new school photos - are the serious

Yeah, they did the single portrait ones too which we got a digital image of. I'm happy (after my editing) with the print I made of that onto a jet master display system box.

Looking at it more closely it looks like 4 different group shots stuck together. Would have been nice to be given the choice between the traditional and the stupid one lol
 
Give me Daryls style every time, those old style school photos were god awful when I was a kid and were equally dreadful when my kids were at school [I fully expect some places to be still having to do them when grandson starts school in 4 years time]. It is the schools choice who they use but if you don't like them, you don't have to buy them and you can always have them done elsewhere, by someone else, using the old nasty 'prim & proper' style :p
 
Yv said:
Give me Daryls style every time, those old style school photos were god awful when I was a kid and were equally dreadful when my kids were at school . It is the schools choice who they use but if you don't like them, you don't have to buy them and you can always have them done elsewhere, by someone else, using the old nasty 'prim & proper' style :p
Click to expand...

Can't get the class photo done by someone else :(

Had no problem with the previous years class photos and their portraits were good.
 
Should really do what the parent likes as that is who the photo is for.

Some will be stuck in the past, others will appreciate a more fun and contemporary approach.
 
Daryl said:
If it were the old school stuff I would not do it.

and it turns about £200k a year and leaves shed loads of time to do other work. Work I like doing....:lol:
Click to expand...

Is that cows I smell? or maybe bulls? :D
 
I visited a school yesterday to see if i wanted to send my daughter there and saw exactly the shots POAH is describing from tempest. They are very similar to what daryl posted with the panoramic white background.

I usually have no time for studio white background photography. But I thought these ones looked excellent.

You can see the kind of stuff here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/64562696@N03/

But imagine the groups pasted together in a pano.

No offence but the traditional school photography is just absolute dire. I can't understand why anyone would want that, it's so bad. It's like shell suits and perms - facepalm time.
 
joescrivens said:
No offence but the traditional school photography is just absolute dire.
Click to expand...

But that's kinda its point, and its charm. It's also a constant point of reference through history. This craze for newness is justr crass and ten years hence will look dated.

And what about those panoramic school photos where the smartarse runs from one end to the other to get on twice as the camera spins? They'd be removed in post these days.

It's a sad old world.
 
My kids have had the panoramic 'class shots' (like in Daryl's post) for about 3 years now but they also have props - space hoppers, footballs, teddy bears in the younger groups etc. They do get an individual one too though.

Parents I've spoken to all seem to order the individual ones and about half the kids want the group ones as it includes their friends.

Nothing wrong with this though - me about 38 years ago. Pink and brown. mmm LOL

2781652267_a0ddfb4fed_z.jpg
 
Ed Sutton said:
But that's kinda its point, and its charm. It's also a constant point of reference through history. This craze for newness is justr crass and ten years hence will look dated.

And what about those panoramic school photos where the smartarse runs from one end to the other to get on twice as the camera spins? They'd be removed in post these days.

It's a sad old world.
Click to expand...

you don't think this looks dated?


school pic paisley by Ballpix Photography, on Flickr
 
Glad I put my picture up just before you posted Joe.
 
Traditional shots look the best to me. I prefer school shots like that. Maybe with a slight modern twist but nothing to massive!
 
Last edited:
Just ordered my daughters class photo again this year, Daryl style, I love them, out makes them look like kids the way they should be.
 
As a style, I quite like them. But what if you don't particularly like the pose your kid has been given/chosen? You're sort of stuck - I suppose the benefit of the old style is that there is no danger of that!
 
I saw the class next doors print and their poses are much much better than the stupid ones in Lewis's. The size and cost of the print is a but much though which the teachers where discussing and I have to there.
 
My school uses traditional portraits because it's what we need for the register/online student management system for identification and so forth. We probably can't afford to have some more loosely posed shots in addition to the portraits and the group pictures.
 
I suppose the photographers are damned if they do and damned if they don't, you a4 never going to please everyone, as this thread shows. If you don't like it don't order it.
 
Not a fan of the new style stuff shown here, just personal taste. I think kids would look back on the jumping in the air, exagerated head tilt stuff in a few years and feel far worse about the uncool factor than the usual stuff.

And posting pics from the 70s isnt really a fair comparison.
 
