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July 2014 Moms
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Family portraits

squnkiesqunkie member
in July 2014 Moms
Have any of yall done studio portraits/are you planning on it? I'd love to use a family photographer and do something a little more natural looking, but the cost is way out of our budget. I'd love something professional to remember this time in our lives, but I don't want to waste money on a portrait (a la JC Penney or Olan Mills) if they just come out cheesy. Any opinions or experience?
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Re: Family portraits

  • mustanghollymustangholly member
    We decided to use a family photographer. We figured it was worth it. Did some research to find one with prices we could afford.
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  • JLHV1909JLHV1909 member
    I used a photographer to do more of a newborn focused family session. Loved all the pictures and I totally would do it again- in fact now I'm trying to decide studio or same photographer for 3, 6, 9, and a year pictures with LO. We are for sure on the year photos with the same photographer.
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  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] member
    We did family/1 year pics with DS1 with the photographers that did our wedding. I love them. For his 2nd birthday, DH was traveling a lot and we couldn't find a good time to schedule pro pics, so I just found a local momtographer to take pics for about $40. They weren't quite as nice as the professional, of course, but for the price she did a really nice job of editing and gave us all the images. I'll probably save up and try to get the professionals again for DS2's first birthday but there are some talented locals who do photography on the side who I would use if I didn't want to spend hundreds.
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  • squnkiesqunkie member
    In my area, family photographers run $500+, which is hard for us to splurge on. I love that style of pictures so much more than the cheesy posed ones though.. I just don't know if I can justify that.
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  • bluejeanbaby1217bluejeanbaby1217 member
    We've done jcpennys a few times, once for newborn pictures for LO. They almost always have a groupon where you pay $25 for three prints and a cd with three images that you can print as much as you want. For $25 they turned out great! And even if they had been bad I wasn't out a lot of money.
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  • missilinimissilini member
    Look on Groupon for photographers. They are always running deals in our area. Also you can look on local message boards for new photographers looking to build their portfolios. We had newborn pics done for $125 and we received 60 edited pics and a cd. The session was 4hrs long. She did an amazing job. I know something similar done by a professional would be well over $500. I definitely think you should get them done. She just wanted to use the pics her portfolio she was building and on her website.
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  • kweaver123kweaver123 member
    I'm not a fan of the studio pictures. I found an awesome photographer who does it on the side for only $175. Do some research you may be able to find a great photographer for cheap.
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  • ADC1979ADC1979 member
    Our newborn and family photos ran $400, but I think they were well worth it because baby will never be like that again. We have some really beautiful pictures of the 3 of us together, and some adorable ones of LO. Our photographer is an editing wizard, so we even have a pic that looks like LO is balanced atop an antique rocking horse. Soooo cute!

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  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] member
    We used The Picture People at our local mall and were happy. They are a national chain and we have had good experiences all around.
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  • lamareilamarei member
    Lots of people have start up photography businesses they do in their spare time. We paid $50 for our family pictures outside of our old gorgeous church. They are stunning! Check with friends on FB.
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  • squnkiesqunkie member
    Thanks for all the suggestions! I'll definitely check out groupon, and I'll see if anyone I know is wanting to expand their portfolio. Thanks!
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  • squnkiesqunkie member
    I just looked at groupon - amazing! Thank you so much for that idea!
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  • Nichole8787Nichole8787 member
    Call a local college and get a photography student. I have a friend that does pictures.she's amazing and only charges 80 and gives you the disk
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  • Kimmi1982Kimmi1982 member
    Agree with @TKT17‌ . Lots of photographers offer mini sessions. In my area they're usually anywhere between $75-$100. 15-30 min session with about 10 digital images on a disc. Follow some local photographers on Facebook that's usually where they post about mini sessions or discounted time slots if you can make it on short notice if they have a cancellation or something.

    Also, if you have a Picture People in your area, they're usually in malls. They have no sitting fee and no minimum purchase. If you don't like them, you're not obligated to buy . And they're a little more updated with props and backgrounds than JCPenney or Olan Mills.
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