Harrods grotto

Dman

Dman

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I went there today with the kids, not allowed your own camera as they make a mint from selling snaps themselves. I paid a tenner for a VERY soft picture that didn't look good at all. Had I not been a tog I probably wouldn't have noticed it and would have been pleased. The queues for people buying these pictures was huge, they must make an absolute fortune.

They shoot tethered using a Nikon (Not sure which model) and a Sigma 17-70.

Easy money.
 
I work in a large toy store and have a santa grotto etc set up. I asked if i could do the pictures as they just use a simple 5 year old kodak point and shoot camera. Its killing me inside, the 'elf' takes the pictures :(
 
Man, I never thought about how much money they must make on those Grottos... it's a shame people are paying £10 for a mediocre quality pic but at least Harrods have a marginally more "pro" setup by the sounds of things.
 
The print for a tenner - what size was it , and did it come in a mount?
 
MARK AMIES said:
The print for a tenner - what size was it , and did it come in a mount?
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Yep, came in a mount and was 9x6. No complaints about the price, but the print itself was pretty poor and unbelievably soft/oof.

As I said, a non-tog would love them as they wouldn't be looking for the flaws..
 
Just out of interest, if you get the print out and turn it over, what name is on the back? Mitsubishi? Fuji?
 
Went into Woolworths last week, (yes, I know), they had two [dodgy] looking chaps there with a sign, and a 12x10 [dull, out of focus] photo, offering family portrait shoots for £5 per sitting, and £10 per photo.
Wonder how much they are making!
 
Gullivers world, warrington way, have a santas grotto setup. Went a few years ago, and saw santa. THe DSLR's are on a remote, and the kids stand/sit on santa, look up and he presses the button himself. Saves on Elves! Daft price for print again, though can't recall, think £8.....
 
OP - doesn't sound that pricey if only the shots were better quality.

Reassuring to hear, mind you - I got asked to do the photos in Santa's Grotto at my daughter's school on Sat - tiny space, black walls, fairy lights only.

Ended up using the 10-20mm at about 13-15mm (hence dead space top and bottom to avoid distorted heads and feet), ISO200, f/5, 1/40 (to let the fairy lights start to show through; dark enough that any movement away from the flash wouldn't be picked up).

Set up a shoot-through umbrella with SB-800 camera right, SB-600 with Stofen camera left, both on something like 1/5 triggered by CLS.

Example shot

I don't have a print on site solution but given that I know the location and many of the customer's that's not an issue. Had lots of orders already and parents will be getting their prints before end-of-term. I'm charging £3.50 for an unmounted 9x6 - low I know but minimal pricing as part of an arrangement with the school.

And the best part - I got to wear a Santa hat all day!
 
Owen256 said:
I asked if i could do the pictures as they just use a simple 5 year old kodak point and shoot camera. Its killing me inside, the 'elf' takes the pictures :(
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I`m sorry, but that`s just made me laugh out loud!
 
coldpenguin said:
Went into Woolworths last week!
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How did you manage that?

I've been shooting for my local shopping centre for the last two Saturdays with one more coming this week. The centre wanted a deal where every customer got one free 6"x4" print on-site, with the option of buying more if they liked. With 'Free' on offer - I certainly get the queues - but converting people to additional sales hasn't been easy! Shooting wirelessly straight to printer helps the workflow though!!

Bear in mind that although they may be charging £10 a print - Harrods won't be letting them set up for free... Knowing how tight Harrods are - they're probably taking at least 50% of that photographers profit - if not more...
 
cymruchris said:
...

Bear in mind that although they may be charging £10 a print - Harrods won't be letting them set up for free... Knowing how tight Harrods are - they're probably taking at least 50% of that photographers profit - if not more...
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Why wouldn't they? They're providing the customers, the space, and probably the set up with Father Christmas, etc.

A photographer friend of mine is doing Santa shots at the moment. He just gets an hourly wage from the host.
 
Jayst84 said:
Why wouldn't they? They're providing the customers, the space, and probably the set up with Father Christmas, etc.

A photographer friend of mine is doing Santa shots at the moment. He just gets an hourly wage from the host.
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The OP said 'easy money' - I was saying that it may not be as easy as it looks... to get a prime site - they won't be making oodles of cash at £10 a print (more than likely) as Harrods (quite rightly) will be taking a cut...
 