3088413898.jpg


this was my fav, it's like he's relaxing full up having eaten most of the baby that was in the box
 
My niece recently only had a 'modern' group shot taken, absolutely no individual ones at all. It was done for the least amount of time out of class as possible.

Parents were told take it or leave it.
 
Tempest do the photography at my son's school and did the individual shots before Christmas and are doing the group shot in a fortnight. I must admit I really like the whole panoramic thing, they certainly have more character than the ones I have to look back on from the 80s!!
 
spaniel said:
Is that cows I smell? or maybe bulls? :D
Click to expand...

yes.. i'd have thought it would have been higher than that too :thinking:

Do a few sums and you'll see it's quite believable :geek:
 
Is that cows I smell? or maybe bulls?
Click to expand...

Thank you Leigh. shoot a few and your turn over will rocket.... but profit is another issue.

Really Nigel from the South Coast.

Lets do some math then. We do not shoot school under 120 kids

School of 200 will turn over £3k summer around £1.4k We 7 schools with over 1000 and 1200 kids in. and super Primaries with 300 to 550 kids in.

Winter season has 50 shoot days more or less.

We shoot oan average of 2 schools a day. Bigger schools are 2 toggers.

So a 50 day season with 80 schools shot with the average take of £1.6k is = £128k

Turnover. Summer has 60 days to shoot in, with full school groups, leavers gifts and year groups and class groups. summer take up is lower than the portrait season. Not all schools shoot twice a year either and some have 5 jobs shot.

60 day season 2 . 70 at say an ave of £900 per school. £63k ish..

so in short Season 1 Ports at 80 schools turns over £128
Season 2 Groups etc turns over £ 63K

that makes in my book £191k give or take.. Thats not including Prospectus/Calendars/Proms/Plays = nativity and all the stuff posted above that most do not like.

and the best bit it is all seasonal. You can still do weddings and other stuff...


Sounds and looks great.... but you wait till you see the over heads..... KILLER!!!!

We hit past the VAT in first 7 months. so that upped the prices.

Just to start. 20% VAT / 20% commision after vat to school. Corperation tax Wages/Fuel /Hotels/ Freelancers/ Offices rent/ Kit/Computers and i loved the faces on the guys that took the course we ran.. the software for schools and labs.

Self forfill is not even on option. so you loose a third in printing costs and product.

Secure online ordering is not like Wedding galleries. Each image needs to be coded. Lots and lots of fun.................................
 
Last edited:
As I said to the guys that took the course... do 35 weddings a year and 30 school mid to small size. And you will just be under the new VAT threshold..... Shouls be a good profit from that.

More you do the more the overheads rise.

Hence why we now need to do our own lab. which means staff and maintanance contracts and stock and storage..............

It goes on and on and on.......Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
 
but surely there's a few hot female primary school teachers along the way which softens the blow a little :naughty:
 
Daryl said:
Hence why we now need to do our own lab. which means staff and maintanance contracts and stock and storage..............
Click to expand...

Indeed.

colorfoto

http://www.colorfoto.co.uk/

are the big boys for school in our area, who are on offshoot of...

http://www.daviescolour.co.uk/

Giving them an unfair advantage. I stopped using them on principle for my printing some time ago when they started doing this.

Not even that impressed with their photography either.
 
Last edited:
Just brought my daughters class photos home today, they are by "Yellow", very similar style to Daryl's, but nowhere near as good.
 
Ed Sutton said:
Only the clothes and haircut!

The pose and boring photographic style is timeless. :D
Click to expand...

The clothes were my pyjama top as being the youngest of 6 meant the hand-me-down shirt was in use by another sibling, the haircut is coming back in fashion....... if I had that much hair :lol:

The pose is the same as my youngest childs recent pic, over 30 years and it's a classic. The thing with that pose is that it's instantly recognised as a school photo, the clothes are the date marker. Although I like the 'Daryl' style photos - they look studio photoshoot rather than school photo. Would people of the future know the difference??

Phil.
 
Hi, my name is phil and im a thread killer ;)

C'mon folks an interesting debate on old V new.

Question for Daryl..... Do you do the new stuff as it's your style or because it creates a better revenue? Is it your main style or do you also do the old style stuff too?

Phil.
 
joescrivens said:
this was my fav, it's like he's relaxing full up having eaten most of the baby that was in the box
Click to expand...

Sometimes 'lol' just isn't enough
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top