So, as I said in an earlier post, I will share some thoughts/experiences regarding Portrait Innovations~ let's call this an informal review :) Here we go...We took Coby to Portrait Innovations in Durham in order to get some cute pics to give our moms for Mother's Day. They have a special for $9.95 you get 1-10x13, 2- 8x10, 4- 5x7, 4- 3.5x5, 16-wallets (a whole lot of pictures) all of one pose. This is what I went for.
Our appt. was at 4:10. We arrived in Durham at 3:30 so I could nurse Coby to ensure he would be "happy" for his pictures. We arrived a couple minutes after 4 to check in. Around 4:25, I asked how long it would be and was told if everyone would show up on time for their appointments, they would stay on schedule. After indicating I had shown up on time and perhaps those who show up late on a booked day should have to reschedule, I was told they were a business and have to make money. It was at this point that I nearly walked out, but I didn't have an appt. anywhere else, and I really wanted pics for Mother's Day. We were finally taken back for pics at 4:50 (40 minutes late). They definitely had a lot to make up for if they wanted a good review from me.
Our photographer, Greg, made up for our late appointment. He stuck to the solid white and black backgrounds and allowed us to use our blankets (despite their policy to take pics with several different backgrounds). In addition, he recognized an 8-week old has a limited time frame that was nearly expired due to the late start time. He was great! He kept Coby really engaged and quit when Coby was "done." We had lots of great pictures to choose from. Things were getting brighter.
Then came the sales pitch. I was feeling very confident in my ability to say no, but I also wanted to find out how much a CD was so I could have copies of all the images. Turns out, you couldn't buy the CD, but rather they throw it in for free if you order 3 extra poses. This meant spending $85. Looking at the big screen of your beautiful baby can turn even the strongest of moms into little weaklings. I caved- I bought enough to get the CD. I only felt suckered because I knew Karla (Banks Photography) was going to be taking pics in Ohio that would put all of these to shame (and they did). However, the naked-baby studio pics were so cute, and I really wanted them. So, I was okay with the amount I had spent and felt like I still got a good deal (a TON of pics) since there were so many poses that just a 4x6 print I could make on my own would be perfect and with the CD I could do that.
So, off to Ohio we went, and loading pics to print began. Only then did I find out the CD of pics were low resolution meaning you could not print even a 4x6. This was quite irritating since we had even talked about printing off the CD when we were in the sales presentation (several times). This was FRUSTRATING.
Back in NC, I called the manager who for most of the call indicated there was little she could do for us and indicated they couldn't make money if we could print our own pics. She indicated the CD was simply so you could come back for prints to be made since they don't store your pics (both facts that had never been presented to us). She apologized for this not being presented to us and I thanked her for her apology, but told her it wasn't worth $85. She then decided she could at least give me some free pictures (4 sheets). This was something and was definitely appreciated. I picked up free prints on Friday.
So, the final verdict: I would return to Portrait Innovations as I thought the pics they took were decent for your package deal studio. However, next time, I will only walk away with one pose for $9.95, and I will go in on a weekday in order to avoid the late start time.
However, as I stated earlier, Karla's pictures put Portait Innovations to shame. Far better pics with more options for printing!
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