School Photography Pricing

for Colorado schools that prioritize their students’ school photo experience by choosing a photographer that values positive experiences for students, parents, and schools alike.

Every School Photo Experience Includes:

a photo day experience that is seamless for the students, teachers, schools, and parents

I will take the time to learn about your school and design an experience that works best for you all to minimize school day disruption and eliminate school day stress. There is no cookie cutter, one-sized-fits-all approaches with my boutique school photography approach.

direct access to me, Sara

This is a small business with all the good things a small business can offer. You will only be working with me and only me. “You” is referring to school administrators, students, and parents. I will always be only an email, phone call, or text away for everyone involved.

taking everything off your school’s plate

I will handle the parent correspondence, questions, and concerns personally. I will keep you in the loop for any important details.

more photographic value

Let’s be honest. Only the parents know which smile/pose is the best one. So I, as the photographer, doesn’t choose. I deliver a gallery of multiple poses (2-5), so that the parents can decide which one they want prints of.

Who’s the one behind this all?

Hi, I’m Sara. Welcome to the world of boutique school photography!

After being a family photographer for decades, I realized that I could better serve my community by adding on quality school photography. Often this is the only experience a child, and often family, has with a professional photographer. I want it to be a good one.

With a background in education, I know what it’s like to work in an education environment, how to navigate the institution, and value being a positive addition that maintains the flow of the school day.

As a parent, I know what it’s like to prepare a kid on the morning of photo day, navigate photo day ordering, and be the recipient of the school’s and photographer’s communication.

Learn more about me

Backdrop set up at a Frederick area school for photo day with the Longmont school photographer placed on her pricing page

Why I am the school photographer you’ve been looking for:

I am child focused

I work with kids all the time in the photography realm. I know how to make them feel relaxed in front of the camera and show those amazing smiles, giggles, and all around cute faces. I make the photo experience fun by having them do all the things kids want to do and making it a relaxed environment where they can be themselves.

I am a parent

I know what it’s like to prepare a kiddo for photo day, hope that their clothes look remotely like they did when I dropped them off that morning, and hold my breath when I open the photo for the first time waiting to see what was captured. I also know what it is like to receive emails that seem to be in a foreign language. I value the experience being a positive one for all involved, including students, teachers, school administrators, and parents.

I am an educator

I spent a decade as an educator and school administrator. Believe me, I get it!

The School Photo Day Experience

Fine Art School Photos

Let’s face it. Kids never do what we want them to do when we want them to do it.
That’s why I don’t expect them to just smile at the camera and give me the best look possible by asking for it.
I make the photo experience fun and capture genuine smiles and capture the authentic child
Long gone are the days where the photographer things they know best. I deliver 2-5 poses for each child, so that the parent can choose their favorite.
I choose a backdrop in consultation with the school that will highlight the child and make them the focus of the image.
No, more is not better. Parents already have to make so many decisions when it comes to school photos, let’s not add this one on.
Also, it means that I can guide parents to choose a outfit that will work the backdrops that will appear in the yearbook.
I get rid of the parent’s photo day nightmare - their kiddo gets a scratch on their face the morning of photo day. That is not a worry anymore. I take care of that in editing.
Kids will be kids and I’m ready for it. I’ll personally look at every kiddo and make sure the snot, food crumbs, and lint is gone before I take the photo. I’ll also make sure shirts are straight and hair is in place.

Custom Photo Day

Photo day should be something everyone looks forward to. It should be a fun day for all involved. I will take the time to learn your school day flow and make sure that what I design for your photo day melds into that.
Sick of parents asking a million questions about everything. Well, don’t let photo day be one of those million questions. I will have a resource page for parents with all the information they need and answers to all the questions they can possibly ask.
Doesn’t the saying go, “repeat it three times for them to learn it”. Well, I know better than that. I send the information about photo day out in multiple ways at multiple times, so that they remember it. Everyone likes to learn differently, right? =)
I take over all communication to parents. I send out the reminder emails. I make the fliers. I handle all parent questions.
I also make sure that the school, and all stakeholders, are in the loop on all the important information.

Seamless Ordering

Each student gets their own gallery with multiple poses to choose from. The online gallery serves as the order form. Parents log into their child’s gallery, choose the pose(s) they love, and can order prints, specialty items, and digital image files.
One of my product offerings are high-resolution digital image files with print release. The file doesn’t have a logo on it. It is edited and ready for printing at whatever size the student chooses.
The first thing I did when I developed my pricing was survey parents of school aged kids and do you know what their #1 complaint was? Weird packages.
Do you know why? Because everyone’s families look different. There is no perfect package. What works for one family won’t work for another.
What’s the solution? A la carte and letting families order exactly what they want.
I can offer anything. If your parents always want magnets or keychains, I can offer it.
Parents will have a set amount of time to order. Don’t worry, I’ll send the reminders. When the ordering period is done, I’ll put everything together and deliver it to the school for easy dispersal to students.

Pricing

Photo day sittings are free for all families and the school. Parents only pay if they choose to order prints or digital files. Pricing is kept simple and affordable. There is no minimum purchase and all products are a la carte.

Prints

From wallets to 8x10s to 4x6s, Sara Herkes Photo offers the sizes that parents want most. By having an a la carte pricing structure, with prints starting at $10, you won’t ever hear again that there is no “right” package.

High-Resolution Digital Image Files

Parents will have the option to purchase a single or all the digital image files of their child’s school photos, so that they can print wherever they please. These files are fully edited and ready to print. There will be no logo or watermark on them.