The Death of Another Cookie Cutter Photo Studio

The Death of Another Cookie Cutter Photo Studio

Just a few weeks after Olan Mills threatened to shut their doors, both Sears Portrait Studio, and Walmart brand PictureMe Portrait have announced that they're closing their doors permanently. Both stating that because of the digital age and smartphone photography, they're no longer able to maintain profits in the industry.


Reports from the St Louis Dispatch show that CPI Corp., which operates both the Sears and Walmart studios is shutting down after defaulting on its lenders. Sears Portrait Studio and the PictureMe Portrait Studio have posted the following statements on their website --

“After many years of providing family portrait photography, we are sad to announce our Sears Portrait Studios [PictureMe Portrait Studios] are now closed. We appreciate your patronage and allowing us to capture your precious memories. If you currently have an album or have had a recent portrait session, you can order products at searsphotos.com [myonlineportraits.com] thru April 18, 2013.”

So does this bode concern for the typical professional photographer, or is it just another case of competition failing for not adjusting to modern technologies?

[via wcpo.com]

Zach Sutton's picture

Zach Sutton is an award-winning and internationally published commercial and headshot photographer based out of Los Angeles, CA. His work highlights environmental portraiture, blending landscapes and scenes with portrait photography. Zach writes for various publications on the topic of photography and retouching.

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The local Sears studio went digital some time ago. We used to go their when our kids were babies - just because it was easier to get them to pose for strangers than us.

There's a lot of valid points that have been brought up as to what led to the closing:

1) Loss leader business model. - Yep - they ran with the $5.00 portrait package and counted on a) Upsells and b) people spending money in the store. The latter worked until Kmart outsourced operation of the studios.

2) High turnover. We had 3 kids all two years apart. In the 7 years we went to the studio - 2 times (three visits) did we see the same photographer and manager. And after that - it was hit or miss if you got a good camera person.

3) Competition - People began to realize that studio photos are not the "style" or if they are - they want a simple, clean, uniform color backdrop - all white, all black, all something. Sears never seemed to update and they always had at least one character background for kids that never quite looked like you where there with whomever.

JCPenney studios is alive for one reason - they are owned and operated by Lifetouch. Notice - there are a lot fewer coupon deals for JCP studios than there used to be. Lifetouch now has a monopoly in the mall market - you can go to Lifetouch - JCP for the cookie cutter images, or spend a bit more and go to Flash! for slightly higher quality experience and images.

Get ready for the flood of cheap bastards into our land that don't appreciate good photography...

I'm not sure anyone can accurately predict exactly where things will go with the photographic industry. However, I don't believe that the experienced (or should I say “good”?) portrait photographers will have that much to worry about for a while yet.

While point and shoot/compact cameras (and some consumer DSLRs) can pop up tips on the screen for better photos and take control of the settings to make them a little more idiot proof, the cameras cannot provide the experience of the shoot, tell the subjects how to pose, where to place their hands, how to make the most of good/bad light, make them smile, tell them what/what not to wear, or even suggest a good location, and so on.

So while there are still people out there who recognise and value good photography and want more than just “snapshots”, there should still be a market out there for those who learn their craft, and adapt/change with that market.

I guess Peter Hurley is a good example (even if his is not quite in the same area as topic on hand, if you want to nit pick) - he's honed his craft and found a niche that works for him. He can provide a product/service at a level that other's cannot. There's a reason why he charges so much and is still busy.

There will always be someone who tries to market their photography as a loss-leader. With Sears, WalMart, JCPenney and others out of the picture ;-), there are plenty of qualified independent professional photographers available. The problem there is separating the good from the bad.

The best way to do this is at a website like www.certifiedphotographer.com where you can find a photographer who has been tested and approved by a panel of qualified professionals.

Worked at a Wal-Mart while (not in the studio, but did manage the photo lab) in college and I agree. Another nation-wide studio that offers budget packages wanted their students to have a college degree over any technical skills whatsoever. Employees at this other studio are told making every image consistent (read identical) for EVERY client was crucial to profits and corporate image. So, why did my sales triple on the three shoots I went awol on? I called it creativity, they called it treason. RIP, many more to come. I WISH it was because what they did was flat and boring, but I'd agree that since 8 out of 10 shooters are now "photographers" it's getting harder to close the deal in cookie-cuter venues.

