'I Cried When We Left The Studio With Such A Big Credit Card Debt': The Family Portraits That Cost Thousands

How much should you pay for family portraits? [fotolia]

If you’ve ever been tempted through the doors of a major chain of photographers, you’ll know that the resulting pictures can be stunning but also incredibly expensive.

You may pay a small fee for the studio time, or receive it as a gift. You may even win a shoot and a small free photograph, and feel determined not to spend more than you’ve agreed. But many people will attest that this isn’t as easy as it sounds.

Childhood is such a short time that we all feel the impulse to capture our families on canvas, and many studios offer stylish, attractive and quirky photo opportunities.

A picture costs a thousand pounds

While the big brand studios produce undeniably wonderful images, they can also cost a fortune and many parents say they felt pressured into spending thousands of pounds. It’s worth browsing parenting forums where many parents have shared their experiences with the different photography chains.
 
Some former customers complain that they couldn’t get hold of the prices before their shoot, but when I rang Venture Photography – a chain of studio franchises - they were very transparent about the prices.

There was a £35 studio fee, which included a 7 inch by 5 inch framed photograph as a ‘free gift’. However, after that, things got pretty pricey. Wall-hanging photos started at £350, and that was for an 8-by-8 inch picture – hardly vast. The largest image for sale, the kind you’d hang above the mantel piece, was £1,000, although it was gallery framed and framing can often cost a few hundred on its own. The sales woman we spoke to didn’t pressure us into giving our details or buying studio time, and was perfectly happy to discuss the prices – admitting that the most expensive item on their books was a 60-by-40inch ‘Lumino’ product; that’s a photo printed onto aluminium. It costs £2,200.

The Sweet London studio charges a £179 session fee, which includes a 10-by-8 inch photo. However, you agree to spend a minimum of £250 on pictures afterwards, meaning a minimum spend of £429. For £579 you can have the session with 35-55 images on a DVD, although you’ll still need to pay for any printing you need.

Aggressive sales tactics

The studios we looked at charge high prices, but they do sell a premium product and so it’s perhaps unfair to criticise the costs. However, some customers have complained about aggressive sales tactics employed by various studios afterwards.

We spoke to Beth, a mother of two boys, who received a free voucher for a photo shoot and took the whole family. She claims she was subjected to intensely pressured sales techniques, resulting in her spending more than £2,000 on pictures, instead of the £300 she had expected.

She explains: “I cried when we left the studio with such a big credit card debt. I woke up in the night several times; I just couldn’t believe I had agreed to spend so much money without really planning to.

“I feel really stupid saying this now, because it sounds ridiculous to say the pressure was so intense. I know people will think ‘she should have just said no thanks’. But the selling was really clever; they wouldn’t let us discuss the purchase and they kept saying that if we left they would delete the pictures. And the pictures were so beautiful that I couldn’t bear it if they were destroyed, so we spent the price of a family holiday on them.”

Other couples have said that the sales people refused to discuss prices until both adults were present – because they want to agree sales on the spot and not allow them to chat about it away from the sales person.

Some families were told their pictures would be deleted if they did not agree a purchase at the sales meeting; others were told that their favourite images were only available as part of a more expensive package. Some people even claim that they were pressured into buying the photos using tactics that smack of emotional blackmail, such as suggesting that loving parents would be happy to invest in images of their children.

So what are the alternatives?

We spoke to one photographer who would rather not be named but works independently in a small town in southern Scotland and used to work for a chain studio.

She now charges £150 for an hour and a half, which includes 40-50 finished images on a CD and the customer is allowed to share and print as many as they want.

“The pictures I used to take in the studio were beautiful, I won’t say otherwise,” she says. “Perfect lighting, great props, the kids would always have fun and the pictures were really great. But they were incredibly expensive... And they weren’t unique to the family. We’d have several families a week all wearing the long scarf or lying down and looking up at the camera or with their heads in a circle… Whereas now I go with the family to somewhere they love, like a favourite park or walk, and everyone just has fun. That’s what I capture, and it seems more real and more genuine.”

Are the photos as good? “They are different. Maybe not as finished as the studio shots, maybe not as perfectly staged, and I obviously can’t spend as much time editing the photos at that price. But they are real and they evoke real memories. And my customers like that they can share them online or print them onto cards or whatever. I think I am much better value for money than the big chains.”

A photographer's tips for family photos without the financial hit

•    Find a recommended independent photographer by using local Facebook groups or online reviews. Very often independent photographers will include digital images at no extra cost. Some even allow you to share their work via social media.

•    Look for pop-up opportunities. Some studios will advertise one-off shoots in a sunny park or the grounds of a stately home, allowing anyone to simply come along and enjoy a 10-minute shoot and a cheaper picture. Others will offer photography sessions in shopping centres or on the high street, but often with fun and interesting props.

•    Take your own. There is a lot of online advice regarding the make-up of a decent photo, and as a parent you have the time and energy to take pictures that really capture your family’s personality. These can then be printed onto canvas or framed, with many websites offering affordable printing and framing options.

•    Finally, if you do decide to use one of the big brand chains, just remember that these are premium products and will cost a fair bit. Ask for a price list in advance, as well as for any restrictions on choice. By agreeing a spending limit before you even enter the studio, you make it less likely that you will lose your head over the finished product.

What about you? Have you spent a fortune on professional photos? Did you regret it or was it worth every penny? Have your say using the comments below.