A lot is going on leading up to the first day of the new school year. Many parents will remember this day with photos and videos as they send their kids off to school, some for the first time. You’ll want to put in the extra effort for an excellent picture. Your children, especially the little ones, can be tricky to capture while trying to get them to the bus on time, but you really want to be able to look back to see how they’ve changed and grown over the years. We know from experience!
First-day school picture tips and ideas
Take the pressure off of picture taking by knowing you never have to get a perfect shot. Candid photos of children in motion and micro-moments are better anyway, so don’t hesitate. Smartphones also have editing tools in the photo app to let you crop, brighten, enhance color, so you can ‘fix’ it later.
- Remember to tap your screen to focus the shot before taking the picture.
- Have kids sit on the steps of your home to create a backdrop on the way out the door. Windows and doorways make excellent frames for your shot.
- Let kids choose a new outfit or dress up as what they want to be when they grow up.
- Have them hold a sign they made for their first day with the date of their future graduation or last year’s photo.
- Get you and their siblings in authentic moments together, having breakfast, filling backpacks with supplies, cuddling on the couch, or playing outside.
- Include pets and best friends in photos, and get silly to tempt smiles.
- Be sure everyone in the photo has consistent lighting, don’t have some in the sunlight while others are in the shade.
- Later, take a “last day of school” photo to compare with the first day and see how much they changed throughout the year.
Managing all that school-related stuff
At the beginning of the school year, you will have paperwork, lists of supplies, bus schedules, class schedules, notes from the school principal, and several teachers welcoming you and discussing important rules and regulations. Your smartphone notes app can keep track of things you need and keep screenshots of paperwork in a separate place from your photos. iPhone comes with a built-in Notes app, and Android has a downloadable version called Keep My Notes. You can also find other apps online like OneNote, Evernote, or Simplenote to find one you like the best.
The apps all work in a similar way. Launch the application from your phone’s home screen, then:
- Tap ‘compose’ or ‘create’ to make a new note
- Tap inside the note to bring up a keyboard and start writing (your notes app may have a voice feature if you don’t like to type)
- Hit ‘done’ or ‘save’ when finished
- Select your to-do lists and reminders to view and edit any time
Showcasing artwork and school photos
By the end of the year, you are sure to have a collection of artwork created by your kids. We recommend preserving your treasured memories by scanning them first, then finding ways to showcase them. Any 3-dimensional art can be preserved by taking a photo in case the original gets lost or damaged. Both artwork and school photos can be displayed in many different ways. One of our favorites is using Wexel Art Frames to create a unique gallery wall in your home.
Picture This Organized shares 7 Creative Ways to Showcase Yearly School Photos in one of our previous blog posts. We explain how to scan and save all your images, then create collages and wall displays. As your collection grows, contact us to help you put your photos in hardbound keepsakes, shareable digital albums, or make memorable slideshows that progress throughout your child’s lifetime.