Just really good photographs of the kid you already know.
Because picture day could use a glow up
Fine art school portratis
THE School Picture DaY YOU WISH YOU HAD AS A KID
No props.
No forced smiles.
No need to practice.
A Better School Picture Day Starts Here
A parent’s guide to school portraits with These Days Photography: what to wear, what to expect, how ordering works, and why your kid absolutely does not need to practice their smile.
A LITTLE DIFFERENT FROM THE SCHOOL PICTURES WE GREW UP WITH
These Days school portraits are simple, colorful and centered completely around your child. I spend a few minutes with each kid instead of looking for one perfect smile and moving on. We talk. We make weird faces. Sometimes they laugh. Sometimes they absolutely do not.
Your child doesn't need to perform for me.
The goal is a small gallery with different expressions—the big grin, the serious face, the missing tooth, the little look they make that you immediately recognize.
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.
So we're keeping this one simple
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
HAPPY KIDS
HAPPY PARENTS
DO I NEED TO SIGN UP?
No. Your child just needs to show up at school on their designated picture day!
DO I NEED TO BUY ANYTHING?
No. Purchase is not required for participation. Even if you chose not to buy your photos, your school may use your child's photo for the yearbook in accordance with their own policy.
WILL ANYONE ELSE SEE MY CHILD'S PHOTO?
No. Each guardian receives a private password-protected gallery by e-mail to only their own children. Class photos are not included in galleries.
WHAT SHOULD THEY WEAR?
If your school doesn't have a uniform, something that feels like them. More on that below.
SIBLINGS?
Yes! If your child's school has opted to include sibling photos, they will be taken and included in each of your child's galleries.
WHAT WILL I GET TO SEE?
Each child receives a private online gallery with approximately 3–5 different portraits, delivered in both color and black & white.
Not the picture-day version of your kid. Your actual kid, on picture day.
These Days Photography is an Alexandria, Virginia-based school and family photography studio bringing a more relaxed, personality-filled picture day to kids throughout Northern Virginia and Washington, DC.
You’ll find me photographing students at preschools, Montessori and forest schools, co-ops, micro-schools, daycares and other small school communities across Alexandria, Arlington, Falls Church, Fairfax, McLean and the greater DC area.
If your school has a picture day with These Days, the idea is simple: less assembly line, more actual kid.
How picture day works
Easier than you think.
No family prep required
01
SEND THEM TO SCHOOL
02
WAIT FOR THE GOOD STUFF
03
PICK WHAT YOU LOVE
That's it. No practicing a smile in the mirror required.
Kids will be photographed during the school day. I'll spend a few minutes with each child and photograph several different expressions. Depending on your school's picture-day plan, we may also photograph siblings and a class group.
After picture day, your photos will be delivered directly through a private, password-protected gallery for each child.
You'll receive a link by email when they're ready.
Choose one digital image, download the whole gallery, order professional prints—or don't purchase anything at all.
No obligation, no minimum order quantities.
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
$85
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
See them first. Decide what you love. That's it.
Send them in something you like seeing them in—and, preferably, something they like being in too.
Favorite dress? Great.
Overalls? Absolutely.
Collared shirt? Sure.
WHAT TO WEAR
SEND THEM AS THEMSELVES
- CLOTHING WITH HOLES AND STAINS
- NEON COLORS
- BRAND NAMES AND LOGOS
- large graphics
I RECOMMEND YOU AVOID:
- PRIMARY COLORS
- solid clothing or simple patterns
OUTFITS THAT PHOTOGRAPH GREAT:
Hair doesn't need to be perfect. Missing teeth are encouraged. Cowlicks are historically accurate.
OK, MAYBE A FEW aWkward ones. BECAUSE KIDS ARE KIDS and who are we to stop that?
