I'm surprised they invite people to rate them here! As others say, photo packages with unhelpful sizes and quantities designed to extract the maximum cash and upsell you to packs with things you... See more
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Review summary
Created with AI, based on recent reviews
What people talk about most
Reviews shaping this summary
Baffled that school continues to use this company. Poor experience year on year. Very difficult to choose from individual photo options as the photos are so blurred and you cannot select them to show... See more
Company replied
I feel very coerced. The photos cannot be selected by size etc, only ordered as packages which means not getting the prints I want for different family members. There is some reference to digital down... See more
Company replied
Packages designed to trap you into spending too much on more photos than you need. Delivery also overpriced unless you again spend more. They also invest in Isreal through their use of Barclays Bank s... See more
Company replied
Company details
Information provided by various external sources
Founded by Horace Tempest over 80 years ago, Tempest Photography has been at the forefront of the photographic industry for nearly a century. As the first school photography company in the UK to move to full digital processing, with a digital laboratory that is the most state-of-the-art in Europe, you can be sure of first-class images, every time.
Contact info
H TEMPEST LIMITED, TR26 3HU, ST IVES, CORNWALL , United Kingdom
- 01736 751555
- tempest-orders.co.uk
1.9
Poor
2K reviews
Replied to 99% of negative reviews
Typically replies within 24 hours
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Very expensive for a digital download
Very expensive for a digital download! £23! My son’s photo with DSP photography was £15.50.
3 November 2025
Unprompted review
Reply from Tempest Photography
Hello Nic, thank you for your review.
I am sorry to hear you are unhappy with the pricing of our digital download. It is important to understand the nature of the product. You are not simply buying an electronic file (for customers wishing just to have an electronic memento, we would suggest the Image to Mobile product), you are buying it with the license release for unlimited printing/file sharing, so the more you use and share the file, the better value for money it becomes.
However, I shall certainly pass your feedback onto our Marketing department who shall assess the feedback further.
Kind regards, Olly.
Tempest don't bother to tell you when…
Tempest don't bother to tell you when sending the photos home that you need to order within 14 days to get photos delivered to school for free. Then although they have an option to buy two images for a cheaper price, one can't be the class photo as this is 'incompatible'! You then have to make two separate orders with two lots of £5 delivery!!! Awful service.
3 November 2025
Unprompted review
Reply from Tempest Photography
Hello Francine, thank you for your review.
We advise the school to tell parents that there is a 14-day back-to-school should the school opt for this offer, and they then contact the parents. We then email the school with a reminder for them to notify the parents however they communicate.
With regards to paying double postage, you should be able to place an order at once even if they are two catalogues. Please can you contact us at customerservice@htempest.co.uk so we can investigate this further for you.
Kind regards, Olly.
Terrible photos at extortionate prices
Our daughter has started at a new school that uses Tempest for its school photos. We were sent two photos to choose from, and both are absolutely terrible -- it is clear that the photographer did not review the photos on the day, and I suspect the company's goal is to spend as little time and effort as possible per child. Given how far digital camera technology has come in recent years, there is absolutely no excuse for not taking a large number of photos and selecting the best. Being asked to pay upwards of £30 for enough copies to distribute to grandparents makes things even worse. I'll be complaining to the school, and will be encouraging them to seek alternative photographers for next year.
1 November 2025
Unprompted review
Reply from Tempest Photography
Hello John, thank you for your review.
Unfortunately, when photographing at schools, we have to adhere to the efficient running of the school timetable to ensure minimal disruption to the school day. This means that often, the school will only allow us a limited window to capture each student. Furthermore, our photographers are advised not to comment on expression or appearance incase of causing upset or offence.
Please accept my apologies that the image we have taken of your child on this occasion is not as you would have hoped and should we be fortunate enough to photograph at the school again in the future, hopefully we will take an image that is more to your liking.
Kind regards, Olly
Haven't been able to order from this…
Haven't been able to order from this shambles of a customer service. They don't answer the phone - I've rung then all week. Nor do they answer any emails - this is reflected in so many f the negative reviews yet the company do not seem to be taking this on board and improving.
The option to get photos delivered to school which is offered on the website and the details that came with the proofs doesn't feature when you go to checkout- therefore children who board can't order and are excluded.
We were given photos the day they broke up for 2 weeks so cannot contact the school and the company give you just 14 days to order if you need delivering to school but don't want to interact with potential customers. Absolutely useless
Therefore they've lost sales and I will be complaining to school about them and suggesting they use someone more customer friendly in future
20 October 2025
Unprompted review
Reply from Tempest Photography
Hello, thank you for your review.
We have recently received an influx of calls and emails for the past few weeks, so please accept our sincerest apologies that we were not able to answer your query.
