Back to School Project: Class Pictures

Submitted By Dawn Camp

As a homeschooling family, we don’t have a day when our kids will have class pictures taken at school. Although I photograph my children all the time, most are candid “real-life” shots, not portraits. Last year was the first year that our family did official “Class Pictures,” an idea I recommend whether your kids attend home, public, or private school.

There’s a neat spot close to where my kids have music lessons, so we went there especially for our “class pictures.” Although my kids often make goofy faces or hide altogether when they see the camera, they knew this was something special, a new family ritual to mark the beginning of the school year.

I only had one child who couldn’t muster a smile, and she had a “do-over” photo taken later.

We have used these photos so many times this year: in the photobooks we ordered at Christmas; printed for family corkboards; submitted for our homeschool yearbook individual photos.

They are significant because they represent a special moment in time, new beginnings and a new school year.

These images are also perfect for digital or print scrapbooking layouts.

(digital scrapbooking paper downloaded for free from Trixie Scraps Designs)

I encourage you to take “official” class pictures at the beginning of each school year; my only regret is that we didn’t start long ago. As our family prepares for a fresh start, I can see the changes that just one year has made in my children’s faces, and I’m thankful that we’re purposefully capturing these moments in time.