How to Save a Bundle on Professional Portraits

This will be a huge challenge for some of you. It was for me, and continues to be. Portrait studios know that parents have a major weak spot when it comes to their darling children and believe me, they will try to take advantage of that. You could easily end up spending hundreds of dollars on portraits but with a little bit of restraint (okay, a LOT) I can tell you how to get a complete portrait package for as little as $5!

Find a Coupon-First, find a coupon. Most portrait studios have coupons in magazines, home mailers, newspapers- even online- for portrait packages around $7.99. These coupons clearly state that they are for a SINGLE pose. This is their first ploy in trying to get you to spend more money. Without a doubt you will LOVE more than one pose of your little angel. Make sure to bring someone with you for support- you’re going to need it! (Hint: Don’t bring Grandma!)

Know what you want-Try to have an idea in mind of what exactly you are looking for. Do you want to capture a certain expression? Do you want a formal or casual look? Color or black and white? Knowing what you want ahead of time will help you stick to your budget.

Look for special offers and be prepared-Keep your eye out for special offers and be prepared for curve balls. I recently found a coupon to The Picture People for a completely free portrait package. I was prepared to hold my ground against their best sales person and stick to my free one pose package. I’ve gotten better at this over the years and knew I could do it. What I wasn’t prepared for and what caught me totally off guard was their sales approach. It was my first time using The Picture People so I had no idea that they actually print your photos and frame several of them beautifully as part of their presentation and photo selection process. This was certainly a test of my will! Luckily, I had brought my support person and was able to walk away with only my free prints in hand.

To get a portrait package for less than $5 you’ll need to find a Target coupon for a $7.99 package. At first you will have to invest $7.99 but once you’ve received your prints, you will be able to take a survey which gives you a $3 off coupon upon completion that you can use towards your next purchase. It can be combined with other coupons such as the $7.99 one thus making the package only $4.99. You can roll this offer each time you need portraits.

At this price, you might be able to afford more sessions, especially if you aren’t able to get the shot you are looking for. For tips on how to get the perfect shot, see this post.

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Comments

Lira says

July 27, 2009 at 6:05 pm

great post! I've learned from these tips.
thecouponproject.com says

July 30, 2009 at 12:56 am

Portrait People had a free portrait package coupon a couple weeks ago for members. I'm a member, and not only was I able to score the free package, I got another free sheet of prints and ad additional $10 off my order! I walked out of there with an 8X10, 6 5*7s (3 different posts) and a sheet of wallets for $8 TOTAL. I was thrilled!

I think you are right…many make this an emotional purchase, and I've made that mistake. Especially when they show you all the cute pics. One of the things that helped this time around was I told myself ahead of time, 1 pose of my son, 1 of my daughter, and one of them together. It made it a LOT easier!!

Great post.