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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

to not buy all the photos?

39 replies

bigearsthethird · 23/02/2017 15:53

I was chatting with a friend a couple of days ago and she mentioned her children had their school pictures and was moaning about the price. I said I hardly ever buy mine as they are usually not very good and cost a fortune. with 4 kids in 3 different schools it adds up!

She was shocked and said you have to buy them, its just what everyone does. So anyway I mentioned it to another friend and she was of the same opinion. That I am somehow potentially mentally scarring my children for life by not buying their school pictures.

TBH I'd rather spend the same money it would cost for 4 school pictures on a decent portrait of them all together. I don't see how them being in school uniform somehow makes a rubbish photo compulsary to buy.

I do take a picture of them on the first day of school each year, so have those little momentos. And I have also purchased pictures in the past that were really good - but these were at another school where the photos were done with lovely backgrounds and looked really nice. These days they are just like an oversized passport picture for a zillion times the price.

Am I being unreasonable to not want to buy the school pictures?

OP posts:

BackforGood · 23/02/2017 16:33

Of course YANBU - even more so now, with digital photography etc, and lots of chances to get nice pics of your dc, yourself.

I think a Reception one is nice, and a Yr7 one, and it's nice, at some point to get a class one from Primary as long a i'ts a proper one and not one of those ridiculous photoshopped ones.
Other than that, totally not worth the money.

abbsisspartacus · 23/02/2017 16:34

I used to buy them all but when dd went to high school she came home and was gurning on her photos every bloody year so I refused to buy them every year her last year at high school I got a decent smile and I bought it as it's genuinely a good picture I bought my younger kids pictures but there dad goes halves with me so I don't mind it so much however this year they took the piss I had one pic in a t-shirt one in a jumper (He didn't have a jumper on that day) two with his big brother big brother on his own with his glasses on and they expected me to buy ever one? !

No I did not

SDTGisAnEvilWolefGenius · 23/02/2017 16:40

We bought some of the ones from Primary school - I am very fond of a group shot of all three of them - but I don't think we bought any individual ones from Senior school - though ds1's school did have a shot of the who,e school done, and we bought a copy of that. We also bought the group shots of them with their classes - like the full school photo, these seemed like something we couldn't do ourselves, so they were worth the money.

We have bought the official photos from ds1's graduation, and will do with the other boys when their turn comes.

Oh, and none of the boys seem traumatised by us not buying all their school photos.

lexi873 · 23/02/2017 16:51

I didn't buy my sons as it was so awful! Was gutted as well as it was his first reception photo.
He said the photographer had told him to smile "with teeth" and he ended up with a dodgy looking grimace face! Was actually pretty annoyed that a professional photographer didn't retake it cos it was clearly so bad!

stoopido · 23/02/2017 16:52

I always buy them but recently the school photographer has become too complacent and rushed. They always make the children say cheese which annoys me because it just gives them an unnatural smile! I just buy a small one and I also have to buy two because they won't do sibling photos! I don't like the class photos because our are very long and hard to store and they are usually doing silly poses. What happened to a lovely little photo with children sitting on benches?!

minipie · 23/02/2017 16:52

That I am somehow potentially mentally scarring my children for life by not buying their school pictures.

Honestly I am mentally scarred by some of the ones my mum did buy

Violetcharlotte · 23/02/2017 16:53

I never bought any of my DCs school pics as they were always awful!

milkysmum · 23/02/2017 16:56

I think now most people have digital cameras it is ludicrous that we are pressured to buy over priced photos from the school photographers- I bought the reception class photo and will do same in year 6- that's it!

Funnyface1 · 23/02/2017 16:56

I only buy it if it's lovely and don't feel compelled to buy the package that comes with keyrings, mouse mats, coasters etc.

Original poster

bigearsthethird · 23/02/2017 17:00

Haha minipie come to think of it, me too!!

OP posts:

MargotLovedTom1 · 23/02/2017 17:04

Three DC here and I've only bought one where they were all together. From this Sept they'll be in the same school again and I'll buy another sibling one. Too bloody expensive otherwise.

nursebickypegs · 23/02/2017 17:10

YANBU; I'm planning to get my photography-loving Dad to take photos of my DS!

TheEmmaDilemma · 23/02/2017 17:39

I don't have children, but I do remember the scars from having shitty old school photos still around the house when I was a teenager?

Don't bother.

EweAreHere · 23/02/2017 17:42

I have never bought individual school photos.

I only every bought the sibling group photos, when all of my children are in the picture. Since they're now in different schools, I won't be buying those any more either.

And I buy them each a class photo to tuck away. Those aren't outrageous.

Too expensive for the individual photos which are very overpriced for what they are. I'm always astounded at how much they cost.

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