After my first child, my daughter, was born, I went to one of Spokane's priciest studios (NOT featured in the Two on Your Side story) in a postpartum haze and proceeded to spend the equivalent of 2 & 1/2 years' worth of diaper money on pictures. The studio's sales methods didn't help: imagine sitting in a darkened room in front of an enormous screen, watching your progeny projected in sigh-inducing poses while tug-at-the-heartstring music plays in the background. You might just buy every bit of celluloid that studio had, too! The pictures were fabulous, but we spent wayyy too much money and never returned after we finished our "package deal." We got a recommendation to the artist featured in our story, Barb Chase, and were pleased with her demeanor and her prices, in comparison with the other place. That said, we're watching our budget, as many parents do, especially now that we've had a second child. Based on pictures I've seen from some of the mall studios, and the opinion of our expert, it's time to start clipping coupons and getting more pictures, this time, at the mall. I agree with the mom in our story, who said she'd continue using the chain studios throughout the year and save the stand-alone studio for a once-a-year treat. Yes, professional photography can be expensive, but I will not let maternal hormones dictate buying every pose in multiples we could never fit on our walls.