The Picture People?

[anadandy]

I just got a promotional flyer for a photography place called The Picture People (they just opened a store in my local mall) They seem to have some really cute backgrounds and props, so I was thinking of getting our Christmas picture there. However, I'm leery because they say the portraits are ready the same day - so I wonder about the quality. Has anyone had any experience with them? Good, bad, indifferent?

Their website says they are a subsidiary of Hallmark.

Thanks
Anne

[Kerry]

We got my daughter's 2 year old photo done at the Picture People a few months ago. We had an "okay" experience. First of all, a lot of the props at the location we went to were very shabby looking -- chipped paint, black smudges, etc. And you could tell that they weren't that great in the finished pictures. When I said something to the person helping us, she brushed it off and said, "Oh, yeah. We should do something about that." Secondly, I'm not quite sure how "qualified" the people are who are taking the photos. It seemed to me that the photographer missed a few great shots -- a big smile passed over my daughter's face and the photographer was still waiting to press the button. ??? The finished pictures were indeed done in a hour, but they were generally very dark (they're processed through a machine) and bady cropped. If I wanted any of these fixed, then I would have to wait MORE... which I really didn't want to do, since it was my daughter's nap-time and we had sort of had enough with the mall at that point.

The photos we finally selected are cute and fine, but when I look at them, I'm a bit disappointed in the quality -- mostly that they're on the dark-ish side. They were fairly inexpensive -- I think we paid $40 total, not including the sitting fee.

Looking back, we had her photos taken at JC Penney and they were of a superior quality, in terms of the darkness/lightness issue.

Bottom line -- I think you get what you pay for. We're getting my daughter's holiday photos done at a local photographer... while they're pretty pricey, they come out great and I loved the ones we had done there last year. But I think the Picture People are perfectly fine if you wanted to do a "fun" photo for no occassion.

[Kris]

We are members of the portrait club there. I think the photographer makes ALL the difference!! Not to mention the kid's mood..

The first time we went in for dd's one year shots, the photographer was just awful with kids, took the pictures from an aerial view, and they were too dark. I complained and was told to come back for a redo by someone who has more experience. WOW, what a difference!! The redos were amazing :) So now when I make an appointment I always tell them I've had a bad experience and was told to ask for an experienced photographer in the future. I even have the names of the best ones in our location, though there is some turnover. They aren't too organized, so you must call back to confirm your photographer, and reconfirm once you get there. Another time I had booked the good photographer and got someone else who was really nice, so I didn't say anything. But she didn't do a good job. IN the future, I will just have to follow through to make sure I get the right photographer! Most of them are high school kids with little or no experience.

As far as picture quality, it's pretty good. The cropping IS bad, and once my friend's photographer had the camera on the wrong setting, so all the pictures came out with a shadow. Some of the props are scratched, so I try to choose nicer ones or take my own!! (esp./ blankets and stuffed animals)

It's not a bad way to document your kid's different phases. At least once I want to take my dd to a real professional photographer, but they are really expensive.

good luck!
Kris

[katlander]

I have had a lot of luck using the Picture People. Where else can you go the day before Christmas (or a few days after) and walk out with pictures? I found the staff at our (formally) local store to be friendly and willing to work with you. As I got to know the photographers, I began to request the ones my son worked the best with and ended up with some GREAT pictures of him through his first year--I took him about every 6 weeks.

I would recommend joining their club so you don't have to pay sitting fees each time (if you intend to get pictures done often). It's also great b/c you can have groups of people in your pictures w/o paying huge sitting fees. If you would like to give them a try, check out their website. They have a couple of 'clubs' which are free and let you get a feel for their work without a lot of investment--you get coupons for various stages/ages for free pictures.

We recently moved and are no longer near a store--boy do I miss it!
For me it was a great solution b/c the waiting weeks for portraits requires too much advance planning for the chaos currently in my life.

As with anything, check it out before you jump in with both feet and be ready to tell the photographer/sales person exactly what you want them to do. (They like to shoot with a white background which is great except that my son has blonde hair and very fair skin so he fades into the background if they don't darken it--which I've made them do repeatedly.) Don't hesitate to ask them to reprint your pictures. I've even had them reprint a sheet of 5x7s and cut off the top one on each sheet to take with me because the machine wasn't printing the bottom one correctly. Stick to your guns, remember they are providing you with a service and if they want repeat business they will accomodate you as best they can.

