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Education

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Original poster

My DD's school photos are awful..........................

76 replies

Fimbo · 07/11/2005 12:38

so awful in fact that DH is refusing to buy them, especially as we have taken better ones of her ourselves. Help! I feel awful having to take them back to the school office and say I don't want them - anyone else done this before?

OP posts:

swedishmum · 08/11/2005 12:04

I once ordered the group one from the proofs to hand out to relatives, only to find that ds then 5 or 6 had big bogies hanging from his nose - couldn't see because "proof" was written over the offending bit!
The photos this year were done by a parent who's a professional photographer - much more relaxed and arty and a bigger choice of poses (head and shoulders or full length, sitting on the floor, laughing etc) - a whole lot nicer. Mine haven't even got school jumpers on so just white tops and black trousers. Think lots more were sold.

robin3 · 08/11/2005 13:52

Think to keep one each year and put in an album so you can look back and laugh in years to come is a good idea. I look back at mine and cringe but they chart the changing hairdos, school uniforms, state of my teeth hairgrips not to mention the ever changing relationship between my brother and I.

pixel · 08/11/2005 13:53

It's not so much the quality of the photography that gets me as I know they have a lot of kids to get through. It's the fact that no-one cares if they look scruffy (eg when infants have changed themselves after PE). How much effort would it take for the teacher to wander along a queue of children making sure their collars are out and their cardigans buttoned up straight?

triplets · 08/11/2005 13:59

Interesting this one, as I am just about to pay for ours, in my case one set for Rebecca, one for Thonas and one for James, plus one set of the trio together! They are all good so want to keep them but feel I should have been offered a discount!

moondog · 08/11/2005 15:02

Pinot...that's dreadful!!

Well,I remember my grandmother telling me how one year she was very angry with how scruffy my father looked in the school photo.

However,as tired went on she was very glad to have one that showed him how he really looked when he was a 10 year old schoolboy,not some barely recognizable primped and tweaked goodygoody!

PeachyClair · 08/11/2005 15:50

We were given the chance to take our kids before school, which I did so I knew they'd be OK. I only did the trio though- I'm not paying £69 for three sets of photos, no way!

There's a pic of my sis aged about 6 from 1984. Her fringe is a wobbly mum-cut, her dress terrribly eighties and her teeth missing. It's fab ... so much more real than the others we have.

TinyGang · 08/11/2005 15:56

My mum didn't have any pictures of me about the place either come to think of it!

I only remember having a school photograph done once though when I was about 6 - certainly not the twice/thrice yearly thing we get now.

My parents couldn't afford to keep having photos developed in those days. What they had was put onto 'slides' because it was cheaper. They were so inconveient we never looked at them anyway.

They seem to be making up for the lack of photos in the past now they have grandchildren though.

polly28 · 08/11/2005 16:20

hardly ever buy them,bought a few in infant years and a few class ones.Best one was a whole school one when dd was in yr 3

ThePrisoner · 08/11/2005 19:11

If they were really really awful photos, would buy lots and give them out to all the relatives.

bobbybob · 09/11/2005 03:45

When you take them back have the absolute worst one on the top and then it will be obvious why you aren't buying any.

nightowl · 09/11/2005 03:52

ds looks awful on this year's picture. i feel really bad because ive bought one every year but last year i forgot to order them and i still have the proof picture. it was such a nice picture too.

i dont want this recent one but feel ive got to get it otherwise im missing two years! stupid me and my guilt trips!

tigermoth · 09/11/2005 06:32

don't know if this has ben mentioned, but Tempest IME keep the proofs for a year or so. This means you have time to decide if you want to spend the money. It will cost more to have prints developed after the stated deadline, but not that much more if you just want one photo. I often don't buy school photos, but was going to get a print of both sons together when ds2 first started school. It wasn't that good, but had sentimental value. I got round to asking just over a year later to find the prints had just that week been destroyed I did feel a pang of guilt.

