School Pictures

I have always loved school pictures. I always think they are so cute.  It is always fun picking out a nice outfit, I usually like to get the boys something new.  This year was a different story though.  Here is Travis' picture.

Really??! Now mind you, I see how these photographers take the pictures. My whole class has to go through the line.  These people sit there with their lap tops and take picture after picture just to get the perfect pose. Now really, should he be biting his lip off like this???  Honestly.  Then I got Connor's first ever school pictures taken. Here is the result.

Now really??  Should he have his mouth wide open like that? Does that look like a smile to you in any way shape or form? The thing that kills me is that when I take their pictures at home they almost always turn out cute.   Shouldn't these "professional" photographers have a clue?  With the technology they walk around with and haul into the schools for picture day these pictures should be much better than this.

 This year I ordered CD's of the pictures because it was cheaper.  My plan was to order the prints from Costco or something like that.  I have never been so disappointed with the school pictures.  Oh well.  It's a good thing I get their pictures taken professionally every year anyway.  This years photo session this summer from Penney's turned out cute. However, I can't upload any of them to my computer. They changed their settings. If anybody knows how to get around this please let me know. The only solution I can see is to buy the CD for $138. Really?? I spent a fortune on the printed photos and I am NOT going to spend a fortune on a CD. I am thinking in the future I might just start buying the CD only and then printing out what I want.  Has anybody tried this route??

For now I guess I will just suck it up to a bad picture year.  I know my boys are cute. And photogenic.  I don't need a school picture to validate that!  LOL