photo by Tricia Miller
It hangs in the air through the early weeks of fall…that back-to-school energy! Even if you don’t have school age kids there’s the sense that everything starts up again after the lazy, hazy days of summer. That’s certainly true for us here at How To Photograph Your Life, as we gear up for a busy fall. So read on to see what we have for those of you still in the thick of back to school season, plus we’ve got something for everyone…
Back-to-School FREE PHOTO CLASSES for all!
Back-to-school time means back-to-school photographs—even if the kids in your world have already gone back to school. Trust me, it’s not too late. Think beyond just First Day of School photos to preserve Back to School stories.
Click here to get all of our best back to school photo tips and ideas in one convenient place!
photo by Nikki Wagner
There are so many different approaches to back to school photographs. There are sweet little moments of goodbye and you can create an annual set up for a stunning series of images. There’s tons of room for photographic thinking—and, appropriately, learning—when it comes to back to school photographs.
I’ve created a couple of brand new graphics for you that should help. One of them is a user-friendly list of 10 Practical Tips for that first—or twentieth day—day of school and the other is a list of back to school story ideas that may stimulate and help recharge your photographic brain. Post your storytelling back-to-school photos on our Facebook wall, Twitter or Instagram with #backtoschoolstories. We will feature some of your photos on our site over the next couple of weeks.
photo by Christy Wade
Watch my short video on capturing the passage of time. (Documenting and preserving a photograph of a student on the first day of school every year could just be the most valuable set of photographs you ever make, but they need to be archived safely.) I know people for whom the only photos that exist of their childhood are the annual first day of school portraits. How valuable are those.
Remember, we’re doing a brand new webinar this Wednesday, September 2 where I’ll review new photo stories submitted by you (I hope) and lots of people just like you. You’ll get feedback (like a Radio Picture Show, but live) from a professional photographer (that’s me). It could be a story about a back to school experience, or how you spent your summer vacation, or how you squandered your summer vacation on the hammock drinking lemonade. So please join us on Wednesday’s Photo-Storytelling webinar and see how to submit your photos for review on our Facebook Photo-Story Event page.
Believe it or not, telling stories with photographs is about the teller of the story as much as the subject. I want to help you put your personal spin on your photo stories. That’s what makes them accessible, entertaining, and even profound.
photos by Crystal Raynard
Again, here’s where you can find all our back-to-school photo tips and ideas. I hope it inspires you to be creative with your camera this season.
Finally, what will you focus on once they’ve gone back? Hint: It’s a perfect time to put your own back-to-school energy into learning to use that fancy camera of yours—and hone your photography skills in general—to get ready to take your best ever shots through the upcoming autumn and (yes, dare I say, it’s just around the corner now) holiday season.
So please accept my invitation to FREE PHOTOGRAPHY CLASSES. I hope you’ll join us!
P.S. On a personal note, we Kelshes are at 10 days and counting. School calendar creep hasn’t hit us here in Philadelphia—like much of the Northeast, school starts Wednesday after Labor Day. The boys are enjoying the last gasp of summer but seem like they’ll be ready to go back. Anne and I are more than ready. 🙂
