It’s that time of year again. I have already been hit up for school pictures as well as soccer pictures. And I have a confession to make.
I caved.
Yes, I have now shelled out a grand total of $75 for school pictures. $29 for each of the kids for one of the smallest packages, then $17 for Buddy’s soccer pictures.
Yeah. I know.
Honestly though, I could have just gotten the class/team pictures. I do think those are worthwhile-I love looking back at my old 2nd grade photos and seeing the clothes, and what everyone looked like back then. Then I could have implemented some other cost saving measures to get something very similar to a school photo for the kiddos~but it became a time vs money issue for me.
We have the money so I decided to go ahead and just purchase them.
But I feel guilty.
So what else could I have done? What other options are out there if it really just isn’t in the budget? Here are 3 ways to save money on school pictures.
#1-Take it yourself.
I mean really-which of these do you like more:
My photo
School Photo
I think mine is just as nice as the school photo. I could have done a similar shot to the school photo of him against a solid background.
Need help? Check out this article over at “Love to Know” with tips on Taking School Pictures. For even more tips, here is a great list of 19 Portrait Tutorials at Digital Photography School.
#2-Find someplace cheaper.
Many retailers and big box stores have small photo studios that ALWAYS seem to be running some sort of deal. A quick we search brought me up a couple of examples. JC Penney had free sitting, an 8X10, 2~5×7’s, 4~3 1/2×5’s and 16 wallets for $7.99. Walmart had a similar package.
Be careful when using these services. Typically the FIRST POSE that you say you like (and at Walmart you can’t go back to a previous when you say you don’t like it-they erase it) is the one that gets the package price. They frequently will take subsequent shots.
First: Make sure that you are not going to be charged a sitting fee for those other shots.
Second: Resist the temptation! The other shots will be SOOOO cute. You will want them all. The photographer will try to upsell you to other packages, add in other shots etc. Even when you go to pick up your photos they will have some of the other shots in there and you will want to buy them because they are right there, in hard copy. THIS WILL COST YOU. Resist!
#3-Skip the pictures.
I know, it is practically heresy to say this. You could just skip the photos all together. If you don’t have them taken, they won’t cost you money.
Just writing this article has inspired me. I am going to attempt to take my own version of the kids school pictures and Buddy’s soccer picture, and then I will post them side by side and see what you all think!
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Perfect timing for me! I was just looking over the school form debating whether I wanted to order a package or stick with the class picture. Ugh, the mental agony. It’s such a tradition, you know?
This what we did this year for my daughter’s Senior Pics. We are too cheap to pay the $100+ so we went out and took our own. The comments we have had have been great. We didn’t tell anyone and they were thinking that some of the local professionals had did them. They were shocked when they heard we had did them. I took them, then we came home and she Photoshopped them. Looks great, and we didn’t spend any money, plus we spent the whole day together. Priceless!!!
We could only afford the $10 sitting fee for his senior picture (at school) for the yearbook. I think I’ll do some planning and have some fun taking his senior pictures ourselves for us to remember – free. Excellent suggestion! Thank you. 🙂 And thanks for the encouragement, alemos.
I definitely vote for doing pictures yourself! It isn’t difficult, and it’s much more candid. Plus, it saves tons of money, and you don’t have to worry about “bad hair.”
I LOVE YOUR PHOTO MUCH BETTER – If you trust me to, send me the pic you took to our.family.morgans@gmail.com; I’ll do something waaaaay cool to it and get it back to you Monday or so…
I’m on the opposite side however. I completely agree with you, don’t get me wrong. But this is Kayleigh’s first year of preschool. (Oldest child, first year). I made the decision not to order her pics. Fist of all, they just looked like school pics – check my blog, I can do waaay better, and SECONDLY, we went camping the weekend before, and she was covered with mosquito bites, which looked like little pimples on my three-year-old’s forehead. The smallest package was $15… Ummm, no thanks, but I have to say, I feel soooo guilty!!! I will be getting her class picture, but her individual? Nah.
BTW, I’m soooo anxiously waiting for the Complete the Cycle Package! Every day I wistfully watch as the UPS driver drives right past me – LOL!
I ordered the $20 package for both my son and daughter. They have a “special family plan” if you have 3 or more children so I can get the 3rd package free for my kindergartener. I feel that being frugal in other areas lets me use my savings for little splurges like school photos. I love the candid photos I take at home too but I get so nostalgic about school pictures! They used to give us a free comb on picture day and I remember waiting in line and being so thrilled with my new comb. Maybe that’s why I love freebies so much now!
Very timely post! Our school always sends the photo sheets home and we return the sheets we do not want. I hate returning all of them back to school with the kids “rejecting” their photos… mommy guilt. I usually just buy the one sheet, taking them yourself is a good idea, but I always forget!
