BabyNurse Loc: North Carolina

My daughter went to pick up senior pic from the photographer. They were not ready. He told her that he still needed to take them over to CVS (pharmacy) for processing. I couldn't believe my ears. CVS pharmacy? Do professional photographers really use CVS? This man's work is not cheap and his work is not equal to the price he charges. JMHO I told her what I thought and she rolled her eyes and was probably wishing she had not said anything. Am I overreacting? If so, I will gladly apologize.

GDRoth Loc: Southeast Michigan USA

I would assume a "professional" would use a more professional service, such as Mpix, et al............

prestonphoto Loc: Bath, NY

What???? A pro going to CVS????? OMG!!!! Sounds like a con game to me and smells just as bad. Can she get her money back? And no - you are definitely not reacting. CVS - probably uses Picasa for any PP work. The second I saw CVS the words fake and amateur jumped out.
A pro does all of his own work from clicking the camera to developing to any pp to delivering the finished product.

wtompkins Loc: Northern Michigan

I would assume that, too.... BUT, wait until you see the final pics before making any judgements; perhaps they'll be fine.

Wahawk Loc: NE IA

Don't know how often it happens, but for the pricing of most pros they should definitely be using something better than CVS for their portraits!! If she can get the files with a release from the photographer, try one of the better labs like Mpix, AdoramaPix, or ACILab (www.acilab.com) which 'real' pros use.

AnnaZ Loc: SW Wis.

Maybe you should wait to view the finished product before you "over-react" any more. You might be pleasantly surprised. And they might be crap..........

jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

It's closer to his house than Walmart. :D

Hypno Loc: Miami

Maybe he was joking. "Wait till I get them back from CVS" Is like asking a New York Cab driver "Where did you got your drivers licence, at Sears?"

Brenda IS Scottish Loc: GOLDEN Colorado

You appear to be an optimist, a nice change, or if you were being sarcastic, a funny one

BabyNurse Loc: North Carolina

I've seen the proofs on his website. Not impressed. I have the pics of the band from last year. Not impressed. Lens flare on the pants not even an attempt to fix it. I don't think it is even the fact that he is using CVS as it is the quality of his work, the price of his work (or lack thereof), and the fact that he passes himself off as a professional photographer. And yes, he is using CVS because his wife told him he could not leave right then, he had other things to take care of, so he told my daughter to come back today and he would have them for her. For the sake of peace in the family I will try to keep my mouth shut and keep my opinions to myself. This is the senior year, so there won't be any more of the bad photos anyway.

tvsnan

[quote=BabyNurse]I've seen the proofs on his website. Not impressed. I have the pics of the band from last year. Not impressed.

While I'm sorry for you that you are not happy with your daughter's pictures, I have to ask, why would you hire someone that you already have pictures from that you were not impressed with? Did you go to his website and look at senior picture results before you hired him?
I think this is a good case in point, that we all need to do our own research before hiring someone when, as you say he is passing himself off as a professional photographer.

Tea8 Loc: Where the wind comes sweeping down the plain.

Overreacting, possibly. Like suggested I would wait till you saw the final product, but when I was a senior and I was paying a good price for the photos I got I wouldn't have expected them to come from a CVS. I chose carefully when I chose a photographer for those kinds of pics so that I would get what I wanted when it came to nice prints to have for myself and to give to others.

But I also know how I felt when I was in Walmart and a "professional" here was sitting in front of the monitor readying her clients prints to be sent to their printer. I felt bad for the clients. I had stopped printing from Walmart because the colors coming back in my prints were terrible. So if someone had asked me about her work I wouldn't have recommended using her because they wouldn't get good prints. Of course when I looked up her pricing I could see why she was using Walmart, her print prices were a lot less than the professionals around here who send their stuff out to the professional labs. Best of luck on this. Maybe he was just kidding and you'll get the great photos you were expecting and paid for.

ensleym Loc: Columbus, GA area

Where I live, you don't have a choice of photographers for senior portraits. You get whomever the school has provided and then you can, of course, hire someone else. I am a hobbyist and new to photography. I recently took some photos of a senior from last year who failed to get professional photos made. The pics turned out great and I used Meridian for processing. The final products were impressive, even for a hobbyist like me!

lighthouse Loc: No Fixed Abode

Yes, over reacting.
I fail to see the importance of Senior pics.
I'm guessing I just don't "get it".

hangman45 Loc: Hueytown Alabama

Actually CVS more than likely cost more than AdoramaPix and Meridian and some of the other better labs the price is not the complaint I would have with CVS it is the quality. My wife is a manager at Walgreen and I know for a fact that the pics I get done at AdoramaPix and Meridian are cheaper and a much better quality than that of Walgreen.