Missing School Photos - What can we do?
Life doesn’t always go as planned, and sometimes, children miss school photo day due to illness, we may be dissatisfied with the quality of the photos, or we simply lose track of them. This was exactly my experience six years ago. My co-founder, Natalie, and I came up with the idea of creating custom picture frames specifically designed to showcase the precious school photos we had invested in over the years. However, there was one issue—some of those photos were missing.
As a small business owner (I used to run a travel agency before the industry took a hit) and a mother of three, staying on top of home organization wasn’t my strong suit. Despite my best efforts, I found school photo packs stashed in cupboards, filing cabinets, and even stuck to the fridge, but I had somehow misplaced the reception photo packs of my two school-age children.
A year ago, my daughter came home, disappointed with her school pictures. She has thick, wavy hair, and some strands had escaped from her ponytail, giving the effect of back hairs escaping out of her white school blouse. While I tried to reassure her that it wasn’t too noticeable, the reality was that it was—and it didn’t look great! I reached out to the school’s photography company, and they informed me that they offered re-sitting sessions during the upcoming school holidays for students who had missed their photos or were unsatisfied with the results.
We took advantage of this opportunity, and as seen in the photo above, we managed to get a great headshot of her—dressed in uniform from the waist up, with no extra charge for the re-shoot. Needless to say, we were thrilled with the outcome!
So, what can you do if you are missing a photo or two (or more)? Here are a few suggestions:-
1. CONTACT THE PHOTOGRAPHER
If you have lost the photo, contact the school photography company and see if they can re-print this for you. They keep them on file for a while, just tell them the name of the school, the year and class.
2. FIND A SUBSTITUTE
Find a replacement photo that you may have taken or copy out of a school yearbook photo. In my case, I was fortunate that the school organizes a photographer to take a photo of the little ones on their first day of school. Below I have circled the photos I scanned and re-sized of my two eldest kids. These are the pictures of them standing with the hand on the door handle to their class. These are their reception/prep photos.
3. D.I.Y.
Pop the kids in their usual school attire/uniform in front of a plain backdrop and take a photo of them yourself. We did this for my best friend’s son, who photos we use for promotional material. The circled photo is one I took myself, as he was away sick from school on photo day.
4. ENQUIRE ABOUT RE-SHOOTING
If you are unhappy with your school photo (the old lazy eye, cold sore or escaping back hairs) find out if the school photography will re-shoot them for you. School photo packs aren’t cheap, and the photography companies will want you to be happy with the final product.
I truly love each of my children's school photos for what they represent. While they may not always be perfect, they capture a moment in time—an authentic snapshot of who they were on that day, in that class. From quirky hairstyles and crooked teeth to braces and awkward smiles, these photos hold a special charm. What I cherish most about displaying them is witnessing how much our children grow and evolve, ultimately blossoming into beautiful young adults.
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