Ok, see this is a big deal for me. I am a picture person. It is like something I need help for, lol. So for me I typically buy a package (I have 2 in preschool that does them twice a year at school at sort of reasonable prices). If the shots are good I will buy them. However, I have no issue turning down bad ones. 🙂 For me the issue was last fall when they did an extra set at school with an old timey background. There was one of my daughter that I absolutely LOVED. I mean it was her to a “T” and gorgeous! I so wanted to buy it, but sadly it was way to expensive given our financial situation at the time (DH was graduating and his current internship ending w/o a permanent job yet secured). Sigh. I’d still like that one. So anyway for me I buy the good ones and not the bad, which works now as I get to preview them first though I hear that isn’t the case at school here, so ugh, no idea what I’ll do then.
I have been a loyal reader of your blog for the past year. I am always looking to find ways to pinch our budget and live more frugal. (You do a GREAT job, by the way!)
This post definitely hits home to me…but in a different way than your normal readers.
You see, my family owns a business. We own a school photography company. We’re small compared to the national firm that took the photo that you posted, but we do a really good job (in my opinion!) and offer a great value for a top, notch product.
The purpose of me commenting is to mention to your readers that it is important to support your local school through the purchase of school pictures. When schools pick their photography vendor, they list out required events and needs that they would like us to provide. Sometimes it is a requirement to have a photographer come to special events (plays, field days etc) and photograph candids for the yearbook. Other times, the school asks for special products to help the school (ID cards, banners, camera for teaching purposes etc). With all of that said, photography companies give the schools these items and services free of charge and the actual purchase of individual school picture packages help to support this. So, as you can see, when you stop purchasing school pictures from your school photographer, what you are really doing is hindering the company from being able to offer their gratis services and items to the school.
Now, I do not know your particular schools program, however, this is the norm in most companies across the nation.
So, the next time you throw that school flyer away and think about heading up to Wal-mart, remember that purchasing school pictures helps to support your local school.
Heidi,
You bring up some great points. With frugal living there seems to always be a tension between what you do for the betterment of your wallet and what you may be doing for the betterment of local businesses, the environment, foreign workers etc. I think that this conversation deserves to be called out to the attention of all my readers (since many read via email and don’t wind up seeing all the comments) so I will pull out your comment and use it as the basis for a post tomorrow! I look forward to seeing all the different viewpoints that I am sure will be presented.
Jenn,
I look forward to it! Sometimes people don’t realize that business owners are actually people too (and have families, and live frugally too!!) 🙂
In our business, since we are locally owned, it is always a great selling point to our schools to support a local business (giving your tax dollars back to your community) than choosing a school photography vendor that is a national firm (the company that took your son’s picture) and have your tax dollars to go support another state.
Thanks again!
Wow Heidi, I didn’t know. Thanks for offering that tidbit!!!
I just emailed our school to ask their situation, because I am curious, and it definitely brings the cost down if the money goes towards the school.
Good post. I understand where Heidi is coming from, and I want to support local businesses. BUT…and here I tread lightly, the photo packages at our district are marked up considerably over regular photo packages available through other school photographers. A teacher told me that that the school had signed an exclusivity contract with a national photography chain in exchange for a percentage of the profits, yet most parents aren’t told this.
If the school and studio were being honest, they would send a memo stating that 10% or 20% of the profits from pictures will go back to the school. Without that info, I don’t know how much of the grossly inflated price is going to the school and how much is going into the pockets of the photography studio.
Here’s my tip: before you buy oodles of photos, regardless of the photographer or service … find out from the relatives and friends which photo you expect to be taken during the year that they would REALLY want to have.
Think about it: most relatives show off or display just their favorite picture. Some families collect yearbook photos. Some collect Christmas photos. Others love the prom photos.
So work with those preferences and only order the number of photos that will find homes at each occasion.
I would pay a little extra for the school pics if I could order them a la carte, but I don’t want a package. I have no use for the wallet pictures, etc that the photographer wants to force me to buy. If you let me just buy just 8x10s or 5x7s, I’ll buy from school photographer, but not if you force me to buy all the other pictures I don’t want.
I have not purchased any pictures taken at school, first they have not done a nice job on the pictures and second of all the cheapest one with 6 pocket pictures with only one posse start at 35$ are they CRAZY!!!!! I would consider buying if they were a little cheaper, but I don’t care how much this helps a PRIVATE EXPENSIVE school (we have a scolarship) this is just too much and I will not pay this ridiculous price. I have triplets in Pre-K.
Ours come out ok-so I have purchased the lowest price package before. . . The class pictures are really the thing that I like to have for the kids-it’s always fun for me when I run into my old class photos in our albums. . .
Thanks for all of the opinions. this is my sons first school picture and I can’t believe how expensive they are for a fake smile and ashy lips. ummm no thank you. I’ll take them or go to JC Penny.