6 Month Pictures

hazysherman11

We had Jackson's 6 month pictures taken a month ago. The photographer graduated with my husband, and I had seen her work and it was really good. She told me that it was $220 and that would include 1 hour of shooting, 2 hours of editing and 40 images. She told us that she would throw some extra images in because she knew my husband. So I get an e-mail from her yesterday saying my pictures are ready and it had the pricing. The lowest package was $600!!! Apparently the "40 images" that it came with means that you get 40 images to chose from. And when she said that she threw some extra in, that means that she gave us more than 40 images to chose from. JUST to get the CD that has all the images on it is $350, that's without having any printed. I feel sick to my stomach!! Is this normal?? I sent her an e-mail saying that I misunderstood her and thought that it came with 40 pictures, but apparently the $220 was just the sitting fee. We can't afford to pay $600 for pictures! The pictures turned out GREAT though and we love them. Is this normal?? Or did we totally get screwed??

LolaBelle515

Oh man, I am so sorry that happened to you!  That's a lot of money to swallow.

 

I have to say, even though she knows your husband, I am surprised that a photographer of that caliber did not require you to sign a contract...which would have explained her pricing.  If that wasn't part of it, that is her fault.

 

Unfortunately, the best baby/family photographers in our area (Minneapolis) are in that price range, and I imagine they are in many other areas of the country. Certainly, there are cheaper ones...but if she's one of the best, I'm not surprised by the cost.

 

So, you got screwed because of the miscommunication the meant it was way more than you expected...but probably not on the value of the photos for the cost.

 

Honestly, I would recommend paying the $350 for the digital photos and having them printed yourself.  There are some fabulous printing companies out there. My favorite is mpix.com  personally.  Far, far better than Snapfish/Shutterfly/Target, etc.  I'm sure there are other great ones, too.  That will be much cheaper than buying any of her prints, if prints are not required as part of the smallest package. 

 

Good luck--maybe there's some Christmas money coming to help cover this unexpected cost?  

 

 

 

eav2c

I don't know. Photographers are pricey. Did you all sign a contract? Go back and reread the emails if you have them. I'd probably make a stink about it or see if you can do some sort of a la carte and pick a few of your images so you don't have to spend so much. Where I live, Nashville, we spent about $1,000 on our newborn pictures. There was a very specific and detailed contract involved though so I'd be hesitant to go ahead and pay her that because for all you know she is just changing things on you. Contract is key! Good luck.

JaimeG183

When I called around for photographers I got all kinds of prices. However, I think the way she phrased it is shady. Was there a contract?

I guess I'd buy the cd at this point and leave a review about how the price was miscommunicated.

It's not like you can re-do his 6m pics so if they are memorable to you, I'd pay the minimum to get them

jcsntms06

That's a crazy amount of $ to spend on 40 photos, but I feel like that may be going rate for some photographers. I did a lot of research in my area for photographers and most of them had a crazy high rate for sitting fees. Personally I think that's a rip off, especially since she knows your hubby. Can you pick your favorites and just buy the pictures?

I just paid $200 for a hour photo shoot with 30 pictures that included rights to the cd.  I've used my photographer once for newborn photos and just recently for 3 year old/6 month pictures. 

I used mpix.com to print my photos (see my siggy below) and they turned a beautiful. I definitely recommend them over shutterfly,snapfish, etc. 

hazysherman11

Thanks for the feedback. No we did not sign a contract, and I looked back at the e-mail she sent and it only had a "what to expect" link on there about what to wear and stuff. Nothing about the pricing. We will just buy the CD and print our own pictures. I should also add the we live in the UP of Michigan. Which is not a wealthy area at all. I don't know how many people up here can even afford that!

TrudyCampbell

In my area (NYC) this sounds not only normal but also really reasonable for a good photographer. Sorry it wasn't what you expected! 

shannm

The pricing sounds normal but her contract should have been clear.  Did you sign a contract?  When you read it now, is her pricing and what it includes clear?  Does she have a website?  Is the pricing clearly explained there?  If not, I would point this out to her.

Edit:  Saw your reply and how there was no contract.  That's crazy and I would point that out to her.  Professional photogs who charge that much (and if they are good, it is justified IMO) need to use contracts for everyone's protection.