the Price of Family Portrait Photography

My mom received a coupon in the mail from a nationally known photography company for a free 8 x 10 photo session. There was no sitting fee and you did not have to buy anything. My wife scheduled the appointment and she and I went the next week to have our portrait taken. We gave the receptionist our coupon and then were told we would be called when our turn was up. We waited about 15 minutes past our appointment time, but it was explained to us that they were dealing with a difficult child and they apologized for the wait repeatedly, which felt nice for a change. The photo shoot took about 30 minutes. They took several different poses of us together and us separate. After, we went back into the waiting room to wait to be called to the photo office where we were able to view all the pictures that were taken and choose what ones we wanted. A week after the photo shoot, we were called and we went and picked up our portrait at the studio.

For the most part this was a hassle free process. It was obvious, as expected, that they were sending out those coupons for free 8 x 10 pictures to get you in their studio and pressure you to buy more. Their normal prices were $7.99 a picture or sheet of little pictures. We sat through 30 minutes of sales talk but stuck to our guns and only walked away with the freebie. We did not pay anything and we have a really nice 8 x 10 in our living room now of the two of us. The employees were nice and very friendly, but you could tell they either worked on commission or had been trained to pressure sell.

If you do this, stick to your guns. Do not back down and become a statistic. If you are wanting more than the freebie that is fine, but do not let them pressure you into anything you do not want. The sales people are professional and know exactly what buttons to push to get you to spend your money. Be strong and you will come away with a really nice freebie!