Awful school photos

[ShepherdMoons]

Dcs have had their school photos taken, every year they are awful. This year they are worse, they are always taken at a bad angle and I've taken better pictures of them myself!

Dh thinks we should buy them (the proofs are online) but AIBU to say no this year? I could take a photo of them in their school uniforms and frame it (and I might actually like it!!).

If you go on freeprints app and use a photo of your child in uniform (that you actually like) you can change the background to plain and have your own school photos done really cheaply.

I agree, plus you need school photos for the moonpig cards for their 18th and 21st birthdays and to show to their new partners, they're the gift that keeps giving

I love them because they are so odd

I never bought them! Though that's mostly because they were so overpriced...

No, don't waste your money on an awful photo.

I would actually raise this with the school. A lot of people like to buy the photos every year and it's not fair if the photos are such poor quality.

We bought the reception photo but since then we haven't bothered because they are so bad. I think they are too expensive to buy just because they are so bad. If you have the money, go for it, as it's a different way to view spending money on them

Ours weren't too bad this year so I bought them. Normally the quality of the photos are comically bad and I end up doing on myself.

My parents only bought my reception one. It really was a case of wrong subject and I was told exactly that. I also ended up ruining the class ones too. Thank you, class mate's dad for saying in year six, 'Hypa has ruined every class photo they've taken.' Thinking he was hilarious.

I'm a little triggered by school photos!

I stopped buying them. The school got some modern photographer to do them. They're supposed to be sitting on the floor, leaning on a pile of books at a jaunty angle.

In reality, they just kind of slumped on the books with a "WTF am I supposed to be doing?" kind of expression on their face.

They also did the class photo's in groups of 4-5, with some standing, some on the floor, and some on chairs. Then they stitched all the pictures together to make one long picture. Only they did it so badly, that some children have lost body parts.

As a parent I would find that seriously funny. And it would keep Christmas day conversation going for years to come. This is the way forward.

I don't understand why people are saying they would take their children to a different photographer in "their school uniform" to do their own pictures.
If you are going to pay out for a photographer to do a nicer picture why would you want it in their dreary boring uniform?

We had this for a few years in a row when DC were at primary school, awful pictures, fixed grins, dead behind the eyes, poor lighting. A fair number of parents asked the school to book a different company for the next set of pictures, and well what a difference. It's worth pointing out to the school they'll get more money if people actually want to buy the photos (they usually get a percentage of sales).

One year the school photographer did them all at an angle which looked like they were leaning on a slant. Very odd

Ah, rubbish school photos are a rite of passage aren't they? It's part of their beauty

Completely agree. I always buy them, but usually the cheapest package.

@123rd - I think I'd be a bit annoyed but see the funny side.

I buy one every year and have a thick frame where the new one goes on top. Every year I take the frame apart and line up the photo's. There are certainly some shockers there. We have a good giggle and away they go for another year.

To not get a photo is a bit like saying they (the child) looks awful.

Ours have been dreadful for years. I refuse to pay the ridiculous amounts they are charging. We take our own. Child against a wall in uniform, always a natural smile as they are with us, and always a much better picture. So many places you can get them enlarged, and at least order what you want.

I've had the opposite experience. DS's school photos are the best ones I've ever had of him. He's terrible at smiling for a photo and I never manage to catch good unposed ones. Our photographer has some kind of witchcraft going on which has made him capture a natural lovely smile 2 years running.

Ours are the same, how do they take such bad photos in this day and age I get the class ones but yet to buy individual one.

What’s with all the stitching photos together? Are photographers incapable of taking a photo of a whole class stood on gym benches and chairs now?!

This made me spit my tea out! 🤣🤣

I’m so sick of how expensive this stuff is. For me to get a digital of one photo this year it would cost £25. There were three photos! Honestly to fuck with that. £75 for three photos is absolutely ridiculous. So I never buy them.

They put them in little groups holding hands posing etc one year ds had to be put in an odd position because he tripped and smashed one side of his face

I bought it that year

I've never in my life bought a school photo. I've got hundreds of better photos of my kids just randomly taken with my phone.

It's an absolute racket!

Ours were absolutely dreadful this year. Again loads of parents have complained about the company they always use. They have 1 star on trust pilot.

I was surprised to learn they are still a thing, when almost everyone has access to a camera. I could understand whole class photos, but surely people can take better individual photos of their own DC in uniform at home.

When I was at secondary school we had those huge long photos of 1200 pupils and staff. Taken with a camera on a rotating tripod thingy.