If you follow me on Twitter, you may recall seeing my comment a few weeks ago about a family portrait session I booked, that we decided to do as superheroes. I have the photo to share now, but before I do, I want to tell a little story.
Back at the end of April, I bid on and won a family photo session at the Littleton YMCA Silent Auction. I didn't know anything about the photographer, but as an amateur photog myself, I really liked the idea of a professional shoot of the whole family. It took me a few months to schedule it, but I finally did so in early September.
The process of scheduling the appointment was my first clue that the photographer was, let's say, a little uptight. I called the number on the coupon and got an automated message to send an email instead. No problem. I did that, and got a list of instructions and a link to request an appointment. Did that, and got two or three more emails back with confirmation of the time and sets of instructions on how to arrive, where to park, etc. I quote, "You may arrive 5-10 minutes early for your appointment but no earlier as we might be working with another client. If your group is arriving in separate cars or vans, please coordinate and arrive together. We do not have a waiting area." He also linked to a SEVEN page document with advice on what to wear.
I shrugged it off, decided that we were going with superhero t-shirts and were making out with a session and a 8×10 for $50, so how bad could it be?
And let's just cut to the chase: it wasn't BAD. But it was a fail as both social interaction and as a sales opportunity.
We arrived more than 10 minutes early since the session was booked at 5pm, and we'd given ourselves extra time to get to the studio during rush hour traffic (why a photographer located north of LoDo was offering gift certificates at a Littleton event I still do not know, especially when there's many other great local photographers around here). We parked, found a bench outside the door where the kids could sit, and I could try to do Kaylee's hair (she'd changed in the car, poor thing!), and were pleasantly surprised when the photographer opened the door early and beckoned us in.
The studio was gorgeous, but this was clearly not a guy used to small children. While he roped off areas where the kids couldn't be, he repeatedly talked about health codes, liabilities, and zoning issues, when he could have simply said "sorry, no."
A family studio portrait session on his website is listed as an "up to 45 minute" event, but I'm not exaggerating when I say he was done in maybe 5 minutes, once he actually aimed a camera at us. We were asked/ordered to take off our shoes so we didn't scuff the white backdrop, which we were given no choice in picking. We took one pose, smiled a bit, and then he disappeared upstairs to "edit" the shots.
Doyce took the kids back outside, since it was easier to corral them on a bench next to a street then inside the studio. I waited nearly as long as the whole photo shoot for a chance to basically look at two images, decide which I liked better, and be told it would be about two to three weeks before I picked up the single 8×10 that was part of my coupon.
There was not a single moment during the whole experience where he offered any additional services, went out of his way to be polite, or even tried to upsell me. Yes, I know that can be a pain, but I had to seek out the brochure in his studio which listed prices for additional services to even discover that if I wanted a jpeg of the image, it would cost me an additional $400. Yes, that's a 4 with two zeros. Four hundred dollars. For a digital file.
So here's my TL:DR takeaway. Photographers, while creative, are also in the service industry. They provide a service — photography — for a fee. It behooves them, therefore, not to treat someone with a coupon THAT THEY PROVIDED as a second class citizen not worth their time or effort.
Do I like the picture I ended up with? Sure, it's cute. Looks a little sterile, like stock photography, if you were searching for a "family superhero portrait".
And since I wasn't paying $400 for a digital file, I had to scan it myself in order to have some fun with it. Want to test your photoshop skills? Go wild! I'd love to see what a more expert hand at Photoshop can do!
REALLY?!? what an awful experience. I'm sorry you guys didn't get to do — at the very least — some fun action shots. I'd definitely talk to the folks who run the Littleton YMCA auction. As someone on an auction committee, I know two things: 1) they probably approach the donor every year for a donation, and obviously they shouldn't go back to this guy and 2) they need to know that it wasn't a great experience.
I'm glad you did get a cute picture and for not too much money. If you want to do something like this again, I've been quite pleased with both Target and JCPenney's photography studios. There are some GREAT coupons that show up around holiday time and they have good "extras" like refigerator magnets you can buy as inexpensive holiday gifts for aunts and uncles.
I'll definitely be talking to the folks at the Y. And I know more than enough great photographers that I have lots of other options for better sessions! Though I imagine our Christmas shot will be me and a remote shutter again!
Ah. The "artiste." You should be pleased that they have carved out a few minutes to provide you with the service they've committed to giving you, which, in retrospect, was probably a mistake because, well, Littleton, don't you know? Ah, well, some free publicity, and it will be a write-off as a donation to charity, so the artiste will muddle through somehow to get you in and out before one of the actual paying customers comes in, oh, Leila, darling, it's been far too long …
But it is a cute picture, so that's a win.
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I think you guys look fantastic, but that is not due to the photographer! I would tell the Littleton YMCA about your experience and “suggest” they find someone else next time.
Kate, beautiful picture of a beautiful family xoxo
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I do love this photo though!
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