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While we can't expect to document every key moment of our children's school careers, the first day of school is one of those special events. After all, if all goes well, you only have 12 first days of school—ever. Even kids who roll their eyes at a camera, especially if they're in junior high, like to look back years later and see how their lives were back then. It's a visible reminder that parents really do care, and sometimes in the throes of teenage angst, that's an important message to send.
Whether it's your little one's first day at kindergarten, or the beginning of your almost-all-grown-up high school senior's final year, the start of school is good to document. Because it's often a busy time, make sure your camera is all ready to go when you need it. Check to make sure the batteries are fresh, that you have space on your memory card for all the pictures you'll want to take or that you have an extra roll of film.
A great way to show kids' growth is to take a first-day picture at the same location every year-beside a tree, mailbox, or other familiar landmark. Children will get a kick out of seeing how much they've grown from year to year.
Choose a variety of settings for taking back-to-school pictures. If it's the first day of kindergarten, chances are you'll be right there at school. Older kids, however, may not want Mom or Dad embarrassing them. So take pictures wherever kids are most comfortable: waiting for the bus, outside the school building, or in front of its sign.
Remember those first-day rituals, such as laying clothes out the night before or lining up pencils. Think about everything your child does to prepare for the new school year; these are opportunities to get terrific photos.
And don't limit the picture-taking fun to your own family. Kids will be more enthusiastic about taking first day photos if you include other children in the neighborhood. Encourage kids to ham it up, and you'll all laugh when you look back. If your children aren't enthusiastic about the project, give them the camera. When they take the pictures, they get to express their creativity and you get to see the world through their eyes. And that's really what it's all about.
The first day of school is just that—it's the beginning. It shouldn't be the only time you get the camera out at school. Whether your children participate in sports, theatrics, marching band, or debate, attend their events and take pictures of the happenings. Field trips and other school outings make great photo opportunities, too.
To fill out scrapbooks, try creating "still-life" shots. These might include pictures of grouped school materials, special outfits, lunch boxes—anything that brings the time to life. Kids will love looking back on them through the years.
Plan on taking lots of pictures, throughout the school year. It's a great way to capture a unique point in time—one that you'll never see again.
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It's a classic photo moment: the first day of school. After that, though, parents may forget to keep up with documenting the school experience. How often do you see "first day of fourth grade" photos, or ones from the first day of high school? Exactly. They rarely happen.
