Why I Order School Photos

I often get asked “Why do you order school photos when you’re a photographer?’

Well, there are a few reasons. I love the lifestyle images I get to take of my family. I love capturing the every day and the little moments that tell our life’s story. School photos? They’re unique in their own way.

Photo Courtesy of Teddy Bear Portraits

Reasons to Buy School Photos

Time. Let’s face it, despite my best intentions, time goes by very fast. Sometimes I’ll go days & weeks without taking a photograph. The dishes are calling. The laundry needs to be put away. The kids need to be fed. Now it’s bed time. Rinse and repeat. School pictures guarantee that I have a photo of my kid between the newborn year and graduation. Ha!
They don’t listen to me. The best thing about lifestyle photography? They don’t have to look at the camera. My kids see my camera and give me this face. They have their photo taken at school and I get the perfect pose and a gentle expression.
Dress up. Malia is at the age now where picture day is the day she wants to wear something pretty. She also wants bows in her hair. When I tell her to wear something for one of MY photos, she chooses one of her many Disney princess dresses or where’s her underwear on her head.
You think they smile for me? There’s no way I could get any of my kids to sit down or stand still, much less smile. It just doesn’t work. I’m a master at getting other kids to smile for my camera. My kids? Not so much.
It’s life. School photos may be the same pose or same expression each year, but it’s still a part of my kids’ lives. They tell a story of that year of their life. They show the progression with each passing year. They hold a memory just as much as any of my lifestyle photos.