be the only one unhappy.

[Dogsmom]

Can you scan the nice ones or do they write across them?

Our wedding photographer tried to include one of me with my eyes shut in our portfolio, he was useless in every way tbh, we had the choice though of a set amount out of the whole lot but guess which one he chose to use on his website....

[mumbelievable]

Thanks everyone. My family are just a bit snobbish, so would much rather have a terrible 'professional' picture than a decent amateur one. Yet they're not willing to buy it themselves.

I just don't understand why the photographer selected this pose. I'm sure there would be at least one where she has her eyes open.

[JamieandtheMagicTorch]

We sacked out photographers this year as well.

[JamieandtheMagicTorch]

our photgraphers

[RubberNeckerNicker]

I didn't buy my DDs first photo because it just looked awkward and posed. Although the photographer only sends a small proof photo and then you go online to order as much or as little as you want, so is quite reasonable.

Sons nursery always sends home about 3 whole sets costing at least £25 each and it feels like emotional blackmail because it seems such a shameful waste to send them back to be junked (plus he takes lovely pics). Its twice a year too. Must remember to ask them not to include him next time.

[BananasForMonkeys]

You could just scan the proofs at least you'd have a copy of the photo

[coldcupoftea]

My DD2's last preschool photo was beyond awful- she looked so miserable.

I still bought it though, surely these are the embarrassing pictures we will get out on their 18th birthdays! (it was much less than £30 though)

My friend's little girl just flatly refused to even be photographed at school. There's not much the photographer can do if they won't perform on cue.

[BerthaTheBogBurglar]

I only buy them if I like them. And if the one with all 3 of them in the same shot is nice I don't buy the individual ones.

And your family are idiots, take a nice photo of dd in her school uniform in front of a white wall, holding up a sign saying "is this good enough for you?" and give them that.

[wannabedomesticgoddess]

Out of your whole OP the part thst really bugs me is your family.

They want you to buy crap photos for them just because they were taken by a photographer?

FGS

[MarysBeard]

We have had one or two bad ones where we've not bothered. I particularly disliked the gimmicky grouped class photo. Last year they went back to the traditional type, which was much better.

I know they have lots of photos to take but there isn't really any excuse for them having one with the child's eyes shut on individual shots. Not with digital cameras! Unless the child refused to open their eyes! Last year's one of DDs was nice - and I noted the photographer took 3/4 of everyone to make sure they had the best shot.

[HoratiaWinwood]

Max Spielman often do a deal on sittings and prints. We got a canvas, four 10x8, four 7x5, two mugs and two keyrings, all different shots from around fifty shot within ten minutes or so, and ready same day ... for £29.99. That would do all the grasping, snobby relations and leave something for you too.

Go there after school in a good mood. It will be very obviously a posed "professional" shot worthy of their living room walls, but DD might cooperate better if you are there bribing encouraging her.

[controlpantsandgladrags]

I haven't bought any of reception dds photos. They were truly shit...I have better shots of her taken with my phone. They are basically head shots and you can't even tell she is wearing a school uniform. I'm planning to head to max spielman instead!

[Jenny70]

Don't buy them.

Find a cream/light wall with good natural light. Stand child 2 steps in front of it, take photo in uniform, no flash. Mainly get head and shoulders. If looks too prison style angle body about 30- 45 degrees and then have them look at you, bit over shoulder.

Tell stupid jokes, or get someone to make bunny ears over you for natural laugh/smile. Go to high st photo place, get 5x8 prints (because 6x4 looks home made, LOL), should be able to get 5 for under £2. Send to relatives.

Tell them they retook it, or not...

[eurochick]

You could contact the photographer to ask if he sent the wrong photo by mistake.

[Panzee]

Our photographers offer resits. I'm sure yours will if you ask.

[cozietoesie]

School photos really annoy me. It was all well and good 50 years ago when ordinary people wouldn't likely have had cameras but nowadays, with nearly everyone able to snap their kids, it''s just a money spinner for the photographers with a bung thrown in to the school's funds for allowing them the premises to snap in.

And there's terrific pressure on people who can ill afford it to buy these photos when they can likely take as good themselves. I shudder to think how much it would cost for someone with 3 or 4 kids at a school where photos are taken every year.