School pictures. You remember them. That forced smile in front of a blue background… year after year. Some might call them Traditional. I’m inclined to say Outdated.
For 10 years, Spoiled Rotten Photography has worked with private preschools and a handful of private elementary and middle schools. We strive to capture the unique spirit of every child, every time. We are now piloting a program at a local public school that we hope will revolutionize “School Pictures.” The average school photographer spends just 20 seconds with each student and gives their parents only one pose to choose from. With only 20 seconds per student, that one pose may not be their best expression, either. Let’s just hope their clothes were straight and their hair was not sticking up like baby chicken feathers! School photographers have told me they want every pose to look the same so the yearbook will be uniform. I say every child is unique! Can’t we let their personality come through… just a little? After all, that same tired pose is rarely the most flattering for a child. And that straight-on mugshot? Well that just won’t cut it, anymore.
Here’s what we will do differently:
- Spend more time with each child
- Capture 3 or more poses
- Connect with each child to elicit real expressions
- Use fresh (but always classic) backgrounds
- Show parents sample photos and suggest appropriate clothing
- Provide flexible packages – parents choose the poses and the sizes
- On-line ordering – a convenient system that supports flexible packages and allows us to show multiple poses
- Built in retouching – we want each portrait to look it’s best and we don’t think you should have to pay extra for that
- Real photographers – who care about giving the parents and the students a beautiful portrait they can be proud of!
Stay tuned… we’ll see if our pilot program works and if the school and parents appreciate our way of doing “school pictures.”
