Think school photos aren’t important… think again!

Jane Ellis LBIPP has shaken up the traditional way of capturing school photographs. Her article explains how her approach to school pictures differs from the typical posed, rigid images that have become commonplace by replacing them with fun, natural, vibrant portraits of pupils.

Mention school photos to me and I used to think of false grins or grumpy frowns and strange, pinned-back fringes (never seen before or since) on a white, grey or tacky blue background. A must-have ritual undertaken each year in schools across the country. Dreaded by most kids and an awkward inconvenience for teachers.

As my army of family portrait supporters grew, so did the encouragement for me to take on school photos and provide something better than what they were currently receiving. “Our photos were awful...you could do so much better,” I have heard so many times. However, I enjoyed my creative portrait photography, I liked the naturalness of my outdoor photoshoots and didn’t want to jump onto the conveyor-belt process of shot after shot of same pose, next child.

When a “part-time” position at a national school portrait company came along I decided to give it a shot (quite literally) . The experience didn’t change my views. Ridiculously tight schedules, rushing from one school to the next, following an exacting formula that could be followed by any non-photographer so that everything could be mass processed. Even one of the managers described it as a “sausage factory”…and “a numbers game.” As long as enough people bought the photos and of course they did…(it was the official school photo after-all)…every decent parent has to buy at least one, don’t they? Despite the constraints, my portraiture abilities shone through, and I achieved some fantastic sales returns for the company.

However, I knew I could give everyone involved a much better experience and product.

As an employee there was no time to focus on the shy girl or the cheeky boy who thought it all a great game to stick his tongue out until his allocated 30-second time slot was up. I was frustrated that I couldn’t have the flexibility to capture the shots that really showed these children’s personalities.

Fast forward to 2023 and I am now very excited to be finalising details for school bookings and getting back to one of the most rewarding parts of my business.

How have things changed?

In 2017 I started offering local schools a bespoke photography service. Working outdoors in the natural environment where children are so much more themselves, I offered mini multi-pose shoots. The response from parents has been phenomenal; after years of the same obligatory photos they were receiving a professional portfolio of their child, capturing, in their words, “the best photos of their children they had ever had”… not just the best school photo…but any photo!

Outdoor portraits help to create a real, meaningful memory of their school experience. Backdrops within the grounds such as a local sandstone wall engraved by past pupils or a favourite old climbing tree can help provide a memory of happy break-times with friends. After all, who remembers their school as a white void or a mottled grey?

Each new school I visit sees their photo sales jump and some very nice commission from their once stale school photos. I still have to work fast, of course, but children are much more co-operative outside with a bit more freedom to be natural and I surprise myself how quickly I can get through a school. Obviously, I am also geared up to provide indoor school sessions if needed and sometimes these can provide a nice change after a run of outdoor photo years.

Unlike some of the national companies I don’t need any gimmicks or long-term contracts to keep my schools coming back year after year.

Using my skills to get that “best photo ever” of even the most reluctant child, is a challenge that I thrive on. There are definitely some parents who wouldn’t forgive the school if they didn’t ask me back! There is always excitement in school to see the photos I have taken, whether marketing or individual photos. My photos make everyone in the school, staff and pupils, feel proud of who they are and what they do.