Cheaper Than Therapy

professional

The Family

i’m fairly certain i am going to become a professional photographer.

you know, that is, once i’ve learned to take my camera off of auto. and actually, erm, learn how to use it. and once i’ve actually gotten my own SLR…since right now i’m only borrowing urbanmoms.ca‘s.

but this is where it’s at. trust me.

i took the kids for professional shots yesterday. i take them to Loblaws (local supermarket) for their $6.95 special all the time. they are cheap, close, easy, you get the pictures the next day, and if you get them in sepia, they are pretty darn nice for $7.

but when each child turned 1, we went to see our friend Frank at Here’s My Baby. and he captured them in a way that the 16-year-old supermarket photographers just can’t. Exactly how they are. and don’t even get me started on the headswap he did for us so we got the perfect shot of the three kids together. amazing, i tell you.

we thought it was time to see Frank again. since the last time we took the kids, Isabella had NO hair. seriously, none. we are talking cue-ball bald. and now she’s got this lovely little head of curls.

this was me, before Frank took over, with my point-and-shoot, attempting to get them all in a shot.

see how well THAT worked out for me??!??!

Frank took over and took them outside. and tried.

he tried his best with Emily, the supermodel. Emily thinks she’s a professional model and POSES. Tyra Banks would love her.

he tried his best with Josh, the basketcase. Josh got goofy about 30 seconds into the shoot, and had a full-on attack of crazy when Frank used the “f” word…FART and the “s” word…STINKY. Josh was pointing and playing with his hair and goofing it up the entire time.

and he tried his best with Isabella, the sleeper. Bella was tired from the first minute. and pretty well wanted to be just about anywhere else but getting her picture taken. she wanted to chase butterflies and run away from bees and look at flowers and inspect the slugs.

but Frank said he got some great shots.

and i believe him.

because in two weeks i’ll get taken into a room and shown a slideshow of pictures of my children. and i will spend way more than i intended to because you just want.to.but.every.single.one.

oh, and why i’m going to become a professional photographer??

a 16×16?

costs $575**

UNFRAMED.

yes. you read that right. five hundred and seventy five dollars.

(okay…i made a mistake. it’s $575 for the deluxe canvas version of the 16 x 16. the one i want, the regular old one…is only $375. but STILL)

Comments

  6. AJ says

    I’ve been trying really hard but I am still terrified to take mine off auto when the pictures are really important. But I have been doing my kids portraits lately and went and splurged on a huge, wickedly awesome printer so I can print my own wall portraits. That one print would have paid for a good portion of my printer! That’s insane!

    And I DO buy every single picture when we go have them taken professionally, which is why I’m not allowed to have that done anymore. lol Good luck with your self control two weeks from now! 😉

    Reply

  7. differentkindofgirl says

    Unless my house morphs into an art museum, there’s no way I could drop nearly $600 on a single print of my kids. I mean, they’re cute, but I can look at them for free!

    However, that doesn’t stop me from spending WAY too much on photos. I’ve dropped hundreds on pictures taken by those teenage photographers.

    differentkindofgirls last blog post..enjoy the silence

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  12. heather says

    Honestly, the cost of how much GOOD portraits are (because we spent a similar amount on pictures of Maddie a few months ago) were the biggest factor in why I got an SLR. Think about it – eventually it will totally pay for itself. Something to maybe, you know, point out to the hubs.

    Reply

  14. that girl says

    I’d say that they’re priceless, but… we know you spent too much.

    Good news – we’ve all been there. I paid godknowswhat for prints of my two oldest dressed in Victorian crap.

    Reply

  17. DoodleBunz says

    Um, yeah. Those suckers are expensive…but at the same time, lmbo, I’d spend at least that decorating my house, right??? Or…idk…on lots of other things we don’t really need, or…omgoodness have you looked at the price of the lenses that Frank uses?? 😉 That’ll make you feel better about getting the print you want…I promise.

    Reply

  18. Camels & Chocolate says

    How is it that you managed to get the most gorgeous kids ever? I mean a lot of parents have one child that might stand out and win the title of homecoming queen or a regional beauty pageant, but you went 3 for 3. Not even Nastia Liukin managed a similar feat. Kudos, Ali.

    Camels & Chocolates last blog post..Manga Me

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  26. Jemima says

    Mmmph. Yeah, well…photographers have gotta eat too, I guess. I nearly stroked out when i found out how much wedding photographers cost, but the photos are ultimately how we remember it best. She did a good job. And I hope she is enjoying her solid gold toilet seat…God knows she can afford it now.

    Jemimas last blog post..Enchanted August

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  32. Rebecca says

    Ha!
    My friend-the-photographer says that it’s a REALLY stressful job, so there’s that to comfort you at night. I GUESS. Although that kind of money would make up for ALL SORTS of stress, wouldn’t it?

    Rebeccas last blog post..Everything is okay

    Reply

  34. Kristabella says

    Seriously, you need to start a career as a photog. That is where the money is at! Look at all the photos you took at BlogHer!

    Plus, then you could come take photos of my fake kids.

    Kristabellas last blog post..Wordy Recap

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