How to Get the Best School Portrait

better school pics

Tips and tricks from a school photographer

Children who bring a positive attitude to the camera are a joy to photograph. A successful photograph is a collaboration, and if a student is respectful of the photographer’s time and efforts to make a pleasing photograph, he (and you) will ultimately be happy with the results.

You can reinforce a positive attitude by sharing with your children how wonderful they
are and how you are looking forward to seeing their portrait this year. Let them know
you trust them to work politely with the photographer in creating a portrait that you’ll both be proud to share.

How to Get the Best School Portrait
School is a great place to photograph kids mainly because parents are somewhere else. If you would like to be there on picture day we welcome your sense of team support, but suggest you head to the bathroom before your child comes to the camera. Most of the time your child will do better without you.

Preschoolers under the spell of their teachers and classmates may forget they are doing something new and unsettling. When their mom or dad is nearby they tend to cling, cry or refuse to participate. There are always exceptions, but they are just that—exceptions.

Posing
Children learn by observation and repetition, this is a good thing in school but not in photos. Please do not “teach” your children poses. Let us help them position themselves for the best image.

Clothing
The best choice is the simplest. Dress your child in a collared shirt that fits and is a color that complements his eyes and hair. A sweater, a dress, neat tee or a clean soft polar fleece will work. Remember to iron those collars!

Small patterns or solids are best. Logo t-shirts are distracting in a photo. Superman, Spiderman, Giants, 49’ers, Cinderella, Dora the Explorer or Hanna Montana will immortalize childhood passions but that should be your intention, not an accident on picture day.

Clothes that are clean and stain-free will save you retouching costs. You can even send a second shirt in case of snack accidents (remind them to tell the teacher they brought it).

Summer spaghetti strap dresses that have some “growing” room are usually not the best choice for your girl. They tend to hang to low and if it is chilly in the morning the goosebumps on their arms show.

Smiles
Let them shine! A mouth of metal is a limited-edition photo op. Lips can’t usually hide them anyway, so the kids might as well wear their braces proudly.

If your child has missing teeth, remember that a gap-toothed smile is a beautiful classic.

Eyeglasses
If your child wears glasses that adjust to light, he should remove them because they will look dark in the photo and hide his eyes. If you have a pair that don’t get dark, please send them with your child on picture day.

Non-reflective lenses are great, no reflections of flashes or cameras will show. Photographers have a number of tricks to reduce glare, but sometimes it is impossible.

Request to have your child photographed both with and without glasses.

Most importantly, allow the photographer to explore different versions of your child and capture his best expression. For more tips on taking a great school photo, go to www.mugsyclicks.com/services/tips-hints.aspx