"Photographer" is becoming a loose term these days. The point you illustrated is a valid one that when you have corporate oversight, you loose creativity! Steve Jobs was fired for this, then when Apple's stock plummeted and they jointly bought Pixar, amazingly he was re-hired and the company became what it is today. Amazing eh! Wal-Mart is simply stuck in the duldroms of corporate power suits that can't understand WHY people hire a photographer. It's for the experience, not the backdrop!

Another person said it's not about smart phones it's about people wanting 'real photography'. I agree! I see more wedding and baby photographer's popping up these days as people today don't want the lame-ass backdrops that Sears, Walmart, JCP and Olan Mills used in their mock studios. It's 2013, not 1986 and yet these companies don't get that! THAT'S why they're out!

It doesn't cost that much to hire a REAL photographer vs a person paid $8 an hour to shoot a Canon Rebel. Real Photographer's don't used Canon Rebel's and they don't put you in front of a cheesy backdrop. They will take you outside (if the weather is right) and shoot you perhaps both indoors and outdoors. These people are highly creative and it shows in their work. I never liked the Olan Mills look and always found them to be the K-Mart of the photography world. RIP Olan Mills... it's been a long time coming!

When I first got into photography I worked at Portrait Innovations, and it isn't photography at all. It is retail with a camera. I was once told I worked at McDonalds of the Portrait Industry. Even though I knew photography and had been successful in it, the people around me had no idea and yet they were still taking photos. The reason why these companies are failing is they treat their employees like dirt, don't care about the customer, and only desire to maximize their income. Private Portrait photographers can treat their customers exactly how they need, and work out deals that fit their specific needs. Good riddens to them. It means less competition in a very competitive world

These strip mall chains are high volume, sales driven businesses. Unfortunately, because of their franchise fees and high retail rent, everything else was given less priority (such as employee training, customer service, the quality of the finished product, and the overall experience). It was only a matter of time. We had visited a number of these chains when starting our portrait business, and I can't say we'd ever come back to any of them. That alone, I think, speaks volumes.

http://www.michaelkormos.com

I am a long time photographer/owner for Lifetouch. They are not perfect by far for the most part. However, they have made sound investments, are still privately/employee owned ANd turning a profit. Thus the difference between staying open and closing, making a profit or turning a loss. I am good at my job, highly recognized for my talent, have a huge following of loyal guests and make a good living. It beats the risk of being sued, having no benefits, having no liability insurance, having to pay for my own credit card processing, and all the other things that come with owning ones own business. The lighting system is state of the art and adjusts according to the background being used. I DO inquire as to photography skills in my studio when interviewing a potential candidate. I am given the creative freedom to create art as I see fit. I am able to buy my own backdrops and props and run my studio as if it is my own, and in fact, it is. Owning your own business is not walk in the park either. It is all in your preferences,

The past 48 hours have been very sad. I was told via text not to go into work tomorrow. The company is closed, and you will not be paid. I have lost my earned PTO and Cobra will not be available, in which my insurance will cancel on April 5th. I am not entirely surprised... The Thursday before Easter, several other managers (and friends) lost their jobs when CPI closed 500 Picture Me Studios (Walmart). They were given 3 days to contact all of their customers for pick-ups, pack-up the cameras & computers and close the studios. I wish I had at least 1 day to contact all of my customers. I did go to the studio to place Closed signs & change the answering machine. I also informed Sears management who were not told of this. (All Sears portrait, Picture Me, Shooting Stars & Kiddie Kandid were owned by CPI and were only vendors of the host store like H&R block). I was unable to log in to the computer system to contact clients. I have no idea of whether any of the framed art will be delivered. The customers will not be refunded. I feel horrible that I am the face of corporate cowardice.

I have been a professional photographer for 20 years. I was hired directly as a manager for Sears Portrait within the past 5 years. Due to labor costs, I worked alone (except Christmas season) in which I was the photographer, editor, enhancer, sales person, call taker, customer service, and responsible for leads & marketing. I shot over 1000 sessions last year alone.

Sears, Walmart, Babies R Us may still receive packages from CPI prior to their closing. Possibly by April 12th. None of the customers will be contacted (due to clients info locked in cpi computers)

I think one way they failed to adapt was in their turnaround time. I'm a fine art photographer, but the people I know working the portrait side of things have had to drastically cut down their time between the shoot and handing prints over to clients in the last decade as the got-to-have-it-now digital age has invaded- and sending all the orders off to a central processing facility took time.

Kiddie Kandids has filed bankruptcy, and now they're out of the picture, too! haha