Archive for the ‘School Yearbook’ Category
Back-to-School Photos — 1st Day of School
Start your child’s school memory book on the first day of Kindergarten
If you’ve got a youngster starting Kindergarten or first grade, you’ll want to capture 
that first day in photos. With a little forethought and planning, you can get the photos that will tell a terrific story about your child’s first day of school. Here are a few tips to help you get the best shots and give you plenty to work with when you put together that memory book or booklet:
Start Photos at Home
- Get up earlier than normal. Allow plenty of time for photos.
- Lay out the child’s clothes. Snap a photo of the outfit or as the child chooses his/her clothing item.
- Try a Mirror Shot. Position the child in front of a full-length mirror. Stand behind the child, but out of the mirror’s view. Snap a picture of your child looking into the mirror.
- Got a stairway? Stand at the bottom of the stairs and shoot a few pictures of your child coming down the steps. Perhaps have him/her put one hand on the railing.
- Breakfast. Every kid has to start the first day of school with a good breakfast! Snap a few shots around the table. Be sure to include some closeups — maybe some humorous shots as the child “stuffs” some Cheerios into his mouth or some other silly thing that happens.
- Packing the Backpack. Maybe grab a couple of shots as your child checks his/her backback and adds a few last items. A vertical closeup is good.
- Got a Dog or Cat? How cute would a photo be of your child kissing or hugging the dog good-bye?
- Ready to Leave. When your child is all set, backpack and all, have him/her stand on the front porch or next to the car for one last shot before leaving for school.
Photos at School
When you shoot these photos depends on your school’s first-day procedure. If your school offers a pre-first-day visit at which the children meet the teacher, sit in a desk and generally get familiar with the classroom environment, you might prefer to get a lot of photos there. Then capture what you can on the actual first day of school. Here are some ideas:
- Get a shot of the front of the school. You can take this one after you’ve gotten your child settled in the classroom.
- Walking up to the door. Grab a shot or two of your child alone or with other children. Call to him/her to shoot you a quick wave and grab that shot.
- Your Child’s Teacher. Be sure to snap a photo of the teacher on the first day of school. If possible, as she greets your child.
- The Classroom. Take a few photos around the classroom. Maybe the desk in which your child will sit.
- The Chalkboard. Any notes on the chalkboard for the first day of school? Grabg a photo of that.
- The Bulletin Board. Teachers usually have these spiffed up for the first day of school. Snap a couple of photos.
- The Coatroom. If there’s a coatroom, check it out to see if there are coats/backpacks hanging on hooks — might be a cool shot.
- Go home.
- School Pick-up. Try to capture your child as he/she walks out the door from school on that first day.
- New Friends. How about a shot of your child with his/her new friends as they come out of school?
- After-School Snack. Taking your child for an ice cream cone or snack?Grab a photo to help wrap up the day in photos. Or if you go straight home, snap a shot of after-school snacktime at home.
Back Home. Try to catch a cute shot of your child walking up to the door at home — maybe the shirttails are hangout or the backback is dragging. Maybe your child is warmly greeting the dog after a long first day at school. Watch for cool photo opps that wrap up that first day!
Then What?
Upload your photos to lifephoto.com and start working on a memory book or booklet. Once your photos are uploaded, you can work on the project at your leisure, saving drafts online as you go. When your project is complete — and even before you have it printed — you can see an online flipping-page version of it. Better yet, you can e-mail that version to all your friends and relatives right from the lifephoto.com site — at no charge to you! How cool is that?!!
Post Back-to-School Photos Directly to Facebook, Twitter or your Blog
Lifephoto also gives you a lot of options for sharing those precious photos. Check it out now!
Photo Yearbook Makes a Wonderful Teacher’s Gift. Q&A with the Mom Who Made the Book.
In a recent post, I told you about an extraordinary teacher’s gift presented by a loving 5th grade class.
A class memory photo book put together by one mother with a lot of help from the students and their parents, 5th Grade Rocks covered the school year’s activities in photos and text. I interviewed the mom who headed up this project and she was most willing to share some of her thoughts about the photo book.
Amy Polsinelli was the Room Mom for Ms. DiNoto’s fifth grade class:
Q. How did the idea of a class book come up? Was it your idea?
A. Yes, it was my idea. Initially I wanted to publish a book for Ms. DiNoto with stores from her class that each student had written for her…but it was already the middle of March…and I did not think that I had enough time to gather all of the stories and prepare the book for publishing. So I decided I was going to create a memory book instead.
Q. What major content categories did you want to include?
A. My plan was to make a book that detailed every event throughout the school year. Aside from Pep Rallies and the Talent Show, I think I was able to incorporate everything. (Here’s a brief summary of the many topics Mrs. Polsinelli included:
- A dedication page to the teacher
- A section with individual photos of each child
- A personal note or letter to the teacher from each child — sprinkled throughout the book.
- Classroom photos plus a group photo of the boys and one of the girls
- Individual and small group photos of children engaged in various activities in and out of the classroom
- D.A.R.E. graduation
- Class parties
- 5th Grade’s “Living Wax Museum” project
- Field Day
- Field Trip to Greenfield Village
- Box Lunch Day
- Student/Teacher Volleyball Game
- Dozen of photos of students, the teacher and parent helpers
Q: How long did it take to gather all the content?
