Our style

We know how you feel

When it comes to taking portraits of bright young things, there’s a lot to think about. Parents and carers, teachers, children and young adults themselves all have a different perspective that needs to be considered.

As mums, we’ve got lots of experience in sustaining fun moods, whilst staying patient and organised. We’ve all got up to date DBS certificates, public liability insurance and are masters in the delicate art of turning frowns upside down.

When school photos go wrong, they go really wrong. 

We’ve seen it all first hand, from tears to laughter and sometimes both simultaneously. The pose, the style, the poor quality prints and frames. Photoshopping that leaves childrens’ skin looking plastic. Bad lighting with a harsh flash. Eurgh!

Parents love their children, and they deserve photos that they love too.

Since we’ve spent years cultivating a great rapport with children through our photography work – including 15 years working out of our South Cheshire studio – we thought we’d take our skills on the road and shake things up a bit.

School portraits will never be the same again.

So…

Let their personality shine!

Our photographic style is all about individual personality. Children grow so fast it’s untrue. Sometimes it feels like they’re changing day by day. What makes them them today, may not be the case tomorrow. So we try to capture that little person as truthfully as we can. 

Our studio standard portraits look super fresh on a clean white or contemporary black background. Poses will be varied to see what feels right for them on that day – you just never know – and the mood and atmosphere will be relaxed and playful from start to finish.  So they have a great experience, and parents get fabulous shots bursting with individuality that really do capture who they are at that age, forever. 

And it’s all backed up with a seamless online ordering process and no school administration.  

 
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What makes us different

You can’t please all the people all of the time. But we definitely try… and seem to be succeeding!

When we set up pop-up portraits we really wanted to bring something new to the party. School photography is as old as photography itself (give or take a few terms), but it felt to us like there was much that could be improved. With schools, parents and classmates all having such different needs, we felt sure there should be a better approach that would keep them all happy.

So we gave this a lot of thought, and even conducted a bit of our own research. Here’s what we found:

Parents want photographs that reflect their personal style. They all have a different idea of what a school photo should look like. 

Schools want hassle-free photographs, with as little grumbling from parents as possible (and maybe a commission or donation).

Young people want to be left alone, with emotions ranging from mild dislike to outright dread – especially at the thought of a photo they hate on permanent display. 

We started with the young people. How can you change this dynamic so they actually enjoy themselves and like the photos that are taken? Simple: you make it a real experience. An event in the school calendar they can actually look forward to and enjoy. It needs to be fun.

But what about parents and teachers? They often have very different ideas of what a ‘good’ photo looks like. Some love our artistic creativity and have been craving a more fine art style, while others want the traditional approach. How do you satisfy them without teachers feeling like they are taking a risk? With three set-ups, of course.

Our three-set up approach

The solution, we realised, was to bring three set-ups with us to all our school shoots. Having a choice of photograph gives young people ownership over their experience, parents a style that suits them, and teachers the reassurance that they are keeping everyone happy. And extra choice for parents turns into more revenue for schools, too. Bonus. 

The set-ups we use are:

1. The traditional sims-ready portrait set-up 

This is our classic formal SIMS backdrop, which many parents will be expecting and schools require: white background, studio lighting, facing camera, etc. Ideal for grandparents, traditionalists and school records. 

2. The school selfie set-up

A total novelty in school settings, JOY (our photo booth) is a wonder to behold. Wherever we go classes flock round to check it out, and with good reason.

The focal point of the booth creates the buzz of an event, and it is ideal for children who don’t feel comfortable with big cameras and unfamiliar people holding them. By putting them in control of their own picture it becomes a whole different experience. And because they’re relaxed and having fun, the shots turn out great! Even the coolest customers won’t be able to help themselves and goofy expressions are A OK with us. Not one to send to uncles and aunts necessarily, but a welcome addition to the fridge door or their own bedrooms. We’ve got a huge amount of gorgeous archived shots from over the years to prove the power of JOY.

 3. The fine art set-up 

Our contemporary studio background has a static light (no flash) and allows us to get up close and personal. Instead of the formality of the sims photo (which can make the best of us feel self-conscious) this approach lets them be themselves. We focus on their eyes to create a vivid timeless portrait full of personality. Think ‘school photography with soul’. Of all three, this is the one that parents will be pulling out in years to come, to reconnect with their child at that age. We never ask for smiles, (though we snap them when we get them), because it’s not about a forced, cheerful expression. It’s about being themselves. We say ‘Just be you’… and the results can be extraordinary.  

Book your contactless session today!

We would love to find out more about your school and how we can help create enduring portraits of the children you’re teaching.

Get in touch to request an information pack, or let us know a good time to visit your school for a chat.