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

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

London in Spring, Whats Not to Love?

Well I know there is still a lot not to love but I'm choosing to see the great things about London at the moment. I am having a ball this year visiting London as often as I can. Which is unusual for me since I usually prefer the comfort of my own home, in rural old Leicestershire. Staying home and avoiding people has always been the easy option. But this year, possibly due to the wonderful weather we keep having, has me longing for venturing out. Again, just like my last trip, I headed out with my good friend Panikos Hajistilly . Living in North London he finds it easy to meet up for our shoots. This time though I had more of an idea of the sights I wanted to use as the backdrops for my portraits. With it being spring I was in search of colour, preferably flowers. Admittedly. I didn't quite get what I was looking for. The white fronted terraced houses with pink magnolia trees we did not find unfortunately. But I did make it to Peggy Porchen's which was a must see on m...
1 comment
Read more

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...
Post a Comment
Read more

Teen Portraits - Prom Season is Just Around the Corner

If your child is heading to prom in the next couple of months I'd say there is probably no better time than now to have portraits created of your growing teen. With the purchase of a new (and probably expensive) outfit wouldn't it be nice to capture this milestone with a portrait created by a professional. Across the pond this is a hugely popular time to create portraits, and although I am not American (I'm Canadian) I wholeheartedly agree that this is a special moment to record. My prom was a key memory in my teen years and in fact I myself had professional portraits created also. I think I'll go dig them up if I can, though admittedly I think my mother has them back in Canada. I wonder if I can get her to scan one for me. My daughter is currently making plans for college and in the running is one that will move her away from home, as many others are probably experiencing for themselves, particularly those who are 18. This makes it all the more important to ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Fine Art Portraits of a Beautiful Young Girl

So this is really becoming my thing lately. I am having so much fun working with children individually where I can direct and interact in ways that bring the best out of my subject. This has certainly become a process now of creating rather than taking photographs. And its what I have always wanted to be, a portrait artist rather than a photographer. I cannot put into words fully just how rewarding this is. For each of these shoots (as with nearly all of my shoots) we begin with a consultation where we discuss what we would like to achieve in the shoot. Here we will consider the type of clothing and any possible props. We will look at both the clients clothes and my ever growing collection so we can pick what will work best. In all circumstances we are heavily guided by what the child in the portraits wants to wear as I see this as vitally important. If he or she is uncomfortable its going to show and the portraits won't work. But most are happy to play dressups and wear a com...
2 comments
Read more

Never Work With Children or Animals

Or so the saying goes. But I have to say that working with dogs has been so lovely. They have been almost entirely a dream to work with. I say almost entirely because we have had a few moments where a dog has needed to settle. And one moment where the dog had settled but one of my cats decided to have a look through the glass door which, as you can imagine, rather quickly unsettled the dog. Still, that didn't stop us from creating incredible work. In fact it was during that shoot with the cat instance when I created two of my favourite pieces, shown below. (It was while sitting on the couch here when he noticed the cat peering through the curtain) I don't know if I've just been lucky or all dogs are just easy to work with. I photographed a french bull dog puppy and I thought that would be tough as he hadn't had time to be properly trained yet. But he did everything we wanted in no time at all. And this included the props we used here (below), which to me...
Post a Comment
Read more