Child cried through entire photo session

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We paid a photographer $250 for studio portraits. Unfortunately, my 3 1/2 cried throughout the entire session. We said to the photographer that it was not going well and she promised she would get some good shots. We were doubtful how that could be since our child was terrified the whole time but waited to see the proofs.

There's not a single photo I'd want to share with anyone or put on our Christmas cards. I asked for a reshoot and was told no. Is that standard?

I don't have complaints about the quality. My complaint is that my kid was miserable and the photos are a waste of money.

Why was she terrified?

[Anonymous]

To me, it sounds like OP may have used what is sometimes called a "mommy fauxtographer" - which means the person might take ok pictures but truly hasn't reached the point of being a professional. That's ok but I do think that category of photographer needs to be far more flexible. As other PP pointed out, professionals are able to work with situations like crying kids and get them comfortable as well as implement a fee structure that covers these kind of situations because from experience they know such things can and do happen.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Op, I understand completely. That is quite a bit of money especially since it doesn't even include the prints. I would be extremely frustrated that she couldn't even offer a thirty minute session to get a few good happy ones.

I agree to read your contract and if she won't budge there isn't really anything you can do except post a review on social media.

I bet if you have a halfway decent camera or someone you know, you could capture the moments you want by yourself.
Get him dressed up and take him out and snap away. I bet they really will turn out great.

Also, I know you are frustrated right now with the whole situation but sometimes the crying pictures are super cute when our precious kids throw a fit.

My great friend who is a photographer and has a very successful business sent out her Christmas card of her two kids with the youngest one crying. She quoted "All is Not Calm". You could hardly see the crying kids face but it was the cutest card ever.

Good luck!

This is cute when the crying kid is a baby or young toddler. At 3.5? Not so much.

[Anonymous]

man, some people are over the top!

unfortunately i think you're out $250. i would do a "lifestyle"photo op people are mentioning. a friend photographer told me once that you should do morning photos with young kids -- they're in better moods (for the most part) in the morning. personally, i would probably use one of those screaming/hysterical photos -- it shows you're "livin' the dream."

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Okay, just asking because I've never paid for professional photos before. When my child was losing it, I thought we should stop the season and try again another time instead I was promised there would be some good photos.

Yes, I am emotional about it but that's why I'm asking for others who have been there and done that if they just take a loss in a situation like this.

If this is standard for child photography, I won't bother hiring one again. It's too much money to risk.

Unfortunately, stopping and rescheduling is also not par for the course, i.e. You would have had to pay twice.

+1

You're paying for the photographer's time. She's out that time; if you want a reshoot, she'll be out more time. Unless the contract permits a reshoot, you're getting exactly what you paid for. It's not her fault your kid didn't cooperate.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:For those people (including OP) suggesting that the photographer should have given up after 30 minutes and scheduled a reshoot, a photographer can't really survive if they do that. If the photographer planned for 3 hours with OP and then stops after 30 minutes, the rest of that 3 hours (plus travel time) is a complete loss to her. That's why the ones that do allow reshoots will have sitting fees in the $750-1000 range, they're covering themselves in the event they have to schedule a reshoot. As for the preschool reshoot day comparison, it's completely inappliable, because on the preschool days there are lots of children getting their picture taken, even if they have to reshoot 5% of them another day, they're still making enough to make it worth showing up.

+1

Also, OP never says what the contract said. If the contract didn't specify the conditions for a reshoot, I don't know why you'd think you'd get one. The photographer's time is money.

[Anonymous]

Picture people, JCP, target..lower your risk - and there's always at least one that's cute enough. We went to Picture People a few weeks ago and both our 3.5 year old and 18 month old acted like insane people..it was annoying and waste of our time, but we weren't out a bunch of cash and we ended up getting a good enough picture to send to the grandparents. This is a shit happens situation. Live and learn and don't trash that poor photographer.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Okay, just asking because I've never paid for professional photos before. When my child was losing it, I thought we should stop the season and try again another time instead I was promised there would be some good photos.

Yes, I am emotional about it but that's why I'm asking for others who have been there and done that if they just take a loss in a situation like this.

If this is standard for child photography, I won't bother hiring one again. It's too much money to risk.

You booked her time so no you can't just change your mind mid shoot and say "oh let's try again later." unless, of course, you want to pay for another session. It also sounds like this has nothing to do with the photographer and everything to do with your kids not behaving. Now i do think that some photographers are better than others at working with kids and getting them to warm up, but kid are who they are and that is a risk you take. I have done photo session at that age and my kids were not the most cooperative, not crying though, and the photographer did manage to get some good shots.

OP I suggest taking it for what it is, laughing it off and if nothing else looking at these pictures as capturing your child for who was/is that day.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:For those people (including OP) suggesting that the photographer should have given up after 30 minutes and scheduled a reshoot, a photographer can't really survive if they do that. If the photographer planned for 3 hours with OP and then stops after 30 minutes, the rest of that 3 hours (plus travel time) is a complete loss to her. That's why the ones that do allow reshoots will have sitting fees in the $750-1000 range, they're covering themselves in the event they have to schedule a reshoot. As for the preschool reshoot day comparison, it's completely inappliable, because on the preschool days there are lots of children getting their picture taken, even if they have to reshoot 5% of them another day, they're still making enough to make it worth showing up.

+1

Also, OP never says what the contract said. If the contract didn't specify the conditions for a reshoot, I don't know why you'd think you'd get one. The photographer's time is money.

OP used a cheap photographer - there WAS no contract, obviously.