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Recently, someone asked me to share a few tips on how to take a good first-day-of-school photograph of kids. She began, "See, the reason ..."
But she didn't have to explain. This is actually a topic I've been thinking a lot of these days. Because, you see, my baby girl starts kindergarten this fall.
For so long, I've had friends forwarding their first-day-of-school photographs for me, and really, I have to say that for the most part, the photos have been fantastic. I mean, really, it's hard to screw up a photograph of a child in brand spanking new back-to-school clothes, eagerly looking forward to seeing all of her friends. I'm thrilled that this year, I get to join the Fraternity of Sending the Kids Off To School. But recently, I spent a day photographing small, beautiful moments, and it occurs to me that perhaps this method is an ideal way to capture the vibe of the first day of school. So yesterday (a day which was almost two weeks before the actual first day of school), Alex assisted me in reenacting a typical first day, so that could give you some ideas for shooting your child's first day.
The school supplies:
When I was a kid, one of the best part of the first day of school was that brand new stash of pristine school supplies -- so full of promise! So full of potential! My daughter is no different -- when I purchased all the stuff for her new school, she couldn't get enough of it. In particular, do note the Hannah Montana thermos: Alex, sadly, cannot get enough of Hannah Montana. Alex wanted everything Hannah Montana. I said absolutely not. That thermos represents the compromise.
I took this shot first thing in the morning, before waking her to come for breakfast. I knew that seeing all her brand new stuff would get her excited about school, so I laid them on the kitchen table by her seat. And I grabbed the shot.
Breakfast:
Most important meal of the day, man. Alex isn't particularly a morning person, but she becomes animated at breakfast time. I thought capturing her talking about what she expects for the oncoming day would be appropriate.
New school clothes:
While Alex was chattering away, I decided to steal away and set her clothes out for her to put on. It's pretty common for kids to have new back-to-school clothing (because it's some sort of law of nature that they grow a good six inches during the summer), so I thought this would be a great iconic shot to add to the collection.
Morning ablutions:
Once Alex had finished breakfast (and now in full chatterbox mode), I moved her into the bathroom to get ready. Again, I felt like this was a great shot to grab -- she's totally excited about the day, and it's a lovely everyday moment that we'll look on fondly in years to come.
The iconic portrait:
Finally, once dressed, it was time to take the official portrait -- after all, in the years to come, you're really going to want to remember exactly what your child looked like as he or she heads off for that new grade. My main piece of advice for this photograph, therefore: get in close. You can take some full length shots, of course, but be sure to get at least one nice, tight shot as well. Years later, you'll be glad you did.
And finally, grab a few shots of your kid heading off:
After all, she's a big girl now.
So I hope this gives you a couple of ideas how to not only capture a great portrait of your little student, but also how to capture the feel of the first day of school vibe, as well. And once taken some great photographs, please feel free to come back and share links to them in the comments, below -- I'd love to see your little ones.
Karen is a writer and photographer in Houston, Texas. You can read/see more of her work at Chookooloonks.
