Why are all of your school photos on a gray or white backdrop?


I love simplicity. You would never know it by looking at the state of my home covered in legos and art supplies, but I love order. I don’t love crowds. I like things to be in order. When my surroundings are quiet, my brain can quiet, and my creativity can come alive. I can more clearly see what’s important around me. I think this personality trait comes through in my art and photography, especially in my school photos. Here are a few reasons why I always use a simple background for my school photos.

Your kid or kids are the ones that matter most in the photo.


I don’t want anything to distract from your child’s personality or your children’s interactions coming through in the photos that I create with them. They are what matters most to you and they should be the center of these photos.

I don’t want anything to distract them during our time together creating photos


My kids turn into dogs around squirrels in new environments sometimes and a fancy backdrop with a ton of props would only distract them and make it hard for them to focus on the photographer. I don’t have much time with each student. Coming into a new space with a new person is already a lot for some kids, so by keeping all the area we are in calm and simple, we can get right to creating beautiful images that highlight what makes your kid awesome.

I want you to be able to display these photos in your home


If I were to use seasonal backdrops, you probably would not want to have these up all year long. Likewise, gray, white or black will fit in with any color scheme in your home and existing frames that you have for your prints.

It makes it easy to see how much your kids have grown year to year when you have a simple backdrop behind them.


When I’ve photographed your kids at school from year to year, you can really see how much they’ve grown. As a mom, I’m so entrenched in the day to day of my kids’ lives that it’s hard for me to see their growth. When I take a step back to see how much they’ve changed in a school year, it really is remarkable.

Are you ready for a different experience with school photo day?


Many of your questions can be answered here, but please reach out with any questions you have and to set up a time for me to come to your school or co-op.