[JakesMom]

Read Katlander's comments... I totally agree. We have used the Picture People since my son was about 9 weeks old. I didn't like the first photographer we used, so I spent a few minutes chatting with a few other people there. I was really lucky to find a GREAT photog, and we request time with her when we set appointments. I've since discovered a few other friends and neighbors go to the same woman! (If you live in the Chicago area, it's Eileen at the Old Orchard location.)

By way of comparison, I did go to Target's photo studio for a Halloween shot of my son, and was really disappointed with the representative's lack of professionalism and experience. I have yet to try a Sears/JC Penney or more expensive photo studio.

My suggestions are twofold: do your research on the place and be clear on your requests, and schedule an appointment around your child's best time of day. Going on a Saturday close to naptime is a recipe for disaster. My son takes early-afternoon naps, so I usually shoot for a weekday morning. We can take his photos, go have a bite to eat, pick up the pictures and head home for naptime.

[MinnieMouse]

** Posting this under Sears and Picture People**

I've gone to Sears 2x with my now 1yr old daughter. The first time was when she was 3.5 months old. It was a less than thrilling experience. We bought the smile savers plan, never got the card and then endured a photo session with a girl that I think was still in high school. She kept shaking a rattle to get my daughter's attention even after I explained to her that 3.5 month olds don't look to where sound comes from yet.

When presented with our 5 shots to choose from we had to go with the 2 shots where she didn't have any limbs cut off. They are okay shots but we actually liked one of the others better...but the girl cut off beth's legs!

For her first Christmas pictures we went to Picture People...OMG what a difference! I used a coupon for a free 8x10/10x13 and a free sitting and we were pleased as punch. The photographer was professional, engaged my daughter, asked her name and what she was and wasn't capable of and we got some really amazing shots. Yes we spent a little more than at Sears...but OMG it was worth it.

Since Christmas we have been back 3x...most recently this past weekend for my daughter's 1yr pictures. Again and again I am impressed by the professionalism and knowledge of these photographers. There is OBVIOUSLY a lot more training done here than at Sears. The PP photographers always manage to capture the true personality of my daughter in unique (at least to me) shots and poses that are really beautiful. We also did a recent sitting for family portraits and they came out first rate as well.

Last month, my sister was visiting and I thought it would be good to get a picture of me, her and my daughter for a gift for my dad. I thought I would try Sears again as to not totally waste the smile savers plan that we bought last fall. Thinking that maybe the location was the problem....we went to a different Sears than the first time. Here the photographer's were nicer and more professional...at least compared to the other Sears, but the pictures actually almost turned out worse.

They are grainy and the colors are odd. We invested in getting the digital files on disk...and the quality is horrendous. I could NEVER use any of these files to print anything even resembling acceptable. On top of everything we had to wait for close to a month (in the middle of the summer!!!) for our prints. I told my husband that I didn't care how much we paid for that plan, I was never wasting my time or my money there again.

I can't tell you how many compliments we receive on our Picture People photos. Our relatives...which are spread out all over the world....are so appreciative of the great photos of our daughter that we send to them. I LOVE that the pictures are done in an hour... PP uses film as opposed to most of the department store studios who do theirs digitally. We even get more copies printed for us quickly...90% of the time before we even end up paying for our prints! We will be going to Picture People for years to come.

Christine

[mawoods]

I have gone to The Picture People once. I will never go back. They allow you to set up appts., but don't keep them. My 15 month old daughter was set to have her picture taken, but after an hour and a half wait, she was miserable. The place was disorganized and the photographer was horrible. He even had to get someone else to come in to take the pictures. I ended up with one picture and a bad passport photo. I now use Kiddie Kandids almost exclusively. They did a great job when my daughter was 6 months and 1 year. They use digital cameras and you get the pictures immediately. The quality is good and they take their time. I think they can be found in some Babies R Us stores.

Melissa

[MinnieMouse]

You may want to try a different location. I know that at our local PP I've never waited more than 10-15 minutes and that was at Christmastime! Our normal wait time is about 5-10 minutes.

I like that they use film for the photos. You wait an hour for the prints but the store is in a mall so we just go eat and/or browse or shop for a while and the picts are done. I work with digital images every day for work and would much rather have the film...I can definitely see a difference in the quality of the larger prints....and the colors come out richer on film as well.

