To want to tell school photographers...

[Jedbartletforpresident]

...that if they want to make any money and actually sell their bloody photos they should not force the child to pose or smile in the way they decide is best regardless of whether the child is comfortable or happy about it.

Here's a tip - an uncomfortable child will result in an awkward looking photo - a comfortable child will result in a natural looking photo - it's not rocket science!!

(Talking about secondary age DC here so not a 5 year old who might benefit from some gentle encouragement)

No school photos for us this year

[shushpenfold]

Same here....1 out of 3 secondary age photos are so bad that we were in hysterics looking at them. I suspect that's not what they were looking for.

[Jedbartletforpresident]

So as not to drip feed - DS had twin block braces fitted a couple of weeks ago and when he smiles with his mouth closed he looks fine, but with his lips open he looks like a monkey!! The photographer refused to take the photo until he "showed some teeth" and continued to refuse even when DS explained about his braces and how he was more comfortable with his mouth closed.

[KatoPotato]

Also, nobody wants to buy a 4ft long print of the entire class, with no shoes on, casually leaning on each other looking like they've a gun to their heads!

Bring back the old style benches please!

[Deploycharitygoats]

There's a school photo of my DSis (then 15) with her best "fuck you" face. The photographer had been giving it the "now come on, smile, don't you want to look pretty for your mum?" and DSis said "my mother won't be buying this" and pulled a face. She was dead wrong

[soapboxqueen]

Some school photographers are excellent. Some are absolute rubbish. A colleague once had to argue that one child should be able to face the left rather than right because he had a massive black eye. He'd been attacked outside of school and obviously didn't want the black eye in the photo. Photographer was adamant all the children had to face the same way. These were individual photos not group shots.

[MaisyPops]

Also, nobody wants to buy a 4ft long print of the entire class, with no shoes on, casually leaning on each other looking like they've a gun to their heads!
I've had to be in ones like these before. It's awkward for all concerned.
Photographer: and you stand there Dylan and look at Daniel. Now Daniel if yoy place your hand on you hip and tilt that way. Now i need a lady, yes you what's your name? Lovely Sophie. You kneel down next to Dylan and another lady please. Erin if you stand here, twist a little, no the other way and then rest your arm on Sophie's shoulder. Right Mrs Pops. We want you in thr middle. If you stand just here. Gentleman shuffle over but hold that pose. Great Mrs Pops. If you can sit there and cross your legs, actually turn to face the other way. Yes lovely. Right I need you 3 tall ones to stand behind mrs Pops and you can just put you hand resting on her arm. And now the othet two, if you fold you arms and you tilt this way...

Benches. Always

[McPie]

Dtwins pictures always look like they have plucked two random kids to photograph! In 6 years I have bought one of them together. The only year all 3 Dc were ever going to be in school together the pictures were so terrible I refused to buy one and put in a complaint but that went nowhere as its still the same woman taking them. High school ones are worse as Ds1 always looks like an axe murderer in his and the poses are just so cringe worthy to see a big strapping teenager doing, so much so that last years proofs have been hidden to embarrass him in future

[Jedbartletforpresident]

My favourite school photo of any of my DC is of one of my DTs when she was in pre-k. (like school nursery) She has her tongue between her teeth and it is just so her! The photographer was trying to get her to smile in the way he wanted her to but the teacher (who knew and loved my child) said "no just take it however she's comfortable". I was given a chance to have it retaken if I wanted to afterwards but I had no intention of doing so - I love it! It captures her perfectly!

I have never bought a whole class photo - not even at the start or end of a school.

[Disn3yN3rd]

They do this with our eldest DD. She’s much better at it now but we have many school photos of her with a forced smile which led us to nickname it the “Chandler from Friends” smile.

[BringOnTheScience]

@MaisyPops 😂😂😂😂😂 for accuracy! One of those sessions was livened up considerably by a sudden cascade of vomit from the back row. Most exciting thing to happen for weeks!

[CruCru]

God I remember this. Our science teacher used to take our photos. I'd sit down, do a neutral smile and he would say "No, COME ON, smile!!!" At which I would do some horrific grimace. My Mum once said "But why didn't he tell you not to do that expression?!?!"

[Mummyoflittledragon]

I like the long class photos. Not 4ft though.

And how about actually taking a decent photo! Y’know making sure cardigans are not sticking out to make a child look like they have another shoulder on their back - didn’t buy it that year. And can you please take the shot closer? As in so it looks like the example photos of kids you get on the packs and not as though you could have fitted another child either side. And if my child says her mum’s asked her to leave her cardigan off so that we get a photo of her in her pinafore instead of yet a picture of another identical cardigan.

[chaplin1409]

My children had their photos taken 3 and half weeks ago and came home with codes so I can go online look and order. I was thinking great that will save time. Well jo it has not as they are still not online to view.

[Jedbartletforpresident]

MaisyPops I am crying! 😂😂😂

[TheSmallClangerWhistlesAgain]

People who are good photographers do not often work as school photographers.

A friend of mine is a professional photographer who does a lot of portraits. She never has her sitters locked into poses, staring directly at the camera. She uses high shutter speeds and multi-shots and likes people to move as she shoots. Her pictures are fab and people pay a lot of money for them.

[lalaloopyhead]

I've got a cracking one of my two eldest together (high school). Eldest at back with hand on sisters shoulder who has a grimacing smile which look like she is thinking 'please don't let this person hurt me'. It makes me chuckle every time I see it.

Also got one with dc at primary age with spectacularly wonky bunches, where they had obviously self adjusted at some point - why wouldn't someone fix that??

My biggest gripe is the price though....daylight bleeding robbery!!!

[PandorasXbox]

On the last school photo Ds has his arms folded as if he’s in a huff!

[SlipperyLizard]

I do wonder how these photographers make any money - the ones at DCs school regularly get posted on parents Facebook pages so we can all have a good laugh. I've bought a couple of class ones just for the memory, but never individual ones yet.

Thankfully we also have a local photographer come in and do more natural pics in the playground.

[WaxOnFeckOff]

My DSs; had the shoes off one. He got put in a group with 3 people who were bullying him, so we couldn't buy it and just cut the arseholes out. Then we couldn't buy DS2s cos we hadn't bought DS1s ....

[Willow2017]

Glad we seem to have been lucky with our school photographs. Have always bought them, only 1 has ds1 looking slightly nervous in it but still a nice photo.
But the price! really for 1 photo! And does anyone actually buy the 65 passport size photos with key fobs with 4 5x6 desktop framed photos plus 10x12inch portrait (the only one you want) all for the bargain price of £65?

[paranoidpammywhammy2]

It would be nice if they printed photos out in standard sizes so I don't have to arrange for hand-made frames to fit them in.

I'm seriously thinking of doing a frame making course.

[paranoidpammywhammy2]

Have to add, they are generally very good photos in great poses and reasonably priced - so maybe the weird sizes isn't too bad.

[GlitterGlue]

Ours are dreadful. I haven't bought one since reception.

They manage to turn a perfectly normal looking child into a boss eyed troll.

[TheNoodlesIncident]

I like my ds to take his glasses off so his face can be seen more clearly. One year he forgot (and I forgot to remind his TA) so I made him wear his uniform on the Saturday after and get the photo done at a local photographer shop.

They were really nice, and for a lesser price we could have a nice collection of different images, not just one.

We should do that every year really

[SocksRock]

A photographer near me managed to alienate a whole school. He insisted that the children must remove their poppies for the photos to be taken. It was 11/11. In a school where I would conservatively guess 80% of the children were military dependents....

There was an uproar from the parents.