Skip to main content

School Photos 2013


As many of you know, in addition to my studio work I also have a very successful schools side to my business.  And as it is my policy to provide quality in all areas of my business I ensure it continues through this side as well.  Although my school portraits have a different look and a less time intensive style, the quality of the light, the processing, and the products are still in line with what I offer my studio clients and often excels the work of most, if not all other school photographers in this country.  I see no reason why the photographer's skill should be lower just because the end client is expected to spend less. 


I wanted to share a few examples of some of my favourite pieces (the ones I have permission to share) as I am just as proud of some of these as I am my studio work.  The expressions I am able to achieve in such a short space of time gives me a sense of pride as it must be so hard for children to open up like that with someone who is often a stranger to them. 


Having said that however, we do make a good effort to get to know the children and even remember their names as the years go by.  We've been with our first schools for 8 years now and we regularly ask the children their names as we work.  Repeatedly seeing their name with their photo while processing their orders helps reinforce it and we can often call them by name (or close to it) the following year.  Its a great feeling seeing the smile on a child's face when they see that we remembered them.  We're even a little sad when we realise that its the final time we'll be photographing those about to move onto the next school. 


Our work is a little different to most school photography businesses in that, as I said earlier, we like to keep the level of quality in line with what we offer our studio clients.  In doing so that means we spend much more time throughout the entire process.  First, we take more time with the children, doing our best to bring out the best in them.  I then select the 2 best images for the proof card myself which can be surprisingly difficult.  When the orders are placed I carry out any necessary Photoshop work requested on our order forms.  Most scratches and small blemishes can be removed easily so this is a service I offer free of charge.


I also have a lovely Photoshop process I run against all the images which enhances them just the way I like it.  Images straight out of camera aren't good enough for me so I don't let anything go out just as they are.  This process adds a little punch and crispness where needed and a little softness to the skin.  As with any automatic process though, it won't be perfect in all cases.  So as a final step I quickly review each image before the order for prints is placed. 


Once these arrive back with us (which takes our lab about a week to process) they are mounted and packaged in our studio.  This is another opportunity to ensure that our quality standards are met.  But of course, please bare in mind, that we are only human and mistakes can still be made.  If you have any problems just get in touch and I am sure we can sort it out. 


For those of you who wonder why it takes so long to receive your orders, this is why.  We put in a lot of effort for all of our schools and we do have many of them now.  And everyone wants them in time for Christmas.  We've never let anyone down yet and don't ever intend to. 


I also wanted to share with you all the fact that we pay a commission to all our schools.  I'm not sure many of you realise that 20% of everything we sell goes directly to the school.  And so it should as they provide us with the space and time we need to get the work done.  Without them we wouldn't have this revenue stream which is vital to our business.  They also tolerate the disruption to their day, help organise all the children and help us by reminding parents and then collecting in the orders on our behalf.  I just thought it was time I shared this piece of information so that you are aware of some of the costs associated with the products you purchase as I know some of you have told me in the past that prices are high for what they are. 


Commission fees are pretty standard for all photographers at all schools across the country.  Its what makes it worth while for schools to provide this service.  And for those of you who are unhappy with your school photographer (which I hope isn't me), its an even greater reason for you to make this fact known to your school.  First, you are paying for this service so you should be happy with it.  And second, if you are not paying for it because you're not happy with the results, well that is money your school is missing out on.  Some of our schools receive close to £1000 a year for the individuals alone which must prove very useful for the children.


We currently have space for a couple more schools before it looks like our diary will be full.  So if you would like to see Christina Lauder Portraits at your school please get in touch and we can arrange for a sample pack for your school. 

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Burbage Carnival 2009

For the past few years my husband and I have been attending the Burbage Carnival and remarking to ourselves at how much better it could be. The carnival seemed to be declining in recent years. Earlier this year I met someone (Harvey) who mentioned that he joined the committe. When I asked him why he said he had been remarking that the carnival could do with some improvements. The response he received was rather than complain why don't you join the committee and do something about it. Its hard to argue with that. The following week I found myself, along with my husband, at the Burbage Carnival meeting. And we've been attending (most meetings) ever since. With this being our first year we didn't want to dive in head first. We contributed where we felt we could but it was great to see that what little we were able to offer still made a difference on the day. We're now very much looking forward to seeing just how much of a difference we can make next year. I just hope it ...

Limited Edition Storybook Portrait Sessions

Well in the end I didn't take this promotion as seriously as was required in so much as I didn't allocate any budget for advertising.  I relied only on the few posts on Facebook and as such I only did 2 sessions, which to be perfectly honest, was all I could handle this year given that I'd not properly planned for these sessions in an already busy time of year.  However, what I did do proved to me that this is something that deserves proper attention and a concerted effort to push this promotion forward.  I thoroughly enjoyed every aspect of it, from shopping for props, to the sessions and then the editing.  I really love the fun that these sessions provide and the look of the finished images.  Spring will see a second go at this special collection with plenty of advertising in the run up to our event.  I will get another chance at shopping for additional props and tools to run this limited edition promotion and I can't w...

Wellies, Wellies and More Wellies

Over the past couple of years I've been photographing Jileon Ltd's wellies for their website. And over the last couple of months I have had quite a bit to do for them. Jileon is a great client of ours, giving us regular work that I can undertake in my own time and in my own way. It makes for such a relaxing change from having to make small children smile in a short span of time. Particularly since they can't get up and walk away just at the moment when all elements of the perfect image come together. The only real challenge in photographing wellies for me seems to be the dreaded reflection that is unavoidable when photographing shiny objects using flash. But without this challenge where would be the fun? Jileon Ltd is a Hinckley based distributor of mainly wellington boots. They do also distribute other things but typically it is just their wellies that I photograph. If you wish to order a pair please vi...

Family Photos with Flair - Vanity Fair Style Family Portraits

This style of portrait continues to be the eye catching success I had always hoped it would be. Once again I created a beautiful family portrait that I am really proud of and I know this family loves too. Over the years I have developed this style through influences such as Vanity Fair and the many photographers I follow, though I hope that there is something in here that is entirely my own. Having my work easily identified as my own was a goal of mine from the start. Getting to the point where people will want not just a portrait but a Christina Lauder portrait is where I've always wanted to be and I'm hoping I'm on way. These portraits were created for the family of two professional photographers who wanted some portraits of their own. Family portraits isn't really something one can do of oneself, at least not easily. So they needed the services of another and I was honoured to be chosen for the job. They chose me not just for my style but also for my ab...

I am Still Me: A Story about a Transgender Boy

  Meet Leo. Leo is 15 and currently going through an epic transformation that has momentarily turned the lives of himself and those around him upside down. A mum who once had the daughter she always longed for is now coping with the realisation that she will be living the rest of her life with a son instead. When your child is born you have certain expectations of the typical life they will lead but most of us know and accept that it won't necessarily end up the way we imagine. Not every person wants to marry, have kids or be involved with the opposite sex. Most of us have come to accept this and can adjust to whatever comes our way relatively easily. But few of us have expected to have to deal with a change in sex. Its not that we've hoped it won't happen, but just that it never occurred to us that it might. This is a new adjustment that we as a society are being presented with today, just like so many others that have come before. When I first heard that Phoebe ...