If you had such a horrible experience at PP I would write a letter to their manager..and cc it to their main office...they may want to make it up to you.

Christine

[CarBe]

I have used the Picture People 3 times now at 2 different Picture People in my area. I have to say that when I compare them to Sears the price difference is not worth it. Picture People charges $15 per sheet (10x13 is $18) and the sitting fee is $10 per person. Because I was doing 2 children I bought the club package which is $40 and covers sitting fees for one year for an unlimited number of people and includes 3 free sheets so it is a good deal. However, the photographers are no better than you find at Sears (mine have all been college kids) and they seem to be worse at getting the kids to smile. The also try to do weird angles so I got some pictures of my infant with a giant head because they zoomed in so close. Also the solid color backgrounds and props are scuffed up and it really shows up in the photos. The other thing I dislike about the Picture People is that they have studios that are in view of the rest of the mall. I'm sure they do this for advertisement purposes but it is very distracting to young children.

I decided to try Picture People because I was burned out on the Sears backgrounds after 2 years but when I compare the fact that I can buy sheets for as low as $4-5 a sheet when I use a coupon there is no comparison. Since I get photos for both grandmothers and various aunts the cost difference is considerable. Now that my Sears has added the service of uploading the portrait sessions to the web they are clearly superior.

[CarBe]

*** I'm not sure if this posted, so forgive me if there are 2 ***

I have used the Picture People 3 times now at 2 different Picture People in my area. I have to say that when I compare them to Sears the price difference is not worth it. Picture People charges $15 per sheet (10x13 is $18) and the sitting fee is $10 per person. Because I was doing 2 children I bought the club package which is $40 and covers sitting fees for one year for an unlimited number of people and includes 3 free sheets so it is a good deal. However, the photographers are no better than you find at Sears (mine have all been college kids) and they seem to be worse at getting the kids to smile. The also try to do weird angles so I got some pictures of my infant with a giant head because they zoomed in so close. Also the solid color backgrounds and props are scuffed up and it really shows up in the photos. The other thing I dislike about the Picture People is that they have studios that are in view of the rest of the mall and the store. I'm sure they do this for advertisement purposes but it is very distracting to young children.

I don't think the quality of the photos is all that better than Sears in terms of sharpness. The only good thing is that you do have them in an hour or so (although the last time we went we came back in 2 hours and still had to wait around 30 minutes until they finally printed ours). As one other post mentioned you have to beware of the white background, it makes my kids look deathly pale.

I decided to try Picture People because I was burned out on the Sears backgrounds after 2 years but when I compare the fact that I can buy photos for as low as $4-5 a sheet when I use a coupon there is no comparison. Since I get photos for both grandmothers and various aunts the cost difference is considerable. I also like to get the not so great poses just for me. Now that my Sears has added the service of uploading the portrait sessions to the web they are clearly superior.

One of my friends only uses the Picture People when they get a coupon in the mail for a free sitting and free portrait. In that case, it makes sense to go there. I have seen some nice photos taken there but these were of older children (4+) who are pretty good at posing.

[Krista]

We only used PP once, on our triplets' first birthday. That is probably our last visit there.

We made our appointment for first thing, and the photographer was late, had no props to get them to smile and no creative ideas. My sister (as our extra pair of hands) ran to the card shop to get a balloon to get them to smile. The photographer took 10 pictures in the 50 minutes we were there.

My advice is this: you know your child and his/her limitations. My boys are very active, and I should not have let the photographer have the great idea of putting one up on the big wooden box, with another crawling out and my daughter standing on the side. The one on top immediately tried to crawl off, and fell smack on his head before my husband or I could get there to catch him. That was when my husband said this is the end of our session. He had a big goose egg on his head for his first birthday party.

We now choose to go to a professional photographer. It's more expensive, but we get better attention, better props and she shoots 60+ pictures in the 40 minutes we are there. Plus she has gorgeous gardens and we get great outdoor shots.

Krista

[Melanie]

Our first 3 trips were great...our last two were terrible. It's like the people had no clue how to work with children. Granted a 1 year old is more difficult to be happy and smile, but they didn't even try.

We went to Kidde Kandids last time and it was better. Their management was just as terrible (only scheduling ONE person on a work holiday evening). However, the women was really good with my son and we got some good photos with props that weren't all falling apart, etc. The minus is that there are no appointments...and since we don't live close enough to one to show up when the doors open...

