Alternatives to Stiff School Photos
Do your parents have file folders of school photos of you from over the years…appearing stiff, and even a bit uncomfortable but yet capturing your age and stage…as well as the crazy hair and fashion trends throughout the years? Do you have something similar of your own kids?
The key here is that they are in a folder, or hidden away in storage, not artfully displayed in you or your parents home.
My modern school portraits provide a modern (dare i repeat myself) alternative to the stiff file folder ready school photos of years past.
Here are six ways that modern school portraits provide an alternative to stiff school photos of the past.
Photos that show your child's personality
Capturing the true essence of your child in a photo is really the main goal I have when photographing your child. Wether at a preschool or a studio pop-up session, I want your child to be seen in that photo with their true personality shining.
Photos that show them looking off from the camera
Eye contact within a portrait holds a lot of power, but the same can be said for a photo without eye contact. When your child is looking off camera you can get a sense of their courage, curiosity, and wonder. I always love how this different style of portrait can capture a child at their current age.
Photos that show they are comfortable and relaxed
When a subject looks comfortable and relaxed within a photo, you as the viewer are comfortable and relaxed looking at the image. This is true as well with school photography. When I look back at photos where students look stiff and un-natural in their school photo, I feel uncomfortable for them. Modern school portraits aim to capture your child in a very relaxed, fun, engaged, and comfortable state…and will lead to your having beautiful wall art that you enjoy looking at.
Photos that show them laughing
A forced smile lends to stiff photos…but a photo of a child laughing makes everyone happy. This is true during a school photo or family photo session. Modern Portraits that also include an image of your child laughing lets you know that they were having fun, and this will come through their smile and the twinkle in their eye.
Photos that include their hands
Hands are beautiful, they provide safety, comfort, and connection. When children’s hands are showing in their modern school photos you gain an extra sense of their age, and a deeper connection to the child.
Photos that include their siblings
Modern School Photo sessions with me include the option for sibling photo sessions. This occurs at the preschool if both siblings attend the school, or at my studio pop-up modern portrait sessions. These quick and fun sibling sessions are a great benefit to the modern portrait sessions that the stiff school photos do not provide, and can create a beautiful display of a single child’s portrait, a sibling portrait, and another single child’s portrait. (I have three canvases displayed like this in my home and love them!)
I hope that these six ways that modern school portraits provide an alternative to stiff school photos of the past will encourage you to seek out a modern school photographer or studio pop-up event. I release my pop-up dates to my mailing list first, so be sure you are on the list! And, you can check out current pop-up availability here. And, if you have a preschool child in the Portland area, I’d love to chat with your preschool director about adding modern portraits to their school picture plans for the future. Send me an email so we can connect.
Are you interested in modern school portraits at your school, or for your kids? Contact Rebecca to chat!
Want to see more modern school portraits?
Check out these blog posts:
