Professional Pics

So, when you have a baby you are also gifted coupons to get "free" portraits at every imaginable place.  Three of these coupons were set to expire December 31st, and I'm not one to pass up anything that's being offered for free.  So, first we went to JCPenney.  I packed a TON of outfits as it said to bring multiple outfits.  When I asked the photographer, she indicated that we could do three outfits...so not quite as many as I may have imagined.  We started off with her Christening outfit, since on that day we never ended up with any pictures of her in her cap.  The photographer took a bunch of pictures.  Then, when she went to the computer, she realized that the cord had come out and only three of the photos she'd taken had been sent to the computer.  Awesome.  Cece was already out of her Christening gown and the photographer asked if I'd like to do those over again.  I wouldn't.  So, next we did traditional first photos with a towel over her head, with a stuffed animal, etc.  When I saw the final results, I wasn't over the top excited about any particular one, so I chose one with the hooded towel for my free 8 x 10 and stopped at that.  When we got back out of the room a family had been waiting the whole time we were having photos taken.  Their appointment was 20 minutes before ours but they had arrived late.  I felt horrible that they had been waiting that whole time.  There were others waiting to pick up their photos.  You could feel frustration in the air.

On next to Picture People.  I nursed the baby in between to try and curb any frustration.  During our first photo shoot, she was happy, smiling, making eye contact.  The whole 9 yards.  At Picture People, she'd had enough of all that smiley, happy business.  I felt like there was no way they had gotten a good shot out of that.  Fortunately, I was wrong.  And Picture People really know how to give the hard sell.  You wait a bit, but then they come out with a framed set of blown up photos of your little darling and walk you through the digital shots.  For this coupon, I was able to get two free 8 x 10's...and so I did.  You can see their shots here: Picture People Photos 

And finally, the following week we went to Target for a family photo.  There we found a deserted studio.  The photographer let us know it was our lucky day because no one else was scheduled until 7:30 at night and she was bored, so we were now her entertainment.  She was great with the baby and got some great shots too.  We got our free 8 x 10 and also 2 5x7's for some lucky grandparents.  When we came out, there were people waiting to pick up venting their frustrations again.  I guess that's all part of the experience though, but it's good to hear from some (dissatisfied) customers.  You can see these shots here: Target Photos
When you click on the above link, my name is now Ellen Zschurike (note the even funnier spelling) and the access code is: LTTT0940102833TAR


And, upon picking up our JCPenney portrait, I was told that my daughter's picture was selected by the photographer to showcase as a sample of work for others planning to get pictures taken.  So begins her modeling career and my role as a stage mom.  PS - I am TOTALLY joking.  We did get another free portrait sheet out of it though.  I won't quit my day job.  Wait...