5 Ways To Snap Un-Cheesy School Portraits
Cheese is for pasta, not school photos.
As a mom of three (almost four!) and a professional photographer, this exact hill feels like it’s the one for me to stand on. School photo day, and actually loving the photos you pay for, don’t have to be two separate circles on a Venn diagram.
Read all about how my boutique school photo offering is the place where those circles intersect and cheesy photos get left behind:
1. Pay for the portraits you want
If you don’t like a photo, there’s no obligation to buy it. I want to give you the kind of photos that you can’t wait to put on your wall. I have years of experience working with kids and my process focuses on spending time with each child, and interacting with them so that they feel comfortable being their gorgeous, bright selves. Capturing these moments is what I love to do, and helping kids feel confident about themselves through the medium of photography is one of my greatest joys.
2. Get rid of dated backdrops and lightning-fast sessions
I want to celebrate every stage of my children’s lives, and that includes their time at school. A cheesy, forced smile doesn’t quite seem to do it justice - especially when I know we can do it better. I use an innovative, contemporary style of shooting that encourages the use of natural lighting, ample time spent with each child, no dated backdrops, and most importantly, focus on the individuality of each child. My process gives them space to be themselves so that I can capture their beautiful personalities.
3. Adopt a streamlined process and ditch harsh lighting
My streamlined, digital process means less intimidating lighting on the shoot day. It also means less admin for schools and parents as I’m able to provide a password-protected gallery for you to make selections from, but that doesn’t have too much to do with showing cheesy school photos the door. The lighting thing does, however. In my experience, the less ‘fuss’ or ‘new things’ involved in the shoot itself helps the children feel a little more settled.
4. Say goodbye to too many moving parts / people
Too many cooks in the kitchen, or too many people at the shoot boil down to pretty much the same thing: a disaster. There are only two photographers present on the shoot day - myself, and a photographer shooting the group class shots. This means that I work with each child personally - and believe me, they get to know me as much as I get to know them in the time we have together. My goal is to capture the moment your child feels their best (most genuine) self, and I have years of experience and love for what I do to help make it happen.
5. Embrace a stress-free process
Out with the old and in with the new holds true for my process, and I’m so proud of the work I get to do. My entire process is designed to be as stress-free as possible for everyone involved, and I really believe that this affects the energy on the day of the shoot. I want to ensure that I can give as much as possible to each child I work with, and it’s by being present with them that I’m able to connect with them.
I could keep writing about this, or I could cheekily say that the proof is in the non-cheese pudding… and by pudding I do mean photos.
Looking for cheese-free school photos? Get in touch now.