Last week, we managed to catch up with our emails, if you have not received a reply from us, please forward your query to customerservice@htempest.co.uk and mark it for my attention and I shall investigate this matter further.
Kind regards, Olly.
Photos didn't arrive
6 weeks after ordering my daughters school photos, still nothing and customer service is not answering!
18 September 2025
Unprompted review
Reply from Tempest Photography
Hello Danielle, thank you for your review.
Please can you contact my manager at customerservice@htempest.co.uk so we can investigate this issue further as this is outside of the timeframe that we say to allow.
Kind regards, Olly.
school photos scam
The whole system of school photos with tempest traps parents into having to pay for extra photos you do not want, even when you choose the cheapest option you are then charged £5 for delivery. It wouldn't be so bad if the quality of the photos was good.
30 October 2025
Unprompted review
Reply from Tempest Photography
Hello Joanne, thank you for your review.
The delivery charge only applies if the order is placed outside of the free 14-day back to school delivery option, if the school has requested for direct ordering only or the customer opts for home delivery. It also is not just postage and packaging, but also postal insurance, so if the order is damaged or lost in transit, we replace it free of charge.
We do offer multiple packs to suit all pockets and we regularly review our products. I shall pass your feedback onto the correct department to assess your comments further.
Kind regards, Olly.
Awful company
Awful company , don't even mount the photos for you then their excuse is we'll not everyone wants to use them - well sorry I didn't order them for the good of my health
Woman on phone very rude says nobody ever complains. Lol these reviews would suggest otherwise!
29 October 2025
Unprompted review
Reply from Tempest Photography
Hello Eve, thank you for your review.
I sit next to the woman who you spoke to yesterday and she debriefed how you requested for mounted copies as it states on the website that they are to be received mounted. This is incorrect as you have to select to 'include mounts' as we had feedback that not everyone would like mounts as they have frames or use them for other uses. This also lowers our carbon footprint.
We do understand that there are complaints regarding this and she did say people rarely complain regarding this particular issue, and this is backed up by my manager who was listening in on the conversation.
However, she did offer for you to return your prints where on this occasion we can guillotine and mount your order for you. Please contact customerservice@htempest.co.uk for further information regarding this.
I am sorry that you received a poor experience from our Customer service team, but what you were enquiring is our standard practice.
Kind regards, Olly.
I feel very coerced
I feel very coerced. The photos cannot be selected by size etc, only ordered as packages which means not getting the prints I want for different family members. There is some reference to digital downloads but no way to order them. The chat assistant keeps getting stuck in a loop and has only generic answers regardless of the question typed.
28 October 2025
Unprompted review
Reply from Tempest Photography
Hello, thank you for your review.
We do offer an extensive range of various products, including multi-image packs and electronic downloads. I am sorry to read that from the selection available, there is not something which is exactly what you are looking for. We introduce new items on a regular basis, so hopefully there will be a product available in the future that meets your requirements.
If you are unable to view the product that you require, please contact our Direct Order team on 01736 751555 (opt. 3, Mon-Fri 8:15am-4:15pm) where an advisor can help you further.
Kind regards, Olly
Must be the worst website ever to…
Must be the worst website ever to navigate. Tried to order grandkids pics on mobile. Didn't work. Went on PC and took 15+ minutes to get sorted. Worst website I've used for many years. Nothing is logical and most things do not work. Why do schools use people like this if they can't even be bothered to sort the order process out properly? Utterly inept.
27 October 2025
Unprompted review
Reply from Tempest Photography
Hello Peter, thank you for your review.
I am sorry to read that you found our e-commerce system difficult to navigate. In the future, if you would like to bypass the website, please contact our Direct Order team on 01736 751555 (opt. 3, Mon-Fri 8:15am-4:15pm) and an advisor can talk you through.
Tempest Photography provides schools and PTAs with an excellent fundraising opportunity through a sliding commission on every photo sold. This commission helps support school programs and resources. It could be worthwhile to reach out to your school to see if parents are taking advantage of our more affordable photo options.
Kind regards, Olly
More rubbish edited and filtered photos
Year on year you continue to apply filters to the terrible school photos you take of my child. Every year I ask myself how you manage it?
You do understand that I know what my child looks like and love him don’t you? I don’t want and will not buy edited photos of the child you seem to think I should have.
It’s a very odd business model but I can categorically state my child does not look like an old man in ginger wig and yet somehow that’s the photo you have asked me to buy this year.
Children’s photos should not and do not need to be edited, take a decent photo in the first place and you also wouldn’t feel the need.
24 October 2025
Unprompted review
Reply from Tempest Photography
Hello Elaine, thank you for your review.
We do not edit any images without the parents permission, and there would usually be a digital charge to come with the request. The only editing that is applied is an initial colour correction to the entire session and once an order is placed, an individual correction is further made. What you are seeing is not a true representation of what you will receive.
