Unique Ideas of How to Take a Good School Photo

Photography Feb 14, 2024

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School photography is mostly done for promotional purposes. It is done for various reasons like the school’s website, school brochure, school profile, school prospectus, school’s yearbook, and many more reasons. Speaking of how to take a good school photo, you might wonder what is the big deal. Wear the uniform of the school, grab a camera and hand it over to your friend to click the picture. And you just have to pose for the camera. Say cheese! And done.

Well, this is a school photograph but not a professional one. If you want to warn your schoolmates not to get admission to your school then this process will do the deal. But commercially there is a huge chance of making it a disaster. There are a whole lot of processes that you can follow if you want impactful photography. The preparation starts a week before and continues even after the shoot until you get the printed images in your hand. Wanna know how to take a good school photo? Then don’t miss this blog. The journey will be interesting…

How to Take a Good School Photo?

The process of school photography can take a bit longer than you think. And by longer I meant the process may start a week ago. And the process will remain till the photo editing and photo retouching. It includes drinking enough water, taking care of your skin, preparing your outfit, preparing your poses, and a lot more. Let’s dive in…

Focusing On the Appearance

Looks are everything in the case of a photoshoot. Do whatever you want but the focus can’t get distracted from the appearance. Getting to the point. Accordin

1.Finalize the Perfect Outfit

A strong fashion sense can pull out an outfit that can make a person turn around to have a second look. Or a person would call you and ask “Hey bro, where did you get that outfit from?”. Looking fashionable and stylish is pretty cool, isn’t it? But for a formal photoshoot for good school pictures, you have to look modest and innocent. I already said that looks are the target here. So, school uniforms are the best option here. Yet some schools don’t have any uniforms so for them, you can pull out an outfit that will make you look decent. Avoid vibrant colors. Don’t pull anything too loud for the eyes, keep it simple and soothing. Don’t wear deep cuts for your top and avoid fancy outfits. A light-colored shirt and dark pants are the go-to options. Thinking of fabrics, grab something that doesn’t allow lights to pass through. Like opaque. Don’t try anything shiny, glittery, or stone attached.

2.Accessorize yourself with simplicity

The second thing that comes after the outfit is accessories. You can avoid any kind of accessories completely. It will make sure that the focus point of the picture is only you and nothing else. Yet some simple jewelry can enhance your look overall. But make sure your jewelry keeps the look simple and clean at the end. The end look doesn’t have that extreme and over-inflated look. To achieve that look, try a simple and thin gold, silver, or plain black chain with a simple, not too eye-catching pendant. Avoid any chunky and colorful necklace that can drag the eyes off the views. Also, don’t put on any heavy or thick chains which can ruin the look. You can also accessorize by wearing a watch that complements your wrist and also goes with the look of the school photography.

3.Don’t Change Your Look Too Much

You don’t need to change your look for a photoshoot. you can keep the look simple and as much as you want. In the picture, you have to look like yourself, so no need to make school photography turn into a fancy dress competition. Wear and carry the things you usually do. Try not to do something completely different, out of the box which is out of your comfort zone and doesn’t make you feel like yourself. For example, you are a person always with simple fabric and simple jewelry not wearing makeup or wearing very minimal clothing. Then don’t try to wear makeup for your school photography. That will make you uncomfortable and make your look don't fit in the frame. So, the best is not to try anything for the first time on the photoshoot.

4.Nobody Is Perfect So Don’t Worry About Perfection

We all have that obsession with looking perfect all the time. But isn’t it true that our imperfections make us what we are? Aren’t our imperfections perfect for us? We are constantly running after hiding our flaws and looking perfect and sometimes we take it too far and make our appearance unrecognizable sometimes. I highly suggest you not to do so. School photos are also a memory album. Be as much as you can be yourself. Embrace your flaws and feel confident about yourself. The camera should capture your confidence, not your tryna be perfect. In short, stop being concerned about looking perfect and focus on being yourself.

Enhance Your Appearance for a School Picture

Talking about looking perfect and flawless all the time, you can be flawless and healthy-looking if you follow some regular health routine and maintain a healthy lifestyle. Also, minimal makeup can enhance your look instead of making you look unrealistic.

1. Hydrate Yourself

The most important and undermined regular work is hydrating yourself. Drinking enough water. That will make you stay healthy and your skin glowy. Make your inner self glow in the picture. Make sure you look healthy and fit for the day. Even if you don’t really follow these instructions regularly, follow them at least for a week till the school photoshoot day.

