Kiddie Kandids?

[Jenn (and Bill)]

I just made an appointment to get some holiday photos taken of DD at Kiddie Kandids. I've never been there so I am hoping to get some feedback from those who have.

DD is six weeks and we're hoping to get pics of her alone and some of us with her. This seems OK since there's an option for that on the customer preference sheet. Are clothing changes allowed? How many photos do they take? Is there a minimum order since there's no sitting fee or if they all suck, can I walk out without paying anything (though I doubt I'd do this!)

Oh, and it seems like if you buy the CD, you own the photos and you can go home and print them on shutterfly or something for cheaper. Sounds too good to be true but is it?

Any suggestions on making our first shoot a positive experience???

[Mandos*Bella]

Hey Jenn!

Just wanted to keep this bumped as we're taking DS to Kiddie Kandids next week and was interested in feedback as well.

:)

[BusyBee]

Love Kiddie Kandids, We've always gotten great photos with them. They were very patient and very good with our babies, too. However, we haven't ever done holiday photos - when they are really crowded.
This summer, since it wasn't too busy, they did 2 sessions for us back-to-back and spent a lot of time with us, so we bought lots of photos.

The CD you can buy is for "personal use" only. You can't make prints someplace else without permission. Their pricelist online shows the CD with the Copyright for $180 that would allow you to make your own prints outside of Kiddie Kandids. Once you buy a package, though, extra prints are $5 per sheet no matter when you order them.

I think they let you keep 6 shots per session. If you don't like one, you can delete it right away and keep shooting till you have 6 you like.

They tried lots of poses and props, and we wanted different combinations: Mom with kids, Dad with kids, whole family, just kids, individual.
I guess you can do a clothing change, but those 6 shots are used up pretty quick.

I love that you get the photos right away, and you can come back and order more anytime, even online.

You don't have to buy anything, their website even has a coupon for a free 8x10 without any purchase. http://www.kiddiekandids.com/pricing/free8x10


Good luck with your photos!

ETA: They also have Milestone coupons for babies 0-3 months, 3-6, 6-9, etc.
http://www.kiddiekandids.com/pricing/milestones

[twinnyme]

We just got DD's pictures (not family pics, though) done at Kiddie Kandids on Sunday and had an amazing experience. It went really really well. The photographer was FABULOUS. We also had the back "bay" - not the area right within the studio where the kid can see the whole store and get distracted. Last year was horrific - when she was 22 months (now she is 34 months) but I think that was mostly her not the way they did it. (We happened to be there last year when there was another little girl there that we knew and SHE did fine).

The only problem with them is that I had NO IDEA how expensive their cards are. We have 100 people on our card list and getting cards done by Kiddie Kandids would be $160. So we'll probably end up taking our own pictures and going with Shutterfly but getting some photos as presents for each of our parents from Kiddie Kandids.

There is no minimum order and you can walk out without paying anything. We did that. Mostly only because our DD was tired and we wanted to get her home. I had no idea what the prices were at that point. I do like that it was a very soft sell - not a single word about buying before we left the store, but when I asked, I was told that we could come back into the store to get a discount if we buy from them rather than via the website.

We have gone to Picture People once before and once (when she was a couple of months old and I was desperate to get out of the house) to Walmart. Walmart was fine but PP was a terrible experience. But those are the only other two professional picture-taking experiences of DD that I have. I was very impressed with Kiddie Kandids last weekend.

ETA: We didn't do clothing changes but we were allowed to choose one indoor backdrop and one outdoor backdrop, which was fine for us. Also, we walked in at around 10 on a Sunday and was told there was a 45-minute wait but were called after 20 minutes. We walked around the BRU store and they announced our names so we knew. I imagine that was because the session of the kid before us didn't go well but it was still a pleasant surprise.

[BusyBee]

Yeah, their cards are really expensive - I think we'll do our own photos & Shutterfly/Snapfish/etc. for our cards and maybe even take our professional Christmas pictures right after the holidays.

[Jenn (and Bill)]

Thanks ladies. It sucks that the CD that you can afford isn't the copyright CD! I guess the pics would have to be great to buy the copyright CD. Like you, we have 100 people on our Christmas Card list!

Anyone else have thoughts or suggestions, I'm still eager to hear more. Anyone know if they'll let you do a clothing change for a little one? I'm thinking of doing a Xmas background in a fancy dress but then changing her for the shots with us. I guess I could call and ask them but you guys are all so smart!

Guess we should try and get some Christmas card photos with our digital camera!

[diedra1027]

Jenn - We've never done a clothing change, but I have had the appointment setter at our local Kiddie Kandids ask me if I was planning on one when I set up the appointment. I know the one we go to allows it. You might just want to call and ask for sure - I think they want to add some time on to the session to allow for the clothing change.

Last time we went in they did something new that I really liked. They filled out a 'wish' sheet with me before we started taking the pictures. It was a one page sheet listing what kinds of photos you were looking for -- backgrounds, props, poses, whether you are considering ordering something in b/w or sepia, etc. I prefer to have photos with plain backgrounds, so it was nice to have that ironed out in advance!