KID PHOTOS
NOT AWKWARD
TOTALLY
WHAT DOES “JUST LET THEM BE THEMSELVES” ACTUALLY LOOK LIKE?
on my knees in someone's backyard while their kids do cartwheels around me
capturing messy faces and sticky hands during snack time
DOCUMENTING MY OWN KID'S CHILDHOOD, OFTEN ON 35 mm FILM
You can OFTEN find me:
I'm the photographer behind These Days Photography, a Northern Virginia family and school photography studio—and I'm also a mom who has personally purchased my fair share of questionable school photos.
The rest of the year, I photograph families being themselves: loud kids, shy kids, skeptical kids, kids hanging upside down from furniture, and kids who want absolutely nothing to do with my camera.
So I don't expect your child to suddenly become a tiny professional model when they sit down for a school portrait.
I'm good with kids being kids. That's sort of the whole idea.
Janae BIXBY
WHO'S TAKING MY KID'S PICTURE?
YOUR KID'S FACE ISN'T MY CONTENT.
Each child's online gallery is private and password protected and is shared only with their family.
Your child's school may receive selected photographs for agreed-upon school purposes, such as a yearbook or school records, according to your school's own policies.
These Days Photography will not use your child's photographs publicly on my website, social media, advertising or portfolio without separate permission from a parent or guardian.
Purchasing photographs does not give me permission to share them.
PRIVATE BY DEFAULT. ALWAYS.
Thanks for reaching out. I'll be in contact with you shortly!
CONTACT ME
Book a private Personality Portrait session for your own kids. A little more time, a few more photographs, and nobody has to convince the principal of anything.
You don't have to switch schools. We don't need that much drama...
Personality portraits are also available outside of school picture days for families, small organizations, and gatherings throughout Northern Virginia and DC.
BOOK IT FOR YOURSELF
But your school doesn't have a day scheduled?
LOVE THESE?
- $325
- $50 per each additional child
- 15–20 minutes
- Up to 4 siblings from one immediate family
- Individual portraits of each child
- 10 finished images per child
- Full-resolution digital gallery included
- Simple studio-style background
PRIVATE MINI-SESSION PRICING
Have a neighborhood full of kids? A homeschool group? Playgroup? Co-op? A bunch of friends who all want one or an event you want to spice up?
Get 8 or more kids together and I'll bring picture day to you. I'll set up, photograph each child, and send every family their own private gallery afterward.
MAKE YOUR OWN PICTURE DAY
THANKS FOR REACHING OUT. I USUALLY GET BACK TO YOU IN 24 HOURS.
LET'S GET YOUR KID IN FRONT OF MY CAMERA.
Frequently asked questions
You will receive an email with a private link to your child's gallery. If you have multiple children, you will receive multiple galleries.
Each child will have their own album with multiple images in both color and black and white.
Families can order directly from the online gallery. Prints, digital files, and other products are available à la carte. There are no pre-purchased packages, so you only buy what you truly love.
The gallery will remain open for 3 weeks. Please make sure all orders are placed before the deadline.
Digital files are delivered instantly via email as soon as you complete your purchase. Print orders will be delivered directly to your home from the print lab, usually within 1.5 weeks of ordering.
A single digital file is $35, and the whole gallery is $85. All funds collected from digital purchases go directly to helping improve our school. Print prices are listed in the gallery store, and will have shipping and taxes added at checkout. The costs associated with print purchases go to the print lab, taxes, and to a small portion to Janae's business equipment expenses.
Nope!
Student photos will be printed in the physical school Yearbook that is distributed to River Farm students at the end of the year. If you are happy to have your student featured on our public-facing River Farm website, let Scott Beggs know — there are RFFS release forms you can sign. If you would like to let me use your child's photos in my portfolio, I'd be so grateful. Let me know, and I also have privacy release forms that can be signed. Without written permission, your child's photos will not be used online for either the school or Janae's website.
No. If your kid doesn't feel like smiling, they won't be forced into it. Smiling isn't a requirement for a good photograph.
