Tips for Taking School Pictures
Often, children are sent to school on picture day in clothes that they normally wouldn't wear, and scrunch their faces into unfamiliar forms with forced smiles. When the notice for school picture day comes home with your child, there are a few tips and tricks to help you prepare your student for taking a better photo.
Other People Are Reading
-
Get a Haircut
-
Take your child to have his hair cut or trimmed about two weeks prior to when their photo will be taken. A well-timed hair cut allows your child to have well-groomed hair without looking like he came straight from the barber's chair. The final result is photo that portrays the student's typical look.
Practice Smiling
-
Children often end up flashing unnatural grins for the camera. Help your child prepare for picture day by taking a few fun photos around the house to practice smiling naturally. Encourage children to relax and smile as though they're happy, not because they have to. Allow kids to look at the photos you take around the house to see how different facial expressions affect the photos.
-
Encourage Good Posture
-
School photos are typically taken with children sitting on a stool against a colored background. Remind students that only their shoulders, neck and head will appear in the photo, so it is important to sit up straight. Children should posture their body with a straight back and shoulders held slightly back. Sitting up properly helps students avoid looking slouched over in their school photos.
Wear Simple Clothes
-
School picture day outfits should be comfortable for the child to wear throughout the day and lend themselves to taking a back seat in the photo. Ideally, the focus of a school portrait should be the child's face. Flashy patterns or ruffled shirts can be a distracting element of the photo. To avoid distractions, dress your child in a shirt that is a solid color or simple pattern such as plaid.
Check Yourself Out
-
Young students may have the benefit of a teacher instructing them to fold their collars or wash their faces prior to school photos. However, older students should take a moment to duck into the bathroom and look into a mirror before taking a school photo. A quick look in the mirror can help students avoid taking a photo with a flipped up collar or wind-swept hair.
-
References
- Photo Credit old camera 2 image by James Lemmon from Fotolia.com
