On-Board Photos -- Why so Expensive?

[vvnh16a]

Can someone rationalize why the photos taken on board are so expensive?? I mean a single photo taken at the main dinner table Costs approx $24. From what I can see they certainly throw away more pictures than they sell. A single formal shot can be close to $30. There is alot of waste here.

 

If no one buys them they make ZERO, but if they were more reasonably priced they would sell many more pictures...there must be a cost benefit analysis on this in someones back pocket.

[obnurse]

I KNOW! Totally agree! We just finished a cruise on Equinox. We bought no photos. They were outrageous. What I think is that they should be available to see in your cabin via the TV. THEN if you like the photo(s) and want to buy them they should print them. I see no sense in throwing all those printed photos away. Maybe if they only printed what was purchased they could adjust the cost some.

[NLH Arizona]

1) The only way you can get the pictures is to buy them from celebrity and 2) if people will pay the price, they will charge it.

 

Even if they throw thousands away, they are still making a lot of money off the ones that are purchased (it probably costs them $2 or less to print) and it more than offsets what they lose on the ones that they throw away.

[SusieV]

When was the last time you went to a professional photographer?

 

We had portraits taken at a local photographer, and on top of the sitting fee, the man wanted $70 for an 8x10 photo. Professionals are expensive.

 

Frankly, the photos onboard are one thing that I don't think are extremely overpriced. You can't go by what they cost, otherwise think of the markup on a glass of fountain soda. The photographers aren't charging a sitting fee and their time is worth something, too.

[cazzi]

I agree i just tell them not to bother wasting there time really $24, they believe in price over quantity

[Aargau]

When was the last time you went to a professional photographer?

 

We had portraits taken at a local photographer, and on top of the sitting fee, the man wanted $70 for an 8x10 photo. Professionals are expensive.

 

Frankly, the photos onboard are one thing that I don't think are extremely overpriced. You can't go by what they cost, otherwise think of the markup on a glass of fountain soda. The photographers aren't charging a sitting fee and their time is worth something, too.

 

I agree and disagree. Expensive professional cameras used to deliver shots you couldn't get with polaroids or Kodak instamatics, and film was expensive. However, you can get arguably good resolution and noise from an iPhone 5 camera, and you can take 2000 pictures for the price of the electricity to store them.

 

The expense is in the lights, the backdrops, and the experience of the photographer, but there certainly is a captive audience fee tacked on to that.

[Orator]

Why do they charge what they do? Because they can!

[HappyTvlr]

I agree that the individual photos are crazy expensive. However, we preordered the package for everything and made out with an insane amount of photos. Since we knew we were getting all of them, we did not miss a single opportunity on our 15nt cruise. We have been lazy about getting professional photos, so this was great for us. What I do think is ridiculous is that they print everything and toss them out if people don't buy them. There has to be a way of allowing people to preview the digital images, and printing what people want.

[thephillykid]

Frankly, from past experience the extremely overpriced pictures are not worth any where what they charge for them. The previous posters talk about "professional" photographers, but I have seen the kids that the cruise lines employ are far from professional. They are just taking opportunity pictures of tourists who are on vacation and the cruise company takes major advantage to take advantage.

My wife gets embarrassed of me, when upon getting on the ship, I tell the photographers that I am "on vacation with my girlfriend", and that if my wife finds out then I will be in trouble, so no pictures please.

You would be surprised how well this works.....lol.

Howard

[anandaindonesia]

Just back from the Solstice this March.

 

They showed our photos on the cabin TV. We didn't buy any, though.

[dkjretired]

Why do they charge what they do? Because they can!

]

 

Yup, for the same reason the payouts are lower in the casino as compared to land based casinos. Captive audience....

[buchhalm]

What professional photographers?

Just because someoneputs an expensive camera in their hands?

Tacky, hideously fake backgrounds. Forced poses, straight out of a 1970s magazine.

Daddy, the Master of the house, sitting in the chair, the little Missus standing behind him, a hand lovingly rested on his left shoulder. Any available kids draped artfully to complete the ensemble.

