Thompson Studios – Overpriced, Generic Photos
After Skye was born, I decided I wanted to give a professional photographer a try instead of going to JCPenney’s like I’ve done in the past. I really don’t have any complaints about JCPenney’s, but I just thought a “professional” could produce something more creative and memorable. I wanted some photos of both of them that I would be proud to show to their children one day.
I chose Thompson Studios because they are literally right around the corner and I’ve seen their ads all around town. Their website also made it look like they knew what they were doing. When I called to schedule, I did ask about pricing and was told that it varies. Bob actually told me that “I can’t guarantee that we’ll get anything, but I can guarantee that you’ll like what we get.” And, I was told packages start around $250. While $250 was significantly more than I’ve ever paid in the past, I still hung onto the idea that it would be worth it. Oh, I also had to pay a $99 “sitting fee” that I was told would cover me for one hour of studio time.
During the photo shoot, I was surprised that the kids were supposed to sit on a hard surface. I was really afraid that Skye was going to bust her head open. I remember when I took Aidan to JCPenney’s at that age… they had fluffy pillows and several “props” that they used to accomodate his small and fragile state. I was also surprised to see the lack of genuine interest the photographer had. He didn’t really try to engage them at all and had them in these totally generic poses. About a half way through my “hour”, he called it quits and claimed the kids were at their limit. For $99, I think I could have pushed them a little farther. And, I think if he would have been even remotely interested and excited, they would have picked up on it and gotten more into the whole experience. But, whatever… I figured I would reserve my opinions and held on to the idea that they might come up with some pretty great stuff after working their magic.
As it turns out, there wasn’t any “magic” at all. My mom and I went to the meeting where we were supposed to view what they had gotten. And, I was surprised to see so many unedited photos. I figured they would have taken the time to go through the shoot and pick out the best ones for a presentation. Instead, he was asking me to do that and then said they would touch it up after. The photos he got were average, at best. I’ve actually seen JCPenney’s do a lot better job, and I know their “photographers” are far from professionals. To say I was disappointed would be an understatement. And, I certainly wouldn’t say I “liked what I got”.
After picking out my favorites came the pricing. It turns out the $250 package included 3 “pages”. Or, I could get a collage or various other creative interpretations for much more. For one option, I was given two frame choices, black or cherry, with three photos. The large was around $500 and the smaller was around $250. And, you don’t even get the three individual photos… they print them on one sheet. The frames weren’t even that great.
What I ended up getting was the three page package. I chose 8×10s of some of my favorite shots. And, I got the CD of the session for $199 that I’m told includes unedited, low res versions. Great! I figured my option was to either eat the $99 I paid for the studio time or get a few shots and just remember it as a bad experience.
The best part is that I tried following up with them several times to find out when my stuff would be ready. And, no one would reply. Then, I finally got a reply almost a month later saying that the “printer” had screwed up my photos and that it “rarely happens”. So, they couldn’t tell me anything more except that they would have my stuff ready ASAP. Granted, I’ve already paid for everything so I guess they could care less at this point.
I would seriously not recommend Thompson Studios if you’re in the Tampa area and looking for a professional photographer! I’m sure there are other people out there that can actually take good photos, but this isn’t one of them. They’ll rip you off and then follow-up with terrible customer service. All in all, I have to say they totally suck! Next time, I’m sticking with JCPenney’s and spending the hundreds of dollars I save on something worthwhile.
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