The shoes are shined, and the No. 2 pencils are sharpened and ready to get cracking on those math problems.
It's time to go back to school. What better way to commemorate this momentous day—and others throughout the school
year—than with your trusty digital camera.
Figure photos into back-to-school planning
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 always a poignant occasion, and one that's worthy of documenting in
photographs. Establish a family tradition of first day photos, and get everyone involved.
One way to do this is to talk about taking first-day photos with your kids. Let them know how important the day is,
how proud of them you are, and how you want to be able to remember it. Sharing your own school memories is a good way
to introduce the topic-especially if you have old photos to show.
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, and that you have space on your memory card for all the pictures you'll want to take.
Back-to-school time involves many different activities, such as registering at the new school and shopping expeditions
for supplies and new clothes. Take the camera along and "get the story" as kids explore their new school, select pens,
paper, and all their school accoutrements. It's a great chance to get material for a collage or scrapbook of the 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.
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 fixed and familiar landmark. Children will get a kick out of seeing how much they've grown from year to year.
And don't forget 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.
Of course you'll want to take lots of "smile at the camera" posed shots. But it's also fun to get the
candid moments that show your children's personalities. Capture real-life moments: brushing teeth, perfecting hair
for those self-conscious teens, or loading the lunch box.
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.
Another surefire way to get kids to cooperate is to give them the camera. When your children take the pictures,
they get to express their creativity and you get to see the world through their eyes-a precious insight. And for
anyone with the start-of-school jitters, taking pictures will provide a relaxing diversion.
The school building itself offers many opportunities for getting wonderful pictures.
But bear in mind that the first day is when teachers establish the tone for their classrooms. Be sure to ask permission,
and respect the teacher's wishes, whatever the answer. You might also ask to take a picture of the teacher or other
school personnel.
Schools provide interesting settings for your photographs. In addition to a shot in front of the school or classroom,
you might want to take "atmosphere" pictures of the cafeteria, the hallway, and your child's "cubby"
or locker.
The first day of school is just that-the beginning. It needn'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 goings-on. Field trips and other school outings are another way to document the year.
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.
Once you've captured the awkward goodbyes and tentative hellos of the new school year, you'll want to print, store and share the pictures.
Print your photos with a printer designed for photo printing. HP photo printers, typically called HP Photosmart printers, are great for everyday documents,
spreadsheets and things you normally print. But they also include special features optimized for photo printing including multiple memory card slot readers,
image displays, editing functions like red-eye removal, and creative color effects and borders.
Photosmart printers include special features optimized for photo printing including multiple memory card
slot readers, image displays, editing functions like red-eye removal, and creative color effects and borders.
These features make them a faster and easier way to print lab quality photos. Find the one that's best for you!
Take a free online class
in digital photography! Explore the many features of your digital camera, find tips for cropping and editing your
images, and discover new ideas for sharing your photos in creative ways.
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