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Original poster

Boycott school photos

49 replies

highby · 09/10/2018 23:18

I'm sick of it every year. They cost a fortune. I know some £ go to the school but surely they can raise money without us parents having to pay a small fortune for photos of our own kids. Surely school photos are old fashioned now, we all have brilliant cameras in our pockets now and take photos of everything. I feel guilted into buying them and they are a rip off.

AIBU to think we should all start boycotting school photos? DH had a point when he said we were not asked for permission for this company to come take photos of our children. Why should we be cornered like this ?

OP posts:
EduCated · 09/10/2018 23:19

Just don’t buy them?

tulippa · 09/10/2018 23:21

I only buy them if they're good photos. Which is about once every 4 years.

Rockbird · 09/10/2018 23:22

So don't buy them. Plenty in our school don't. I always do because I love a school photo but it's not compulsory.

buscaution · 09/10/2018 23:23

Boycott?

They are not compulsory Confused

hurricanefloss · 09/10/2018 23:24

YANBU

creamcheeseandlox · 09/10/2018 23:27

I certainly don't get them every year. Got the reception photos and the first one of both together and will get year 6 ones. We get to keep the proofs anyway so can look back on them all for free.

sleepless19 · 09/10/2018 23:28

Your DH doesn't really have a point though. You're always informed when the school photos are going to happen so just say something if you don't want your child to have photos done.
And if you decide the photos can be taken but you don't want to buy them - then don't.

Secretmystery · 09/10/2018 23:30

I like them.

arethereanyleftatall · 09/10/2018 23:30

Um, you don't have to buy them. Clearly, some parents like to buy them.

marycontraryquite · 09/10/2018 23:31

I can't bear them and have no idea what I would do with them as I would never frame them or hang them up. I have only ever bought my eldest's first year in primary photos but didn't bother after that. I am more than happy to support the schools in other ways but it's always a definite no to the photos. To be fair neither of my children are bothered about them either so I never feel guilted to buy by them.

ProudThrilledHappy · 09/10/2018 23:33

I don’t buy them as they always brush DSs hair down across his forehead and it makes him look like Jim Carrey in Dumb & Dumber.

Every year I style it up with wax, every year I get goofy bowl haircut photo

BringOnTheScience · 09/10/2018 23:33

As a class teacher, I would hand out packs of bought photos to less than half of the class. As a parent I bought only a couple of sibling ones. No solo pics at all.

Just don't biy if you don't want to and certainly don't feel guilty about it!

PortOut · 09/10/2018 23:36

Aw, I actually really like school photos.
I know there's not really any point in them any more but there's just something nice about them.
Like buying a fridge magnet on holiday or something.

Our school hand out a form asking for permission for any photos taken throughout the year and school photos are included in this so I imagine it's the same for you.

If you don't like them just don't buy them or send in a note asking not to have his taken.

Fatasfook · 09/10/2018 23:38

Our school sends home permission slips

Lindy2 · 09/10/2018 23:43

I like them. I think the price is pretty good value too.
If you don't like them don't buy them but It seems a strange thing to get worked up about.

Nightwatch999 · 09/10/2018 23:46

Do what I do, take the photo they send you out, blow it up on your computer, then take it to Boots or similar to print. So much cheaper.

Casperandme · 09/10/2018 23:57

I love them. The decent photography equipment does take better pics than my phone’s camera. I buy them most years

Loonoon · 10/10/2018 00:00

I used to organise photos for a secondary school as the company provided us with all the photos in a file that I could upload directly to the school database. It was very quick and convenient for me. Very few parents actually bought the photos, normally only Y7s and maybe some new 6th formers.

IDoLoveToBeBesideTheSeaside · 10/10/2018 00:00

Don't buy them then. The companies wouldn't do them unless they were still making a profit.

I love my kids' class photos from primary.

PickAChew · 10/10/2018 00:03

Just don't buy them.

Ds2 looked like a sinister accountant, last year. They got a nice one, this year but the packages weren't tempting.

DS1 won't even sit for them.

No9dream · 10/10/2018 00:08

They are a rip-off. But still a lot less than the phone/tablet that you're going to buy them.

WeBuiltThisBuffetOnSausageRoll · 10/10/2018 01:17

To be fair neither of my children are bothered about them either so I never feel guilted to buy by them.

But will they still feel that way in the years and decades to come? I wasn't bothered about my school photos at the time, but I find them interesting to look back on, now that I'm getting old and grey!

Maybe it's just me being a bit weird, but I always write the year in very tiny numbers in the corner of cards that I give to family, in case they survive intact and are found in a box in the loft at some time in the future (the cards, not the family members!). The recipient of a card given in 2018, with 2018 written discreetly in it, will barely notice it, much less care. However, if they or their DC or DGC should happen to find it in 2038, 2058, 2078 - who knows - it might bring them a few moments of happiness and/or poignancy. I have a lot of old cards written to and by my parents and some of them are easy to date (Silver Wedding etc), but others, I'd love to know what stage of life they and I were at when the card and words written inside were chosen.

HerRoyalNotness · 10/10/2018 02:06

I’m in the US, they do spring photos AND fall photos!!! $40 minimum each time. I only buy the fall photos now as that is when the also do the class photo

Oh, and now one is in Grade 6 (jnr high) they do band photos for him. Grrrrr

The whole thing needs overhauling. No one needs 30 photos of different sizes to hand out. Make the standard a digital copy for x£ and then offer options like fridge magnets etc for GPs

HerRoyalNotness · 10/10/2018 02:07

webuilt I write the date on cards and invitations my DC receive for the same reason

Rowgtfc72 · 10/10/2018 05:16

Just had dds done. Awful photo and very expensive.
We've done what we do every year- took her to Max Spielman and got a pack of just enough for six quid !

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