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10/10/2007 08:40:01 AM · #1 |
What light setup are you using for your standard school pictures (read: sit down here, look up there, smile, click, get out - not the fun ones with props and all that)
Also, where are you sending your images now a days for processing. Does slating each image still work best? |
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10/10/2007 08:45:03 AM · #2 |
| I'm out for medical reasons, but I was using a main, a fill, a gel scroller and a hairlight. |
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10/10/2007 09:16:40 AM · #3 |
| What about for processing? |
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10/10/2007 09:18:02 AM · #4 |
| It was LifeTouch, they do their own. Sorry, I guess I'm not much help. |
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10/10/2007 09:41:31 AM · #5 |
| Nah, its all appreciated. The lighting stuff is definitely helpful. |
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10/11/2007 01:31:14 PM · #6 |
| Anyone else? I know there has to be at least one "independent" school photog on here. |
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10/11/2007 02:12:44 PM · #7 |
Originally posted by ajdelaware:
Anyone else? I know there has to be at least one "independent" school photog on here. |
Not likely.
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10/11/2007 03:49:29 PM · #8 |
| Has Lifetouch really squeezed out any "mom and pop" school photographers? Damn, this is gonna be fun haha. |
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10/11/2007 06:16:06 PM · #9 |
| I went for a job doing that but didn't get it, don't know what light setup they use. |
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10/11/2007 07:16:06 PM · #10 |
Companies like lifetouch are paying the school large royalties in order to get that work. It's not usually financially feasible for the 'mom and pop' people to compete with that.
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10/11/2007 08:39:16 PM · #11 |
Funny this should be posted today.. I teach kindergarten and we just had our pictures done today by a private photographer. He has been working on taking the pictures at our school for about 2 weeks, coming in and doing a few classes or grade levels each day. It's really nice that he takes the time with each child to get some good shots and doesn't rush.
He brought in his umbrella flash stand on wheels and tripod. He borrowed a little wooden chair, which he set up in front of a bookshelf. He had each child stand behind the chair and took a few shots (wide lens), and then had them sit and took some head shots (85mm prime lens). Between the different poses, and having them smile, not smile and make their silly face, I think for each child he probably took at least 10 pictures. At the end, he took the teacher shots followed by the class photos.
He posts the best shots online in a gallery, and parents can preview and order from there. I believe he also gives the option of b/w or color shots. He prints out the photos and delivers them to the school every week or so.
Parents have lots of great comments about being able to preview the shots, and how they love the classroom backgrounds. They also like that they can have the kids pictures taken with their siblings. As a teacher, I appreciate that my kids aren't stressed about going to some new room and being herded through the process.
Since he has started doing our school pictures, he has also come to special events like our fall BBQ, and offered to do family portraits. I've seen a good number of families take advantage of that as well.
Not exactly the answers you were looking for, but at least some positive feedback :) |
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10/12/2007 09:54:13 AM · #12 |
Originally posted by jmsetzler:
Companies like lifetouch are paying the school large royalties in order to get that work. It's not usually financially feasible for the 'mom and pop' people to compete with that. |
Yeah true, but they can only offer so much and they also have so much overhead. I mean any school is going to want a "kickback", its just a matter of positioning yourself and making the best argument.
The upside is we shoot a lot of the kids anyway around here, from ages 5-13, and the parents (95% at least) love what we do, so we have plenty of support already in the schools. The biggest thing I hear while doing the sports pictures is - "Oh the pictures you did last season came out great, if only their school pictures looked so good" - which usually leads me to ask who did them, and they usually say Lifetouch and how much they dislike it haha. Oh well, start small and we shall see what happens. |
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10/12/2007 09:55:22 AM · #13 |
Originally posted by kteach:
Funny this should be posted today.. I teach kindergarten and we just had our pictures done today by a private photographer. He has been working on taking the pictures at our school for about 2 weeks, coming in and doing a few classes or grade levels each day. It's really nice that he takes the time with each child to get some good shots and doesn't rush.
He brought in his umbrella flash stand on wheels and tripod. He borrowed a little wooden chair, which he set up in front of a bookshelf. He had each child stand behind the chair and took a few shots (wide lens), and then had them sit and took some head shots (85mm prime lens). Between the different poses, and having them smile, not smile and make their silly face, I think for each child he probably took at least 10 pictures. At the end, he took the teacher shots followed by the class photos.
He posts the best shots online in a gallery, and parents can preview and order from there. I believe he also gives the option of b/w or color shots. He prints out the photos and delivers them to the school every week or so.