However, the tempest assistant told me if I take my sample proof to someone who is good with digital photography, it is possible to get the 'proof' word removed from the picture and print a good picture off the proof

Original poster

Fimbo · 09/11/2005 12:52

I am definately handing them back tomorrow! I had some done of dd and ds together at mother and toddlers and they are much much better. It is strange though because it was Tempest that did the school photographs and another company in my area that did the mother and toddler ones, but the same photographer.

OP posts:

karen23 · 09/11/2005 20:00

My dd missed her first photo cos she was off sick I was gutted but I thought "It's OK I took loads on her first day" got the film developed and there was nothing on it apparently it was over exposed or something but they still charged me £8.

We also missed the photographer in the hospital as we went home before the rounds

Don't give Olan Mills your number they pester like mad about these "Free Offers" they're not even free they cost £30

Christie · 09/11/2005 21:37

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Original poster

Fimbo · 10/11/2005 12:52

Well I handed them back today to the Secretary's assistant - she didn't say anything but looked quite surprised. Ah well. Dh has taken new ones of her in her school clothes and they look 100% better.

OP posts:

Kanda · 10/11/2005 16:12

You poor lot with all your guilt. I was having an average to bad sort of day with no 4 (teething and basic 7-month strop) but I am slightly ashamed to say I feel much better reading all these comments. DD1, DD2 and DS1 are all in a tiny school and the parents stand around shreiking with laughter at bad pics and aahing over good ones. I don't think we do guilt here at all.

cat64 · 10/11/2005 20:20

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn

ThePrisoner · 10/11/2005 20:48

My dd1's first ever school photo was an absolute must-have - I'd encouraged her to tidy-up her fringe so that it looked vaguely smart. When we got the photos back, her fringe was pushed to one side and looked wet. She'd decided to give her head a good wash in the sink! The photo had pride of place on many relatives' mantelpieces for many years.

I have never known anyone feel guilty for not buying photos if they're no good though.

albosmum · 10/11/2005 20:50

Yes we have had two sets of awful photos and returned them, but we usually buy them and send them to relatives at xmas

Birchy · 10/11/2005 21:39

My ds had really nice photo's until last year when he decided to do that stick your lip to your gums look! I was going to send it to the mother-in-law because she doesn't like him and that would make her even more evil!!!!!!!!

sophiant · 10/11/2005 23:01

Hi! HOw much do these pictures cost? (not familiar with school photos) I'm thinking of starting my own photography business since I had ds, I've studied it but was hoping to move to cinema before I got pregnant. Not so much interested in school photos but portraits, how much would you be happy paying for a portrait sitting? and for how many pictures? please answer it would really help me!

Linnet · 10/11/2005 23:25

I've always bought dd1's school photo's. even the one in her nursery year which was taken not long after she'd decided to give herself a haircut! She wore a rather large hairband for months until it grew back.

The worst photo was her primary 2 photo, she had her hair up in a ponytail, but the way the photo was taken it made her look as if she was totally bald, she has blonde hair. I hated it and didn't want to buy it, but I felt so guilty that I had to. Nobody has ever seen it, it's in a drawer somewhere.
although I always buy them I never put one up in our house, I have lots of other photo's of her that I've taken myself in frames around the house though. I like knowing that I have them though so she can see them when she's older and I love the class photo's, it's nice to look back in years to come and see how your classmates looked, I think so anyway.

kezziejane · 11/11/2005 00:23

If they were awful, I would not buy them. Our school has just changed photographers and we were able to order them online.

I got a 10x8 plus four 6x4 (or whatever) for £17, plus a FREE set of prints (keyfob size) about 50 of them so ideal for wallets, keyrings etc.

I ALWAYS buy the class ones, my DS1 LOVES to look back even now (only over 2-3 years) to remember which friends were in which class and also which teacher he had!

We've just had ours so were comparing ones which my brothers and I had done when we were at school and have had great fun comparing which brother my sons look like at different ages!

We're talking about 1984 onwards here - so no uniforms at that stage, it's SO SO FUNNY to see what CLOTHES we were wearing! Leg-warmers, coloured jumpers, ra-ra skirts etc etc FAB!!

Kerry

Original poster

Fimbo · 11/11/2005 12:58

It would have cost £14 for one large, one medium and two small photos (all with wallets). HTH

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