School Portraits
About...
Work with Kaitlin Roten who's had years of experience working with kids and schools AND get school portraits parents will actually want to buy.
What do people say?
“You have brought tears to my eyes….Every single picture shows the character of each little lovely child! That is some skill, Kaitlin!” -Director of a Carrollton Preschool
FAQ:
How big of a school can you photograph? I can accommodate small schools and large schools. I recommend splitting larger schools into 2-3 photo days. I spend about 1 minute working with each student, a little longer than the average school photographer but I think that the genuine expressions that I get are worth the extra minute.
What is the ordering experience like? Welcome to the 21st century. All ordering is online and is easy. The images are priced a-la-carte so there is something for everyone (digitals, prints, frames, and canvases). There is no minimum order to guarantee that everyone can afford great school photos to document their child's year at your school. After the photos are ready to view, the parents have 2 weeks for ordering. All products are then delivered to the school, unless parents opt for direct to home shipping.
Can you do yearbook photos? Yes! Yearbook photos don't have to be inside in front of the same background! Who said that? Your yearbook photos will be taken the same style as my regular spring photos. Each student's yearbook photo will be a headshot and cropped so that it fits standard yearbook formatting.
What about rain? I set up a rain schedule just in case there is rain. The decision to move to the rain date will be give at least 24 hours in advance. I rather shoot outside on the school grounds so that part of your school is in the background of the student's photos. This combines their love for their photos and their love for their school.
We've worked with a private photographer before and it's gone bad, real bad. How are you different? I am a detailed person. I go into the school with a organized system of knowing which photo goes with which name, making sure my camera settings are ready to go so there is no fumbling around, and having a straight action plan.
What are the school's obligations? There is no yearly contract! Just a simple contract for the arranged photo date as to expectations. I won't ever make you sign a contract to lock you into years of using me as your school's photographer. I ask that 4 weeks before photo day I receive an excel document of the roster with student's birthdays (these will be their passwords). I will send the school contact an email with directions of how to view the photos - this email will need to be forwarded to parents. There is no minimum ordering required. Want to see the contract?
What is the timetable from pre-photo day to delivery?
At least 1 month I scout out a location and set up details and receive the roster from the school. I deliver personalized brochures for the school to hand out to the parents.
Photo day - I arrive early and set up. I photograph siblings and then photograph class by class. For larger schools I might recommend using 2 days to photograph.
3-4 days after photo day I send out an email to the school (which is then forwarded to parents) with directions how to view photos (in most cases this occurs the same day or a day after photo day!)
Parents have 2 weeks to order
After the 2 week order period I bring in all the prints and products to the school organized by class and name to be distributed to the students. Parents also have the option for ship to home.
