Schools

How to Take a Great Back-to-School Photo

School starts tomorrow in North Branford. Have you put any thought into how to capture that perfect back-to-school photo?

 

Yes, summer is over. Sorry to be the bearer of the end of summer news, but it was going to happen eventually! Yes, tomorrow you will be getting back into and overseeing homework. Time to put away the sand toys, the bathing suits and the floaties.

Have you picked out the outfit with your child yet? Chances are, it involves lots of trying on and discard piles a mile high! With all that thought into the first day of school, you want to make sure you capture the fleeting moment of the first day of <insert grade here>. But, with the rush of getting back into the routine, how do you get that perfect shot?

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Here are some tips to making beautiful memories:

1. Make sure your camera is ready. Are the batteries charged? Is there room on the memory chip? You’d hate to have the battery die just as you were snapping that shot of your little scholar getting on the bus. Or, having to delete photos of that end of summer BBQ!

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2. Time it. Take pictures earlier in the day when everything looks fresh and the kids are still excited.

3. Think outside the formal shot. Yes, the kids look great standing straight with their shiny new sneakers and Batman backpack, but what about some of the other events that lead up to back to school?

For example, take photos shopping for back-to-school clothes, getting a new backpack, organizing supplies, waiting in line for the bus, meeting their teacher for the first time, brushing their teeth, combing their hair, picking out shoes, etc. Candid photos can be so much more interesting than the formal shot. Save the stuffy formals in front of fake backgrounds for the school-issued portraits.

4. Make it a landmark event. Try to take at least one photo standing next to something like the front door to mark their growth from year to year. Or, next to the sign at school so it is clear in the photo where your young scholar was heading off to for their first day.

Other things you can do is have your child hold a sign with their age and grade, or write the important details in chalk on the driveway (but don't let them get their new clothes covered in chalkdust!).

5. Have fun. Most likely your kids are a bundle of nervous energy for the first day of school. Ensure you work in plenty of photo time as to not add more stress to the start of their first day. Laugh and joke, take some silly photos and enjoy the moment!

6. Show me the photos! Show us how your kids go back to school in style and brag about your mad photography skills! Enter all your great 


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