I remember growing up, my mom always had a little gallery of 8x10s of traditional school pictures.
This is the second year DS has gotten the boring looking headshot kind and honestly, I don't really care to buy them because I don't want to display it.
I'll buy a package in the future if they want to pass them out to friends.
Why does this feel so wrong? What are your plans? My mom is wanting to buy my kids each a package, lol.
Yeah, there was a time these were often the only pictures done all year so it was a big deal. These days it's easy to get cute artsy, frame acceptable shots with a P&S even.
I have no plans on displaying my kid's ever.
Hell my mom never did for that matter. She passed the big ones off to grandparents, gave us the small ones to share and shoved the rest in her bottom desk drawer.
Post by mainelyfoolish on Oct 20, 2014 15:13:31 GMT -5
I have a few picture frames on my mantle in living room and I display my kids' most recent photo. I do not have a whole gallery of photos lining the hallway up the staircase.
I will always buy a small package of school photos because (1) the grandparents love to get them and (2) some day I think my kids will appreciate or at least get a laugh out of their school picture from each year. It's not that much money in the grand scheme of things.
It's a weird thing to feel guilty about. We do have professional pictures, plus, you know, iPhones. I don't put any value in the school pictures, even as a rite of passage
Post by dragonfly08 on Oct 20, 2014 15:16:47 GMT -5
I haven't bought a school picture since #1 was in preschool. She's in 6th grade now.
If I want pictures of my kids, I take them to Portrait Innovations or something, where I can get good quality that doesn't look like a mug shot (at least, our local PI does a really good job). I have no regrets about skipping the school pictures over the years.
We have lovely professional photographer pictures that I very much treasure and plan on framing over the school pictures. Nothing wrong with that.
But I DID buy a package of the most recent school pictures at daycare because it was epic lol. I plan on giving them to parents/grandparents as Christmas gifts and framing one at my desk.
What background did you get? Wagon wheel? Beach? Ours are boring, gray background, shoulders and up.
Post by Velar Fricative on Oct 20, 2014 15:24:50 GMT -5
I don't care if they're out. They're easy, DD looks cute in them (well, she's only had one set taken so far at daycare), and they don't cost as much as professional artsy photos that I don't care to have taken. I'm sold! Yes, I will display the current photo somewhere.
I bought them because they're hilarious. I'm displaying a small one at work, because its cute/funny, but that's the only place it'll show up. I've distributed to family members.
I think most years my parents didn't buy mine. Maybe kindergarten (which was really pre-K), first grade (first year in uniforms), and one middle school year.
I don't anticipate buying a large package, as we have many professional photographers in our circles who I am sure will take much better pictures, but I am a traditionalist at heart and will probably have a frame for each kid with the current year's picture in it.
As a kid, I loved pulling up the back and looking at all of the pictures, year by year.
Post by turtlegirl on Oct 20, 2014 15:36:58 GMT -5
I'm not sure what is "normal" these days since my first kid is just in his first year of preschool right now. But they did some really nice outdoor shots and you could get 4 poses and the class photo on a disc for $40, so I just went ahead and did that since I know I'm going to want to scrapbook them, frame one in the house and grandparents will want a copy etc.
But I'm a total sentimental scrapbooking picture loving nerd, so I can't imagine not getting each year school pictures for all my kids.
I have always bought them and frame them. I am a picture whore though. We also always buy the pictures for the activities the kids are in and frame them.
I buy the cheapest package every year. This year my kids took the whole sheet of their pictures and taped it on the wall so that's how we have it displayed in our house.
DD's pictures from her preschool have been amazing. I plan on buying them as long as they are good. If they are not great, I might just buy a smaller package. I have also purchased the CD vs. the package, because it is cheaper to buy the CD and print what I want.
Post by stealthmom on Oct 20, 2014 17:48:23 GMT -5
Maybe my kid is photogenic bc for a headshot it's always been super cute. I buy the smallest package and give them to family. One goes in a scrap book.
Post by ginkgoleaf on Oct 20, 2014 18:06:59 GMT -5
DS is just in preschool, but I've bought some each time. Usually 2-3 sheets with 5x7 and 3x5. They will eventually go in a scrapbook plus the grandparents will get 1-2.
Post by redpenmama on Oct 20, 2014 18:46:39 GMT -5
I have my DD's first school picture from last year framed, but only because it is hilarious. She is perfectly posed but scowling, so it makes me giggle when I see it. I don't think I will display them every year, but I will probably purchase at least one each year to add to their school memories from that year.
Post by Ashley&Scott on Oct 21, 2014 11:17:19 GMT -5
Still in DC but I'll answer anyway. I buy the class picture for his baby book. I have wanted to buy his individual portrait for the last 2 years but couldn't. He screamed & cried so they weren't able to take it ;(
So to answer your question - I plan to buy a the class picture & a few prints. (a few 5x7s or something) to keep for sentimental reasons. No plans to display them though. We have professional family photos done twice a year, plus I'm constantly snapping pics myself. Those are the photos I frame & put up, not the boring grey background head shots.