When did it become so expensive?

For the past couple of days I have been scanning, cropping, resizing, discarding color information from two weddings that I have photographed a couple of years ago. The reason that I'm doing this is I need to get a portfolio together to show it to perspective clients, I'm trying to get back into shooting weddings. I received a CD of images from one bride in the mail. It came to me all the way from New Mexico. The other wedding, I had to pick up the pictures at my sister's. I have been busy trying to get a CD of images ready to take to my favorite photo processing place in town.

Today, I burned the images on a CD and took it to the business. I told the employee that I wanted 5x7 and matte finish. I wanted to go with 5x7 instead of 4x6 because I wanted a larger print for the perspective clients to view in the coming weeks. I was told that the prints would be ready in a hour.

I went back later in the day. The employee got my pictures and punched numbers into the cash register. They said, $150.00. I'm like, What? I said that there is no way that they could be that much. The employee said that I had 50 images. Fifty images times $3.00 is $150. I was so shocked. First of all, I didn't even think I had that many images on the CD. Second, I didn't know that 5x7's were $3. I told the employee, if I had known that they were $3 I wouldn't even had gotten that size. I felt like the biggest idiot. Then the employee said that the prices change a lot and maybe she could help me out. The employee looked into a pricing guide and said that they the prints could be a $1.50 each. So the employee crossed out the $3 and wrote $1.50. I thought that was nice, because they didn't have to do that. The employee said they felt bad. I told them they shouldn't feel that way, it was my fault. I should have asked about the prices. I told the employee that I would be back next week with $75.

With waiting for the CD to be sent to me from New Mexico, scanning pictures and the price of the 5x7's, I hope I get a little good news coming my way soon.

TOP PHOTO: My sister Debbie and her husband Dennis after their wedding in 2001.
BOTTOM PHOTO: Angie and her husband Lance at The Toledo of Museum of Art after their wedding in 2004.