10 Tips for Back-to-School Photos

By Kelli Noto

It’s the first day of school and the kids are lined up on the front step for a few snapshots.

Unfortunately the sun is right in their eyes, they won’t stop pestering each other, and to top it off, the camera battery is dead. Sound familiar?

School plays a big part in a child’s life, and that first day of school, whether it is preschool or the senior year of high school, is a significant milestone; it’s one of those moments that you want to capture. Here are tips to snap a great back-to-school photo, one that reflects your child’s personality at that very instant.

1. Plan ahead.

Set out your camera the night before so you aren’t scrambling for it in the morning. Charge the battery and check available space on the memory card. Wake up your children a little bit early on that first day to allow time for picture taking.

2. Create a tradition.

Take a photograph in the same place every year to document your child’s growth next to an unchanging object.

Photographing your child by the front door or using the same brick wall as a background allows you to gauge the gains in height or count the bricks to determine growth.

3. Include the school.

Stand across the street from the school with your child to create a close-up shot with the school in the background.

Instead of placing your child directly in front of the school building, pose him or her about five feet in front of the camera with the school building in the distance. Use the wide-angle end of your zoom to include your student and the school building. This technique makes your child stand out in the photo while all of the other children blend into the background.

4. Document your children’s interests.

Take close-up photos of the characters on their backpacks, lunchboxes, or notebooks to record the things they love this year. Whether your child is obsessed with Thomas the Tank Engine, Tinkerbell, or Transformers, it will be fun to look back someday. Also, once they hit high school, you can use the pictures of the Barney backpack for blackmail.

5. Get sentimential.

Take a picture of your children as they walk away from you or as they board the bus.