PICTURE DAY WITHOUT THE CHAOS
Fine Art School Photography for Small Schools in Northern Virginia + DC.
BRING THESE DAYS TO YOUR SCHOOL
Because picture day could use a glow up
LOW-Stress Fine art school Portraits
Photo day for preschools, co-ops, daycares, Montessori schools, forest schools + independent schools.
These Days School Portraits take everything about keeping from picture day — the ritual, the yearly record, the tiny face you'll want to remember — and make the photos a whole lot better.
Simple. Timeless. Beautifully lit. Still completely them.
It doesn't have to be that way
SCHOOL PHOTOGRAPHY THROUGHOUT NORTHERN VIRGINIA + DC
Based in Alexandria, Virginia, These Days Photography provides school picture days for small schools, preschools, Montessori schools, forest schools, co-ops, micro-schools and daycares throughout Northern Virginia and Washington, DC.
I primarily serve schools in Alexandria, Arlington, Falls Church, Fairfax, McLean and surrounding Northern Virginia communities, as well as schools throughout Washington, DC.
Not sure if your school is in my usual picture-day radius? Reach out anyway.
* No cost to the school: There is no fee to bring These Days to your school.
* Very little work for your staff: I'll provide everything needed for school picture day and we'll plan the schedule together beforehand.
* No money or order forms to collect: Families view and order through private online galleries.
* Useful photos for you too: Yearbook photos, staff portraits, and other school needs can be built in to the day.
* Made for smaller communities: Preschools, independent schools, forest schools, Montessori schools, co-ops, micro- schools, and daycares are exactly where this works beautifully.
* Supporting local small-business: A local mom-photographer who values a high-end experience & results while prioritizing family privacy and child wellbeing.
* Familiarity: It will be me, year-after-year. not some random photographer showing up at the front doors.
BIG-school picture day without the big-school-picture-energy
Traditional picture day without the traditional weird vibes
Relaxed, genuine expressions
100% digital, no money collection
No-obligation contract, no pre-payments, $0 cost for school
Simple white, black, or outdoor background
Simple, transparent ordering
Local mom of young kids
Unhurried, child-led
Free faculty portraits
Direct-to-me parent communications
These days experience
Yearbook-Ready Files Provided
Staff Photos Complimentary
5% BACK TO YOUR SCHOOL
I can provide organized, properly formatted files—including PSPA/PSPI-compatible exports when needed—and work with your school's specific yearbook or SIS requirements.
Faculty and staff are welcome to step in for a complimentary portrait on picture day—perfect for the yearbook, school directory, website, or just finally replacing that headshot from six years ago.
Picture day gives a little back, too. I return 5% of family portrait sales to your school—no fundraising, selling, or extra work required.
Heavy staff workload (paper forms)
No staff photos
Call Centers and school as in-between-man for questions
Restrictive contracts, pre-pay pressure
Out-of-context props, overly-smoothed skin with AI
Complex ordering packages
No personal relationships
30 second converyor belt
Rigid, forced poses
Traditional big-companIES
Zer0 hassle for your administration
Boutique School Photography:
Fully Insured & Background Checked
FERPA & PRIVACY COMPLIANT
DIRECT-to-home print fulfillment
Child safety is always a priority.
Student information is used only to administer picture day and deliver photographs to families. Galleries are securely hosted and access-controlled, and school-provided student information is never sold or used for unrelated marketing. Student photographs are never used publicly
No tracking down parents or holding liability for printed material. Parents receive their orders directly from the professional print lab.
THERE's A GOOD CHANCE WE'RE A GOOD FIT
IF YOUR SCHOOL KNOWS EVERY KID's NAME...
If your school knows every kid's name, picture day should feel that way too.
Small schools are built around relationships. Teachers know kids and parents, families know each other. That kind of community deserves something a little more personal than an assembly line of kids moving through a backdrop every 45 seconds.
