Family Portraits: For Expecting or New Parents, What to Expect

The question: Would it be more cost effective to take family portraits and purchase the prints from the portrait studio, or would it be more cost effective to take family portraits and purchase the image rights on a CD, allowing you to print your own pictures?

Rebecca and I were blessed with our first child, Ethan, in April this year. When Ethan was almost four months, we scheduled to have family portraits taken at a portrait studio, in one of the larger retail merchandise stores, because we had received a coupon for 40% off.

Before we arrived, we had decided on a picture package, which would include 14 portrait sheets and the cost of the package was $169.99. I was thinking we would spend right around $100 after the 40% discount was applied.

We arrived, not really knowing what to expect, other than to wear similar colors. We took our photos, then the photographer told us she would upload the photos and show them to us, so we could make decisions on what photos we liked.

I left at one point to go change Ethan's diaper, while Rebecca and the photographer continued looking through the pictures. I came back from the diaper changing and they were at the end of going through the photos.
The photographer showed me the choices, by flipping through the photos saying things like, "You're getting 2-5x7s, 1-8x10, 4-3.5x5s, 8 wallets..." and she was saying it fast, like she was auctioneer almost, while flipping through the photos on the computer just as fast it seemed. I just nodded my head and said something like, "Sounds good!"
The photographer then ended by saying how we could have all our photos on a CD, and we would have the copyrights to print whatever we liked and even put the pictures on the internet to share with our friends and family. At this point, our total had crossed a certain price range, so the Image CD would, "Only cost us $29.99."

Well, one dirty diaper changing and about twenty minutes later, we were checking out for a grand total of $253.86($271.00 after tax). $253.86 was with a 40% discount, the regular price would have been $384.84! We had purchased the Image CD, the initial package we had agreed upon, and 10 photo sheets in addition to the original package as well.

"How did you go $150 over, your original package estimate of around $100?", you may be thinking. After deciphering the receipt AND reading all the fine print in the photo pamphlet, I started to see how the price added up.

The initial portrait package we had decided on, included 14 portrait sheets for $169.99. We ended up with 20 photo sheets, but were charged for 24 sheets. The reason is because, "Multi-Image enhanced portraits...equal two portrait sheets", as the pamphlet reads. What that means, is we purchased four photo sheets, that were multi-image, containing two or more photos within each picture, so we were charged for 8 sheets, when it was really only 4, making our total 24. That made us 10 sheets over the 14 included in the portrait package, and the cost of the additional 10 portrait sheets was $91.91.

(Example of a multi-image photo on top, single image photo on bottom.  Multi-image photos are counted as 2 photo sheets, even if they are printed as normal sizes)

I also didn't consider the sitting fee and the Image CD in my initial price estimate of around $100. The 40% discount did not apply to neither the sitting fee, nor to the Image CD. The sitting fee was $29.97 and the Image CD was $29.99. When you add up all the numbers, you get $253.86.

For the total of $253.86, we received:
22 - 5x7s
4 - 3.5x5s
4 - 8x10s
2 - 10x13s
1 - 10x20
8 - wallets
= 41 pictures.

At this point, you may need a coffee break.

If Rebecca and I had ordered JUST the Image CD, after shooting the photos, the Image CD would have cost us $99.99 by itself, and then we would have also payed the $29.97 for the sitting fee.
Our total without ordering any picture prints, would have been: 
$129.96 + $8.77(tax) = $138.73.
The difference we would have saved, is $132.27.

Could we have ordered 41 photos ourselves, with the same lustre finish on the photos and the 10x20 photo printed on canvas, for less than $132.27 from an online site or in a store? Also, could my wife and I have edited and created multi-image photos that looked nearly as good as the ones from the studio?

Below, I've compiled a brief list some popular websites people recommend for printing photographs, and the amount it would cost to print our 41 photos.  Only one website had ALL the sizes we originally purchased, others didn’t.  Some websites offered a lustre finish on photos, some didn't.  It should be noted with the orders below, it’s assumed we are able to reproduce our own multi-image photos like the studio.

MPix.com is only site I've found that has all of the same sizes, lustre finish, and choice of canvas printing for a 10x20, like the portrait studio offered. If we had ordered the EXACT same order from MPix.com, as we had from the studio, our total would have been:
$99.79(pictures) + $5.95(S&H) = $105.74.

Using MPix.com, we would have saved $26.53.

Shutterfly.com was the next site I tried.  The first thing I noticed was that Shutterfly.com didn't have the 3.5x5, 10x13, or 10x20 size prints. Also, I didn't see an option for lustre finish on Shutterfly.com. I priced 41 pictures on Shutterfly.com, using picture sizes as close to the missing sizes as possible. Instead of 3.5x5, I used 4x6. Instead of 10x13, I used 11x14. Instead of 10x20, I used the 16x20. For the 41 pictures ordered off Shutterfly.com, the total would have been:
$74.41(pictures) + $12.47(S&H) + $6.73(tax) = $93.61

Using Shutterfly.com, we would have saved $38.66.*

Snapfish.com is another site I tried.  As with Shutterfly.com, Snapfish.com doesn't offer the lustre finish and the 3.5x5, 10x13, or 10x20 size prints weren't available either, and I substituted those again: Instead of 3.5x5, I used 4x6. Instead of 10x13, I used 11x14. Instead of 10x20, I used the 16x20. For 41 pictures off Snapfish.com, the total would have been:
$58.09(pictures) + $8.44(S&H) + $5.16(tax) = $71.69.

Using Snapfish.com, we would have saved $60.58.*

Costco.com was the last site I tried. Costco is a warehouse club, that requires a yearly membership of $50 to use the stores services. Costco.com, like Snapfish.com and Shutterfly.com, didn't offer all the sizes, but it does have lustre finish. If you are already a member at Costco, ordering prints from Costco.com is the cheapest site I've found for prints.  I again substituted picture sizes: Instead of 3.5x5, I used 4x6. Instead of 10x13, I used 11x14. Instead of 10x20, I used the 16x20.
Assuming you're a Costco member, for 41 pictures the total would have been:
$27.81(pictures) + $1.88(tax) = $29.69.
Using Costco.com, we would have saved $102.58.*

*It should be noted, again, that the orders on Shutterfly.com, Snapfish.com, and Costco.com didn’t have the same sizes as our order from the portrait studio, only Mpix.com had the same options available.  Also, Shutterfly.com and Snapfish.com don't offer the lustre finish, from the choices I saw.  We also would have had to create our own multi-image photos, if we wanted the exact same order, which we purchased from the studio.