2. Do Simple Makeup

Keep your make as simple as you can. The makeup should enhance your appearance. It should not make you look like someone else. You should do minimal makeup. Natural makeup. Natural makeup is makeup that looks seamless and looks like you are not wearing any makeup. Yes, I’m talking about the so-called #WokeUpLikeThis kinda makeup. Yeah, at this point you got me where I’m going. Let’s get into how you can achieve that look…

• Start with Primer

  As Nikki says “Not to prime, is a crime”. Priming your skin is important for makeup. This is the first step of every makeup routine. Even though this is the first step of makeup, make sure that your skin is fully prepared for the makeup. How to do that? Clean your face with a good cleanser or cleansing balm and dry your face with a dry towel. Then apply moisturizer on your face and wait for some seconds to let your face absorb the moisture and after that apply sunscreen or sunblock to the areas which are directly exposed to the sun. Then apply a decent amount of primer. Primer helps your makeup to sit and stay on your face for a long time.

• Conceal the Dark Spots

  Concealer is like magic for many. Basically, to those who have a lot of dark spots and dark circles. Many of us have dark circles under our eyes either of being stressed all the time or waking up all night long. These dark circles and pimple spots are not easy to go or can be done anything within a week. These things need more than a month to clear out. So, if you can take care of your skin for more than 1 month obediently then you might get a flawless base naturally. But if you are someone like me then there is a high chance that you don’t have enough time and get everything done at the last minute. For those moments use a concealer. The concealer should match exactly your skin color and your skin tone. Or you can use one or if not possible then 2 shades lighter. Never more than that, or else it will look very unnatural on anyone. Use on the areas where you think you have dark spots and blend in out properly.

  
• Don’t Use Foundation

  Yes. Don’t use foundations. A full coverage foundation is a big no. Never use a full-coverage foundation for regular makeup and when you are going somewhere formal. So, for school photography don’t use a full coverage foundation. My suggestion would be don’t use foundation at all. Instead of foundation use BB cream or CC cream. It will give a very lightweight coverage. Definitely good for a natural look. But if you don’t have a CC or BB cream on right now then go for a medium or sheer coverage foundation and put it only on the place where the foundation is actually needed. Now, if you don’t have a lightweight foundation either then you can grab your full coverage foundation. For full-coverage foundations take 1 or 2 drops of your foundation and take the same amount of moisturizer or sunscreen. By this your foundation will give you a lightweight foundation effect as well and your skin will get double protection.

• Use a Cream Blush

  Yes, you can use powder blush but it’s better not to. Since you eventually have to set your oily spots with translucent or banana (whatever suits your skin type) powder. It will make your face look even cakey if you go for a powder blush instead of a cream blush. Also, not only the formula you have to focus on the color as well. Use a color that will look natural and seamless on your face. If you are a fair skin colored human then go for a light pink color. It will complement your look. And if you are a dark skin-colored person then go for a dark pink-nude or dark peach-nude color. Or you can see the color-tone-matched makeup sites.

  
• Use a Tinted Lip Color

  Most women love lipstick and wear them every day. There is nothing wrong with that. But since you are shooting for school photos there are some tips that you should keep in mind. At this point, you have got to not use any vibrant or dark makeup which includes lip color as well. Here sheer lip colors will work the best. It will give a natural lip color effect. Bold color will drag the focus on your lips rather than focusing on your picture. You can use a lip liner as well. Lip liners can be used lightly and they can give a very natural look.

• Avoid Using Contour

  Well, this is not a makeup picture day so everything has been so natural and seamless. Nothing glamorous. No harsh or rough makeup on school photo day. So, say no to contour. Contour or bronze will give your face structure and make it look more mature than your age. Which is not the goal for the day. So, it is better to avoid any kind of contour or bronzer.

These were the basics of natural makeup. You can wear this look very often for any occasion you like. That’s the best part of natural makeup. And also, this type of makeup will make you feel more confident. The fun part is you can also go with bare makeup and leave your face on the photo editor and photo retouchers’ hand. You can still achieve that flawless smooth natural makeup-like finish through school photo editing.

Best Photography Tips for How to Take Yearbook Photos

Hello, to the photographer here. How are you? Worried? About how to take the best school pictures? Don’t worry. I got your back. There are plenty of photography tips. Each tip will give you a chance to explore a bit more.

1.Get The Perfect Lighting

Every professional shooting goes through the hassle of lighting. What lighting should they follow, what will look good on headshot photography, what will look good on model photography, or even what is best for real estate photography? School photography has become very easy these days. Nowadays, schools have been more chilled about photoshoots. So, you might get the flexibility of shooting outdoors as well. If you can manage that flexibility from the school authority then why not use it wisely? For outdoor shoots, if any time is not specified then you should definitely try the golden hour as the time of your photoshoot. Golden hour is the small time before the sunset and after the sunrise. Remember to avoid direct sunlight hit times like 12 p.m. that can ruin the picture. soft and dimmed lights will make the student’s appearance more enhanced.