These Days Photography offers school photography specifically for preschools, Montessori and Forest schools, co-ops, micro-schools, home school groups, daycares, and other small school communities throughout Northern Virginia, Maryland, and Washington DC.
I keep picture day small, relaxed, and human. I take a few minutes with each child instead of rushing towards one acceptable smile. They can talk to me, warm up, be serious, be weird, laugh too hard — or give me absolutely nothing for a minute. That's okay. The goal isn't to make every child look the same. It's to make photographs where families recognize their kid.
And because being a small school usually means your staff already wears seventeen different hats, I handle the boring stuff too: private galleries, family ordering and delivery, yearbook-ready portraits, staff photos and class pictures included for the school as complimentary.
Easier than you think.
No paper forms to chase down. No handling money. very little work for staff.
How picture day works
An easy, done-for-you, all-digital process
Parents order only what they want. No obligation or committment. Prints and digital orders are purchased directly through the online gallery.
No obligation, no minimum order quantities.
FAMILIES CHOOSE
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Each student gets a private gallery with 3-5 photos in color and black & white.
The school gets a yearbook photo of each student, staff, and class.
Galleries
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I bring the photography set-up to you and photograph students individually thoughout the day.
We capture indivual students, siblings together, and staff photos, and a class group photo, if desired.
Picture day
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We choose a date, portrait set-up, and a schedule that works best for your school. There's no upfront financial committment.
I provide all of the materials to send to families to prep them for photo day. Each school gets a custom web landing page with info for families.
WE MAKE A PLAN
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Parents that look forward to photo day results.
happy parents
Images provided to the school in ready-to-use formats.
school-use image files
Class photos so students can remember the year, together.
class/group photos
updated staff photos for your yearbook and website.
staff portraits
Yearbook photos, done professionally, but with personality.
yearbook ready student portraits
What the school gets
There is no cost to the school and no obligation for families to purchase.
Every student is welcome to participate in picture day. Once galleries are ready, families can view their photographs and purchase only the prints and digital images that they want.
$0. Seriously.
What it costs
Pricing does not include tax and shipping, which will be added at checkout
Prices in gallery
Additional prints and framing options available
$11
Wallet Prints- Lustre 8 Wallets
$19
Print- Lustre 8x12
$6
Print- Lustre 4 x 6
PRICE
Prints
$75
All Photos Download, Full-Resolution
$35
Single Image Digital Download, Full-Resolution
PRICE
DOWNLOADS
Purchasing is not required.
All transactions will be handled digitally, directly through your gallery. Each gallery has a shop which has secure commercial payment options.
buying photos
PARENT PRICING
OK, MAYBE A FEW aWkward ones. BECAUSE KIDS ARE KIDS and who are we to stop that
KID PHOTOS
NOT AWKWARD
TOTALLY
What PARENTS get
School Frequently Asked Questions
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Yes! I do offer separate school day documentation, priced separately. But that is a separate day and not part of the standard school portraits day. I am a family documentary photographer the rest of the time, and documenting school days is a natural fit. If you want a School Days session to document the feel and look of your school and the kids in action, we can schedule a separate day for that.
WHAT TIME OF YEAR CAN SCHOOL PHOTOS BE BOOKED AND HOW FAR IN ADVANCE SHOULD WE SCHEDULE?
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Yes! I do offer separate school day documentation, priced separately. But that is a separate day and not part of the standard school portraits day. I am a family documentary photographer the rest of the time, and documenting school days is a natural fit. If you want a School Days session to document the feel and look of your school and the kids in action, we can schedule a separate day for that.
WHAT ABOUT DOCUMENTARY OR SCHOOL LIFE PHOTOS? DO YOU DOCUMENT THE SCHOOL DAY FOR SCHOOLS TO USE FOR THEIR WEBSITE AND MARKETING?
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Yes, for schools that have an outdoor or nature based approach, we can plan outdoor portraits instead. These take additional logistical considerations, as the time of year and changing sun conditions throughout the day can affect the overall look or consistency.
