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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

to wish school photos would go back to how they used to be

75 replies

freddiefrog · 12/11/2012 09:25

Picked up my childrens school photos this morning.

I usually buy photos of each of them and one of them together, frame them and give then to grannies and grandads for Christmas.

I've got Venture-style photos of my daughters standing on one leg, pretending to be an aeroplane, laying on the floor, sticking their tongue out and pretending to play fight.

All for a bargain £120

What happened to the traditional head and shoulders shots where you could get 3 for a tenner?

OP posts:
Original poster
freddiefrog · 12/11/2012 09:29

I've just re-read that and realised it sounds like I've ordered then.

It was the proofs I picked up from school

OP posts:
butisthismyname · 12/11/2012 09:30

I agree, they are trying too hard to be 'with it' . Nonsense!

GW297 · 12/11/2012 09:33

I'm with you on this one. I prefer the class photos where they stand in rows too. If it ain't broke...

WasLostNowAmFound · 12/11/2012 09:35

Agree YANBU regarding poses and prices - but the retro "head and shoulders" shot always came with the curtain of vomit background which offends me more.

Original poster
freddiefrog · 12/11/2012 09:37

I wouldn't mind if

a) we still got a head and shoulder shot in the pack with all the posey ones
And
b) I didn't have to take out a second mortgage if I want to buy them.

Our class photo was the same, half the kids were hanging upside down from a tree while the other half were doing handstands

OP posts:
Nancy66 · 12/11/2012 09:38

In my day they used to comb your hair with a metal comb before taking your picture - i have curly hair so it really hurt. Then they'd dip the comb in disinfectant before using it again on the next kid.

Consquently everyone had slightly wet, greasy looking hair in the pictures.

avivabeaver · 12/11/2012 09:39

couldnt agree more! dd1 and dd2 are 17 and 15. all their pictures are head and shoulder shots, in school uniform charting their development from 4 to around 11. We also have group shots where they are lined up in rows (sitting, on benches, standing) when they are 4 or 5. They are lovely.

dd3, who is 4 brought hers home- why do they now need to cut the top of her head out of the shot? why would i want one of her laying on the floor? They are more expensive but to be fair, no doubt they have to factor in people buying one and then copying it themselves.

picnicbasketcase · 12/11/2012 09:40

I say this every time the subject comes up- I fucking hate those modern six feet long informal pictures. My DC's school still does normal individual pictures but I never buy the class ones because I have no interest in having a stupidly long picture of bare footed children lolling around on the floor.

ChocHobNob · 12/11/2012 09:41

YANBU. I'm just glad they do a family photo because I can't afford to get one of each child anymore. One tiny photo of each child would cost £36 minimum.

DeWe · 12/11/2012 09:41

Ds had a nice set. One full length, one traditional head shot, one probably intended to be a second head shot, but he's giggling at something, and one lying down.
All lovely with a smile on, and ds doesn't usually take a good photo if he knows you're going it.
I got one of each (8"x6") for £20. Helps probably that the photographer is a school dad.

WhoKnowsWhereTheTimeGoes · 12/11/2012 09:43

We still have the traditional type but I do wish they'd do a white bacground instead of green or blue. As for the nightmare of trying to choose from a multitude of packs none of which exactly fulfill my requirements, I have taken to just ordering the CD with one photo of both DCs together and getting what I want printed at Boots.

cozietoesie · 12/11/2012 09:46

Here's the thing, freddiefrog. The tradition of school photos grew up when most people didn't have a camera so really valued the pics. And they weren't that unreasonable.

Now, with tradition and peer pressure/parent pressure coming to bear, they're a nice little earner for local photographers who - along with marriage photos - probably couldn't exist without them. They're also usually an earner for the School Fund: the photographers give them a kickback on the money.

lovebunny · 12/11/2012 09:48

don't buy them. send a note back with them saying you will not buy any silly photographs - portraits are fine.

then put the £120 towards a camera and do your own.

CrapBag · 12/11/2012 09:49

YANBU. They sound awful tbh. I hope DS's school don't do this. He hasn't had his photos done yet.

