Besides the monthly birthday shots we took of Evan during his first year, we decided to take him to a portrait studio to mark his 3rd, 6th, 9th and 12th months of existence. And as you'd expect, it got tougher each time, as the little guy got more independent and less willing to stand or sit in one place for more than a millisecond.
But we also found that the results had a lot to do with the portrait studio itself. (To be fair, none of the places really managed to pull off stellar pictures. You'll find in a baby's first year that it takes serendipity and a quick, candid eye to capture your infant's best shots.) After utilizing a few places, we have a better idea of where to go.
In order:
1. Sears (Glendale): The stand alone Sears in our fine town is never crowded -- which means we could always show up to the portrait studio, without an appointment, and immediately get seated. The photographers were patient and managed to click several shots during the split seconds where Evan was actually sitting in one spot. We were mostly pleased with the two times we visited.
2. JCPenney (Glendale Galleria): A zoo, as you might expect at the Galleria. But we still managed to snag a sitting without an appointment -- and the workers there tried their hardest to pull a smile out of Evan. Tops in enthusiasm, but you have to put up with a ton of racing kids and screaming babies (including your own).
3. Target (Pasadena): Only a handful of Target locations include a portrait studio, which is probably for the best. From every aspect -- customer service, price, overall experience -- Target was terrible. And we love Target, so it's tough to admit that they let us down. An outside company actually handles the Target portrait studio -- and they don't seem to concerned about the quality of their work. The photographer we had clearly didn't care much for her job or bothering to get anything resembling a decent shot.
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