tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-654754338632526091.post879062754602163279..comments2024-03-27T00:32:29.877-07:00Comments on Photos and Stuff: OMG GEAR!amolitorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15743439184763617516noreply@blogger.comBlogger7125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-654754338632526091.post-21158813523888531952020-01-24T16:13:35.939-08:002020-01-24T16:13:35.939-08:00Lifetouch is just a sausage factory. Kids with any...Lifetouch is just a sausage factory. Kids with any sort of challenge are either excluded or given the "best-we-could-do-in-30-seconds" treatment, which just reinforces their marginalization. Parents want to see this annual ritual as proof of their kids' inclusion. But when it's buggered up, it does just the opposite. Nice, right?<br /><br />That's a very tender portrait I read as evidence of care and respect for the subject. Good on you.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-654754338632526091.post-78791336879350205572020-01-24T12:55:00.413-08:002020-01-24T12:55:00.413-08:00To be fair, school photography is a very specializ...To be fair, school photography is a very specialized niche. There are the usual business requirements (insurance and so on) probably background checks and posted bonds and all that nonsense.<br /><br />Then you've got to grind out 100s of portraits in a day, or dozens of group shots (for which you keep track of the names and positions of every single person). The pace of these things is simply insane, and the level of detail necessary to track the data is remarkable.<br /><br />Then you have to deliver the whole thing are Very Low Prices. I don't know what the per-kid sale is likely to be, but if they averaged $20 gross per kid (some kids will buy $0 worth of prints) I'd be surprised.<br /><br />You might say "well that's ridiculous, they should pay more and get more" except that the whole point is to make accessible one semi-decent photo per year to the whole range of students.<br /><br />That said, even out here in the boonies, I am uncovering some operations that are more local, more accommodating. Which I am very pleased to learn!<br />amolitorhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15743439184763617516noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-654754338632526091.post-73513477739615762422020-01-24T12:06:49.394-08:002020-01-24T12:06:49.394-08:00Why is it necessary to have a large corporation ha...Why is it necessary to have a large corporation handle school photography? What value added do they provide that a school can't get from a local pro? People really are afraid, aren't they? They need the same restaurant chain at every highway rest stop, the same grocery story brand, etc. I don't believe for one second that we get better value because of economies of scale. For a culture steeped in the idea of individual liberty, the need to conform seems very strong.Robert Roaldihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04887600184257979094noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-654754338632526091.post-57287680260617529282020-01-23T19:01:47.659-08:002020-01-23T19:01:47.659-08:00Thanks!Thanks!amolitorhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15743439184763617516noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-654754338632526091.post-8914095857622803722020-01-23T19:01:33.414-08:002020-01-23T19:01:33.414-08:00Indeed, the plan would be to work with windows as ...Indeed, the plan would be to work with windows as possible, with a light for fill/flexibility. Thank you!amolitorhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15743439184763617516noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-654754338632526091.post-31014675613116880632020-01-23T18:21:00.720-08:002020-01-23T18:21:00.720-08:00Andrew, rest assured that it will take active effo...Andrew, rest assured that it will take active effort on your part to be worse than lifetouch— and Good on you for trying to help. What you have there looks like a pretty good start.<br /><br />Any possibility of setting the kids up in a classroom with a decent window, using reflectors as necessary to bounce the light back onto the shadow side? Fully recognize that winter days are short in the Pacific Northwest.<br /><br />Might be the least distressing for the kids. Otherwise, totally agree continuous lighting is the way to go. Michael Sebastianhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07207851846723019866noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-654754338632526091.post-59739783709560915452020-01-23T18:02:40.823-08:002020-01-23T18:02:40.823-08:00This is lovely, so far better than the usual schoo...This is lovely, so far better than the usual school fare.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com