3 Tips for Capturing the Perfect School Photo

Yearly school photos are just another one of the long-standing traditions of back to school. I remember as a child dreading the days when my mom would pat my protruding cowlick and dress me in some stuffy clothes for school photos.

All these years later, school picture preparations haven’t changed all that much. However, now as a parent, I am the one wiping faces and fixing hair. However, what are some of the best tactics to help capture these priceless moments in time while relieving stress on both child and parent?

Stephanie Norman, Orange County professional photographer of Reflections by Stephanie, and mother of three, shares a few of her tricks and tips of the trade when it comes to school photography:

1. Keep it simple.
Wear solid colors and avoid busy patterns and lettering (distract from looking at your child’s face). For girls, avoid putting their hair up in a pony tail that day since the frontal view of your photo will only show some of the hair. For boys, try a nice collared shirt, rather than an everyday T-shirt.

Photo courtesy of Reflections by Stephanie

2. Let it go.
If you can, allow the child (at an appropriate age) to make some decisions about what they want to wear in the photo. Gently guide, or offer choices of clothes and hairstyle.

Photo courtesy of Reflections by Stephanie

3. Be prepared.
Mark the picture date on your calendar so you can plan ahead. Give the kids and yourself more time in the morning to get ready, especially when it comes to fixing potential bed head disasters. “I try to mentally prepare for photo day, even if it’s the day before so that I can get clothes together, or at least a decent shirt or top. I also allow for extra time in order to get their hair in decent shape,” Norman adds.

Norman’s final piece of advise: “Everyone always says that our kids grow up way too fast, and as I get older, the days, months and years sure do seem to fly. I love that we are able to keep a glimpse of this through photography.”

Kristal Zacharias is the mother of two beautiful, vivacious girls, and wife of a hunky husband who works in the action sports industry. For the past 15 years, Kristal has worked for several Fortune 500 companies as a professional communicator. Follow her journey at Clearly Kristal or on Facebook and Twitter.