Am I the only one who isn't into professional pictures?

Laura_Lee

I've had my son's picture taken professionally at 3 months old, but besides that I don't plan on doing anything professional until he's a year old.  Everything else I take myself with a regular camera and put something together at store photo development kiosks.  Even the one year photos I might just do myself or have a friend shoot a few pictures of our family.  

It seems like everyone on this board regularly drops a ton of cash on professional pictures.  Am I the only one that sees this as a ridiculous expense? 

mm&m2010

I don't do them either! The only "professional" pics were his hospital pictures! It is too much money, who has the time, and how do you plan it when baby is awake & happy. If I were to spend the money- I would want him smiling!! I will do them when he is 1 year too...

amygauntt@windstream.net

Having a 3 year old, and knowing how fast time goes, the last thing I consider it is a ridiculous expense. And I have a DSLR & take wonderful pics of them, there IS a difference though.

But then again, we can afford it, so it's not "ridiculous" to us at all.

ETA: We only do once a year. And we usually make them family pics, NO ONE can capture all 4 of us like a professional can. 

nwagner1

I haven't had any prof. pics done and I don't plan to until she's older.  I take pics of her constantly and with shutterfly you can make some great collages and photo books. We're happy with that right now.

katie277s

I can't afford to do professional pictures more than once a year.  We did newborn photos (had a free session) but the printing and framing cost WAY more than I was expecting. 

We will, however, do a family session.  I'll pay the money for those once a year as well.  

ValAndRyan

I get mine done at Sears with the smile savers plan. It is so hard not to get all the sheets but I only get one or two because the prices are so cheap. I did them for my oldest who is 11 now but I have this frame where his monthly shots are in and it is neat to see the monthly pictures. That's why I do it for LO too. I have a similar frame of their school pictures right above it (well, just DS1 is up now anyway). I don't take very good pics so I resorted to Sears.

Amber0808

We had professional picture taken at the hospital but DS's grandparents paid for them. We also had prof. pics taken at 3 months and only paid $50 total for them. We have quite a few friends who are professional photographers and will be getting them done at 6, 9, and 12 months.

GreenieTA11

nwagner1:

I haven't had any prof. pics done and I don't plan to until she's older.  I take pics of her constantly and with shutterfly you can make some great collages and photo books. We're happy with that right now.

This.  I heart shutterfly.

Qmommy

Sears, JCPenny, and Picture people take pictures and it's not expensive at all.  

Before my DD, I thought the same thing.  What a waste!  But then my niece had professional pictures taken and I was sold!  We used the same photographer and she did an amazing job for our newborn shots and I wouldn't change it for the world.  They are amazing pictures that I can't take and edit.  

We're going to picture people this weekend to take pictures of my DD with her cousin who is 3.5 months older for Grammy's Christmas present.   But that's only going to cost like $30 or less with a coupon we have.  

luvmybaby28

I agree with so many of the previous posts!  My DH and I definitely get the biggest smiles from him, but I like to go in for group shots of us together and they don't have to be crazy expensive - the $7.99 packages get so many great pics to share with the family.

someflower6

i haven't gotten any done, but i wouldn't call it a ridiculous expense. i think they're cute and have seen some really awesome professional ones. i may consider it one day. but so far, i haven't been able to justify the expense. i'm happy with the DIY pictures we have on shutterfly.

cmhicklin

I got them done at Walmart for her one month pics; she was asleep which was pretty much the only thing she did then.  I ended up spending $20 for pics for friends and family.  My cousin takes pictures, and wants to take pics of LO whenever I want her too.  We are not that close, but she is giving us free sitting fees and 20% off all of our orders, and her prices are reasonable to begin with.  I think it is going to cost us $50.  I've heard how much some people are spending and I would rather DIE than spend that much! 

myluckypig

The Picture People have a special right now 6 sheets for $18.  We are doing DD's Christmas picture.  I am bringing a friend along and her job is to stop me from being talked into buying poses/sheets that are not included in the package so I only spend $18!

Corinne13

My husband and I chose to do a baby plan with a local professional photographer.  For us it's an investment.  We will cherish her photos for years to come.  I will also cherish the photos I have taken myself at home too.  With how quickly this time is gone I want to capture as much of it as I can.  When it comes down to it my personal photos just do not compare to those of a professional.  In addition to the memories I have actually become friends with our photographer and she as an experienced mother of 4 herself has been a great mommy resource for me personally.  I will do it again for my next child but if you are happy with what you capture at home good for you.  Cherish your memories and be happy with however you choose to document your baby

kategw

I had newborn shots and just got 6 month shots taken.  To me, it was money very well spent.  I plan on getting professional photos taken once a year as DD grows and our family expands.  I love to display them in different ways throughout our house.  That being said, photos are something I cherish personally and I understand why some people might view it as unnecessary. 

