Really bad quality photo's

[alacrity]

The photo's were pre paid sight unseen. I have spoken with the childcare and I have been told there has been a fair few complaints, so it's not just me unhappy.

[mopsy]

I have stopped buying photos from our childcare centre. They get done once every 6 months. We get a contact sheet but the images are so small and so heavily watermarked that it is impossible to see how good they may be. The ones which I have bought which looked like they would be good are terribly soft and I would not have bought them if I had been able to tell initially.

I complained to the director last time about exactly that, will be interesting to see if they are the same next time.

It is a shame, I take lots of photos of the kids that I am very happy with but I think that you can get something quite different in the environment of the childcare centre when it isn't mum taking the photo!!

[campo]

I just received the photo's of my son from his childcare, done by a 'professional'. I am an amateur, but I could have taken pictures better. I suppose anyone can get business cards and call them self a photographer right?

My partner's son's childcare year photos were absolutely atrocious - motion blur in outdoors shots...and the prices starting from $30 for a 5x7". I'm glad my partner knows a bit about photography!

[bb45pz]

And finally, recently someone asked me for advice if they should go into full time photography. I took a careful look at their work, and drew the opinion that they should not, and substantiated that opinion on the basis that they required more control of their craft. Some think that opinion is a negative one. I maintain its a positive, because if you deliver work thats not above what an amateur can produce, then this is exactly the type of negative publicity that can be produced. And negative publicity is a tricky thing to turnaround.

Great post. Care to do this for me?

[Longshots]

Great post. Care to do this for me?

Anytime you like - however it will always simply be just my opinion. And there are many who would have another

[bb45pz]

Anytime you like - however it will always simply be just my opinion. And there are many who would have another

Thanks, I flicked you a PM. Given your work I'll take your opinion as quite a valid one.

[MBsa]

As far as child care photos go, the one my children go to have a choice of two photographers, one of whom I would never deal with and the other an amatuer. I have not and probably wont purchase any photos from them, I would rather pay a proper professional to take a family shot, and do the individuals myself.

Hope it all gets sorted out for you.

[camerasnoop]

Part of the problem is the way the Childcare Centre goes about selecting a photographer. You have a teacher/carer/whatever they call themselves asking photographers for quotes. They try to get the cheapest option for the parents and so they shop around the amateurs and camera clubs. You get what you pay for people. If you insist on getting $5 prints, then why would you be surprised when the photographer turns up with an entry-level DSLR with pop-up slash and nothing else? The number of times I've been asked to shoot to a really low price with no guarantee that more than a handful of people will ever buy any prints always amazes me. If you want something different to what you can shoot yourself at home, then don't expect to by your 7x5 prints for 50 cents each. remember the photographer is taking all the financial risk on these jobs and must pay for their equipment and usage from the return they get on that job.

Pay peanuts and get monkeys.

[mopsy]

The photographer that my childcare uses has a studio and definitely charges more than 50cents a print...I don't think it is too much to ask that the shots are in focus. I would be more than happy to pay $$ for good shots.

They took photos last week so we will see....I hope they are nice. I like having photos of the kids at daycare as it is part of their childhood and as a scrapbooker I am obsessed with recording it!!

[reaction]

All the photo's are way too dark, then when the flash is used the subject has bright shiney reflections off his forehead. They look like happy snaps taken in the park when I first got my camera and was learning how to use it. The printing looks like is has been done at a local KMart store. I am just disappointed because my daughters Kinder Photo's were taken by a fantastic photographer, Liz Arcus, and I expected something atleast half decent for my son.

Sounds like they used the same guy we had for one event. Was his name Kev.. M.....?
It horrified me how we paid top $ for these snapshots and we (a couple of amateurs) took pics that were better than theirs.
It's shameful for 'pro's to take happy snap quality stuff and take $, but that's what they do, and hopefully the company learns not to employ them next time.