to hoist my bosom in aghastedness at 'fun' class photos?

[Porpoise]

DS3 (8) came home last night with a "fun" class photo.

Instead of the usual serried ranks of sweet but slightly uncomfortable-looking kids, we have...

... them in groups of five, each 'artfully' arranged with some kids lying on the floor, others kneeling, others standing - all doing a thumbs up.

And they've all taken their shoes off.

The teacher is standing on her own in the middle, striking a bit of a Sandy from Grease pose.

And the whole mile-wide monstrosity is decorated round the edges with Union Jack bunting.

Anyone else had something like this done at their school? Did you actually fork out money for a print?

I never buy class photos now. I bought some when DS1 first started school but never looked at them. It's full of other peoples children! I don't want to look at anything but my own lovely kids.

I'm sure they're doing class photos soon. Usually the caretaker does them as he's a photographer too. They do the traditional pose for the parents to buy and then he does when with them all pulling silly faces which gets put on to a board for us to laugh at the end of the year!

oh no am now dreading ds one -I only generally buy the group one and he did in passing (is 7 so v little info shared) say was leaning against one of his classmates.... not one of his friends -they have all been classic before -I don't want any of these new style- joins in the hoicking

I was gutted when my DD came home with one of these a few weeks ago. She's in reception and whilst I can't see myself buying one every year I thought the first school photo would be a nice keepsake. It is sooo naff though! As well as the silly poses (yep, Sandy from Grease "tell me about it stuuuud" is there) my daughter is in a group of three. The other two kids (who she doesn't play with - it's all so randon) are two of the smallest in the class - whilst DD is one of the tallest so it makes her look like a freaky giant. Needless to say I won't be buying.

YADNBU

Our school did it one year. They went back to the traditional photos after that!!

They're a pile o' shite. No dignity at all. I hate them. dh complains bitterly about them every year.

I think the no shoes thing is so that they don't dirty the backdrop.

My boys had those group photos done at preschool, which I didnt mind because pre-school is informal and each child was sat with their keyworker, (so the small groupings made sense) but I don't think informal shots are appropriate for school.

I have not seen the class photo proof yet, the photo was taken earlier in the week. I am hoping that they have kept traditional.

The individual photos were horrible and I didnt buy them despite it being DS first school photo the photo was taken at a dodgy overhead angle, with ds posing on his hands and you couldnt even see his school badge or uniform, so it just wasnt worth me paying the money.

They're dreadful aren't they. Hate this Venturisation of everything now. I like the stuffy ones with the names on so your can refer to them when you can't remember the names of any of your kids' friends. I have a sinking feeling ours may arrive tonight. I won't buy in protest and I hope there's a really inappropriate pose so I can complain.

I like the traditional ones, but my ds's Year 6 photo was ruined by a teaching assistant, resplendent in a magenta t-shirt in the front row. She had what must have been a 50EE bosom - and no bra or at most a very aged one with no elastic. All you can see in that picture is the droopy bust - swinging so low there is one bosom on each knee. At least in a Venture-type one the photographer could have done a quick boob job on her.

Do people actually frame the school photos then?! I buy them every year, send an individual one to the Grandparents and then chuck them in the "School Photo Drawer". I thought that's what they were for!!

They tried these awful "arty" ones in the Infants fortunately after mine were all in the Juniors. There were a LOT of very unhappy parents. They went back to the normal line up after that.

They should really only bother with Reception, maybe Yr3 and then Yr6 though, as you only want an occasional photo of other people's children.

They do come in handy though - ds (in Yr11)'s mate is going out with a girl he used to go to Infants with, so he has shared his class photo with his mate

You are a grumpy lot!

I quite like them, but I only buy the class one from reception and will then get the one at end of Yr6. It's nice for children in the future to look back and spot their best friends. No frames though - just cardboard tubes to keep them safe in the loft/ top of their wardrobe.

Our primary school does these, but you can buy them in a book rather than a photo that could be framed.

