baby photography rip off - should I just pay the photographer? so expensive

[kateonamission]

I was bought a photoshoot as a gift for my baby girl and have just been back to see the pictures and am so shocked at the prices to buy! £1000 for the images on a disk (there were 23 images) or £600 for low res images on a phone app. No prints included. Prints ranged from £60 to £200 each, and you don't get a digital copy of it with it, just the print.
Am I crazy or is this insane?
I'm finding it so hard to walk away from the pictures of my baby, obviously this is what they are banking on, feels so awful that her pictures will be gone forever if I don't buy them but at that price I feel really really reluctant and would feel totally ripped off.
I did ask if there was any movement and he was quite rude to me in response, with comments like 'I have to make a living you know' and 'you can't have your cake and eat it' when I asked about including the digitals if I bought the expensive prints from him. My heart and my head are torn! Help!

Walk away

Walk away

Don't buy them. Especially if he was rude to you.

Ridiculous! Please just walk away. If you want a photo shoot ask at a local photography school or college. Or a friend who is good with a camera.

I wouldn't even consider buying them at that price. There will be plenty of other opportunities to get some photos of your daughter. To be honest I actually prefer more natural, informal shots than the professional shoots.

Walk away! For that amount of money you could but yourself an amazing camera and snap hundreds of wonderful pictures of your lo over the next few years.

If you adore one of the photos then buy aa £60 print, but leave out at that.

It is a shame but IME that pricing does sound similar to what photographers from my area would charge. I know they are pictures of your baby but I would walk away.

For what it's work, sometimes its worth advertising for a student photographer, they love the work for their portfolios and you could get some nice photos

That's far too expensive, he's trying his luck
Walk away, take some pictures yourself or go to another photographer

You still have your baby, get some more photos taken!

Don't do it. I have been in a similar position, very nearly brought one image but it was tiny and very expensive, decided not to thankfully as few months later I got a call from the company offering all images on a disk for about £100, they were going to get rid of them.
Funnily enough I've never framed any of the pictures I got, they looked amazing on the big screen but in reality they were heavily photo shopped and just looked fake.

Walk away. That's ridiculously expensive. Clearly trying to rip you off because he knows parents will pay it so they don't lose the photos.

Do some research and book yourself in with a reasonable local photographer, but one with good reviews. They'll take the same quality photos and (hopefully) not speak to you like shit

Don't buy them, we used to have a Venture photography and they were crazy prices even offered credit to pay by instalments . Find another independent photographer that does a package deal that includes a certain number of prints. I know it feels sad to 'lose' those photographs but that's what they play on, that's a massive profit

Walk away! That is insane!

We paid £50 for a shoot, then £120 for a canvas, 6 prints of various sizes, and all images on high resolution USB.

I've heard that the more expensive photographers often contact you later to offer your images at a massively reduced price. Maybe that will happen. But seriously, walk away now.

It might be worth tactfully mentioning this to the person who bought the voucher so that they don't do the same for someone else. It's a lovely gift on the face of it- I bet they'd be mortified if they knew what has happened.

Yes the person who bought it for me paid £40 for the initial photoshoot. Can't believe the price difference in the shoot and the actual photos.
I just feel so sad, it seems such a shame, I would love those photos and so would my family, but we just can't afford that amount of money. Feels like he has my little baby trapped in his computer and I want to rescue her from him haha!

The first line of the title answers your question - Rip off.

Tell him to shove his camera. Take some with your phone, make a white backdrop. If you want prints use one of the many online places to upload a decent image and get it printed and delivered for 15quid ish. With so much decent tech around these days you really don't need someone with a top range camera to do it for you, giving you all the flannel about making a living "you know". Not your problem. They always have to factor in that not everyone will buy the photos they take. I wouldn't buy them because of the attitude! Handing over 60-200 quid and you give me attitude? nah, keep the photos mate. Not the best way to run a business

I'm feeling quite angry about it now, now that I can see that I'm not crazy and it is excessive. It just feels greedy, even at half the price we would struggle to pay but would maybe make a real effort to get them as we understand he's spent time editing etc. To be so expensive means everyone loses out, we don't get the pictures of our baby and they are lost and forgotten forever and he doesn't get paid either.
I feel like the way he spoke to me was out of line too, he also kept me waiting 5-10mins or so whilst he wrote an email in front of me despite us having an appointment and me sitting there waiting for him to put the slideshow up of the photos.
There aren't many reviews on his Facebook page, 6 positive and 1 negative - I feel like leaving a bad review but I'm not confrontational and am a bit cowardly so I don't know.

