JCP Portraits

Barbara83

Has anyone used JC Penney Portraits for newborn photos? How is their quality? Would you recommend using them? Thanks.

lisamoe

We did.

I think they did a great job.  We brought in props such as hats, blankets, etc.  They also had things.

Don't expect it to be like a professional photographer, though.  They put you in time slots and only take so many pics, not a session of pictures that lasts an hour, like some photographers.

They also have very decent prices.  IMO, it was perfect for our needs and our budget.

mittensonkittens

I've been using them for my kids' photos every few months. The photographers are young and don't have much experience, but they know more about photography than I do, and have better cameras. You won't get the kind of artistic photos that you see online from high end photographers, but you can get good photos for a decent price. I buy the CD and get prints from online photo print shops. Show up with props and ideas for the poses you want. And schedule for a time where they aren't busy and won't rush you. Plan to get there early because the baby WILL poop all over themselves the second you are ready to leave the house. Bring extra clothes for emergencies, and make sure the baby is fed before you start.

RileighsMom1224

We also use JCP for all of our portraits.  Good quality and good prices.   

homebird

No.

526SadieSadie

We've used Sears twice, JCP twice and Target.  JCP had the best prices but Target had the best quality photos (JCP photos were still beautiful, see my sig pic).

I wasn't dissatisfied with Sears, but both times we went there, the wait was RIDICULOUS even with an appointment. 

Karebear6978

i hated them... we only got a few pics... the guy had no idea what he was doing and because i wanted a CD it cost me $300 which is twice what it would have cost if i had just gone to a real photographer

tig594

We had Aria's first sitting at JCP last weekend.  They were swamped...I'd suggest not going on a weekend.  The photographer was okay but I think she cut us short so she could go to lunch.  We had to wait about 30 minutes to see the images on the computer and spent another 45 minutes with one of the girls picking out pictures (again, felt rushed and overwhelmed by all the stuff she was putting together with adding baby's name to pics, etc).  We brought props with us but they were never used by the photographer which was kind of a bummer.  They got some decent shots but nothing fantastic.  We spent $225 for 16 sheets and the disk.  I think if you just want the disk it's $150.  We will probably use them again in the future but will also utilize other photographers, as well. If I had to grade JCP I'd probably give them a B-.

melissabshelton

I've used our JC Penney for the past 5 years for my kids and have only had an issue once.  I've never bought the CD and we usually just buy the $4 sheets.  It works for our needs.  And I like that they put them online so I can share with DD1's family so they can buy their own pictures that fit whatever their needs are.  Groupon or one of the sites like that occasionally run deals where you can get packages for $25 that may or may not include the CD.  I've never really paid attention to the details because I have a system that works for us.  We've been using them long enough to figure out which photographers we prefer so I'll call and schedule appointments specifically with them.  And they are usually pretty good at telling me when to not try to schedule if it looks like they'll be busy or have appointments with kids before.  Kid appointments tend to run over due to meltdowns, refusing to cooperate, all that good stuff.

ESD_0707

We used JCP for our first DD, and the pictures were just amazing.  THEN we moved to a new city.  We got some pics of DD as a toddler, and they are not good at all.  It really depends on the actual photographer in other words.  We miss our old JCP!