Newspaper taking photos of children at school then selling them to parents

[Palinto]

When DS started school I ticked the box which said I didn't mind him having his photo taken, assuming this would be for school related things.

A term in and a photo of their first day at school is published in our cities newspaper, which we can then buy from them.... I felt a bit about this but obviously didn't want to not buy a picture of my DS on his first day at school.. I was then charged £7 plus £2 postage for a rubbish quality tiny print.

It reminds me of being in Morocco and getting followed by guys with cameras who would then try to sell you the pictures they took, i.e. not entirely appropriate for an infant school. I wouldn't mind so much buying a photo from the actual school, but the newspaper?

AIBU to be annoyed at this?

[IncognitoIsMyFavouriteWord]

This is very common but.....wait for it smug moment coming up......the photographer for our local paper lives on my street and very often passes a photo of DS on for free.

[porridgewithalmondmilk]

You are braver than me, lockets reception ... too small!

[VictorAndBarry]

Unless the quality of the photo print was genuinely poorer than the quality of newsprint - normally the reverse is true - I genuinely don't see what the problem is.

You were not co-erced by anyone other than you own conscience into buying.

If you got a duff print, demand a free reprint. As to its size, surely the newspaper told you what you were getting for your mney? Mine does, standard 9x6.

And if you think the paper's photo is pricey, wait till you see the official school photo package prices!

[RustyBear]

If your school is like the one I work at, they don't make any money at all from photos in the paper. We did get a copy for the school, but we had to ask permission to put it in our newsletter, and I'm not even sure it was free.

[MsElisaDay]

YABU- It's nothing like being hounded in Morocco, don't be so ridiculous.
Newspapers in every town and city across the country do this every year. It's nothing to do with "tugging on the heartstrings" and IME few parents buy the shots, they just keep the paper.
Surely a dated local newspaper is a nice-and extremely cheap-memento of your DC starting school?

Also, the school will not take a cut of the profits and will probably not have "invited" the photographer in. Usually the paper will call round every primary school at the beginning of the year to see which ones want to take part. The schools know the parents would like to see their DCs in the paper, and the paper's sales get a small boost with all the proud parents and grandparents buying it.

You weren't forced to buy the picture and there will surely be several more opportunities to buy class photos with your child in.
Really can't see what the problem is here. If you feel obliged to buy every photo your DS is in, then.withdraw consent for him to be photographed. No hounding from street merchants then...

[Floggingmolly]

He's your first, isn't he? All local papers do this, and the paper is a nice souvenir of your child's first day.
The newspaper does not do a hard sell of printed copies of the photo, but they're available to buy from the archives as are any other photos ever printed, solely at your discretion.
Wait till you see the price of the annual school photo if you're outraged at £7 . Have smelling salts at the ready!

[FannyFifer]

Don't know anyone that actually buys the photo from the newspaper, most just keep the newspaper.

Suppose it's the same if u want a copy of any photo that is in the newspaper they would charge for it.

I have mine from my first day of school.

[hoodoo12345]

YABU, i have some lovely photos ordered from my newspaper for various activities my kids have done, you don't have to buy them, no one is twisting your arm.

[RandallPinkFloyd]

Have you honestly never seen a local paper before op?

Every year since the dawn of time every local paper has done a first day of school edition.

I still have mine from almost 30 20 years ago.

[Enfyshedd]

Try living in Wales then - you'll be forced tempted at least once a year for the whole of primary school due to the annual St David's Day photos which will have every year printed in the paper. Add to that the nursery/reception class photos and the Y6 leaving primary photos and I can't see why the price of the local paper goes up every year because they must be making a mint

Think my DM used to just cut out the one from the paper and take it into work - was usually gone a few weeks later.

[WhoKnowsWhereTheTimeGoes]

I thought the point of theses photos is that they are available to everyone for free or the price of a copy of the paper (50p for ours) but not great quality. So if money is an issue you can still have a photo. Those that can afford it can buy a copy and the quality should be better (at least it's on proper paper not newsprint). The school will probably also do a group one (ours does class ones in the summer term). This will also be expensive. At least with the newspaper one there is the cheap option of just keeping the paper. My DCs love being in the local paper and hoard all their cuttings in a box.

If the quality/size of the copy is poor then you should take it up with the newspaper, but I really think on the whole these are a great idea, I loved it the years my DCs started school looking through all the different schools photos and picking out all the pre-school friends (all went to different schools) and it is a cheap way of getting a copy for grandparents etc as well.

