Student and staff portraits play a huge role in your yearbook. In most circumstances, portraits make up 25% to 30% of the yearbook. Planning for the school portrait photo day is critical because you will want to be sure to include every student and have each portrait be the best possible.
Here are a few suggestions for planning a portrait photo day that will include every student and faculty member on campus:
Meet with your school administrator to discuss your portrait photography needs. Many times the administration is involved in the school photographer selection process: Make sure the administration knows about your need for properly formatted portrait files. Ask the administration how they would like to be kept informed of all portrait photo dates and services provided by the photographer. Receive confirmation of your responsibilities—are you the person who schedules the date, or is the administration in charge of the calendar? Are you responsible for administration of the portrait program?
Topics you will want to discuss include:
Portrait photo date and retake date(s)
Services provided/Portrait files
Photo packages and prices
Selection of a photographer
Scheduling procedures
Meet with the photographer as soon as possible to review their products. Discuss the same topics you discussed with your administration. If the photographer is selected by a bid process, secure all documentation from your purchasing office pertaining to bid specifications, pricing, and services.
Once you have agreed to the logistics of the portrait services and the portrait photo date, and secured approvals of dates with administration, you need to develop a plan to promote the portrait photo date to everyone on campus. The best timeline for promotion of photo day is:
One month Before: Get it placed on the school calendar so EVERYONE knows the portrait photo day is coming. Get this noticed added to the school website and online calendar. Email parents so they are aware of the date.
Two Weeks Before: Put up posters to promote the date. Your photographer may have posters available for you to use. Post them all over the campus and be sure to put a message on your school marquee.
One Week Before: Send a message or flyer home, or email parents again, to remind them that school portrait/yearbook photo day is arriving next week. Let them preview package listing and prices and make sure they know how to make payment. Start announcements on the school intercom system. Get messages out on colored flyers in teacher boxes, lockers, car windshields and more. Make more school intercom announcements. Have staff talk to people in the lunchroom. The key is promotion for a good turnout.
Day of: Try to have your yearbook staff assist the photographer, as well as trying to sell yearbooks during photo day. Start selling yearbooks as soon as you start photos, so students can reserve a copy early.
Creating the student portrait section of your yearbook can be very easy IF you request a properly formatted file using the SPOA (School Photographers of America) guidelines. This properly formatted data file will save you time because it will eliminate you manually placing the portrait images and adding the names.
Communication is the key to receiving the correct portraits.
To assure best results do the following:
Schedule your school’s photo and retake days as early as possible. Work with your photographer to determine how you will provide the student data file. The student data file is usually available through the registrar’s computer at the school office. The data you will need is: First Name, Last Name, Grade, and Homeroom. This data is usually exported by the registrar as an ASCII file or CSV file (comma-delimited or tab-delimited file). If no such format is available, you can export the data to Microsoft Excel and then prepare the four columns as listed above. Save them as a comma delimited file. Your photographer can help you with this.
It is RECOMMENDED that your portrait file be furnished AFTER retake day. You want all portraits in one file.