How are school pictures done in your area?

Pictures for elementary, middle school and high school are done a few days before school starts. Everybody has their picture taken for ASB cards and the yearbook. If you want to order pictures, you can do so on picture day or a couple of weeks later when they send home the proofs. If you miss picture day, there is a make up day scheduled once school starts.

We do LifeTouch too. I guess I hadn't really thought about it before. I always buy the cheapest package - a few individual pics and a class picture. I never do anything with the pictures but put them in my daughter's file (I take my own pics that go to grandparents, etc.) - so I haven't been that concerned about quality (although all the pics have been fine).

They do retakes here or a makeup day - but not sure how it works if you already bought a package.

This is how it's always been done in our area. You pay the day pics are taken. If you don't care for them there is a retake day.

For years a local photographer did it. I loved it as I could get a very cheap package that included a 5 x 7, and each year just add the next one. how cheap? DS's photo package is $13 bucks. I paid the same for DD a couple of weeks ago. All I really want is the one 5x7, so at the end of both of their school years I'll have the progression from pre-K up through Senior year all in the same size.

DD's 4th grade year the school switched to lifetouch. I about choked when i saw the prices. We ended up paying over 40 bucks between the 2 of them JUST so I could get my 5x7 to match the other years.

We switched schools for 5th grade and we're back to the local company which they're using this year as well (both middle and elementary). I was SO happy to see them come back. I still follow the old elementary on facebook and it appears they still use Lifetouch.

They do offer a retake day, we've only used it once when DS, who has become very self conscious about his teeth decided to do some kind of wonky smile where he sucked in his lower lip and pushed out his upper lip. It was just bad. Any other time I just say this is where they are at this stage and let it go. Helps that my oldest is a ham hock and is always excited for picture day.

For my kids' school district, lifetouch does the elementary and middle school pictures. High school pictures are done by a local studio that is owned by an alumni (she does it very well and loved the boys high school pictures far more than the ones by lifetouch). There's no longer a picture day during school. It's done at registration about a month before school starts. Re-takes are done during the first conferences in early October. Pictures are pre-paid. Didn't pay? Then the only thing that happens with the picture is that it goes into the yearbook and is used for the student ID. Every student must have a picture taken for ID. At least at the middle and high school, they do.

I know a few families in the other districts. One district does (did?) picture day on count day to ensure the highest # of kids present. Another had theirs yesterday.

Ours are done by Interstate Studios.. the same people that did mine back in the 80's! And you can pay for a backdrop upgrade and still get the laser light show effect if you want 😂. We pay up front with one chance for a retake, but they do take everyone's photo regardless for the class photo "collage".

Lifetouch here too. In the fall, we get an announcement sent home about picture day. I can't remember if there is a full order form with it or not (there probably is), but there is online info that you can use to pick your backgrounds, packages, etc. I order the smallest package with the class picture, usually. Everyone gets their picture taken and we get the proofs electronically. They do it again in spring, but they only take photos of those kids who order, I think. I've never been interested in doing them twice a year, so I don't pay attention.

Lifetouch here too, now that they bought out our local company (sad face)

They take everyone's picture order or not and you can order online anytime. Everyone is in the yearbook. I would be pissed if not, that punishes kids whose families can't afford school pics and that's not okay.

Lifetouch is fine as a pic company, I don't know how much I expect out of school pics anyway.

We have had Lifetouch, but currently have Ripcho, but it is pretty much identical. They send home the flyer listing all of the overpriced packages from which you order and send in payment on picture day, cross your fingers and hope for the best. Everybody gets photographed whether or not they order for school IDs and yearbook. No spring pictures for middle or high school.

They're separate I think. There are 2 picture days every year in most schools I know. Fall is an order, you get your ordered package. Spring you don't order in advance, that package goes home and you send back what you don't want.

Usually photos are done by Lifetouch or Herff Jones because those are the big yearbook companies. Between K to HS, my kids were in 11 schools. Sometimes we got the photo package before paying, sometimes we had to pay to get a photo package, sometimes we had to pay in person, sometimes we had to pay online, sometimes photos were in the fall and the spring, sometimes there were fancy backdrops, sometimes you had to pay for a backdrop anything more than grey... I've seen every variation out there, I think!

Each variation of photos has different a different price/kickback structure, which ultimately helps determine yearbook pricing. I've also heard people say that you don't really have to return the photos from the packages they automatically send, as how are they going to MAKE you pay for them. Also in this digital age, people are scanning the auto package photos and then returning the package. My guess is that in the past few years, revenue from those auto photo packages has fallen to the point where it's not profitable anymore.

I'm VERY surprised that not every student is in the yearbook--that seems very odd for a public school. Also, photos are put into a student's file (even elementary) and used for ID cards if those are used at the school. And the ID cards most likely come from the photo company as well.

As for not seeing the photos first, you have the option of retakes or you can ask for a refund. Retakes will be very shortly after the photos come home, but they shouldn't be before the photos come home. It could you your kids are leaving photos at school until after the retakes. DS did that one year, as he hated having his photo taken and that year's photo was BAD! Precious darling.

We have Lifetouch as well and always had to chose a package before the picture was taken. In the Spring we always received all the pictures and then chose. I always like the spring pictures best so I waited for those. I would order an 8x10 in the fall pictures and the entire Spring package because I liked the extras we got.

Lifetouch here too. We prepay for the photos early in the fall (only) and they come before Christmas because I put them in with some of our Christmas cards. If you don't like the photos when they come back you can dress your kid up for retake day and try again. DD's school pics last year were really nice, I was pretty impressed.