Both an organizational headache for school staff and a gold mine for photographers, traditional school photo sessions are a back-to-school must-have. And many parents are adamant about it, despite the widespread use of taking photos on a daily basis.
Attached to the tradition of school photos, Caroline Robert, mother of two boys aged 9 and 10, plans her sons’ outfits for D-Day and buys the photos each year. “It’s a beautiful memory of each milestone,” she says. Although I always take the classic photo of their first day of school, at the front door of the house, I love photos taken at school. I offer them to my loved ones, I frame them, display them. »
Geneviève Clavet thinks quite the opposite. The mother of two children aged 8 and 11 much prefers her own photos, more spontaneous, less fixed. “School photos are often botched and the poses are always the same, body half-turned, face straight ahead, arms crossed… And what about the choice of backgrounds! We had the same thing in my time and I was born in 1979! “, she says, laughing.
“Why pay for that? », asks Dominique Bouchard, mother of two girls aged 10 and 13, who believes that this tradition is over.
Who wants these little wallet-sized photos? And what about derivative products, like cups… I find that useless. I got rid of them a few years ago and took the pressure off myself of having to buy them.
Dominique Bouchard, mother of two girls aged 10 and 13
The perfect photo
A large majority of parents are faithful to the custom and buy school photos, according to the photographers, teachers and members of school management interviewed. “Some parents have difficulty paying childcare fees or providing all school supplies, but they buy the photos,” says Mélanie*, director of an elementary school in the Quebec region for 15 years.
Parents today are more picky about the result. “The child should definitely not participate in their physical education class before the photo,” she observes. And we must plan a recovery day for those who are not happy. »
This trend in search of the perfect photo is confirmed by photographer Isabelle Théroux.
“Before, if the child had a patch of crooked hair, it didn’t bother him. The parent still bought,” explains M.me Théroux, owner of Studio Iziimage, who has been practicing the profession for 24 years. “Now we have to supervise a little more and pay more attention to details. »
Photo sessions are also held in daycares, daycare centers and family daycares. Maddalela Borrega, assistant director of Les Chatouilleux daycare in Anjou, confirms that parents are demanding… and proud. “They are buying as much as ten years ago,” she says. They sometimes ask for photos between brothers and sisters or between cousins to be taken. It’s a lot of organization and work… but we enjoy it. »
Challenges…and fun
At the Fédération québécoise des directions d’establishment d’enseignement (FQDE), vice-president Elizabeth Joyal recalls that for certain children, those who have particular challenges or disorders, posing in front of a stranger represents a challenge. “Looking at the camera, smiling on request, waiting in line… For some children, this is not done without difficulty,” she emphasizes.
Another challenge, administrative this time, arises when it comes to school photos: Law 25, implemented a year ago, requires close management of each child’s personal information. “We must be careful to preserve the confidentiality of data,” says M.me Joyal. This is one more step. »
Isabelle Théroux considers that things have changed since the pandemic.
Since the COVID-19 crisis, children seem more fearful, more shy or introverted. More of them are difficult to approach. We develop things.
Isabelle Théroux, photographer
Photographer Simon Ménard covers nearly 185 schools in the Montreal and Quebec regions with his team. He likes to take advantage of school photo sessions to talk about the profession of photographer with the children, play with them, make them laugh. “I see it as an exchange,” says the owner of Photo Repensée. Massive photos, six seconds per child, that doesn’t interest me. We take photos in natural light, most often outside or in the classroom environment. The flash creates tension, stress. I want the children to feel good. »
Nella Sammartino took school photos for a few years. She has good memories of it. “I blew a lot of noses and received a lot of cuddles,” she says. I had some great moments! »
*Mélanie testified on condition of anonymity, fearing reprisals from the school service center, and judgments from her colleagues and parents.
What parents think…
I always told my kids that I buy the pictures no matter what they look like.
Nancy Beaupré, mother of three children now aged 20, 27 and 30
In the group photo, I write down the names of their friends and the profession they say they want to do when they grow up. I’ve been doing this since kindergarten.
Anne Julie Bouchard, mother of two children aged 7 and 9
The photos are often ordinary. There is a lack of effort on the part of photographers. An example: the child’s shirt is crooked or a lock of hair is in his face.
Emilie Desnoyers, mother of a 12-year-old girl and a 14-year-old boy
Even if the poses are lame and the photos are taken with a green background, and even if it costs a lot, I buy them. I love seeing the children’s progress from one year to the next.
Chantal Vertefeuille, mother of three children aged 5, 8 and 10