Family portraits are a nice way to create lifelong memories, celebrate special occasions or craft a favorite holiday gift. You can capture your family moments without spending a ton of money. Whether you get photos of just the kids or the whole extended clan, use the following ways to save more and spend less on all of your family pictures.
Portrait Studio Deals and Coupons
You can get some good coupons and deals with the chain portrait studios, especially if you are a new customer. They want to get you in the door where you will hopefully love your photos so much that you will purchase the most expensive packages. You don’t have to do that of course. Instead use the coupons and deals to get a nice family portrait done. These coupons and deals usually cover all of the basic sizes of photos that you might need.
Some of the popular portrait studios that offer coupons and deals include: Sears, Olan Mills, Target, JCP Portraits (JC Penny) and The Picture People.
You can find coupons in the Sunday newspaper (especially around the holidays), in the mail, printed from the studio websites, and even on Facebook when you like your favorite studios.
Free Portraits at Private Studios
Private photographers or new studios are usually very willing to barter for family portraits, especially if you contact them before the holidays. Many times, private photographers and small photography studios want to try out new backgrounds and poses, and they need models to help them or to create photos advertise their offerings. You might even be able to get all of your portraits for free this way.
Alternatively, you can offer to barter some of your own goods or services in return for family portraits.
Get the Daily Deals
Photo and portrait deals are always coming up on daily deal sites, such as Groupon, Living Social, and others. Sign up for these services and then check your email often to grab your favorite family portrait deals.
Members Get Discounts
If you are a member of practically anything you can often get great deals on family portraits or photo finishing. Show your credentials and get the savings. The most common discounts come for members of the military or AAA. Don’t forget to become a member of the studio’s birthday club to get the biggest member discounts and coupons.
Do It Yourself
Sometimes the best family portraits occur when you take the photos yourself. Candid photos make great family portraits, or set up a formal photo using the timer on your camera and an inexpensive tripod. The best thing about taking your family portrait yourself is that you can take all of the time you want to get the perfect pictures. Impress yourself with your skills and then get just the best photographs printed.