Recently our local paper had a supplement of some of the new reception classes in the city. Most of the classes were sat in rows of various heights. There were some that were in a more relaxed, playful style. I know which ones I preferred by a long shot.

ReallyTired · 12/11/2012 09:49

£120 is utterly excessive. We bought a pack of 10X8 and 4 little photos for £36.

Its nice to have some professional photos of children, but there is only so much a photo is worth.

AmazingBouncingFerret · 12/11/2012 09:56

Just picked up DS's photo on Friday. One large head and shoulders shot and two medium. £13.50. £120?! Who the fuck is taking your kids photos? Annie Leibovitz? Grin

lynniep · 12/11/2012 09:57

DS1 is in Y1 and I havent bought his photo from either this year or last. The price of one headshot is £18 and both years it hasnt been a great photo of him.
They did an 'informal' christmas class photo in reception which they sent to the parents as a christmas card last year and it was brilliant (and free) The kids were outside and positioned in the traditional 'formal' way (crossed legged at the front, standing on benches at the back) but were all grinning like loons and holding up painted letters to spell out the christmas message. The quality was nowhere near a professional photo as it was printed out from the school printer, but it was a lovely shot and much appreciated.

Scholes34 · 12/11/2012 09:58

At some point a school seems to lose touch with what parents really want and what is affordable. For two years we had the hideous shots of the class posing. Very expensive, especially if you bought the frame, and you can't subsequently go out and buy your own frame because the photo is a strange size. We've now reverted to the traditional school shot.

Relief all round, but the photos still aren't as affordable as they used to be. My not well off at all parents would buy the school photos without a second thought when I was at school and circulate them to family, whereas Ifeel have to review the family budget for the month just to afford the single photo.

bellabreeze · 12/11/2012 10:07

I personally prefer the natural, not staged photos which you can take at home, I also preferred it when the school didn't put the writing through my DCs heads on the little proof pic so I could just cut it out and put it in a little frame ;) they've also made the photos so much smaller on the proof pic damn them

AlwaysHoldingOnToStarbug · 12/11/2012 10:16

We didn't get proofs this year, we got the actual photos! I think the Head has gone doolally! Wonder how much money she'll actually get.

At least they were proper head and shoulders shots not poncey poses. I got individual and sibling sets, so scanned the individual ones (they'll just stay on my computer, i won't ever print them) and sent them back and paid for the group shot. £10 for the set which is really cheap.

Imnotaslimjim · 12/11/2012 10:22

Is our school the only one that still does traditional shots, with a white background for a reasonable price?

I've got 2 10x8's 8 6x4's 2 calanders, 4 bookmarks and 12 wallet prints for £32! Plus a digital copy of the picture for me to use as I please!

Devora · 12/11/2012 10:23

Wow, I had no idea. My dd's school photos look pretty much exactly like my school photos, just 40 years on Grin

HokeyCokeyPigInAPokey · 12/11/2012 10:27

A £120 actual english pounds for school photos...WTAF?!!

We still get the standard head and shoulders shot but they are so shit i haven't brought them for two years....even for the bargain price of £38 Hmm

Original poster
freddiefrog · 12/11/2012 10:29

I do like more natural shots generally, but these are really poncey, really staged unnatural-pretending-to-be-natural poses.

It's £120 as the cheapest way to buy the quantity of photos I need is to buy the CD @ £40 each and print them myself (and they're not even that nice pictures). We've normally spent about £40 in previous years

I usually buy those 3 hole frames, put an individual pic and one of them together. This year they'll it'll just be the group one I think

A friend of mine scans the proofs and gets her DH to photoshop out the watermark, its tempting to buy one photo and scan it to be honest

OP posts:
GhoulWithADragonTattoo · 12/11/2012 10:35

I've just got my DD's first school photos. They were great actually. One head and shoulders shot and one of her sitting neatly on floor with legs to one side. Not too contrived and really lovely. Also lots of options to order from massive packs with everything (for about £30) to just a single medium sized photo for £7.50. Yours sound very silly to be honest.