Professional photos - quality issue

[catnapper]

My daughter HAD to have these very expensive portraits taken for her senior portraits. We told her that we could afford the $50 package from the local Olan Mills that gave her 16 wallets and one 8x10... not the oh-la-la photographer $350 package that gave her 16 wallets and two 5x7 photos. She HAD to have these photos , so she paid for them herself and we gave her the $50 we'd have spent at Olan Mills.

We got the photos back from this photographer a month or so ago, but they sat in the envelope waiting for me to frame them for Christmas gifts. At the time, we looked at them and thought they were pretty pictures but we didn't scrutinize them. Today is the day we pulled them out to frame... and I am appaled at the quality.

Tell me, is this something to be upset about, or not....
First, this upset me when she picked them up a few weeks ago: the photographer wanted to use her photo in his portfolio (the photo IS admittedly beautiful) but he didn't give her so much as a $5 discount to use her image in his catalog.
This is what I'm upset about now: He printed the photos out on his own ink-jet printer!!! I just scanned the photos myself, and printed it out using my own printer.... and I got better quality images than his printed ones (the very images he charged $350 for).

I always thought that if you went to a photography studio, you'd get back prints that were made in a lab, with fade resistant inks, with waterproof inks. I am floored at the cheap-skate prints this guy handed her as the final product. ok print them on your ink jet if its a proof for the customer to look at. As a final product? NO way!

Now, should we say something to the oh-la-la photographer? Or just let her learn her lesson that sometimes fancy isn't better? I feel that since this is her transaction, that she was adamant of doing because this was "better" than the "cheap" photographer located in K-Mart... well, we feel this is something she should handle.

[caseysmom]

I would call him and tell him just what you told us.

[lv4dogs]

I second that.

[Husky_mom]

something like that happened to me.......

for my wedding pics i used a professional photographer which was expensive, but i didn´t wanna risk them, so i pay for those, but i had an offer from another "professional photographer" a bit more cheap (but was included in the salon package (some sort of promo). so when i got there to the second one they printed me a copy as you mentioned so i can choose from, so i chose, and later what did i received, the same print outs just bigger!!!! and the resolution was very questionable, but since they were free i didnt say nothing, but i was glad i got the first photographer.

and you should tell him, your daughter and you paid for a professional finish, not a print out!! if he was gonna print them he should´ve warned you!!

and also let this be a lesson for her, to make sure what she´s getting and not always expensive is better

[finn's mom]

That sucks. I would definitely say something to him. I'm sorry...was there something that you guys signed or anything that said how he was going to present the photos to you as the final product?

[AlleyCat]

$350 for photos printed on an inkjet ? NO WAY, Jose !! I would call that photographer and give him a piece of your mind. I know I would !!

[LuvGold00]

That's terrible! My Father is a photographer, and we always send our prints out to be done in a lab, I couldn't imagine printing them! I'd call him, and wouldn't recommed him to anyone.

[Craftlady]

She got ripped off. I would turn this guy into Better Business Bureau.
There are very good photographers out there it's just sad that she had to pick one that wasnt honest.

[lizbud]

Since she was a minor when making the arrangements for the pictures,
maybe you should make the argument to the photographer that" expensive"
should be higher quality pictures, not prints run off on a printer. I think I'd
want to help the girl out, she can still learn a lesson about hiring a person
or company to do a good job for a fair price.

[Jessika]

She got ripped off. I would turn this guy into Better Business Bureau.
There are very good photographers out there it's just sad that she had to pick one that wasnt honest.

Definitely my suggestion -- contact the BBB!! That is very unprofessional and I can't believe he thought he could get away by pulling a stunt like that!!

I would also let it be a lesson taught to your daughter as well.

I know when I got my senior pictures my parents ended up paying over $300 for pictures... that wasn't even including the sitting fee for the session itself.. needless to say from now on if I want "outdoor" pictures I'll have a friend take them instead!!

[smokey the elder]

Big time ripoff. Those photos should have been printed on archival (100 year) grade paper with like quality inks/chemistry.

[moosmom]

Since your daughter is a minor, the photographer has to get permission from YOU, as her parent, to use the photo in his portfolio.

$350 for pictures printed on a printer??? I'd DEFINITELY have a talk with this guy.

My Dad was also a photographer. He didn't send out his stuff to a lab, he printed it up himself, way back when they had developer and hypo. We had a darkroom in our basement and my Dad taught me how to develop negatives and prints.