1 Year Old Pictures

Hi J. -

I have used Penney's a time or two, and was a bit disappointed with the results. If you are looking for a standard studio portrait, I would recommend ProEx over the others. But if you are looking for something a bit more fun, I just had great results using Candid Moments. The photographer met my kids and me at the Rose Garden at Lake Harriet, and she took wonderful shots of them. Check out her website at www.candidmoments.com. Among the first pictures that scroll through are a couple of shots of my girls. They are the ones wearing hats and dresses.

I hope you get some terrific shots, whomever you choose!

L.

We have used Kiddy Kandids (Babies R Us) and Proex. While overall I think I might like Proex better, our pictures have been much better at Kiddy Kandids. I don't know how they do it, but their pictures have turned out great. When we went there for my son's 9 month pictures, he fell asleep in the car and was NOT happy to have to wake up to get his picture taken. He cried most of the time, but they still managed to get the cutest shot! I don't think they're the cheapest, though. There is no sitting fee, but I think prices are somewhere around $12.95/sheet. Maybe it depends on how many you order. Good luck! My son will also be 1 in September and I'm worried about getting him to stay still this time!

I love PROEX Portrait Studios! If you spend $50 on your pictures then you get all of your proofs for free and can print them a lot cheaper from Wal-Mart. For instance, like wallet pictures for everyone and then you get to have all of the pictures they took! They do an awesome job and are very patient.

I have also gotten my sons done at JCPenny's which they do a great job, but they are a little expensive. If you have the coupons for $3.99/ sheet then it's not to bad. But most of the time I found myself spending over a hundred dollars there because I wanted to get a few pictures of each pose.

I used to go to Walmart because they would take the picture until you were happy with one for the Advertised Package but now it is the fist one they take and the Walmarts I have been to do the guilt thing "Well, they are only this age once>" to sell more than the picture. I will never go back to Walmart. My finace took my now 4 year old to Sears when she was around one and he was very pleased. The pictures turned out really cute.

J.,

We went to JcPenny in the Ridgedale Mall and were very disappointed; I actually left in tear because it went so bad. We arrived 10 minute early like they tell you and then had to wait an hour to get in and for a 6 month old that’s a very long time to wait. The photographer was inexperienced and not very helpful on getting us into posses. Then we had to wait again to view our poses, they were not very accommodating or friendly. I will never go back to a JcPenny’s Portrait studio.

After getting recommendation from friends we went to Target (Minnetonka). And LOVED IT. We didn’t have to wait and they did an awesome job getting great photos. My daughter will be turning 1 in October and will be going to Target to get her photos done. They have coupons on the internet and are reasonably priced. Hope that helps.

A.
Mom to Madelyn

I used Sears with my daughter when she was an infant until about 2. She is going to be 10 in October, so it has been a long time since I used them. We ended up going to Proex and still do for both my children and I will with our new baby.

When I purchased the pictures at Sears, I could get one pose for the whole package. However with Proex I can choose as many poses as I want and whatever size I want them in, you don't have to buy a package....

I tend to go to Sear's at the Mall of America. I like how my kids can stand next to numbers and watch them grow. They have a $14.99 sitting fee or you pay $30 some dollara for a two year Smile Savers card which waves that fee. Last month I noticed that you could get a Smile Savers card for $5. The only think I don't care for is they take a lot of pictures but will weed out the photos before you see them. They can't give you more than one photo of a same/similar pose. Stupid in my opinion. The one in Maplewood Mall is usually packed and can be delayed getting in. Once they forgot about us and after an hour I asked them and they found our sitting card. I've had other issues with them and no longer care for that studio.

I also go to Ron Burg Photography in West St. Paul. He is pricey. It's over $220 for an 8 picture proof leather bound book. A 5x7 is like $75 or something like that. He does do a good job if you are looking for quality and tons of pictures to sort through. No sitting fee has been charged to me. He does a beautiful framed portrait study like Sears does. This one has 8 squares in black and white that has close ups of hands, feet, butt, belly button, face...whatever you want for over $300 with frame.