Please contact our Customer Service team on 01736 751555 (opt. 5, Mon-Fri 8:15am-4:15pm) and a representative can look into this issue further for you.
Kind regards, Olly
Good quality this year, but pricing way too high
The photos this year were great quality, I'm really pleased with how they came out. The only thing I marked them down on was because of the price. It seems cheaper to buy the packages with so many different photos attached.
I now have two children at the same school, they offer a family package. But this package you can only add two photos, so I included the individual photos of each child. This alone cost £37.00. Then for the photo of my two children together it was a further £9.00, so in total £46.00!! This is way too much, Tempest really need to review their pricing structure or at least include a family package that includes a print of each child and a print of their photo together
6 October 2025
Unprompted review
Reply from Tempest Photography
Hello Laura, thank you for your review.
We do offer a standard triple image pack as well as a mini triple image pack, consisting of a multitude of prints for three image references each, and these should be visible near the top of our website.
Please contact our Direct Order team on 01736 751555 (opt. 3, Mon-Fri 8:15am-4:15pm) where an advisor will be able to look into your order further should you wish to amend this.
Kind regards, Olly.
EXTORTIONATE!!
I cannot believe the extortionate prices you charge, shame on you! Then to add to that you then charge £5 delivery! Why not offer free collection from school, that would be more morally correct?
Unfortunately you have a captive audience and you are taking advantage of this 100%.
24 October 2025
Unprompted review
Reply from Tempest Photography
Hello Jessica, thank you for your review.
The delivery charge only applies if the order is placed outside of the free 14-day back to school delivery option, if the school has requested for direct ordering only or the customer opts for home delivery. It also is not just postage and packaging, but also postal insurance, so if the order is damaged or lost in transit, we replace it free of charge.
We do offer an extensive range of various products to suit all pockets, including multi-image packs and electronic downloads. I am sorry to read that from the selection available, there is not something which is exactly what you are looking for. We introduce new items on a regular basis, so hopefully there will be a product available in the future that meets your requirements.
Kind regards, Olly.
Two siblings at school were to be…
Two siblings at school were to be photographed together. Boy in Year 6 and girl in year 5. They are very affectionate with each other by nature. The boy was told to put his arm around his sister, which he didn't want to do, feeling awkward about having his photo that day. He was told that he should play ball basically, seeing he was in Year 6. They were then seated next to each other on chairs, and the photographer commented that they looked as if they don't like each other. Very upsetting for both. The boy is a high functioning autistic. Be careful! Photographs were awful. Bad lighting and off colour and obviously strained after the comments. Never again.
21 October 2025
Unprompted review
Reply from Tempest Photography
Hello Lynette, thank you for your review.
Tempest Photography understand that school photography sessions can be a stressful experience for children, and we take these comments extremely seriously.
Please can you email the Customer Service manager at customerservice@htempest.co.uk with the school name, image references and a more in-depth synopsis and we will investigate this further.
Kind regards, Olly
Poor to average
Bang average photo. Expensive for random sized photos and multipacks. Clearly play on parents sentimentality to push an expensive and low quality product. The company has a monopoly which allows them to get away with it.
22 October 2025
Unprompted review
Reply from Tempest Photography
Hello Jon, thank you for your review.
We do offer an extensive range of various products, including multi-image packs and electronic downloads. I am sorry to read that from the selection available, there is not something which is exactly what you are looking for. We introduce new items on a regular basis, so hopefully there will be a product available in the future that meets your requirements.
Kind regards, Olly
Not the best
If I could only give no starts than I would. Photos are poor quality and photographers taking school photos clearly dont care how the image will look like, they just click, click. My child is in year 9 so she had some photos taken during her school years and only one photo was acceptable out of all those though the years. I wouldn't write this review but sadly I had some web issues this time and had to contact customer service, one of the worst one ever, not to mention it took me over half hour to get connected, a customer service member treated me like at least mentally disabled person ( no offence please ) , I was telling her the error message I get on the website when I try see school photos , she tells me she cant help me and I should try website, after clarifying with her I am unable to do so because of the error message, she navigates me step by step how to enter reference number still not listening the issue. I decided to pass on those photos this year, shame because those are always some kind of memories even though poor quality and well overpriced ,but I really don't understand this kind of approach.
21 October 2025
Unprompted review
Reply from Tempest Photography
Hello, thank you for your review.
We have recently received an influx of orders, calls and emails so please accept our apologies that it took you so long to contact our Customer Service team.
Last month, we had an issue regarding our links and QR codes and links which affected the website and we have been stating that if you clear your cache/browsing history to reset the system (or accessing the website in a private tab whilst we fix the issue if you do not want to clear anything) then the website will work and you can access the image from then on. The website should also work on an alternative device if you have not accessed the website on there.
