To think that school photographs are abominably expensive?

[Birdly]

Just got the DC's class photos. Lovely pix of them with their friends and teachers in a cheap as chips cardboard frame - £10.50 each! EACH!

So that's 2 DC and, ideally, I'd like to give a copy of each to my mum. That's £42.

Has the world gone mad?

They can be. From what I have seen from the big names like Ward-Hendry and Tempest and Braiswicks.

They also have 50% togs that it only a job to, and so just set up and go click. not to worried about putting effort in to getting the best out of the subject.

We have a small business and always ask what parents prefere.

The cost can be brought down by 25% if parents did not want mounts. Would save on waste too.

10x8 with mount would be about £10.
with out it could be as little as £7

They don't have to smile. A fake smile looks awful.

A good photographer doesn't force a child to do a fake cheesy grin.

By mount you mean the cheapo cardboard square with the hole in the middle for the photo to go in, yes?

I bet they cost 10p if that!

The one photo is not too bad pricewise, it's what? £9.50? I'd be happier around the £6 or £7 pound mark for what you're actually getting. It's when you go for the packs and it goes up to sily money for what are really not very good pictures that you start to feel ripped off.

The mounts are more expensive than the prints.

GarconsSontCommeDesChiens Research?

Sort of. Just seems tobe lots of complaints on threads about cost.

I want to give parents what they want. The big firms can go swim.

you can do for me if you want?

The prices are outrageous. I realise this is slightly different but my sons nursery photos have got more and more expensive each year. This year I didn't buy any. Two reasons - expense and the fact that the photos weren't that good. Certainly not good enough to justify the cost.

Cost for unmounted prints:

7" x 5" £9
8" x 6" £12
10" x 8" £17
12" x 8 £25
16" x 12" £45
18" x 12" £60
24" x 16" £80
30" x 20" £120

No bundles, no offers, goodness only knows how much it would cost for framed prints!

The negatives, to enable me to get my own prints done, were £15 each and this was only for a .jpg not for the original .tar so I wouldn't have been able to print larger than about 10" x 8" anyway.

Really? those crappy cardboard things? That surprises me.

Waspie = Struth that is pricey.
Who the sells at that?

Hecete = Yep the mounts are stupid.. companies keep putting the price up and say its a pulp shortage.

Card has gone up 6 times last year.

Cd's are good value. You keep and print as many times as you want.

Waspie + you can print a 30x20in from a j peg.

Size of file and what lens was used will see to that.

you can get huge sharp enlargments from little auto cameras if the lens is top quality.

Please correct me as I know I'm likely to be wrong but I'm assuming economies of scale are at work with school photography as opposed to nursery photography where there may only be, say, 30 children. So maybe the nursery photos are more expensive for this reason?

This year the nursery had a photoprapher from a local studio in. They were a good 20% more expensive than the photographer from the year before who had spent two full days with the children at nursery and taken some gorgeous photos which were worth the expense. I bought four of his PFB-itis

Interesting to hear you say that I could get such a large print from a .jpg Lyndipops, thanks, I didn't realise.

Waspie = Good camera with a good lens. Yes you will be able too. Even from a 4mb file.

If it was a local tog with a studio. They will charge a lot more.

We just started Nurseries and as you say they are smaller.

But the parents spend more.

Example: 30 child Nursery can turn over £1000 for a days work. Where as a primary school with say 60 kids will only take £550.

It maybe because parents go for the first pro shots at nursery, not sure.

But he does not have the overheads that a small firm with 5/6 staff have. so he should in theory be able to make his prices cheaper.

Maybe he has a high maintanence wife and a Jag to support?

The clear message from parents is that school photos are universally a rip off. Parents are simply not prepared to pay those prices, and if they do, it leaves a poor taste in their mouths. I certainly don't buy every year for this reason, mostly out of principle.

It is fine for professionals to justify why the prices are so high, you might win the battle, but not the war. This is an emotional thing. It seems shortsighted to me that the cheapest package on offer is £24 for a few measly photos. I would pay £10 for that and many parents who be happy to.

Would you rather £24 from 1 parent or £10 from 5? You have fixed overheads to cover, I understand. But demand is very elastic, especially in these times when people are looking to cut costs.

There was one year where I was able to get some decent photos for £10. I thought Christmas had come early. Needless to say, I took the bait.

Our sales are higher per school. But we dont charge any where near that.

Starting cost is £7 then upto 30 for a big selection pack.

Can not believe some of the prices everyone is saying that some of these companies are charging.

Crazy.

We buy a photo of each for us and then the grandparents tell us what they want and give us the money to cover their orders.

So, I am a preschool photographer and I dont disagree with you. I worked for a National portrait company and became very frustrated at each price increase introduced. Consequently I started my own company. You can read my story and see what I now do at www.ahpstudios.com and tell me what you think.