Since you are shooting outdoors you have to be concerned about the background as well. You should not choose a background that is too colorful or too bold. Yes, you can choose different and more characteristic backgrounds for a change. But don’t choose a background that will overpower the subject. The only way to grab and keep the attention on the subject is by making her comfortable for the photoshoot. At the same time, she/he should look confident enough.

2.Use a Tripod for Blur-Free Photo

Yes, this part is optional. But we are talking about professionalism. So don’t take any risks. Without a tripod, your image has a high chance of coming out blurry. To avoid those shaky hands, you must need a tripod. Shooting a whole day with students can be exhausting and it needs a lot of patience. Even though you might control your mind and be calm mentally, and physically it’s almost impossible for anyone to hold a camera for a whole day like a statue. Hands will become shaky after a certain point. That’s why it’s wise to take a tripod for the photoshoot.

3.Shoot In An Angle

Are you posing for your passport picture? or your ID? No. Then would you pose like that? Come out of those regular poses and try something new. You can try different poses, yet those poses have to be decent and formal. Try different angles to keep it as formal as possible.

A trendy formal angle pose is 45°. To achieve this the model will stand at a 45° angle and look at the camera sideways. It doesn’t seem so interesting to hear. But try it once. You will see the confident and catchy vibes instantly. So, don’t be late at the party. make your version of 45° pose photography before it goes out of the trend.

4.Get The Suitable Background

There are common and easy options to choose from. Like white and black backgrounds, or classy blue backgrounds. These are the common and clearly formal visuals to showcase. Also, if you are shooting outdoors then you have plenty of options to choose from. Where to go and what to choose. Make sure you don’t focus on the background while clicking for the picture. The camera focus should always be on the student or the person (the model). In this case, the background can’t be bold, which distracts the audience. As I said before, keep the background simple.

Experiment with Some Funny Ways to Take School Pictures

For so long we have been talking about how to look good for picture day, how to pose for school pictures, how to prepare for picture day etc. Everything looks organized and pre-planned for the day. Nothing is going to be out of the way. But won’t the photographs come out pretty obvious? Won’t it give a scripted vibe? We don’t want that for sure. We are going to make it as natural as possible. There is no room for a forced smile. Sweet mistakes are welcomed here.

1.Smile Holding the Bag

Capture the pictures easily and yet have a different and happy effect on them. Ask a kid to be your model and grab a school bag. Ask him to give a smile while holding it. Which will make it look like the kid is happy. Here of course the image has to give the illusion of a natural smile. An artificial smile will make the image feel like a result of a forced smile. As a professional photographer, you have to make the kid smile. Crack some jokes. Don’t crack dad jokes, please. Other than that, you are good to go.

2.Pose With the ChalkBoard

School photography can carry some school elements like chalkboard. Ask your one-day little models to assemble. Give them handy chalkboards and ask them to draw and write whatever they want. Ask them to hold their boards and pose as they want to the camera. They will have the freedom to do what they want to do and the picture will automatically have a natural looking vibe by itself. But if your little models feel too shy to pose on their own then you can help them. You can guide them to have poses that will make them look confident. Like making them side back each other yet leaning on each other’s back and looking into the camera. They will feel the sense of having someone’s back and that confidence will reflect in their eye through the camera.

3.In The School Ground

Why not utilize the school’s grounds? Playgrounds can capture the real happiness of students in the school. So, don’t forget to capture happiness. You can randomly click some pictures from there to frame the candid and showcase it. You can also ask them to pose or play in a certain ride or a certain game that will easily be captured and understood from the clicked pictures.

4.With My Best Friend

One of the must-haves is focusing on the friendship among students. School life is the time for having some good friends and making memories with them. a bond that will go a long way. These images will hold memories for a long time. In short these theme pictures are not something you can let go of.

End Period

In the end, this blog is suitable for both those who want to look good in the school photos as well as for those who are photographers and going to do school photography. Doesn’t matter which group you belong to, you can make school photography interesting.

Of course, photography itself will take away a lot of effort and time from your wallet. Still, sometimes it won’t be able to showcase the perfect picture. That’s when you will need to contact the photo editors. And for that, you can only rely on Color Clipping Ltd. Why would you settle for something less when you can have the best at an affordable and cheap rate?

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Anika Wahab

Hello, it's Anika, Content Executive from Color Clipping Ltd with a devotion to contributing my skills and knowledge more simply. Keep learning and growing with us.