Your kid might not care as much as you do about school photos (yet), but you want to have a memory of his or her year at that age and stage.
- Remember that photographers cannot touch your child. You might want to take a minute to instruct your child on the behavior you would hope she does for her photo- like brush her hair and smile! Don’t overburden your child with too many instructions though. A simple list like straighten your tie, comb your hair, and smile is more than enough to tell your child. There’s a serious time crunch during school photos, so it’s often a two-shot chance to nail an open-eyed, smiling, adorable photo.
- For photo day, I recommend dressing your child in an outfit you like that is solid colors. That way, it will go with any background. Often, the photo company will show their backgrounds on their website so you can coordinate the outfit with the background. Try to pick an outfit that won’t get easily wrinkled before photo time so your child looks put together. Additionally, do not allow your children to wear a hat to school that day. Photographers and teachers will most likely request that the hat be removed for the photo, and it will leave behind hat hair. Keep jewelry and accessories to a minimum on girls so that their cute faces stand out more than their jewelry. Bows and barrettes are fine, but don’t get too carried away so that it’s all you see.
- When the photographer is posing the photo, do not expect perfection. Maybe hope for a straightened tie, but half the fun is seeing the personality through the photo. Do not go with your child to school photos, because it will make him nervous and uncomfortable.
- Braces and lost teeth are natural and beautiful; don’t let your child feel discouraged on photo day because of these things. Those are phases everyone goes through and memories you’ll keep forever!
-Whitney J. Manson
