Making money out of fauxtography

I actually think I know the franchise you are talking about. They have a couple MWAC that walk around the hospital in the morning to get people before discharges. We respectfully declined though, which wasn’t hard since my daughter’s face was so bruised up the nurse had to put a sign on the bassinet that said “baby has a bruised face”. But my sister bought pics of her daughter that was a month older. They were bad. With her second kid she didn’t have enough money and I took them. She got just as many pictures but they weren’t cheesy and looked good.

Although honestly, why would someone actually want pictures of their baby only a day or two old? Unless you have a c-sec they’re usually bruised all over, have either a smashed face or a conehead, and that weird cheesy flaky stuff all over them.

I know this is not saying much, but I am sure glad my camera doesn’t even have an auto-mode, so less chance of falling into that “Faux” mode, right?

But I’m certain it has a P-mode which we all know stands for professional, right? Mine doesn’t have the green box either but if out with friends it is handy plonking it in P-mode before giving it to them. Otherwise I’ll never be in any photos taken with a camera than doesn’t make calls as well.

We do baby portraits all the time and the mums are always saying

“Wow I’m so glad we came here because the pics that they took at the hospital were awful”

To which I ask, ” Did you buy them?”

They always answer “yes!” ………………….. go figure.

My camera has ever button/setting that you could ever need and a load more as well.

Took me a while to work out what anti bi’s were until I realised my brain is now so conditioned to seeing Abx as the abbreviation and everything else just doesn’t make sense.

As for making money off the fauxes. Given how many fauxes there are out there I’m not surprised it isn’t more prevalent

an interesting tangent here…

So, my daughter for years enjoyed Sesame Place in PA for weekend trips during the summer months, and especially the VIP lunch with many Sesame Street characters. In the dining room they have a small 15′ x 15′ area dedicated for a “studio setup” featuring photos of your kids (and you!) with Elmo. It is cordoned off with cones, drapes, even a sesame place employee guarding the area for unauthorized entrance until the employees have officially opened it for shots.

When Elmo appears, the studio swings into operation and everyone lines up akin to a department store Santa. I’ve taken note on more than one occasion that the camera is affixed to a tripod with a wireless trigger for 2 soft-boxes to the left and right of the backdrop and some other continuous lights strewn about – it’s apparent a knowledgeable photog carefully thought it out for reasonably good images. You can take photos yourself, but they designed it so your only view is like 45 degrees or more away from the scene.

BUT, the weak link is in the pictures printed out for the parents. Over the years, the printer was replaced at least twice and the last time we went a few years back the unit was not correctly calibrated and the colors were all “off.” Yellows over-saturated, blues under, and the whole portrait had a pink cast.  On the back of the camera, the image looked much better.

Each photo set (8×10, 4×7 and 10 or so smaller wallets) is $25 which you learn after they take the photo and come around to your table for the sale, and no CD is offered or available. Most everyone buys the photos, but I heard folks last time chattering about the off colors of the prints. But still bought them.

I guess the photog who setup the whole scene is hands off now, and I wonder if he knows the quality of his prints are compromised…