professional portaits vs homemade snapshots?

I'm kinda 6 of one half a dozen of the other. I have some of the most spectacular 'home photos' I've framed but at the same time I like the occasional formal photograph also.

My my...I hope you idea doesn't get contagious otherwise you'll be putting us photographers out of business...LOL I can understand why people nowadays do, do there own "Portrait" photo work...with digital cameras, being able to upload photos into a computer and being able to print up those pictures in such a short time I can see the appeal there. But did you know that prints printed from a computer don't last as long? Some can fade in a few months to years depending on the quality of the photo paper. Speaking as a pro photographer, nothing beats the "old fashioned " way of photography..Now I don't know if photographers at sears, or pennys use digital, I don't think they do.....I'm still a film photographer, and do print up my photos the old way with chemicals..Dektol, Stop Bath, and Fixer...If the photographers at places like sears does use film, that is why the high cost, plus retouching...no Photoshop there but hand retouching with "paints"--and you can usually get larger sized prints from 8 x 10 up-- I've never been into people photography to begin with...the scenic/nature person here, but yes people portraits and weddings are so expensive since most are using film cameras still, and usually the medium or larger format cameras like Hassleblads--now THAT is an expensive camera..a mere $7,000 in some cases--all in all that is why professional photographers do cost an arm and a leg--but then you get what you pay for--right?

Nowadays with digital cameras and computers I find it easier and cheaper to make my own portraits and they are every but a good as the studio ones.

On the surface, it would appear that professional portraits are dying out, at lweast for photos of older children and adults. But I have noticed that parents still want a professional portrait of very young babies, & weddings, etc. It would not be a business I would get into.

With current digital technology, it's just as easy to take good family pictures at home. That way you can preview them and see if you need to take more. My husbands entire family got together last year and we had family portraits done. They were awful. The lighting was terrible and the photographer wouldn't wait for everyone to be ready. It was definitely not worth the money.

I agree, i think i take more photos & like more of my own photos rather than paying for those professional ones. Someone else said that professional children's photography wouldn't be a good thing to get in to but i still think it would be easy to make some money that way - more & more children are born each day & every parent likes professional photos, even if they only get 1 set made up! I'd take it up if i could! I did have my daughter's photos done professionally not long ago (just before she turned 1) so i'm happy with that, i have some awesome photos that i have taken myself too - i just need to blow them up so they can be framed. I think we will continue with the annual photo of her with Santa until she's about 5 or 6 though, it's just cute & they're a lot cheaper than portraits sittings! I might also change my mind & get another professional sitting done but not until we have another baby - then it will be a nice photo of the kids together. I really dunno yet though, we'll have to wait & see!

what is this about tell something reasonable

I'm finding that its easier taking our own pictures and choosing the frames etc and putting them up on our walls too. It saves us the huge costs and besides I don't often like the themes they do have at the studios. I am not a good photographer by hopefully with all the practice I do get taking snapshots of my son, I shouldn't do too badly.

Yes with the new digital cameras, pc and printers the homemade photos turn out very nice and they are not expensive to print. I like the photos that I take and print at home over the professional ones.

I agree. The pictures taken by us seem to be more natural than the ones taken by professionals. With scrapbooking taken on by storm people are really taking their own pictures. Some people still take little kids to Sears but the personal touch is so much nicer.

I always thought it was ridiculous to spend so much for professional photos. I used to take the kids sometimes when there was a special, or if I got a good deal. Many places would try to push more expensive packages beyond their offered sales package. I always turned them down. I've always like my own pictures better than the photographers pictures. They look more natural.

I thought they were on the way out, but I know so many parents that still take their kids to Pennys, Sears or Kiddie Kandids. In fact, we just had our family portraits done due to my aunt's suggestion for my grandmother's 85th birthday. We did so many of us because it was during a family reunion - but they were so expensive that my family couldn't buy any. So, I was really bummed about that. So, I'll just stay with my snapshots. And I agree, some do look better than the professional ones.