Couples shot, assume position # 3. 'Little house on the prairy. - oh no! They are going to take our chicken away". Wife in front. Hubby half behind, right arm around wife's waist right hand clutching wife's hands. Look forelorn into space.....

 

Those awful K-Mart spotty blue backgrounds.

 

But it's good that all pics are on display. Some great laughs to be had.

Hey, perhaps we buy a few photos of complete strangers and send them to Leno for the "what were they thinking" segment.

:)

[waterbug123]

Can someone rationalize why the photos taken on board are so expensive??

 

Because apparently there are plenty of people who are willing to pay that price.

[Gig103]

What professional photographers?

:)

 

Don't forget when you just spilled tomato sauce down your front and they show up to take your picture at the dinner table. Because it's so easy to get cozy and well-posed in a dinner chair!

[Scrappytraveller]

What professional photographers?

Just because someone puts an expensive camera in their hands?

Tacky, hideously fake backgrounds. Forced poses, straight out of a 1970s magazine.

 

But it's good that all pics are on display. Some great laughs to be had.:)

 

so true, "like"!:D

They're equivalent to Sears photographers at best, not "professional". I feel sorry for them though so I try to cooperate when they come around, but I rarely buy anything. On my last cruise (NCL, not Celebrity) my family and I bought 10 8x10s for $150 (package deal). I thought that was reasonable, but we had to struggle to find 10 that were good. Wound up taking 2 that were not even in focus. :eek:

[Happy2cruise]

Why do they charge what they do? Because they can!

 

So true and I think they realize new or infrequent cruisers buy several where frequent or repeat cruisers have so many from previous cruises they are not interested in them other than if it is a special occasion for them.

 

As my husband very nicely tells the photographers....."no thank you, we already have enough to wallpaper a room".

[wallie5446]

We had our Christmas cards made on Ship from one of our pic's last Nov. Not much diff in the cost from CVS or Walgreens at home. This is the one area where cost has not changed much since our 1st cruise in 1987.

We get 1 or 2 when they do a combo pkg and throw another in free, or an album.

[Gig103]

On Carnival's second elegant night, our waitress took a table photo with each of our cameras. It was nice of her!

[DavidYYC]

Why???

 

..because a photo is a photo and I can afford to pay that.

 

Simple.

[mailbroad]

What professional photographers?

Just because someoneputs an expensive camera in their hands?

Tacky, hideously fake backgrounds. Forced poses, straight out of a 1970s magazine.

Daddy, the Master of the house, sitting in the chair, the little Missus standing behind him, a hand lovingly rested on his left shoulder. Any available kids draped artfully to complete the ensemble.

Couples shot, assume position # 3. 'Little house on the prairy. - oh no! They are going to take our chicken away". Wife in front. Hubby half behind, right arm around wife's waist right hand clutching wife's hands. Look forelorn into space.....

 

Those awful K-Mart spotty blue backgrounds.

 

But it's good that all pics are on display. Some great laughs to be had.

Hey, perhaps we buy a few photos of complete strangers and send them to Leno for the "what were they thinking" segment.

:)

 

I agree to an extent! Sometimes there are very nice photos but a lot of them are bad. The people are not bad looking but the photos could use a little pizzaz like the on land professionals use. I am only referring to the photos on Princess and NCL so maybe Celebrity are better...

[Waihekean]

I am only referring to the photos on Princess and NCL so maybe Celebrity are better...

 

Do not count on it! Usually I buy at least a couple of photo's. This time only just the one with the ship in the background. Had some photo's done on formal night, photograper in a rush and there were two photo's done, but one of these should never have been printed, as it was soooo bad.....

Definitely not a professional photographer, my photo's from Princess were much better.

[Lady Slipper]

Just visualize the thousands and thousands of photos being printed, day after day. Piles and piles of photos being dumped. Really with the technology we have now a days...

It just bugs me because we know they could find a better solution.

I agree these are not "professional photographers"

[Ships R Great]

After so many cruises we only buy the embarkation photo, just to have a record of our sailings.

Sadly we have missed a few due to B2B and early arrival before photogs are set up.