Getting into the business of school portraits can seem like a far-reaching goal with schools already committed to their “old school” portrait photographer. Yet with some preparation and resourcefulness, you can impress and win over schools and parents with a fresh alternative.
First, you want to decide on the age group that you want to photograph. Do you want to photograph children in preschool, elementary, middle, or high school? Once you’ve narrowed this down, you’ll want to build a small portfolio for that age. You can ask to photograph your friends’ and neighbors’ children in exchange for free photos. You want your portfolio to look like real school portraits and a close representation of what you will actually deliver. I set up the backdrop I planned to use in schools in my garage and photographed my son and friends’ kids wearing a uniform-like, collared shirt.
With your portfolio complete, you should create some simple marketing and communication materials. You don’t need to spend money buying fancy brochures, just put some thought into them and make them look professional. Plan out exactly how the portrait process will be conducted and communicate it. What will be the timeline? How will families view their galleries? How will the prints and digital files be delivered? You’ll also want to provide a pricing sheet. All of these materials will give the school a clear idea of what you’ll do and provide them confidence that the portraits will run smoothly.
Target a few schools that you think will make good clients and contact their decision makers. If the schools seem very tied to their current photographer, you can suggest doing their spring portraits. Whether it’s fall or spring portraits, the workload will be larger than you anticipate. Taking photos and managing the accounts of hundreds of kids is time consuming so I recommend starting simple with just one school.
With your talent and hard work, you’re sure to dazzle school families with your beautiful portraits. The parents’ feedback and kids’ adorable smiles will bring you lasting rewards!
What should thr charge be going in? Is there an intial fee i should be charging for visit and set up?
I did school photos just like this – I got great smiles and great personalities – but everyone was disappointed by the “boring gray back ground” 🙁
Each portrait demonstrated the child’s personality. Precious. Congratulations. God Bless