LJR 84

I don't think it's ridiculous, we just don't have the time! I plan on having 6 month photos done professionally...and maybe one year. The way our lives are right now, the last thing I feel like doing on a weekend is going somewhere to have pics taken. That's just me, though. However, we take PLENTY of pictures on our own...LOs life is very well documented so far.

Tippy05

We didn't and aren't planning it.  My brother is a photographer so he takes pictures whenever we're around (for holidays and special occasions) but for the most part I take my own.  We have a nice camera and take tons of pictures.  If I had the extra money I might when he's older, but right now I'm totally happy with taking our own pictures and having my brother take some.

snoopysnoperson

My sister is a pro photographer so she does it for free for us and gets us free prints when she tries out a new print company. If she can't get us free prints, she gives us the ones we want on holidays as a gift. If I didn't have her, I wouldn't have gotten pro pics done.

doremi29

I am lucky enough to have a family friend who does maternity/infant/family photography and is just starting out.  She does beautiful work (imo) and I find her rates fairly reasonable.  I usually pay her a $50 sitting fee and then buy the cd with all pictures from her for $75.  We have down newborn and 4 month pics.  We will continue by doing 6 month and 12 month pictures.  To me, $125 is very worth it!!!

nopegoat

I wish we had the money for pictures but we SOOO don't. I have actually gotten quite good at taking my own so I guess I don't worry about it to much anymore!

katcarls

I don't think it's a ridiculous expense.  If you can afford it and that's what you want to spend your money on then go for it.  You also can't assume that they're dropping a ton of money just because they're professional pics.

weheartsofie

Like PP said, professional photos don't always have to cost an arm and a leg.  We found a photographer that does it more as a hobby.  Her pictures are fantastic and she only charges $50/hour and you get rights to all the photos so I just get them developed at Walgreens.   That being said... we'll only do newborn, 6 month and 1 year.   We probably won't spend more than $250 for all 3 shoots combined.

angiek941

I have a photog friend who does them for us for $50. She's fabulous at it, and I don't feel bad for spending that.  That being said, I don't plan to do them every month. We just had them done, and we'll do them again in the spring.

mrsjenni

Personally, I think professional pictures are priceless.  

ash.flea

Good pictures are one thing I will always spend money on.  Pictures are forever, but they grow up so fast!  My wedding photographer was about 50% of my entire wedding budget, but I will treasure those pictures forever.  I *love* our maternity pictures and I already look back on them and smile.  We're doing a newborn package (nb, 3, 6, 9, and 12 month pictures) and we're doing pro family Christmas pictures.  I don't think it's a ridiculous expense at all.  I have a camera but pictures I take are nothing like what my photographer takes.  After the first year I'll probably only do once/year pro pictures/family pictures.

doremi29

Just wanted to add- I know everyone's tastes are different, but I don't really care to spend money on professional photos from a "photo studio" type place.  I'd rather a photographer get some great shots of my family either outside, in our home, or doing some activities rather than just a ton of posed shots.  Some of the best shots our photographer gets are the ones in between the posed shots- we have one of my husband holding Mason over his head and Mason is laughing so hard- I just love it (I didn't even know she was clicking away at that point).

cearleyjay

mrs.jenni:

Personally, I think professional pictures are priceless.  

this!

i always have a ton of fun trying to decide what we will do next.  i always manage to come up with some great themes.  next is our nightmare before christmas, christmas photos.  i found a place that i really like here in JAX.  they do a great job.  i pay a little more for them then i would at sears, but i really dont care.  i pay for the amount of pictures that are put on our disk (which i have all the rights to) then she gives me free prints depending on how many pics you put on the disk. 

JillAly

I love photography and take pictures all the time as a semi-pro.  I shoot weddings for friends because they like my pictures better than professionals.  But even though I love photography, I don't have all the props they do, the lighting ability, etc.  So I would still consider doing professional pics.  I haven't done it yet but only because in NYC it costs $500 for a professional plus crazy prices for pictures.  We dont' have Sears or those kind of places here.

