Back to School Photography

January 21st, 2008 by Rick · No Comments · Take better Pictures


		Greetings fellow photographers! Well, it’s been a fantastic summer! Hopefully you were able to get out of the house and travel to new locations (taking photos along the way of course), eat some ice cream, watch a few sunsets (snapping more photos), and lay in a hammock with a good book. But summer isn’t over quite yet – there is still time for a few more BBQs and one more run through the sprinklers before we start a new season.
	Today I’m going to wrap up our Summer Series by talking about the rite of passage that occurs every year at this time: the beginning of the school year! This is an exciting time for your kids to reunite with school friends, share stories of their summer adventures, and give you your quiet house back! The first day back to school is a fantastic opportunity to get some priceless photos that will be enjoyed by the entire family for years to come. You can really capture the excitement and anticipation in your children’s eyes, and they always look so grown up in their new back to school clothes! Even the “I’m grumpy about going back to school” shots are great – they will give your family something to laugh at in a few years! This time around, leave yourself plenty of time on the morning of their first day! to take some portraits. Here are a few tips for capturing this special day:
		Take the portraits in a consistent location or setting. For instance, always take the photo under the oak tree out front or near the front door of the house. Several years from now, you will have a heartwarming series of first day of school shots that will be perfect to show your grandchildren what their mom or dad looked like as a kid. If you have recently moved, start a new tradition and always take these photos in the same location at the new house.
	Think like a photojournalist. A photojournalist always tries to include the key components in the frame so that there is no need for a caption. For example, photograph your child with a backpack on their back and a lunch bag in their hand. Their hair is freshly combed (maybe for the only time this year) and their clothes are still new and clean. This photo clearly indicates that it is the first day of school and becomes one of those landmark photos to frame for the office.
		Take both individual and group shots of the kids. Be sure to photograph each of your children alone to symbolize their independence and individuality as they grow up. But you should also gather the family and friends to take group shots on this monumental day. Include Mom or Dad, baby sister, and the neighborhood kids to form a sense of community. This also tells your child that you cherish this moment and you are proud of them.
	Take photos at school, if possible. If the kids are still little, follow them to school and grab a few photos in front of the school or at the door of their classroom. Warning: your teenage child will not be amused with this foray!Share the photos! Transfer these images to your account and share the album with your friends and family. They will be thrilled to see little Johnny’s smiling (or unsmiling) face as he walks into his first day of school. Also, with a shared album, your friends and family have the option to order prints, which takes you off the hook of printing loads of photos and mailing them all over the country.
		Turn the photos into exciting gifts! Now that you have these once in a lifetime photos stored in your account, why not make them into a few fun gifts for the relatives? Dad would love to have a new mouse pad, and I am sure that Grandpa could use a new coffee mug. It is very easy and convenient to order these kinds of fun photo gifts. Let’s walk through a mug order:1. Log into your online account and click on the “Design Photo Gifts” tab. 2. Click on the “Kitchenware” category and choose the mug you want to order. 3. Select the album where your chosen image is stored and then click on the specific image you want to add. 4. Click on “Order Gift” and complete the transaction in your shopping cart.That’s it! The whole process can be completed in less than a minute.
	Well, that does it for our Summer Series. I hope you’ve enjoyed reading as much as I have enjoyed writing about this delightful season, and I look forward to bringing you fun, helpful photography tips all year long! I’ll pick it back up in September with some tips on how to photograph the changing Autumn colors. Until then, enjoy the rest of your summer!