Please can you email us at customerservice@htempest.co.uk so we can look into this issue further for you?
Kind regards, Olly.
Good variety of options for me to…
Good variety of options for me to choose from. I thought the price of the selections was pretty fair and I had a few options to choose from. Have just placed my order so I’m hoping that they deliver soon but otherwise I’m very satisfied with them.
20 October 2025
Unprompted review
Reply from Tempest Photography
Hello Joanne, thank you for your five-star review!
Tempest Photography have a wide variety of packs and packages for our customers to choose and enjoy, and I am delighted to learn that you were able to locate a product for yourself, and you were satisfied with the whole process.
Kind regards, Olly
I'm surprised they invite reviews!
I'm surprised they invite people to rate them here! As others say, photo packages with unhelpful sizes and quantities designed to extract the maximum cash and upsell you to packs with things you don't need.
You can't readily opt out of their cookies either.
Their address database is old, and the manual entry is clunky.
Is there anything to like?
I'll give them an extra star for at least accepting Apple Pay.
I wish our school didn't use them.
20 October 2025
Unprompted review
Reply from Tempest Photography
Hello Alan, thank you for your review.
Thank you for sharing your feedback. We understand that school photography is a personal and important purchase, and we’re sorry to hear that you were disappointed with the experience.
Our pricing reflects more than just the print or digital file, it covers professional photographers, high-quality equipment, post-production work, and a secure online ordering system. For larger group photos, the cost also incorporates specialist staging, organisation, and setup to ensure every child is captured clearly and safely.
Tempest Photography provides schools and PTAs with an excellent fundraising opportunity through a sliding commission on every photo sold. This commission helps support school programs and resources. It could be worthwhile to reach out to your school to see if parents are taking advantage of our more affordable photo options.
We do appreciate your comments and will share this with our management team.
Kind regards, Olly
Shocking photos
Shocking photos, can’t believe school still use them.
My daughter wears glasses and they made her feel so uncomfortable in order to get no reflection from them. So expensive too
1 October 2025
Unprompted review
Reply from Tempest Photography
Hello, thank you for your review.
I am sorry to learn that your child felt uncomfortable when having their photograph taken. Tempest Photography take the well-being of the children seriously, and we would not want any pupil to feel uncomfortable when having their photograph taken as we recognise that this can be a stressful situation from the start.
Please can you email us at customerservice@htempest.co.uk with some information including the image reference numbers so we can investigate the issue further?
Kind regards, Olly.
Very expensive
Very expensive, not the best photograph. A simple task for the photographer to straighten the tie. Cost leaves a bad taste in the mouth for sure. £23 for a digital download!!!! Prints are so expensive this is the most cost effective route, but then the extra hassle of sourcing prints from a 3rd party supplier. I understand the concept of a markup but this is rediculous!
17 October 2025
Unprompted review
Reply from Tempest Photography
Hello Jimmy, thank you for your review.
It is disappointing to read that you are unhappy with your children's pictures. Unfortunately, our photographers do rely on the pupils being presented to them "photo-ready", as they are limited in their interactions with the children in terms of commenting on or adjusting appearance. This is in case they inadvertently cause undue upset or offence.
Our pricing reflects more than just the print or digital file, it covers professional photographers, high-quality equipment, post-production work, and a secure online ordering system. For larger group photos, the cost also incorporates specialist staging, organisation, and setup to ensure every child is captured clearly and safely.
We regularly review our products and run discounted pack offers and seasonal sales, so it is always worth checking to see if there is something suitable in the future.
Kind regards, Olly
I would give zero stars if I could
I would give zero stars if I could. It baffles me that schools continue to use this shambles of a company.
The pricing is extortionate and the photos are awful. They rush through taking all the childrens photos without putting any care into it and they know they can rip off parents who feel obliged to buy the pictures of their beloved children each year as they grow. This company makes me feel physically sick to the stomach each and every year that I feel that I have to pay for the abhorrent service, god awful useless photographers with crappy equipment and such bad experiences for my kids but I just want my kids to see themselves grow. You suck tempest! Get a grip and stop ripping off parents. Worst photographers ever
1 October 2025
Unprompted review
Reply from Tempest Photography
Hello Amanda, thank you for your review.
I am sorry to read that you are very disappointed in the photographs that we have provided of her child. All school photographs taken are primarily for the school to update their MIS system and for their school records and we provide parents the opportunity to purchase these photographs for their own memories.
Our photographers always endeavour to obtain the best expressions of the children that are possible on the day and we do not share the intimate knowledge you have of how your child would usually respond or react when having her photograph taken and we are sorry that the results did not match your expectations. Should we be fortunate enough to photograph your child again in the future, hopefully we will capture some images that are to your satisfaction.
Kind regards, Olly
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