As for the people who said they'll do photos when the kids are older.  I disagree with that- if you are considering doing professional pictures- get them done when they are infants or young toddlers.   I can tell a 5 year old to sit still and smile.  I can't do that with an infant or a toddler.  It's hard for me to take my own pictures- I need another hand.  So if a professional is taking the picture I can hold my child or distract them.  Just a thought for those thinking about waiting.

jrolls79

I didn't splurge on maternity pics, 3 or 4D ultrasound or fancy nursery. But I wanted professional newborn pics. Yes, I can take some myself and I do. But the professional ones are more like artwork. Some of the props and editing she does I could never do. It is expensive. It is hard not to buy all of them. One thing I do to keep costs down is to buy her picture outfits at resale shops or garage sales. I have bought several $100 dresses for $5 bucks or less.

toyah81

I don't think it's a ridiculous expense, but I'm with you in that I don't think they're that important to do every few months. I capture the candid, everyday shots with my camcorder and/or phone. I'm more of a holiday professional photos more than anything.

ajtjirsnow

I stopped reading others posts halfway thru, so I'm not sure of every opinion given. But I did professional pics for my first dd one year, and i really hated most of the shots. But I do have a few friends that trying to build up their own photography businesses and have been happy to take pics of us for free to help build a portfolio. My maternity photos were done by a friend. Maybe it is worth seeking out a photography student at a local college to see if someone would want to do some photos for any 'big' happenings like the one year photos. I'm sure most would do it for free or really inexpensive!

jennygirlmt

I think it's ridiculous but I have the benefit of my sister and DH's bff being prof photogs (not of babies but they get gorgeous shots). I ordered the pics from the hospital bc I was so drugged up.  I paid $115 and regretted it, the pics were horrible. then they came again to take a 1month pic and give me a free 8X10, I soon realized this is their ploy to then offer me $200 basic packages up to $600! I was shocked. The women designed cheesy collages with words like grammy's angel, and did crappy one click "photoshopping" then charged $15 extra for that "work."

When I told her I would just take the one free pic she was furious and told me I was a bad mom. WTF?!  I told her I would rather put the money in her 529 (which I did!). She said that $600 wouldn't make a difference. She obviously doesn't know about compound interest  

And honestly DD didn't get beautiful until recently. So I never even hung that pic.  

So what I think is awful is when they prey on new moms, acting like you must do this.  Some people have oodles of money, great, then enjoy. But parents who don't have an extra $200-500 laying around shouldn't be convinced they are necessary. 

MelBee12

https://www.evokenc.com/editing/Dylan/

and I would have paid double what she charged us.  She is just starting out with babies (was our engagement, my boudoir and our wedding photographer) so we got a great deal and we are doing 3 months, 6 months, 9 months and a year.

I have a DSLR as well, but that's the problem...I'm ALWAYS the one behind the camera.  I cry every time I watch our slideshow.  The pictures of Dylan and I are priceless in my eyes.  They were done in our home and back yard. 

KRISTA555

We bought the pics that the hospital photographer did because she (gas) smiled in them and turned out so cute.  

We are also getting Christmas pics done at The Picture People because I have a coupon and it will cost us $18 total.

We will also get 1 year pics done... probably @ The Picture People again.

KellyD01

I got DS done at 1, 3, 6, 9, 12, 18 and 24 months. The girls so far had theirs done at 2 months, and will have pics done tomorrow of their christening gowns and next month w/ the family for our family shot. Those are priceless pictures I will always treasure... I take some great candids and even posed pics of both him and the girls but I don't have the lighting to get the kinds of pics I want. We got family pics at DS's 2, 12, and 18 month pictures. and will get yearly family pictures for Christmas. I do plenty with my shots as far as framing and scrapbooking... but I wouldn't stop getting the professional shots done either.

doremi29

MelBee12:

https://www.evokenc.com/editing/Dylan/

and I would have paid double what she charged us.  She is just starting out with babies (was our engagement, my boudoir and our wedding photographer) so we got a great deal and we are doing 3 months, 6 months, 9 months and a year.

I have a DSLR as well, but that's the problem...I'm ALWAYS the one behind the camera.  I cry every time I watch our slideshow.  The pictures of Dylan and I are priceless in my eyes.  They were done in our home and back yard. 

Beautiful slide show!

MelBee12

doremi29:

MelBee12:

https://www.evokenc.com/editing/Dylan/

and I would have paid double what she charged us.  She is just starting out with babies (was our engagement, my boudoir and our wedding photographer) so we got a great deal and we are doing 3 months, 6 months, 9 months and a year.

I have a DSLR as well, but that's the problem...I'm ALWAYS the one behind the camera.  I cry every time I watch our slideshow.  The pictures of Dylan and I are priceless in my eyes.  They were done in our home and back yard. 

Beautiful slide show!

Thank you!  

ejh090305

I have two LO's and we've never had professional pictures taken. I take plenty myself and I get some pretty good ones but I'm not into paying that kind of money for something I can do myself. Granted they may not be as good but some of them are.

sfarrow3

It's definately not a waste of money or time to me!   We can afford to do it and money is not an issue.  Like some of the previous  posts capture your child's life however you like! Professional pics are great as well as candid shots.  I have a ton of family so we give them pics and i would rather give them a professional picture any day then some picture I took on my camera.