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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

About school photos?

52 replies

MincePieFlavouredVoidka · 16/11/2011 09:46

Both DS's had their photos taken at school, individually and one together.

So we are buying everyone (both dh and I have divorced parents and grandparents who want photos) a small one of the together one as its come out really nice. DS2's photos are not great so we are not buying that. I also wanted the one of DS1 as thats come out very nice and its his last at primary.

MIL saw that we are buying DS1's photo for ourselves and said that she would like one too. I explained that we were buying the couple one for everyone, bust she insist she wants an individual one.

I said I would order her one if she wanted to pay for it. She now isnt speaking to me (which is a result!) because I was cheeky enough to ask her for the money. DH is cross that I have upset his mum.

Now she is a bit of a loon at the best of times, but was I being unreasonable to ask her to pay. DH is Self Employed and things are a bit lean at the moment so money is tight and she knows this. Her argument is that we are buying one and its selfish just to buy for herself. I was sure I wbu but now I am doubting myself.

OP posts:
IteotYEARawki · 02/12/2011 18:29

YANBU and she isn't "stopping her[self] being close to her GS1" by not talking to his mother?!

Has she ever forgiven you for having the audacity to marry her DS?

FWIW with those school photos if my MiL wanted a specific one she would insist on paying for it herself even if we offered to get it for her. Like if she saw something in a shop she wanted she'd buy it with her own money and wouldn't ring up asking us to buy it for her.

Esta3GG · 02/12/2011 18:30

No. It is not YOUR photograph. Copyright is invariably retained by the photographer. You have bought copies of his/her photo and you cannot reproduce without permission without breaking the law.

It really pisses me off how people neither understand nor respect copyright law.

People who would never shoplift or nick anything feel perfectly entitled to screw over photographers etc.
Makes me sick.

Overtiredmum · 02/12/2011 18:30

I only ever buy one photo, then either scan it to email, or photocopy to give out to grandparents, aunts and uncles etc.

Sooooo much cheaper!! x

pigletmania · 02/12/2011 18:33

Esta they are so overpriced fgs they are not making it easy for themselves. There is a certain company that has a monopoly over school and uni photos, I expect they are raking it in. Its only one not being done on a mass level. Ok have you ever burned songs onto a cd, thats the same thing imo, or downloaded stuff.

pigletmania · 02/12/2011 18:33

I bought the photo so yes, I can do what I want with it.

IteotYEARawki · 02/12/2011 18:35

Here's a thought - if she is insisting on the individual photo then tell her she's welcome to it but then she won't be getting the couple one. See if she's happy with that?

Esta3GG · 02/12/2011 18:38

piglet
School photographers are not raking it in.
It is people like you actually that are causing it to be so expensive.
Photographers rely on reproductions to form the bulk of their income so everytime people rip them off (and break the law) they have to increase their prices.

Astonishing how people think it is ok to steal stuff like this but would never dream of taking petrol without paying for it.

pigletmania · 02/12/2011 18:42

I have paid for it. Its my child's image. Have you ever burned a cd, well if you have why don't you pay for another copy then, you are committing a crime.

nikon1968 · 02/12/2011 18:47

A lot of school photographers use their own printers to print the photos.

A lot of professional photographers also use DSCOLOURLABS [ WEDDINGS ETC]

Go and have a look at their prices you will be stunned at the mark up.

[I used to be a wedding photographer and I was raking it in]

I have just looked at their site and it has changed since I used it a year ago but to give you an idea

10 x 8 = 45p

20 x 16 = £1.95

Esta3GG · 02/12/2011 18:48

Piglet
I am sorry but you haven't a clue what you are talking about.
You have paid for a COPY of the photo. You do not own the photo.
The photographic image of you child is owned by the photographer who is the ONLY person who can give or refuse permission to reproduce.
If you reproduce the photo without permission you are breaking copyright law.
Simple as that.

