Are Smiles At School the Right Schools Photographer For Your School?

We’re going to attempt to answer some of the most commonly asked questions by schools who want a new photographer, but aren’t sure about us yet.

What Kind Of Photos Do You Take?

We love a great, natural portrait photo – one where the smile is wide and genuine, and you can almost hear the laughter bubbling through the print. We have a unique style and approach to school and nursery photography that’s designed to capture each child’s personality at it’s best.

“Best photos we have had taken of her and would use this gentleman again. They capture her lovely smile.” Nursery Mum

We can take school group photos, individual portraits with siblings too, and leavers portraits, as well as staff photos, maximising your visibility with marketing photography and video plus fundraising options to raise much needed cash fo your school with ideas from family photo days to event photos. And for Nurseries and Preschools, there are our seasonal nursery photo days, preschool graduation photos and nursery marketing solutions too. And fundraising galore! If you’re not sure what you need, just drop us an email and ask!

Can We Trust You?

Of course, you can! But we know you don’t want to take our word for that. At Smiles at School, each of our photographers are DBS checked to the enhanced level and has years of experience working with children of all ages. They’re also all trained to meet our own code of ethics and standards, including safeguarding practices, so you know that you’ll get the same level of service no matter which photographer you use. And finally, all of the images we capture are stored in secure, encrypted databases and archived after 1 year, so you know they are safe too.

Most of our partner schools and nurseries have stayed with us for over 5 years, and many for 10+ successful years, so we feel that demonstrates a great relationship. Why not take a look at some of our feedback and customer reviews on our website and on google. We have amongst the highest rating of school photography companies in the UK, and a far higher rating than the biggest National companies.

“The feedback from parents has been very positive , and there have been a lot of orders placed. We are overall very pleased with the quality and service and will continue to use them.”

What Happens On Photo Day?

By the time photo day rolls around, you’ll have had plenty of emails from us, helping you to prepare, so it’s time to put on a show!

The day before we ask that you choose the spot you’d like your photos taken, and clear the space for us. Around a 4m space indoors is ideal, outdoors we just need a big clear area. Don’t forget to remind your staff so that they can glam up a bit if you’re having staff photos done too. We will arrive up to 1 hour before the session starts to give us time to set up our equipment, backdrops, any props we want to use and grab a shot of caffeine before the busy day begins. 

While we’re setting up, you’ll need to have a list of names written down for us, so that we can make sure we don’t miss anyone as we move through the children. At school, class registers are easy. Nurseries should have their equivalent on hand. We also recommend you have someone whose job it is to get the children ready for their photos at the right times. Again, schools can rely on teachers and TA’s. For Nurseries, pick someone who can devote the morning, afternoon or even full day to making sure clothes are correct, with hair brushed and clean faces, ready for photos. This is vital for ensuring no-one is missed, and the right ‘photo outfits’ are used – your parents will thank you for it!

Then put the kettle on (again – photographers run on coffee) and have fun! The children will feed off your enthusiasm.

Do You Edit The Images?

All our images are edited for colour and clarity as part of our processes to ensure the perfect print. We make every effort to make sure every child is clean and tidy before we start taking photographs and of course we ensure all photos are lit correctly. But kids will be kids, and the odd mark or stain does creep in sometimes! There may be the off playtime scratch, teen spot, and other blemish. We won’t automatically edit these things out as they are part of the charm for some parents. But if a parent does want them removed, then just let us know and we’ll do what we can (within reason). Usually, if it’s a simple task, there’s no added charge, but bigger jobs may require a small charge to cover our editing costs.

How Do Parents View Their Photos?

After they’ve had their photo taken, each child is sent home with a proof sheet that has a sample image or two along the top, and a link to view the whole gallery. There are instructions on the order form to order. All parents have to do is visit our ordering website and enter the image reference provided. From there they can view all of the images taken of their child, and order those they love online. No need ot return orders to school, or send cash. No hassle for the school, and the fastest turnaround in the industry.

What Happens If A Child Doesn’t Want To Have Their Photo Taken?

Of course, things don’t go right all of the time. While we will always do our best to get a big smile out of every child, it doesn’t always happen. Our photographers do have a range of techniques to draw out a smile from a child, from jokes, silly games, puppets and sometimes just an honest genuine smile from our photographers, to get them grinning. Even if a wide smile isn’t forthcoming, the results will be natural and genuine.

If you have a student who doesn’t feel like joining in for a photo when it’s their turn, we’ll happily try again later in the session, no pressure. We have our ways to encourage them, and we guarantee to have done everything we can to capture every child, even those who refuse point blank to have their photo taken (mostly in nurseries and preschools, but we’ve met some stubborn 11-year-olds too!) We believe that no parent should miss out on a photo day photo.

How long does the process take?

We’re proud to have one of the fastest processes out there, with proofs given to parents within just a few days and orders delivered direct within 2-5 days. All in all, the photo day process can be up to 3 weeks faster to complete than some of our competitors, meaning you can put photo day behind you, enjoy your commission and move on to your next project much quicker with us!

What else can you help us with?

Yes, we may be a small company, but we are mighty! Not only can we take your annual portrait and group photos for your families, but you can trust us with your marketing too – from website and display photos to promotional videos and more. And fundraising is easy with some of our creative ways of maximising your events and activities. Whether you’re looking to celebrate new students first days at school, or your year 6 leavers – we’ll have something to help your maximise the feelgood factor and fundraising opportunity too! Hopefully, that gives you a good starting point for what it’s like to work with us, and how we approach school photography. We have a wide range of services that can benefit schools of all sizes, as well as some fantastic ideas to help you market and fundraise for your school too. So if you’re thinking of switching school photographers, we’d love to hear from you!

You can get started in 3 easy steps:

1. Complete our website form
2. We’ll chat about your requirements and how we can help
3. We’ll propose a suitable date to suit you and then it’s plain sailing from there!

We look forward to welcoming you to the Smiles At School family!