I like them because I could get pictures of both my children in the one book because it contained the whole school, which actually made it cheaper, and all their friends and teachers are in there too. They tried to put them in their friendship groups which was good, so although there are are two to eight children on each page, they are always with other that they are actually friends with. The props were carefully chosen for each child where they were used too, so the sporty children were on the gym apparatus, or the ones that were Harry Potter obsessed were holding the book.

It's got to be better to do that than feel pressured to buy a crap photo in a cardboard frame that I then feel guilty about sticking in a drawer.

I really like the sound of those pics although don't like the bunting/props idea but having the kids look a bit less constipated than traditional pics can only be a good thing.

I have told this tale of woe before but....

My DS's nursery did photos. They didnt warn me that they were going to do something 'different'.

My face was like this when I saw them.

All victorian waifs in flat caps and bloomers. FFS my DS has dreadlocks! It looked ridiculous.

I was prepared at Christmas. When they said they were going to do dress up ones again I asked them just to do plain ones. They said fine.

They were even worse! They used the same cheesy, Olde Worlde backdrop but they just didnt dress DS up. There he was, looking utterly bewildered (he has ASD), in his Gap shirt, jeans and trainers, smack bag in the middle of a Dickensian Toy Shope.

I declined the special offer of a dozen prints plus key ring.

We went for a venture photo. We had a voucher and it was whilst DD was ill and I wanted to get a family photo.

The photographer asked me to take my boots off. I was like dont think so mate. My best mexican cowbouy boots artfully styled to go with my outfit!?

I had also 'styled' the rest of the family. On pain of death. It is a nice photo.

Catch me paying £1000 for it though!

YANBU.Sounds hideous.

I only buy the individual photos.I have never bought a class photo before.Why would I want pictures of someone elses kids on my wall?

I loathe those fun photos too. I want traditional rows

YANBU.

I'd prefer the traditional ones to the fun ones. Especially as far as school is concerned. Venture is really for fun private photos, IMO. And I'd be gutted if my boys aren't in a traditional sibling photo together.

They are awful. Haven't bought my ds's and it's his last year at school. They are £40, cheesy, a mix of different kids not friends with each other in each small grouping and actually technically really poor quality. DOn't think hardly any of our parents like/have bought them. Surely school will have made less commission from them? Please bring back traditional photos!

Well I actually like them.
DS had one in year 6 but they let them split the photo so I didn't have to buy the whole class photo we just had a photo of him and his 3 best friends.
I bought a frame for it and it is his prized possession. It's particularly nice as 2 of the boys went to different secondary schools so it is a nice reminder of them all being together!

Reception class photo was a fun one, poses with props and grouped artistically, it looked good. It was a strange size though thin and long. Year one piccy was not as propy though still done in smallish groups then joined together, but it was another strange size, longer than the other and also wider.about four times bigger than previous year pic. I managed to get a frame that they both fit in, they do look a bit strange though! I just hope that this years photo is not bigger again!

Oh dear. I'd be hoiking too esp if it's £

I don't even like Venture type photos out of school settings. They're so wincingly contrived.

No, give me a nice Victorian style school photo. Everyone straight backed and grim and the teacher looking murderous. Aah happy days..

They are optional!

I like the fun ones, too, traditional poses are just so so dull. DD says this year is a "fun" shot, with her 2 best mates & desperate for me to get the shot of the 3 of them -- I've never had a chance to get all 3 together (they don't get along that well).

I read this thread earlier today and was hoisting with the best of you ... then I picked DS1 up from preschool and saw the preschool photo that was done a few weeks ago. I hadn't taken DS1 in for it because it wasn't on one of his days and I wasn't that bothered.

Anyway, they had indeed done a 'fun' group one - and you know what? it was actually quite nice. They had about five groups, each with a different member of preschool staff, and each small group was quite nicely done - not themed, just grouped around the staff member. I think some of the children were holding preschool toys. And they were in five different areas of the preschool room - home corner, sand table, etc. I almost found myself regretting that I hadn't taken DS1 in for it, but there again, what was I going to do with an 18 inch long photo featuring several children that DS1 doesn't know, let alone me, because they don't share the same days at preschool?

Sniggering at Victorian waifs. Is this whole thing something that originated in the US, by any chance? It sounds horribly like the themed photos my SIL used to send me of my nephew...