[JuliMom]

Tried them all... sticking with JCPenney!
I could not agree more with so many of these posts! After having years of wonderful experiences with Sears Portraits as I was growing up, I too tried them with my daughter. Two horrible sittings and a wasted Smile Club membership later (poor quality of printed photos, incredible wait-times, and inexperienced photographers with all kinds of poor setups).

I tried Picture People and was blown away. We returned 3 more times in 3 months (even with family groups) and was extremely impressed each time. Unfortunately, after a major turnover of staff we had 3 terrible experiences (I kept hoping for that magic from previous shoots!) and gave up once and for all. Very poor lighting, timing and print quality added to very inexperienced and impatient staffing. The worst one was for my DD's first birthday where the photographer was a scary-looking very pushy young man who seemed to frighten small children (no smiles anywhere!) - I walked out with just my free 8x10... and that wasn't good either! I did at least get my money's worth from the Portrait Club before disaster struck!

In the end, I truly LOVE JCPenney. They have not disappointed in the 7 times I have gone there in the past year, the posing/cropping and backgrounds are engaging, the prices are wonderful, the photo quality is excellent and their staff makes everyone so comfortable we get smiles galore from my DD for each shot!

Good Luck!

[Melanie]

We love Picture People for the 6 weeks, 3 months & 6 months visits. The 9 month was a little tougher, but Ds was tired. The 1 year was a disaster. We tried 2 different locations and neither did a good job with my son. It was like they didn't know what to do with children. I think it's just the quality of staff. Some are good, some are terrible.

We've been to kiddie kandids twice now and really like it AND they use digital so they know immediately if a pose didn't turn out.

[tylerr25]

I have used the picture people a number of times as well as J.C. Penney, Sears and WalMart. Here is my experience:

I was unimpressed with Sears...I wouldn't go back...they did not do a good job..the photographer was inexperienced and the pictures came out ok...but they were cheap.

Wal Mart was pretty similar...you get what you pay for..but to buy their package it was only $4.99...so easy to have extra pictures around...I wouldn't do them as your only option. They were O.K.

I have been to Picture People a number of times. Some of my pictures have turned out fabulous and some not so good. The quality of the pict5ues are a little fuzzy...I have always thought that was the look they were going for. I haven't had any problems with the props...and have had a mix bag of photographers. I am a member of the club...but typically go mostly when I get a free 8x10...I have found it is really easy to get sucked into spending a lot of money there. (I am curently planning to get the free 8x10 for a father's day gift)

I have really been happiest with J.C.Penney. THe quality of the pictures is clearer than the Picture People. Also, at our local store the photographers all seem to be wonderful...they really engage my 2year old and have since she was a baby. I seem to keep getting coupons where their whole package is about $6.00 and that includes 1 10x13, 2 8x10, 2 5x7, and a bunch of 31/5x5 and wallets. I tend to have so many pictures that even after giving them to all the relatives, and friends I still have extras (partly b/c I get my daughters picture taken often). At our store they also have special
days where they will let you bring your family dog for a picture,
or at Easter they took pictures with a live bunny...really cute.We have even gotten a family portrait done there and Christmas cards. Their Christmas Cards were really affordable...and cheaper than trying to order extra sheets. Overall I would say that they not only have the best quality..but also the best prices.

[Cinder]

I hated the one and only time I went to Picture People. I went on a quiet weekday with my then-one year old. We had an appointment; there was only one other family in the place and they seemed to be almost done. Even so, they stuck us in the 'studio' closest to the mall window. I had tried to get another room but was told that one was the only one set up for photos right then. I felt ridiculous making my silly faces in front of the people sitting on the benches near the window. The props were worn and tired looking. The 'photographer' had no idea how to work with a not-so-babyish baby. She hid behind the camera. Worse, the photos looked awful. My daughter, who is normally complimented for her beautiful complexion, looked like she had the flu. Every shot was washed out. The topper was that the best shot (and I only got to choose one with the coupon I had) had a great big glob that showed up on the print. The "photographer' went back to check the negative & sure enough, it was on the negative & they couldn't do anything about it. Their solution was to write out a creative release form so that I could take the print to Kinko's and fix it myself. I've had disappointing experiences with Sears (the lab misplaced an entire day's worth of shots from my store so I didn't get last years Xmas pics til mid-January), and this year Penney's messed up my order. Still, I'd go to either of those places long before I'd go to Picture People again because I found the photo quality of Picture People to be that bad.

