There are a lot of funny crying Christmas card photos. I Would probably use them lol.

But anyway, I also would have given up after 30 minutes and reschedule. I would have paid the photographer for our agreed upon cost and just paid again next time. I do recommend outdoor photos though. We just did ones with our kids and they really weren't interested but because she got photos of them just playing around and exploring they are pretty cute.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If this is a professional photographer with a reputation to protect, I would think they'd offer a half price or very short re-do session. We do our family photos at different fun locations instead of in a studio, you might want to try that. And switch photographers!

I agree that they probably should offer you something, but if they don't that's also fair. You absolutely have no grounds for negative reviews.

Except, I will say that most photographers develop ways to work with kids. If the crying for 2-3 hours was uncharacteristic for your child, you might question whether the photographer took that part of their job seriously and search for a person / venue where you are likely to get a happier kid and thus better shots next time.

If OP couldn't calm her kid how would a stranger?

+1

So sorry your child was not having a good day but this is not the photographer's fault at all. If you could not get your child to calm down, I doubt a stranger would. I suggest looking at this as a glass half full and will be funny in the future experience. I have pictures of myself when I was 1 crying and now we all just look at them and laugh. I was really cute (j/k, I'm sure my mom was super stressed).

OMG, ditch the studio. My friend was building her business and gave us a discount for a "lifestyle" shoot. Kids were 3.5 and 12 months at the time. The 3.5-year-old refused to smile and scowled whenever she spotted the camera on her, yet we got some really cute shots of her playing on the playground. We got great close-ups on the 12-month-old because she was sitting on someone's lap and being tickled. We immediately decided to do family shoots like this twice a year for their birthdays.

Come on, not one single crying pic even looks a tiny bit cute? Sometimes it's like that, OP. I sympathize, but blame your kid, not your photographer. And your kid is only 3.5, so really, it's nobody's fault.

Maybe post them and be sure to give the photographer credit for her great work!

Why people pay for professional photography is beyond me.

Lesson learned, OP. You'll do better yourself with a timer.

Mine ran out of the studio at 4 and we chased him around the mall. And not in a "I am having a fun run" way.

Was it lifestyle or studio? I think studio can be really hard for kids that age. Maybe try lifestyle next time.

Our photographer would absolutely allow us to reschedule if DD was hysterical or non-cooperative, but we pay her $500 for the shoot and digital images. Our worst shoot was when DD was 2.5, she was not listening to near anything, had a scowl on her face for 99% of the time and really did not want to be there (this wasn't in a studio, it was in the woods near some historic buildings). The photographer said we could reschedule but she thought she got some good pix, and she did. Some really amazing ones which shocked us.

But our photographer has 3 kids (including twins) and is a natural. She is amazing and we always get amazing from her. If I wanted to spend less then I'd just do Picture People with a coupon or something similar where you only pay for the prints.

Is this real? Photography is a job. You couldn't get your brat to calm down. They are just pictures.

Maybe you should evaluate if this is who your kid is.

Anonymous wrote:Ask the photographer for a second shoot - offering to pay. Hopefully she will cut you a deal.

And plan for it better. Pick a time when your kid isn't tired/hungry/sick/overwhelmed.

Yeah. Maybe she does mini sessions and you can get 15 minutes for $60 or something.

This is why we do "lifestyle" photo shoots at the park or playground.

Ask the photographer for a second shoot - offering to pay. Hopefully she will cut you a deal.

And plan for it better. Pick a time when your kid isn't tired/hungry/sick/overwhelmed.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If this is a professional photographer with a reputation to protect, I would think they'd offer a half price or very short re-do session. We do our family photos at different fun locations instead of in a studio, you might want to try that. And switch photographers!

I agree that they probably should offer you something, but if they don't that's also fair. You absolutely have no grounds for negative reviews.

Except, I will say that most photographers develop ways to work with kids. If the crying for 2-3 hours was uncharacteristic for your child, you might question whether the photographer took that part of their job seriously and search for a person / venue where you are likely to get a happier kid and thus better shots next time.

If OP couldn't calm her kid how would a stranger?

Get a groupon for target, picture people or JCP and go every few months for her to get used to it. You can get a 3 cd pictures for around $30.

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.