If you work out the costs - being a photographer is not going to lead to cheap photos :) for a good pro those are not expensive costs - I would charge more than that :) but then I am a top Nikon Pro and have trained / mentored other photographers around the world for years, plus it is not my main business so have no need to make money at it - so can get away with it :)

you do have to understand the costs that go into running a photography business:

• costs of kit (a camera body top end is c. £5-6k / lenses can be thousands each / lighting and studio kit again in the thousands)
• insurance costs
• time and this is the big one - most people assume that it is press a button, push through a computer and job done - it can take days to sort out the photos from a photo-shoot
• the photographer's name - at some points in the market there is a value in who the photographer is - photos are now considered artwork and can have similar values - selling for thousands per photo - upwards...

on the other hand - most people are equally happy with photos taken by someone with a good eye and a medium bit of kit - lots of scenarios where this will not be as good (e.g. on location in a dark environment / doing sports / etc.), but equally, lots of scenarios where it works very well... (studio is one of those!)

so there is a logical space in the market for both ends and the issue here could be:

• mismatch in expectation (high end photographer not communicating prices clearly)
• photographer who is not high end wanting to make money by pretending to be high end / conning customers into a cheap shot with expensive outcomes

the issue was lack of communication - not price per se.

the big emotional element is that photographers know that parents don't like to get rid of their child's photos - it is emotional blackmail as though you are slowly killing your child with every photo you delete!

absolute nonsense

• say thank you very much
• make an offer at the level you are prepared to pay (e.g. £20-£40 for a 8x10 print etc. maybe a price for digital images but don't forget the rights to use them, signed to you)
• give a timescale for him to come back to you
• if not resolved - find another photographer - they will capture your child equally well

Not uncommon unfortunately. Venture perhaps?

For comparison I live in a very expensive part of country.

We paid a photographer £60 for an hours photo shoot for which we got all edited photos on a disk and own the copyright to have them printed however so made calendars etc for grandparents.

Walk away from this and have more photos taken with a more sensible photographer

Definitely walk away. You have your beautiful DD and can take endless pictures of her.

I'd leave a non confrontational review, saying after the gift of an initial photo shoot you were disappointed to not be able to afford any of the actual photos (and list the prices)

This might save someone else going through what you have.

I think that's well excessive in cost! We've got a new born shoot booked and its £250 for the shoot, and then £10 per print (more for canvas) and she's an amazing photographer who specialises in wedding and new born (we had her for our wedding too). Unless he's one of the top international photographers that has won awards and is renowned within the industry that's too much IMO, and I wouldn't pay it (wouldn't be able to afford it even if i wanted them!).

Unfortunately this is what happens with "cheap" photo shoots.
It's emotional blackmail. They get you in the door with a cheap upfront price then take the piss with the photo prices.
Pick your favourite and buy a print for your lounge if you want to.
Otherwise walk away. In future, consider photographers who charge more for the shoot but do a package so you know what you are paying in advance. Beware anyone who doesn't tell you in advance their price list!
In 2 weeks you won't even care about this if you walk away! You will do if you're still paying for a photo in 6months time!

Walk away.

Cheaper to buy yourself a nice camera and take your own.

I feel your frustration Kate! I'm pretty much all gob in private and would also feel like raging and doing unspeakable things to said person in my mind but in person I'd be like "Oh thank you for trying to rip me off! " Still wouldn't pay for them though, make excuses like I'll think about it, we do have the money but not today...I like to call them "Nice lies" haha
I'm getting better now though in my older age and try to be firm, fair and polite!

Total scam.
Run away.
Leave public feedback everywhere.