Home and Making Memories...

So, it's been a month since I've been on here, and I thought I would catch y'all up on what we've been up to. Well, first things first... we moved back home. While I cannot tell you just how we arrived here on this decision- lots of debating over it all, we are in fact back to stay. For how long? Well, that is something I can't answer just yet either, but it will be at least a few years. I'm getting our house ready now for us to move into, and getting ready to make the trip back to Colorado to get our stuff.

I've been quite busy lately- with trying to get the house ready, ordering carpet, laying tile, getting Reid & Hayleigh's pictures taken... busy, busy, busy!

Today, after ordering $255 worth of pictures, I found that I had something I wanted to say about capturing memories. Allen and I had agreed that if we were to stay out in Colorado, one thing was for sure, I would be getting my own camera to take our own pictures. For one, it is too expensive out there to go every few months to get pictures taken. When you consider having to pay a $150 minimum sitting fee BEFORE booking, then with prints starting out at $35 a piece for 5x7- it really becomes ridiculous. That is what I ordered today- all 5x7 prints from one of the photographers we used out there. I ordered them that way, so they can go on the wall, and I won't go completely broke off of buying them too. What I find ridiculous about the whole deal is that I did some research, and found out just how much a professional lab charges for pictures. I have an account with 3 different ones now. It all boils down to highway robbery. Now, I know pictures are something to invest in, but just how much should they cost?? Take our maternity and newborn pictures we had taken- they cost a $200 sitting fee- I got a deal on that for booking them together. So, I already had $200 invested in pictures without getting any pictures in hand. Then, the prints started out at $35 a piece. So- I would have about $500 per session worth of pictures to pay for if I got all that I really wanted- which would be 20 5x7 prints total. At the lab they cost around $5 per 5x7- about the same cost as shutterfly. So, while I'm paying $35 for 1 5x7 print, the photographer is making around $30 off of ONE print. ONE PRINT!!! This not only makes me sick, but of course I was disappointed with the newborn session. We did not get any good family pictures at all. Part of the package deal is that the photographer talks with you and has you create a board on pinterest to get an idea of what you want to get out of your session. Well, I can tell you that it wasn't even close, and now I cannot do it over. I couldn't do it over anyway after they were taken, because I did not get to look at the proofs until almost a month later. This was another thing I really did not like out there- with the two photographers we used. Turn around time. It was awful. I guess I'm spoiled with our photographer back here is all it comes down to. I pay a $40 sitting fee- to which I always tip her an extra $10. Our proofs are up within 1 WEEK for us to see. I pay $10 for an 8x10 and $15 for an 11x14, so after putting in my order yesterday with her, I spent less, and got a whole lot more on prints. Plus I got the high resolution disc of all of the proofs for $75. Why am I ranting about this? I cannot honestly tell a difference between the quality of work. They all use the same caliber of cameras, but one is way cheaper. You could blame the areas, but still. If we were to stay out in Colorado, I would be taking my own pictures because of one thing. If you can look me in the face, and sleep well at night, while well knowing you are charging me what you are charging for prints and making that much off a print all while talking to me at the session about saving money, you are no better than a politician to me. I will not be back. Take 1 month to give me proofs to look at after charging a $200 sitting fee- that is ridiculous! Our Christmas pictures went the same way with the other photographer. We didn't have to pay a sitting  fee, but the session started out at $45 for 1 pose. While we had a great time with Santa, and we did get beyond what I thought we would get, and we did get to pick out the prints right then and there, the turn around time was awful. I got half of our prints a week later, and the other half 2 weeks AFTER Christmas, after spending the extra $120 on pictures that were intended to be Christmas gifts. Needless to say I was hot. I know that if I would have known the turn around time would be similar on both photographers, I would have had the one that did our Santa pictures do the rest of our pictures. She was more experienced with the whole newborn scene, and I wish we would have had some better pictures like she takes. I know some of you are thinking, then if those two were so expensive, and had such bad turn around time, why didn't I use someone else that was cheaper and had better turn around? This is simple... there is no one out there that is cheaper or has a better turn around time... there are no photographers like what we have around here in our area out there. People will pay and wait out there, so there has not been a boom of photographers out there like there has here. I cannot tell you just how grateful I am that my Mother N Law was visiting and took lots of great pictures for us. Otherwise I probably wouldn't have much for Reid if it wasn't for her.

My other question about all of this is would these same photographers be happy paying the amounts they charge for prints or sitting fees? My guess is no, since they do their own.

Anyway, what I'm trying to say about pictures. Make them affordable, have a quick turn around on them with a great quality, get the poses your clients want, and you will have happy happy happy customers! Just ask Jessica who takes all of our pictures.. she is now booked up for Fall, and most of the year from doing all of this. She always captures the poses that I'm looking for, and makes sure we all have a great time while doing so. Sometimes it is NOT the high cost photographer that is the better choice! I have pictures from all three photographers on my blog here- the 2 from Colorado, and Jessica. You tell me if you can tell the difference between what costs more to have taken...