A. You don’t want to know! Kidding aside,
I began to gather pictures and letters in April. It took me quite awhile to collect a letter from every student. I requested the letters be sent to me via e-mail so Ms. DiNoto couldn’t see them. I think I acquired the last letter the day after the last day of school. It was easier to gather the pictures because many of them were the ones that I took, so they were already on hand. All in all, it took about 2-1/2 to 3 months to collect everything.
Q: Did you build the book in segments?
A: Yes. It came together a little bit at a time. The work I did one day would give me a feel for what I was going to do the next day. The only thing I knew was that I wanted to make sure I had all of the events, in order, from the beginning of the school year to the end.
Q: How long did it take you to actually build the book?
A: Okay, this is embarrassing…I finished the book in December 2009! It was a project that was MUCH bigger than I thought! Of course, I don’t think it would have taken as long if I didn’t switch companies (yes, I was using a different company initially). I had to restart the book twice. When I say “restart,” I mean from PAGE 1! The first time was when I switched from the other company (to Lifephoto.com) and the second time was because my computer died and I ended up losing EVERYTHING, even though it was saved! Lifephoto offered me a lot more in terms of page set-ups, photo sizes, fonts, etc.
Q: Any comments from other parents after seeing the book? How about the teacher?
A: Every parent who viewed the book thought it was “incredible.” They said they were surprised at how good it turned out.
A few of the parents want to order the book! Ms. DiNoto was overwhelmed with emotion. She told me how much she loved the book and how special that class was. No one had ever done anything like this for her and she appreciated it so much. NOTE: The book was presented to her in January 2010 at a special party bringing the class and Ms. DiNoto back together.
Q: How excited were the children to participate in this project?
A: I received some of the letters the same day I asked for them, so I’d have to say there were excited…at first. After awhile, I had to keep reminding a lot of kids to write their letters. I think with so much going on towards the end of the year, they would just forget.
Q: Did you collaborate with other parents or did you build it yourself?
A: Some parents generously offered their help with the book, but because I came up with the idea, I did not want to inconvenience other parents — I know how busy things get towards the end of the school year. Some parents sent me pictures of their child that I was excited to incorporate into the book. One parent in particular provided many photos of the children from the school year that I didn’t have and was very grateful for her contribution. By the way, every parent generously contributed toward the cost of the book. And they actually thanked me for doing the gift which made me feel better — I didn’t want anyone to feel like I was pushing the book on them.
Q: The book is creatively put together — the way you varied the page colors and styles, the photos and the children’s messages. Do you have a creative background?
A: I do not have any creative talent! I’ve done some scrapbooking here and there, but never completed a full album! I cannot draw to save my soul.
Q: Do you think anyone can accomplish the same kind of book with the Lifephoto book-building software?
A: With Lifephoto’s site and some time, this book is definitely something that can be accomplished.
Q: Were you pleased with the book build process? Are you happy with how the book turned out?
A: I was pleased with the book building process. I was able to accomplish the look I wanted with the options offered. I could call them (Lifephoto customer service reps) any time I needed help and someone was always willing to assist me. They even viewed the book with me over the phone before I submitted it! I was very happy with the way the book turned out. I know it sounds weird, but it impressed me most that the inside of the cover was lined and that there was a piece of parchment paper before the first page. I was hoping the book would have that kind of quality. I was elated when I saw the finished product!
Q: How did you hear of Lifephoto?
A: Through my research, I found Lifephoto’s Web site on the Internet. Never hearing of Lifephoto before, I was a bit skeptical. But when I learned they also operate Apollo Imagizing, which deals only with professional photographers, I knew I was in the right place. The site is easy to use; the quality of the products is outstanding and the staff is terrific!
NOTE: This book in its entirety — and all photo books created on Lifephoto.com — can be electronically shared on Facebook, Twitter, blogs, Web sites or by e-mail.
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One Teacher + One Class = Unforgettable 5th Grade Memory Book
The title of this photo book tells it all — 5th Grade Rocks! The kids and the teacher just “clicked” and everyone had a good time throughout the year. That’s why the class honored her with an extraordinary photo book depicting all the best of a year that flew by all too quickly. (See the Photo Sharing Preview of the whole book.)
Photos and Notes from the Students
The mom who put this book together used a wide range of photos from throughout the year:
Plan a first-day-of-school memory book for the class.
Be all-inclusive in the photos you take at school and you can be the class hero.
Besides snapping photos of your child, the teacher, the classroom and the playground, take digital photos of all the kids in your child’s class — together as a group, in small groups or clusters and individually. Get a couple of shots of every child to ensure each child will be in the book. Then make up a photo memory book that can be distributed by e-mail (using the free online flipping-book version) to the teacher and all parents in your child’s class. Parents who can’t be there for the first day of school will be extremely appreciative. continue reading
If you’ve got a youngster starting Kindergarten or first grade, you’ll want to capture that first day in photos. With a little forethought and planning, you can get the photos that will tell a terrific story about your child’s first day of school. Here are a few tips to help you get the best shots and give you plenty to work with when you put together that memory book or booklet: continue reading
