Do you expect the photographers to get your kids to smile?

Just curious. I have had pretty good luck with Sears Photography studio, but the last time we were there (November) we started with a horrible photographer so the girls are not smiling in the family pics. But halfway through (after family pics were done) another one came in and got the girls to grin really big.

Then Monday we took them for 12 month pics and the photographer was just awful. She couldn't get them to smile and did a bad job trying. We tried, but couldn't really get them to either. So their pics have a few smiles that happened because they had some sort of prop in their hands or in the pic somewhere. And she's got pictures that aren't centered, or a cut off foot, just not a good experience.

So I'm just curious if your expectation is that the photographer should be able to make your kids smile if they are in a relatively decent mood, or do you chalk up no smiles to "better luck next time"? Or do you think if you can't get them to smile then they just aren't going to smile in the pics?

I am thinking about writing to the store manager about how unhappy I was with our experience. And also trying out BRU's studio to try it again.

 

I expect them to at least give it their best. Sometimes the kids just aren't in the mood but I do think that they should try their best.

 

I do to a certain extent expect the photographers to get the kids to smile, that is their job, especially if we are in the picture too. If it is just the kids and the photographer isn't getting them to smile, I will jump in and get to them to smile. But I do, to a point, expect them to get them to smile.

Sorry you had a bad experience. I used to go to Sears and then didn't like the photographers there. We used picture people for their one year picture.

 

I expect them to put forth a good effort. We had great luck and the Picture People last time. We got a guy who pretended to sneeze and made a breeze with a large cardboard thing and the kids laughed their heads off. To this day they pretend to sneeze. (It's also what we do to get the tunnel out, we let it fly after we "sneeze")

 

Like pp's have said, I do expect them to put forth a good effort. Sometimes my kids are difficult, but I expect them to try different ways and not give up right off the bat.

Diane, the cardboard has worked for us almost everytime since they were like 12 months old! They think it is so funny!

 

I definitely think they should try but I don't EXPECT it to happen. It hasn't yet- and probably won't for a while. But you can tell when they try and when they don't.

 

I would expect them to try, but I'd be more annoyed at someone who tried too hard and frightened my kids (which is what the photog who took their school pictures did) than at someone who didn't try hard enough. It amazes me that so many people who work with kids for a living have so little idea of what makes them smile. Maybe it varies a lot from one kid to another, though. Mine are much more likely to smile if someone plays with them in a low-key way, as opposed to jumping all over the place and making loud noises. But I guess that makes sense, since I am very low-key myself and that's what they're used to.

I would be more annoyed at the cut-off hands & feet! That is certainly something a professional photog should be able to control.

 

There job is to take pictures. Trying to get a kid to smile sometimes is a lost cause but trying to something important. Cutting off feet in pics is ok with me. But I know we haven't went back tot he loca walmart here for pics because of a nasty pic taker. She is still the manager...she made them cry she bugged them so much. She was rude and nasty. Over booked that day as well even after I booked a double session having twins I knew it would take longer.

 

With Jack being Autistic, I know it's very hard to get him to smile and look at the camera, so I always have the mindset going into the shoot that a serious pic is ok. Saying that, I do expect the photographer to try to get a good pic. I've taken the kids to get professional pictures taken so many times that I know when the person is trying and when they're not. It' bugs the crap out of me when they don't try, especially if I say "this usually works" or "try this" and they don't take my suggestions.

 

We've got one that is really hard to get to smile because she is uncomfortable around strangers and alot of noise, so no, I don't expect them to get her to smile. I have never had them NOT try, but I probably would be upset if they didn't. I have to say, we have gotten some really cute 'serious' pictures of her. I figure, we are trying to capture a moment, and well, that is just her - and every professional picture we have shows it!!

 

Ditto on at least trying.

FWIW, we just got our 12 mos pics a few weeks ago and it was EXHAUSTING. They're so mobile now that it's just not as easy to snap that perfect picture anymore...especially with two of them in it.

I have really smiley guys and have great pics from 6 & 9 months (both JC Penney). We went to Picture People for 12 mos. and they did put forth their best effort, but the boys were all over the place. The pics are still cute, but just not outstanding like the ones when you could just plop them how you wanted them and then stand back and wait for the perfect smile.

 

I start sweating, just thinking about pictures! I do have some really great pictures of my kids not smiling. Sometimes these are really sweet, but I understand the need for smiling pictures. I do think that a particular photographer can make a huge difference. We have had 2 that we loved. One was at Kiddie Kandids & the other at Target. I think the studio has much less to do with it and more to do with personality. We had a family picture made last weekend for the church directory & the photographer was horrible!! He had no idea how to deal with kids & as a result the pictures we had to choose from were marginal at best.
My kids b-days are all within 1 week so I try to do their pictures together. It was sucha fiasco last summer, I ended up having the photographer just do a good one of each kid & then they created a really nice photo with all three pics on one page (Target, but I think most have this ability now) It was a little more expensive, but it worked way better.

 

I'm both a photographer and a mom of twins, and I'm not sure which is harder!

I haven't had luck getting a decent photo with both of my kids in it and smiling since they were about 6 months old. Now what I do is take separate shots and put them in a sort of collage. Our Christmas card had all three kids, smiling, individually holding the letters JOY against a black background. I merged them into one photo and no one knew the difference.

Sure, some photographers aren't good at getting the kids to smile, but it's really hard to do both! A good studio will have one there to push the button (make sure all body parts are included, it's centered, etc) and another photographer to get the kids to smile.

 

All I have for expectations is their eyes are open, been that way since I took them for their first pics when they were a couple months old.

 

Yes and No....Yes I hope that they will try. No, if things are going badly, I will step in 'cause I know my own kids better and the types of things that they will smile for. Also, sometimes they are strange with "strangers" and this will only make them upset to have someone they don't know try to get them to smile. Our last photo session (with Sears) was with a young girl and I basically did all the coaxing. It works out both ways. The worst is when they get shy or upset just being in the studio. We had a time from 5 months to 3 years old that they absolutely would NOT smile but instead would scream and cry everytime they got into a studio....even picture people. We ended up taking them to gardens or parks ans chasing them around with a camara till we'd catch them both in the same frame. Some of my best pics are done this way!! I guess all this to say "better luck next time." There are no garuntees.