Parents have lots of great comments about being able to preview the shots, and how they love the classroom backgrounds. They also like that they can have the kids pictures taken with their siblings. As a teacher, I appreciate that my kids aren't stressed about going to some new room and being herded through the process.
Since he has started doing our school pictures, he has also come to special events like our fall BBQ, and offered to do family portraits. I've seen a good number of families take advantage of that as well.
Not exactly the answers you were looking for, but at least some positive feedback :) |
Guy is a very smart marketer. Hes just using the school photos as a gateway to the parents so he can make the money on the family portraits and referrals from there. Very smart. |
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10/12/2007 10:31:33 PM · #14 |
Technology makes all things possible.
For little heads and productivity you need softare and the tech that goes with it.
H&H color lab has a program -free- although you need a barcode scanner and that runs $200.
It helps to get a list of the kids and an assistant - you print barcodes via the program for each kid, class, teacher, etc. works for sports too. you then scan a 'class' (or team) code and then the package they want and then the kid's barcode. the software does all the rest, and H&H delivers to you the orders, bagged by kid and organized by class/team. about $1 or so per unit i think is their pricing,but it may be a tad higher.
really slick and the price is right. I looked at other software...2 to 4 grand was the going price!
Lighting..depends on what you like. I do a shootthru at about 90 degrees to the subject with a bounced 'brella behind/above me as fill. no issued with eye glasses, but best if teh subject's don't have to pass across the photo zone. Most use seemless paper, but i have a blue muslin i use - I set the lights for about a 5.6 aperture and keep the muslin 4 feet or so back. i use a tripod and have the subjects sit - trying to keep consistent head heights helps, but i am weak at this.
the software does require you to shoot jpgs..not an issue for this type of work though.
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10/12/2007 10:37:35 PM · #15 |
Originally posted by ajdelaware:
Originally posted by kteach:
Funny this should be posted today.. I teach kindergarten and we just had our pictures done today by a private photographer. He has been working on taking the pictures at our school for about 2 weeks, coming in and doing a few classes or grade levels each day. It's really nice that he takes the time with each child to get some good shots and doesn't rush.
He brought in his umbrella flash stand on wheels and tripod. He borrowed a little wooden chair, which he set up in front of a bookshelf. He had each child stand behind the chair and took a few shots (wide lens), and then had them sit and took some head shots (85mm prime lens). Between the different poses, and having them smile, not smile and make their silly face, I think for each child he probably took at least 10 pictures. At the end, he took the teacher shots followed by the class photos.
He posts the best shots online in a gallery, and parents can preview and order from there. I believe he also gives the option of b/w or color shots. He prints out the photos and delivers them to the school every week or so.
Parents have lots of great comments about being able to preview the shots, and how they love the classroom backgrounds. They also like that they can have the kids pictures taken with their siblings. As a teacher, I appreciate that my kids aren't stressed about going to some new room and being herded through the process.
Since he has started doing our school pictures, he has also come to special events like our fall BBQ, and offered to do family portraits. I've seen a good number of families take advantage of that as well.
Not exactly the answers you were looking for, but at least some positive feedback :) |
Guy is a very smart marketer. Hes just using the school photos as a gateway to the parents so he can make the money on the family portraits and referrals from there. Very smart. |
The preshcool photgrapher works a lot like this - packages START at $35 and you can't buy just 1 photo. you get about 8 to poses to choose from. they travel from 200 miles away acording to their literature.
the gradeschool photog is local, and well, not an artist shall we say. last year EVERY image was taken with a dirty sensor - badly dirty. 4 big dark dustspots. you get no choice of pose. they shoot 700 kids in 5 hours. 2 photogs. packages start at $12 or so. he's selling a unit for about $6 or 7. they come uncut with barcodes on the edges, i have no idea who does the processing.
i do know his shooters...i suppose i could find out...i hear he does 8 schools. no one has anything good to say about him - even his employees.
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10/13/2007 11:25:43 AM · #16 |
Thanks Prof - exactly the info I needed.
I think the quick shots for the older kids are the only way to go. Most schools now only want you there 1 or 2 days, its too disruptive to have kids pulled out of class over a 5 day period, so you find yourself shooting 1500 kids in 2 days, just wham bam. Preschool is a little easier, since you are looking at like 10-20 kids tops per school, and they don't care how long you take.
Im looking at the H&H site, do you know what software package it is exactly? |
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10/15/2007 10:38:12 PM · #17 |
10-20 kids? The preschool my kids go to have M-W-F and Tu-Th classes, AM and PM, 3 and 4 year olds - 8 or so classes and 12 to 18 kids/class.
EZ Event is the software.
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