When Erika was just over a year, we decided to get professional photos done. Knowing no better, we went to Sears and spent a fortune on many, many photos that we distributed to everyone that would take one. :) It was a pretty good experience and we got some cute shots. Well, as you parents know, the Sears people keep the suckers names and call frequently on milestones (birthday, Christmas, etc) to see if you want to come in for a "free" 10x13 portrait of your child, no purchase required.
Well, this time I bought it. I KNEW that they would try and convince me to purchase the collage, the CD of proofs, the mountain of pictures to distribute to everyone I know. Little did I know what a painful process it would be.
They sent in a rookie to take the photos. A ROOKIE. With a 3 year old. Seriously. Like, c'mon Sears, try the rookie with the compliant 6 year old, or the baby that has no choice but to lie there and look cute. Is it really a wise choice to cut the rookie's teeth with the contrary 3 year old that I had to bribe just to put pony tails in her hair???
We had a window of maybe 7 minutes of tolerance from my daughter, who fed off the nervous energy of the rookie. The rookie had 3 pages of written poses that she wanted Erika to do, all on a plain white background with no props. Where was the trained professional to suggest a matching background, or a fun prop that will please my child (and myself) and make her smile? Yikes. No, the rookie had her awkwardly pull out her skirt (when there was no skirt to "curtsy" with), or lie on her back with her arms crossed behind her head. Oh boy. I saw meltdown imminent. Trying to salvage at least 1 pose I would want for my "free" one, I strongly suggested we pull down the large foam "3" from the shelf. After much convincing, she pulled it down so we got a shot that I could live with. I tried to find a suitable background to match the colors Erika was wearing, and the rookie pulled out many rolls of backgrounds that either clashed or were so ugly I had flashbacks of old school photos, so I left the background white. I think I got my shot...*sigh*
I mean, lifetouch, who take school photos can just project a color on the background without pulling out a massive roll that is similar to laying wallpaper. Really, Sears? Really?
The rookie even left the room 2ce to ask her "boss" if she could use props, or how to use a certain type of curtain background. Not once did this "boss" come into the studio to assist, or alleviate my concerns. This is not leadership, or educating your staff. This is letting them sink or swim, and let me tell you, she sank.
In any case, after the painful shoot where I had promise Erika many boons to stay and have her photo taken, exit stage left of the rookie. Enter the allusive "boss" to try to sell me the $349.99 package. Ummm, no, thanks. :/ She went through her sales pitch with an efficiency that only comes with committing it to memory whilst I placated my Erika with a tootsie pop and miles of praise about what a good job she did. *sigh* She let me choose from the 1st 3 poses for my "free" portrait, even though one of the poses were fuzzy. I asked for an alternate shot to choose from since the fuzzy one wasn't up to standards, and she reluctantly let me choose the 4th one.
I did, however, get out of this experience some Christmas card inserts to send to family this year from one of the few cute shots that the rookie got. Worth it? I'm not sure yet.
Next time, should I ever feel the urge to get professional photos taken again, I'll be exploring other options and will not be tempted by the "free" portrait.
Note: Jessica, "the rookie", was very nice and I'm sure has much talent for photography. In this case, however, just did not suit my needs. :)
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