We took ours to the local garden centre and they had a great set up for the santa, it was a small room, with a fake fire place a tree and some small beanbags for the kids, then after talking to santa you go into the next room that filled with toys and they picked what they wanted, it was brilliant, i was very impressed! but, i didnt take a camera cos i thought i wouldnt be allowed to take pictures, big sign near the front of the que: CAMERAS WELCOME, FEEL FREE TO TAKE PHOTOS.

:bang:
 
cymruchris said:
How did you manage that?
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Well it looks like Woolworths, was where Woolworths was, smells like Woolworths and has the same staff as Woolworths, sells the same stuff as woolworths used to, and the name is *lworths
Close enough for me to call it Woolworths :)
 
On the other end of the scale, I went to my wife's graduation yesterday. There were 4 graduation 'services' during the day of approx 250-300 students per time.

The photography package was £180 for which you got a 12 x 10 in a university marked frame.

Background, two umbrellas and flashes, stand there love, click, click, click, thank you - next.

Needless to say we didn't buy the package.
 
I hope I'm never reduced to doing Santa photos all day long! That would drive me nuts. I've visited a few grotty grottos this year takes pics for the paper and that's enough for me!
 
coldpenguin said:
Well it looks like Woolworths, was where Woolworths was, smells like Woolworths and has the same staff as Woolworths, sells the same stuff as woolworths used to, and the name is *lworths
Close enough for me to call it Woolworths :)
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I know there's a Wellworth's in Dorchester which was an old Woolies. Was'nt aware there are any more stores though?
 
ChrisGaskin said:
We took ours to the local garden centre and they had a great set up for the santa... big sign near the front of the que: CAMERAS WELCOME, FEEL FREE TO TAKE PHOTOS.
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Quick, someone organise a TP meet :D

Obviously you need bring a child, but anyone not able to supply their own child can be paired up with similar childless TP'ers and you can fight it out as to who has to play the child and sit on santa's knee :bonk:
 
Dman - if there was no marking on the back then it could havve been from an Olmec or a Copal printer.
 
AndWhyNot said:
OP - doesn't sound that pricey if only the shots were better quality.

Reassuring to hear, mind you - I got asked to do the photos in Santa's Grotto at my daughter's school on Sat - tiny space, black walls, fairy lights only.

Ended up using the 10-20mm at about 13-15mm (hence dead space top and bottom to avoid distorted heads and feet), ISO200, f/5, 1/40 (to let the fairy lights start to show through; dark enough that any movement away from the flash wouldn't be picked up).

Set up a shoot-through umbrella with SB-800 camera right, SB-600 with Stofen camera left, both on something like 1/5 triggered by CLS.

Example shot

I don't have a print on site solution but given that I know the location and many of the customer's that's not an issue. Had lots of orders already and parents will be getting their prints before end-of-term. I'm charging £3.50 for an unmounted 9x6 - low I know but minimal pricing as part of an arrangement with the school.

And the best part - I got to wear a Santa hat all day!
Click to expand...

Yours is better than what we got, not saying it was crap, but yours is pretty good, I'd have been happy with that. I'll try and scan my one in tonight.

cymruchris said:
Bear in mind that although they may be charging £10 a print - Harrods won't be letting them set up for free... Knowing how tight Harrods are - they're probably taking at least 50% of that photographers profit - if not more...
Click to expand...

From what I could tell, the young girl doing the snaps wasn't a tog. Seems they just have their own set up and all the girl does is make sure everyone's in frame and clicks the shutter release. I'm fairly certain everything is done in house but then I could be wrong, after all what does a tog actually look like :shrug:.

There were no umbrellas or anything like that, just two small flashes high and to the sides, could have been speedlights possibly but I didn't check. My sons face certainly came out a bit overexposed.

MARK AMIES said:
Dman - if there was no marking on the back then it could havve been from an Olmec or a Copal printer.
Click to expand...

Not sure, we didn't see the printers, they literally showed us the shot on a screen, pushed a button or two and then the picture came out of a slot behind where they were working. They had about 4 or 5 slots that were just pumping out prints.

Overall it was a slick operation and worth the £10 for the print considering it was free to see Santa, my son loves it and that's all that matters. That's just the starting price though, lots of people were buying the 'family pack' of four prints which was around £30 I think.
 
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