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How Do School Pictures Work?

How Do School Pictures Work?

Never been part of Picture Day before? Not sure how it works? Take a peek behind the curtain......School Pictures 101. You can also find quick answers in our Picture Day FAQ - (frequently asked questions).

There will always be an assistant at your session working with you and our photographers. That helps us stay on track, often running ahead of schedule. This way, the day flows smoothly so it takes less time for each child. A typical class takes 10-15 minutes to photograph, including their class picture.

Picture Day Process

Crisp, Clean and Smooth......that’s our motto!!

You're busy running your school, camp, dance studio or sports league. The last thing you need is for Picture Day to be a hassle. Our strategy is to assimilate ourselves into your environment, not the other way around. You don't need the photographers taking over your building. Rather, we go about our business without interfering with yours. Give us a call and we'll be happy to provide specifics for your distinctive requirements. Here's what we do, all you do is smile!

  • We arrive on time and set up our equipment. This happens when and where you tell us. We like to keep the Class set-up and Individual set-ups as close as possible so as to keep the day organized and not "take over" your school. We typically require 30-45 minutes set-up time before the first picture is photographed.
  • Class photos are taken first.
  • Students are then guided to an Individual Photography set-up by our assistant or their teacher where portraits are taken.
  • Students return to their normal daily routine.
  • That's it!!


Class Bundles

Tired of receiving your pictures in a big box, then trying to figure out which student goes with which class? Our packages are truly user friendly! Each delivery is packed by class and clearly marked for easy distribution.

      • Shipping Carton - You will receive a carton containing a separate Class Bundle for each class. This makes distribution to teachers simple.
      • Class Bundle - This contains all the individual packages for that class. Each package will have the child's face showing through or have the child's name on it for easy identification.


Plan Types

Pre-Pay Plan

Does your current photographer provide order forms that are hard to understand and calculate the cost, only to find parents end up spending $50 or more for a package? We keep our prices low and our packages flexible so you can create just the right mix of prints and extras.

Our Pre-Pay picture day plan is far and away our most popular. It's the most cost-effective for parents, and requires almost no management by your school. Here's how simple it is:

  • About 2 weeks before Picture Day, Order Forms are delivered to you at no charge.
    You distribute them to parents . There is a tear off envelope on the bottom of the form which parents fill out ahead of time, and is handed to the photographer on Picture Day.
  • Our photographers arrive on Picture Day and provide a fun photo event experience.
  • Finished Portrait Packages are delivered in 2-3 weeks.
  • That's it!!

Proof Plan

This plan allows parents to view wallet sized proofs before making a purchasing decision. Because we photograph utilizing 100% digital technology, we're able to print Proof Envelopes in our office without sending them to the lab for processing. This means that you get them super fast......Always Within 1 Week!!

For High School Seniors and other schools who request it, we also offer traditional proofs on photographic paper in a variety of sizes.

Post Pay Plan

This plan works for parents who want to see finished prints before making a purchasing decision. We photograph one or more poses of every student. In 2-3 weeks packages are sent to you for distribution to parents, who then have a week to decide whether to keep all, some, or none of the prints. They either return payment along with prints they are not purchasing (if any), or they simply return all the prints.

We'll be happy to design a specific package configuration for you. You can add more poses and/or different backgrounds. As with all our plan types, the final say is yours. Tell us what you like!!

This plan requires a fair amount of "hands-on" by the school:

  • Receive Picture Packages and Distribute to Parents
  • Collect Payments and Returned Picture Packages from Parents
  • Follow-Up With Parents Who Have Not Returned Their Payment/Returns
  • Forward Payments and Returned Picture Packages to Simple Smiles Photography (we provide a pre-paid UPS Call Tag for pick-up of returned packages)