nikon1968 · 02/12/2011 18:48

It is true that the copyright lies with the photographer and it is against the law to reproduce them yourself

but at the huge mark up I was not bothered in the least.

pigletmania · 02/12/2011 18:50

The mark up is astronomical, and their options for ordering photos are very limited e.g when dd had her school picture taken there was a 2 for £14 offer, but the prints had to be the same, it would have been better if we could order two different prints for £14. Wedding photos well yes they are especially raking it in. How a photographer can charge around 1-2k for a wedding is Shock. No wonder people are taking matters into their own hands and choosing to to photographs themselves.

lurkinginthebackground · 02/12/2011 18:53

YANBU but your mil is.

nikon1968 · 02/12/2011 18:56

This is what ds colour labs charge for their school packs............

New School Packs

New school pack now available. Our school packs are printed all on one size sheet of paper.

There are 7 packs available at the moment but we can design you a bespoke pack of any size you like. Please phone for details or email us here . This new service will save you £££`s.

Please note this service is only available via the Post at the moment not online.

Down load our order form here

More packs coming soon!

PACK A - £1.25 All printed on a 18x12 (Please size files to 5x4 or 10x8 for cropping reasons)

1 X 10X8

1 X 7X5

2 X 5X3.5

3 X 3.5X2.5

3 X 2.5X1.75

5 X PASSPORT/ KEYRINGS

PACK B - 95p All printed on a 15x10 (Please size files to 5x4 or 10x8 for cropping reasons)

1 X 10X8

1 X 7X5

1 X 5X3.5

2 X 3.5X2.5

PACK C - 95p All printed on a 15x10 (Please size files to 7x5 or 5x3.5 for cropping reasons)

1 X 7X5

4 X 5X3.5

4 X 3.5X2.5

nikon1968 · 02/12/2011 18:56

There are more packs but you can see for yourself the mark up...............

CheerfulYank · 02/12/2011 18:58

Here you can buy a CD for $15 and print whatever you want. They only do one pose though.

Your MIL is BU and bonkers.

pigletmania · 02/12/2011 19:09

Esta I am not claiming to know what I am talking about but people are fed up being ripped off, to entirely blame people for this is Hmm. photographers are bringing it on themselves too by charging extrotionate prices for re prints so you will get people doing this. If the prices were fair, more people would be ordering re prints from the photographer, they are shooting themselves in the foot tbh.

pigletmania · 02/12/2011 19:10

Thats fantastic cheerful that is a reasonable price, why don't the potographers in the UK do the same, they would get more business, £29 for a cd Shock

shinyrobot · 02/12/2011 19:14

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Esta3GG · 02/12/2011 19:32

Piglet-

Of course people ripping off copyright impacts on the escalating costs of school photos!
Providing copies are a primary income stream for photographers.
Take that out of the equation (by people illegally reproducing photos) and the photographer has to make up the shortfall in earnings somehow.

If you rip off the photographer by breaking the law with illegal repros then you are complicit in causing the rise in prices.

Shinyrobot - well said.

Northernlurker · 02/12/2011 19:38

I can't believe people are routinely buying one and then copying whole sets. That's dishonest. Nice thing to teach your kids.

nikon1968 · 02/12/2011 19:38

I used to give my brides a copy of all pictures on cd and said they can do what they like with them.

nikon1968 · 02/12/2011 19:40

By the way I never buy school photos I do my own in the back garden.

I have just done a friends childs photos.

2 10 by 8

6 7 x 5

for a fiver

RustyBear · 02/12/2011 19:46

Pigletmania - if you think there's just one company with a monopoly over school photos, you obviously haven't worked in a school office - there are hordes of companies all trying to get the bursar to agree to see them 'just for a few minutes'.

And for those who think the photos are too expensive, I'd be interested to see what you think would be a fair price for the photographer to charge?

EssentialFattyAcid · 02/12/2011 19:46

Not unreasonable for MIL to recieve a school photo of her grandchild without paying for it imo. Why not give as a christmas pressie?