You may find that the teachers take lots of photos all year round of class activities, we were given a CD with hundreds of them on at the end of each DCs reception year.

[nagynolonger]

Local papers have been doing this for years. You don't have to buy it. I only kept the paper. Mil bought pics of ours so we have those now. She bought the school photos too when we didn't.

I love it when the paper covers local sport that DS are involved in because we have some great action shots taken by them. I suppose they are expensive but when do we ever pay the cost price for anything?

[TheUnsinkableTitanic]

YABU - should have kept the newspaper, you didn't have to buy it

i have never thought of it that way - i love seeing my DC in our local rag (think only a few parents ticked the box that we were happy with pics in local rag/school website so DC seem to be in every pic to do with school lol)

[AlwaysHoldingOnToStarbug]

Yabu. It never even occurred to me to buy a copy from the paper. I kept the paper it was in and that was enough for me. I don't buy class photos anyway - why would I want photos of other peoples children? I did buy newspaper photos once when it was just Ds3 & 4 at playgroup. They were really nice good quality photos though, if a bit pricy.

Our papers have started doing year 6 leavers photos now, as well as prom photos from year 11. With 5 kids that would cost me a fortune, so I'll just keep the newspaper!

[Palinto]

MsElisaDay - you clearly didn't understand the post, I didn't say anything about being hounded, but that people take your photo without you asking them to and then if you want a copy you pay for it. I feel this is a valid comparison.

I also resent my DS being used to sell their paper for free, then if I want a copy of the photo being charged a relatively high price for it.

[Fakebook]

I don't understand your post. If you can afford it then don't bloody buy the picture! My Dd's first day at school pic was published in Octobers issue of our local newspaper and I just bought two newspapers rather than buy the actual photograph. Don't see what the problem is here?

[Fakebook]

Why did you sign the consent form then? Tell the teachers you don't want his picture being published anywhere again. Weird.

[SamSmalaidh]

Have you not noticed the first day at school photos in the local paper before?

By the way, they don't just do this for the school photos - if your photo ever appears in the local paper you can buy a copy from them.

[RuleBritannia]

We didn't have newspaper vultures at the door when my DS started school. We just took our own photo of him on the doorstep in his school uniform with his giant schoolbag as he was about to leave home for the first time If you do this, there's no need for a newspaper photograph - unless you like to see his picture in the paper, of course.

[Floggingmolly]

If you want a copy of any photo published by a newspaper - you pay for it. It's how it works. What's your difficulty with this??
And you can rest assured your dc's photo appearing in the local rag will not result in a flurry of sales to anyone other than yourself or his granny.
You'll be telling us he won't get out of bed for less than ten grand next...

[MsElisaDay]

The Morocco nonsense you cite is not a valid comparison.
You signed a consent form allowing your DS's picture to be taken. His picture was then taken, with your consent, by the local paper, as happens at hundreds -thousands- of schools at this time of year. I fail to see what aspect of this is inappropriate. What did you expect the consent form meant?

You were put under absolutely no pressure by the newspaper to buy a hard copy of that photo. You could get a paper copy free of charge, or even scan it in and print it out if you so wanted.
Furthermore, the paper is not "using" your DS to sell copies- this makes no sense. Do you honestly think they care which children are in the shot?! If anything, they're doing you a favour by providing a fun and cheap memento of your DS starting school.

[Palinto]

MsElisaDay - Ye sit is a valid comparison. I expected the consent form to mean pictures for the school website, pictures in school newsletters and pictures put up around the school. I did not expect photos of my child to be taken by outside businesses to look good in their paper and then been sold on for a relatively large mark up.

[insancerre]

YABU
You didn't have to buy it.
You gave consent for photos.
The school will make a small profit on the photos.
School is not just about learnng- it is about life and being part of the community.

[HoratiaWinwood]

You signed a consent form making assumptions about the consent you were giving - that isn't school's fault.

I kept the paper. The photo is so grainy you can barely recognise the setting, let alone an individual child. It was very clearly stated that you could buy a copy and 50% of the proceeds went straight back to the school. Which is about the same as those dreadful Tempest (etc) formal shots that cost a bomb.

As for its being those struggling who are more likely to succumb, one might be tempted to suggest that those who find it hard to say no to expensive but unnecessary things are more likely to struggle financially, even than those with the same income.