Look at my son. Sigh. This photo was taken almost six years ago at a photoshoot for my former employer who had a last minute need for a baby model.
Although I am usually opposed to studio photography, there is something about it that’s easy to look at. I guess that’s why our parents took us to Kmart for portraits all those years.
Your assignment: Take advantage of a free 8×10 portrait offered by any number of portrait studios on their website. It seems the style of photography is a step up from the Kmart photos we grew up with. Cheesy or adorable – there is a fine line. And when it comes to your own baby, I’m guessing you’ll side with “adorable”.
This is the 33rd week of our rookie moms challenges.
Check these photography studio sites and use their store locator to find out if this is a feasible spur of the moment outing. Call ahead to make sure they’ll be available and honor your coupon.
- Olan Mills – Free offer only for newborns
- JC Penney Portrait Studios – Free 8×10 for family
- PictureMe studios (inside WalMart) – Free collage-style photo
- Sears Portrait Studio – Free “designer montage” photo
My professional advice (and yes, having done casting for catalogs, I am actually qualified to give this) is to have your baby wear something timeless such as a solid colored onesie and jeans or overalls. The more skin you show, the better. Bare feet and bare arms make baby photography even more irresistible. Jeans + Bare Feet = One Cute Picture. And don’t forget to take a couple of pictures with you in it, even if you think you have bad hair, are fat or unworthy. You are her mother, and you are beautiful. She will definitely want the photos later in life, when she’s done hating you.
Make a deal with yourself that you will not buy more of the pictures than the free one. You might be embarrassed to leave the place with only your single free picture, but that’s the only way we can keep this activity in the free/cheap category.
[...] The challenge is to pack up, hit the road with a friend, and stay out of the house until bedtime. Heather and I went on an awfully big adventure recently. We put both carseats in her car, packed in the boys, their snacks and various milk sources, and went out to do some random activities that have already been suggested on this web site. We put the boys in a photo booth and as you can see on the left, we struggled to keep them both in the frame. Note: If you are going to try this one, allow yourself half an hour to deal with the carseat adjustments the first time. The second time we did it, it took less than ten minutes. [...]
[...] Whitney and I had a great time the other week lugging our boys out to Marin County to visit the professional photographer for our free 8×10. Luckily, we turned the afternoon into a huge adventure and didn’t get too upset that the photos were not worth paying for. We learned what we already suspected: that sometimes Mommy is the best photographer because real photographers can be scary. [...]
I take RGP to Walmart for photos. Their packages range from $5-10 depending on the time of year and you get 35 photos, one pose. We’ve received free pics from them twice b/c they lost our order (just in the computer, not actually). I take RGP once a month, for every holiday. We’ve had good luck.
I did this every two months of my little girl’s first year of life. It was quite interesting to see the changes throughout the year. We did buy our first time because we just couldn’t resist such cute pictures (plus they were Christmas pictures), but after that I just got the free one.
I go to picture people all the time..sometimes I leave with just the 8×10, sometimes I spend $80…the pictures are too cute to resist. And about the “high class” mall location…I personally think its convenient!
Ugh – The PP In our town just closed without notice to anyone last week. I’ve used them (and loved them) for her 1 month and 3 month pictures. I’m a bit ticked off because I bought into their club for the discounts and used less then half of the discounts before they closed. Oh, and they closed 3 days before our scheduled 6 month pictures and never called me. I heard about the closure on the news. UGH!!! I would go to another one but the nearest is like 2 hours away!!
he is super cute! hey ladies be sure to ask if there are any unadvertised specials. the clerk gave me a photo sheet for free just because i asked for it. or maybe because my son is so cute?? hmmmm
This is one of the many things I’m torn about. When my twins get here, I’m sure there will great temptation, and many opportunities to do cute photo shoots, professional or otherwise. You know, matching outfits or costumes, or, like one is Batman and the other is the Joker (don’t worry, I wouldn’t do that … probably).
I’m hesitant to use my babies as props, something I’m trying to avoid in the blog, but, on the other hand … SO DARN CUTE!
Living in Los Angeles where twins are in high demand for film and TV work is another temptation. I don’t want to be a “stage parent” but the idea of putting away a little money early on has its charms.
I can make this even easier for NYC moms. I am a photographer looking to expand my portfolio of families and kids so if you’d like a free 1 hour photo shoot, please contact me. There is absolutely no obligation to buy anything – all I ask is that you allow me feature your photos on my website (no names without prior approval, of course). Please see my website for more information http://www.andrewkaftanphotography.com. You can contacty me at andrewkaftan@gmail.com.
Wow just found your site. You do have a lot of useful information. However, it is best to find a photography studio who you can build a real relationship with and get amazing heirloom images for generations to come. Remember these chain cheap and free studio do not use the same quality products in there printing process. Expect fading, spotting and other problems in years to come from the “free” stuff. I am sure your great grandchildren will then not thank you for a barely there image. You get what you pay for in the long run. Quality studios stand the test of time.
[...] Get a free 8×10 portrait taken. [...]
JC Penney offers 1 free 8X10 per family! The new everyday pricing is more than affordable at just 4$ a sheet! Comparatively speaking they have the best prices out there.
[...] 33. Get a free 8×10 portrait taken. Kinda sorta. We had a family picture taken as part of a preschool fundraiser so I’m happy with my results though we didn’t make an outing of it. [...]