What are Fine Art School Portraits?

They're a beautiful revolution, that's what.

And I think they are long overdue. 

Fine Art School Portraits are a modern, simple approach to school photos that are growing in popularity. They're different from most school portraits in two big ways:  First, they are as simple as can be. Black background. Natural light. One lens, that doesn't zoom in or out, and imitates the view of the human eye. No backgrounds that look like a forest, or the deck of a ship. No autumn-themed prop setups. Definitely no green screens. Nothing to distract from the child. 

And second, they don't force each child into the same rigid mold. I won't tell them where to sit, how to sit, where to put their feet and their knees and their hands and how to turn their head and tilt their head and lift their chin and then smile!

That doesn't work well on most children. Most people, really. Children will never be forced to smile, for these portraits. Just look through my gallery of these images, and you'll see several where the kids are not smiling. Those are usually my favorites. Some kids love having their photo made and are used to it. Others are incredibly shy. They won't all fit into one mold, so I'm not going to try to fit them into one. I want to take their portrait. Theirs. No one else's.

Why are these photos important?

Because the children in the photos are important.

I believe every single child is worth the two minutes I will spend kneeling in front of them, asking them a couple of questions from behind my camera, watching for the moment their eyes relax, or light up, and I think - there they are! That's the real them.

I believe it's important to take beautiful, honest portraits of children. Portraits that both the children and their parents are proud of. So children believe that they are beautiful, and know they are worth those two minutes of my full attention.

Other details:

I will provide all the equipment and personnel needed for Picture Day. Parent or staff volunteers are incredibly helpful and appreciated, if available, because they know the school and the children better than I do — but if needed, I can bring an assistant!

I will come to the school before the scheduled Picture Day, to scout and select a location. I mainly need a good natural light source, and a place that can handle all the foot-traffic!

Each family will use an online gallery to view the final images, (2-5 images, in both color and black + white, for each child), and choose the photos they want printed. Families will have a couple weeks to place their orders online, and prints will be delivered to the school, to go home with kids. Digital files are also for sale. I will send a detailed PDF of the ordering process, for the school to give to families beforehand.

All my profit is made through these sales - no fee is due upfront. Don’t let the ‘Fine Art’ title scare you - these are still school portraits and are priced accordingly.

I will provide the school with the high-resolution digital files, to use for yearbooks, their website, ID badges, etc. 

When can we start?!

I am happy to discuss and book new schools for the 2022-2023 school year.

If you have more questions, please use the button below to send me a message through the contact page. Whether you are on staff at a school, or you're a parent that would like for your child's school to offer portraits like these soon - please send me a message and let me know that you are interested in this!