28 Tips for Creative First-Day-of-School Pictures You'll Remember Forever

"Point the camera, tap your screen to put the kiddos in focus, and — most importantly — just take the photo," says Molly Olwig, lead photographer at Artifact Uprising. "It's easy enough to crop, adjust brightness and edit any number of other elements using the native editor in your photo app. But if you're too busy worrying about getting the perfect shot, you might just miss your chance."

If your child is too excited to stand still, there are a couple of tricks you can try to get them to chill long enough to take a picture. "Use the stairs — they can also create a great framing of the shot and add some interest showing the front door and steps," says photographer Tim Ireland. "If you have nice, shaded light against a cool wall, have your child lean against the wall a little. This can calm the nerves." Stairs are also helpful for propping up any signs you might create!

RELATED: 20 First-Day-of-School Signs to Help You Mark the Momentous Milestone

Make unexpected wardrobe choices. "Have them dress up for what they want to be in the future!" says Jennifer Tsay, co-founder and CEO of Shoott. "Future doctor, writer, teacher or firefighter in the works? Have them dress the part for cute themed photos!"

There's no rule stating that the cheese has to stand alone. "There’s no reason why parents shouldn’t be in back to school photos!" says Annabel Braithwaite of Belathée Photography. "Getting cozy and comfortable together on the couch or acting playful together are always a good idea for catching an authentic moment before kids head off to school. Also, get siblings together in photos so you can watch them grow up together through your lens."

Your location can make a natural frame."Use anything you have at your disposal to frame and draw attention to your subject," says Benjamin Meaker of Fine and Dandy Studios, a favorite of Mimeo Photos. "For example, this could be a window frame or a doorway. Anything goes but experiment with different angles and backdrops to find the right shot for your purposes."

"The more the merrier!" says Shoott's Tsay. "Incorporating their favorite pals into their photos — whether furbabies or human — is sure to get those picture-perfect smiles!"

Not every photo has to be posed with your child looking at the camera. "Some of the best images come to life when littles are in their element," says Artifact Uprising's Olwig. "Take photos throughout the first day of school as your kiddos are in motion, capturing those micro-moments that illustrate a day-in-the-life. When they don't know they're on camera, their personalities and mannerisms will truly come out, making for authentic photos you'll come back to often."

Your photo spot doesn't have to be the same as everyone else's. "Back-to-school photos are typically taken at the front door, but I‘d recommend changing up the location," Braithwaite says. "Take photos of your child in their favorite places in the house — it’s their comfort zone on what might be an anxious day. This can also help bring out more of their natural smiles and personalities."

Don't forget to consider your background in your photos. "Use what nature gave you as a backdrop," Braithwaite says. "If you have access to a tree, hedge or even your garden, I’d suggest taking a few snaps there. Even your backyard fence could make a pretty backdrop."

There's nothing more disappointing then carefully choosing the outfit and painstakingly making the sign, only to have your kid squinting or whining in every photo. "Try to avoid mixed lighting," Ireland says. "That means don’t have half your child’s face in bright sun and the other in shadow. To coax a smile, get a little silly and ask your children to say some goofy things like 'pickles' or 'pizza.'"

It keeps the focus on your young scholars. "By minimizing competing elements in the image, you'll end up with clean results that draw attention to what's most important," says Artifact Uprising's Olwig. "Bonus points for finding a background that's not casting a shadow!"

If you're indoors, you don't want to have a window directly behind the shot. "Keep in mind that light in door frames and light from windows are super flattering," Braithwaite says. "As far as editing your photos, adding contrast and a touch of saturation works wonders."

It might be hard to get one, perfect shot that captures your child, so stitch a few of them together. "Have them jump, twirl, run and play and create a cute collage that captures their range of personalities," says Shoott's Tsay.

Don't just throw your photo up on Instagram and Facebook only to have them disappear into the feed forever. Make sure you get them printed and display them proudly: an photo hanger lets you see how much your young scholars have grown up over the years.

Felt letter boards are convenient because you don't have to worry about whether or not your handwriting will be readable in the photo — and if you want to use one, you don't have to default to blocky white letters on a rectangular black background. We love how this yellow letter board looks like an old-school library card! You can also get boards in different shapes (hexagons seem to be popular), or fonts (like cursive) — or opt for different accessories (such as flowers, succulents or seasonal icons, like apples for back-to-school).

They grow up so fast! (And no, we'll never stop crying.) You can always make your sign funny, if you think the all-the-details signs are too much.

SHOP SIGN

With a photobooth frame like this, your kids will actually have fun posing for the picture. Take note, teachers: Setting up the photobooth is also a fun way to break the ice on the first day!

SHOP FRAME

Start this mind-bending tradition when your kids first start school. Each year, they'll take a new photo holding the one they took the year before.

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It may be big now, but you'll tear up at his high school graduation over how little he once was.

SHOP SHIRT

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Start a tradition of using a name tag whiteboard and watch the handwriting improve over the years. (Hopefully.)

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