Graduation Pics

www.flickr.com

In the Philippines, it's practically a tradition to take graduation portraits before you graduate. Students give wallet-sized portraits away to their friends, writing dedications at the back, and put up larger-sized pictures in frames at home. In the US, I found out that it wasn't as much of a big deal. (At least for grad students.) Why? Because the portraits are so expensive!

The portrait booth was tucked away into a corner during the grad fair. I had to go around twice before I found it. Unlike in the Philippines, there were no make-up artists or hair stylists to assist you. I had asked the photographer how much the portraits would cost, and he was sort of dodging the question. He just told me to let my parents pay for it. Since there was hardly anyone lining up at the hard-to-find booth, I was able to take my time with my portraits. I waited for the link that he said would come, which would take me to the ordering website.

I was really surprised with how much the portraits cost! Since I only had this experience with one provider, I am giving out a disclaimer. But here is a sample of the listed packages:

• Set of 8 wallets - starting at $29.95
• 1 8x 10 photo - starting at $29.95
• 1 5x7 with a presentation folder - starting at $14.95
• 2 5x7s with folders and a jpg of your image - starting at $64.95 (Value Package)
• 1 8x10, 2 5x7s, 8 wallets, folders and a jpg of your image - starting at $79.95 (Standard Package)
• 2 8x10s, 2 5x7s, 4 3x5s, 8 wallets, folders and a jpg of your image - starting at $94.95 (Premium Package)
• 2 8x10s, 4 5x7s, and 8 Wallets - starting at $89.95 (Mix & Match Value Package)
• 1 10x14; 3 8x10s; 10 5x7s; 24 Wallets - starting at $179.95 (Mix & Match Premium Package)
• Single image download (with $10 to spend at an online photo site) - $59.95

The Mix & Match packages mean that you can order different portrait poses from the set you had taken. The rest are only for a single portrait pose. Again, these are only a sample of the packages available; there are more options to choose from.

I was trying to decide whether to content myself with a 5x7 photo (the cheapest option), which I could then scan, but my sister persuaded me to order the 8x10 photo. The prices above are labeled "Starting at..." because you had to shell out more for glossy pictures, for retouched pictures, etc. I chose the matte, non-retouched photo. But I didn't account for shipping (around $6) and taxes!

I procrastinated on ordering because I couldn't get over the price (the gown, cap and hood had sticker shock too). When I finally did (I got the 8x10 photo), I received a coupon code for free shipping! Gah. But I had made a mistake in my order, so I had a valid reason to cancel it. Then I reordered with the free shipping code.

When I got the picture by mail, I saw that they didn't follow the instructions in my order. So I complained, and they sent me another photo for free. A few days later, I had two more photos in my mailbox! I didn't realize that they had sent me the first one by mistake (they had confirmed that they cancelled it anyway). Needless to say - with three portraits for around $30 - I was a very satisfied customer.