WILL YOU TAKE PHOTOS OUTDOORS WITH A NATURAL BACKGROUND FOR SCHOOLS THAT WANT IT?
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Yes, class photos can be acommodated. They willbe taken with natural light against a school background on your property.
DO YOU TAKE CLASS PHOTOS?
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Yes! Perfect for yearbook photos and website material.
CAN YOU PHOTOGRAPH STAFF?
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Yes!
CAN YOU ACCOMMODATE SIBLING PHOTOS?
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For individual child portraits, generally about 3 minutes if a kid is really into it.
HOW LONG DOES EACH CHILD TAKE?
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Yes! I bring it all. My normal equipment includes a background stand, a simple background (solid white or black), up to two external lights/flash, light stands, stools, sandbags to keep it all safe, extension cords.
DO YOU BRING ALL OF YOUR OWN LIGHTING/EQUIPMENT?
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I can set up a backdrop, stool, and lighting equipment in about an 8" x 10" space. I use lighting equipment for indoor portraits.
HOW MUCH SPACE DO YOU NEED?
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I can easily fit in about 70 students in a day, siblings, plus school staff.
HOW MANY STUDENTS DO YOU PHOTOGRAPH IN A DAY?
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You may have heard this called fine art school photography, personality portraits, or boutique school photography. There's no official rulebook for any of those terms, but they generally describe a more personal, modern alternative to school picture day.
Here's what my actual photos are: colorful, joyful, highly detailed, and full of personality (their personality, not the one imposed by a theme). I give children time and emotional space to show up as themselves. That might mean a huge grin, a quiet stare, a missing-tooth smile, a weird face, or something completely unexpected. Each family receives a small gallery of different expressions and portraits rather than one nearly identical pose to chose from.
My set-up is timeless and simple, without elaborate props or themed backdrops, so the focus stays where it should: on the kid.
Basically, fine art school photography takes the familiar school portrait and makes it a whole lot more personal.
WHAT IS FINE ART SCHOOL PHOTOGRAPHY?
HAPPY STAFF
HAPPY KIDS
HAPPY PARENTS
CUSTOM SERVICES fit to your school's needs.
YEAR BOOK PHOTOS - done
STAFF PHOTOS they actually like
NO PRESSURE to perform a certain way
SHORT & EASY
TRUE PERSONALITY gets preserved
PHOTOS THEY WANT TO KEEP - and options to display!
CLEAR COMMUNICATIONS directly from These Days
ALL DIGITAL - no lost paperwork
UNIQUE RESULTS that looks like their kid
VERY LITTLE work for school administrators
NO COSTS upfront for the school
AFFORDABLE digital and printed pricing
THEY RECOGNIZE themselves in the photos
TIMELESS memories preserved truthfully
on my knees in someone's backyard while their kids do cartwheels around me
capturing messy faces and sticky hands during snack time
You can OFTEN find me:
I'm the photographer behind These Days Photography, a Northern-Vriginia based family & school photography studio. My business is built around one belief: the photographs we keep should actually be good and feel like us.
I'm also a mom, which means I have personally purchased my fair-share of questionable school photos.
I am bringing the same eye for honest expressions and timeless photosthat defines my documentary side of my business to childhood's best little traditions: picture day.
Janae BIXBY
Who's Taking the photos!?
Each child's individual gallery is private and password protected and will only be provided to their family at unique links.
Student photographs are provided to the school for agreed-upon school uses, such as the yearbook. Photographs are never used publicly by These Days Photography without parent or guardian permission.
A NOTE ON PRIVACY
Principals, directors, teachers, board members, and enthusiastic parents who have decided their school needs better pictures are all welcome to inquire.
If you are a parent or school interested in fine art school portraits for your organization, fill out the contact form below. I reply to most inquiries within 24 hours.
CONTACT ME
Thanks for reaching out. I'll be in contact with you shortly!