I've also done the Kiddy Kandads at BRU. The freebie I got was okay. They didn't seem to understand the kids as well. I think because they were young and didn't have kids of their own. They couldn't get my kid to smile. Could have just been a bad day on my kids part but I just like Sears better.

A girl at work likes Sadies at the MOA.

Back 20 years my Aunt took her kids to ProEx and the paper has since faded and is not in great condition. I'm sure they have improved but wanted to mention her experience.

You have lots of choices. I think your cheapest with quality will be Sears, Sadies, and JCPenny.

I have used ProEx and JC Penney. We tried Sears but after having to wait 2 weeks to get an appointment we had to sit in the waiting room for over an hour so we left (this was at the Riverdale Sears in Coon Rapids, I don't know about other locations). ProEx did a good job, just a little too pricey for me. I like JC Penney. The do a good job during the session and the quality is always good. Their prices are also very reasonable.

Anywhere you go can be a good or bad experience, depending on the photographer. We have usually gone to JCPenney (with the no sitting fee, $3.99/sheet coupon that you can find in any parenting magazine you really can't go wrong!) and have ended up with good results. Make sure that you don't try and go on a weekend, it's too busy then. Go in with low expectations. Your child probably won't sit and cooperate as well as you hope they will ;)

Choosing the picture is the hardest part. You have to pick right after your photo session. You see all the pictures on the computer and then have to choose from there. We never get any of the "enhanced" pictures because it costs a lot more money and they're basically doing a little photoshopping and it's insane the prices they charge. So we just look at the regular photos and pick a couple and get varying sizes. It's sometimes hard to keep the kids settled while you're choosing pictures, so that's why I say it's the most stressful part.

JCPenney at Rosedale has given us good pictures. But when you call for an appointment, definitely ask for a time when they're not expecting to be busy.

I have used Sears before. They had such reasonable prices and great photos. But, another place since your close would be the Target over in Roseville has a studio as well. I had my daughters 1st birthday photos taken there and they were so precious. We did a couple of shots with a birthday cake that she could have her way with. I got a lot of adorable photos from that session. Just a suggestion.

I am not a big fan of Sears. I thought I'd give them a try last Christmas and it was terrible. They only alloted about 15 minutes and we waited 45 minutes before we got in the room and by that time my kids looked rode hard and put away wet! With kids, time is of the essence. I've heard great things about Target and have seen some adorable pictures from there.
I've also heard Flash photography is supposed to be pretty good, too.
Good Luck and have fun!

I just had my 8 month old and 2 1/2 year old photographed at JCPenny's at Rosedale and the photos turned out pretty good. The one thing I don't like about them is they kind of expect you to have ideas for your pictures, and I never really know what to tell them... they are the professionals, I expect them to tell me what works! :)

That said, the photos turned out really cute and are cheap with the coupon.

J.
Mom to Charlie and Joey

I've gone to the Babies R Us in Woodbury for my son's nine-month and one-year pictures. The photos are nice and the prices are good. They aren't fabulously artistic or anything, but the staff is friendly and you get several shots to choose from. You can walk in, but I'd recommend an appointment. With my appointments, I've never had to wait more than five minutes.

I used Ron Burg Photography when I wanted a very specific type of picture done and needed it framed in a round frame to match some heirloom photos I have. He was expensive but very, very good at what he does. Now I use Olivia Wagner Photography (she should be listed in the business review section) because she does outdoor photo shoots and takes amazing photos of kids. No sitting fee with her, you just buy the CD from her (usuallly around 100+ pics) and then get them developed where you want. My only experience with a photo studio chain was Flash in Eden Prairie. I hated the experience and have no plans to ever try a chain store again for photos.

I am a LifeStyle photographer and Mom. I'd love to photograph your son's 1 year pictures. Contact me for more info!

http://www.tarookephotography.com

I just took my 3 month old son to get profession pictures done two weeks ago. We first attempted Sears and it was a disaster. We had a 2 o'clock appointment and by 2:45 we asked the woman for the 5th time if she was going to get us started, since my son was starting to lose it. She finally said no. I was irate! I then called my sister and she recommended Kiddie Kandids at Babies R Us. We went the next day and the people did a great job and I will definately go back for all the professional pictures I get taken.

K.