[photo21]

At the Picture People the photographers have only been trained for 2 days and they are to take your kids portraits. But also please keep in mind that the parents sometimes aren't very helpful either. Just because your child smiles at home with you doesn't mean that when you put them in a suit or a dress and put them in a foreign environment that the same thing is going to happen. Do not complain about every little thing. It gets annoying. Oh I see a spot here or there. Please leave it alone.
Thanks
Lee

[Photographer4Life]

Believe me I have been on both sides of the fence on this issue. I remember spending hours getting my children ready for pictures only to be extremely dissapointed and sometimes out right angry at our experience.

However, the fault for bad portraits lies on many shoulders, not just the photographer. I make it a point to get to know the children I photograph. (I have been doing this for many, many years)

I give them a chance to know me. Many little ones have stranger issues and will quickly go into meltdown mode when a stranger approaches them. This should be expected by EVERY photographer. That is why I take a few minutes, with moms help to let them check me out, and try to put them at ease. Although I try my heart out, there are those children who just simply do not like me. It is at that point that it is up to me to get another associate to step in and try before the session even begins. I mean lets face it, what kind of pictures will you end up with if the child is screaming and crying, with red swollen eyes and a runny nose?

But in the same turn, If mom comes in already stressed out and expecting a bad experience, the child, however young, picks up on mom's stress. Then they stress, and it is not a good situation. I even had a dad once threaten to spank his son if he didn't be still and take his pictures! " Yeah dad, that will really work out for ya!" I thought, " Let's threaten him with a spanking, That way he will have that fear of god look in his eyes for every shot! That will really be a great photo!"

My Point is this, when it comes to taking pictures, you have several factors involved in determining the outcome. Is the child tired, hungry? Sick? ( yes they have brought me a child with the flu to photograph) Teething?

Is mom or dad in a bad mood? Has the photographer had a bad day? Are they experienced ? Do they love the job or are they just earning a paycheck? These are all factors you must consider when choosing a photographer and a studio. I can 100% guarantee that all of us are human and it is up to us as parents to find a good photographer, whether it is Sear's, Penny's, Picture People , or anywhere else. Once we find that gem, stick with them. It is a relationship with a person you are creating, the company just gets the benefit of the profit.

Just because you come across a crappy photographer at a company, please do not assume that everyone is that bad, give them the chance of redeeming themselves by using another photographer, talking with management, or the corporate offices. I Promise you that someone cares at some level and will try to make it right.

And be assured that some of us out there truly love what we do and bringing out the best in your children is our drives to be great at what we do.

Wishing you many happy photo experiences! :>

A Photographer 4 Life

[angeleyes]

I love the Picture People in my mall. You get them back fast and they are very accomodating with walk-ins. Sometimes they can be extremely busy but they always try there hardest in the sessions. I watch as I wait to take my daughter's pictures. Sometimes it's not the photographer's fault. Some parents can be very unruly. They call it terrible two's for a reason. Children between the ages of 9mths to sometimes 3 years get scared. I don't understand why if you are having a hard time that you don't talk to the manager. They have been great to me. Always try again and ask for an experienced photographer. I usually reuqest the Manager.

Sears and JC Penney's aren't. Besides you don't get your portraits back for three weeks. I'm already then trying to take more photos of my daughter. You always feel like your a mth behindwith your childs growth. I took my newborn in to JCPenney's only because they had the rose background. I saw a really cute portrait online that I wanted them to create of my daughter. The girl had no idea what she was doing. She told me there camera couldn't go up that high. She didn't offer to take any additional shots then the ones I had mentioned. Hey, your the photographer, not me. As a new mom if she would have taken additional shots, I would have bought them. Then when I went to view my portraits I couldn't really see them on the screen. The girl goes, "Oh don't worry, they won't look like this. The color and quality will be there when you get them." I wanted to see that then. If you look at Sears and JC Penney - they are trying to be the Picture People. There poses are starting to look exactly alike. Whatever happened to creating your own identity. You can definitely tell a portrait of the Picture People's because of there brand. Whenever I think of the other's I think cheap and unprofessional. Why would I pay for horizon lines???