School photo day with Iviana Bynum Photography will be a little different than what you might be used to from a school photo company. The information on this page is designed to help you get an idea of what to expect. If you need additional information please feel free to contact us.
How does it work? We photograph every child at school individually.
We spend a few minutes with each child. Gone are the days of sit, smile, click, next. I have years of experience in working with children. We do our best to elicit genuine smiles – even if it means wearing a lobster hat. When your children are with us, we never push. I give gentle instructions and allow their expressions to emerge while I photograph.
Approximately one week after photo day you’ll receive a letter in your child’s backpack or via email (it’s your school’s choice) with instructions and a code to view your private online gallery. In the gallery you will find options. Not one picture to fill your choice of packages, but multiple pictures and simple, easy to understand packages. We even offer a digital package for those parents who like to share their photos online or use them to print holiday cards.
We offer straightforward add-on options – high quality prints and beautiful custom frames. If you want to display two or three of your photos, consider a storyboard print where we create one print from multiple images.
What if my child gets upset? It happens. Some children are frightened at the lights or the newness of the situation. We do our best to comfort each child and allow them to warm up to the idea of having their photo taken. Some children like to watch their friends have their turn and some prefer to bring their special ‘Lovie’ with them. We read each situation and respect each child’s needs. There are some times that we desist in favor of not upsetting a child. If you have any information you wish to share with us before photo day please feel free to inform your child’s teacher and I will do my best to integrate it into our session. This is one of the main reasons that we believe in seeing your proofs before you purchase. If you don’t like your photos, you are under no obligation to buy.
Do you photograph siblings? We love photographing siblings together. Please contact your school before photo day to see if scheduling allows.
What should my kids wear? We encourage you to let your kids dress themselves for picture day. We think it’s great when a little boy wears his favorite tye-dye shirt and puts on a tie to make it ‘fancy’. Or when a little girl decides that her polka dot dress looks magical with her striped tights. In our experience, children who have been consulted about their outfits appear more secure in front of the camera. But even more than that, it’s all part of the memory. One day you’ll look back wistfully at the silly combos and remember that favorite shirt with an ache in your heart.
What NOT to wear? Completely contradicting the last paragraph, we suggest avoiding clothing with lettering and/or characters on it. While Spongebob may be your son’s favorite thing at the moment, a Spongebob shirt will absolutely draw focus from his face and makes for a very distracting photograph.
How about color? We usually suggest staying away from only two colors: stark white and the color of the backdrop. (We’ll inform you of the backdrop color in a letter that goes home a few weeks before photo day.) All other colors are encouraged!
Do you groom the children? No. We ask the teachers to help with simple grooming tasks (i.e. fixing hairdos that have come undone or tucking in shirts). If you want your child’s hair combed please send a comb and make sure their teacher knows what you want. You can feel free to send a note with any special requests (i.e. glasses off etc.) and we’ll do our best to accommodate.
Can you photoshop out the stain on my child’s shirt (etc.)? Try as we might, there are just some hairs that won’t stay in place or spots on shirts that can’t be hidden by cropping. While we do edit every photo for proper exposure and color before we upload it to your gallery, we just can’t retouch each photo for details like those. However, we do offer a retouching option in your gallery where you may request specific edits for a nominal fee. Edits you may request might include: Johnny’s nose is red from his allergies, can you reduce that? Or, I prefer my photo in black and white, can you convert it?
How many photos should I expect in my gallery? That depends. We do our best to photograph each child in multiple poses to give you as many options as possible. Some children are hesitant or frightened and in those cases we focus on making sure we get at least one relaxed expression. We continue with multiple poses only when the children are responding positively. With younger children you should expect fewer poses as we tend to keep them in one spot and aim for multiple expressions. Older children are typically more receptive to attempting different poses. If Susie’s mom told you that she had six images in her gallery and you only have three, the reason is almost certainly one of two things: either your child was struggling and after multiple gentle attempts we felt that we were upsetting him/her; or we felt we got a great expression and didn’t want to push any further. Please know that we have your child’s best interest in mind at all times.
After the Session:
Click the link titled “Client Access”. (The site is mobile device friendly, but I recommend viewing from a computer.)
- Navigate to your child’s gallery by finding their first name.
- Select your child’s gallery, enter your email address, and the password will be your child’s last name (all lower case)
Some important information:
- You are not required to order a package, but package prices do reflect a discount
over a la carte prints, and there is a minimum purchase of $20.*
- You may add a class photo to any package for $10 (class photo may be viewed in your gallery).
- A percentage of all sales will go directly back to your school to be used at their
discretion.
- Galleries will remain active for 1 week so that you can make your selections and place orders.
- All orders will be delivered to the school approximately 2 weeks after expiring.**
- I offer high-resolution downloads for families who like to own their digital files.
(Great for greeting cards, unlimited printing, and sharing online!)
**Canvases and oversized prints will be delivered to your home address in
approximately 14 days and may be subject to a shipping and handling charge.
Anything else? Please contact the studio at: iviana@ivianabynum.com with any other questions.