The school year is almost over but it’s not too late to have a little bit of fun with the photos. Anyone can fill a yearbook with standard, “smile for the camera” pictures, but those are so ordinary! It’s time to mix it up with teacher and staff photos that the students will remember for years to come. Here are a few ideas to get you started. (You can bookmark this article for next year, too.) Now let your imagination run wild!
1. The Superhero Photo
All teachers are superheroes in one way or another, so this is an excellent way to recognize just how awesome they are. If you have really adventurous teachers, then you could have them all dress up as different superheroes. If they’re a bit more subdued, just add capes or masks to the regular school portrait. And if it’s too late in the year to snap new pictures, there’s a magical little thing called Photoshop. This way, anyone can be a hero in just a few simple clicks.
2. The Chalkboard Photo
Chalkboards will always be associated with teachers, and they are a good way to take a fun photo. Have each teacher in your school draw or write on their chalkboard. It can be simple words like their name and what they teach. Or it can get more involved with math problems or a balloon they pretend to hold onto. This backdrop is popular because it can be as simple or as involved as you want.
(Source: Natalie Leah)
3. The Photo Booth Photo
Every wedding, prom, and social event seems to have a photo booth these days. The concept is simple, and with a bit of ingenuity, you could create your own photo booth right there in the staff lounge. Just gather up props like sunglasses, hats, silly faces, and masks. (The dollar store can be an excellent and inexpensive source.) Then set up shop in the teacher’s lounge or at a schoolwide event. Have all the teachers go in and take a fun or silly photo. Students will love it!
4. The Photo Within a Photo
We’ve seen this one done a couple of different ways. The first is to have the teacher hold a picture of him or herself, either from when they were younger or a moment from the classroom. This offers students a good way to get to know their teacher in a different light. Another way to do the photo within a photo concept is to upcycle old, empty picture frames. Have teachers hold the frame in front of them, so they are framing themselves.
5. The Throwback Photo
This is always popular among students because they get to see a photo of their teacher when they were young. You can do this in a couple of ways. First, you could replace the staff photo completely with the younger version. Or you could have a “guess the teacher” game, using a photo of each staff person from childhood. Or you could utilize the “photo within a photo” concept from above and have each teacher hold a photo of him or herself as youngsters.
(Source: Christina Tucker Gayton)
6. The Sign Photo
This is one of the easiest ways to pull off a creative teacher photo, and the opportunities are really unlimited. First things first—decide what you want the signs to say. Do you want the teachers to hold their names? Should they write down their favorite subject or book? Once all the teachers and their signs are pictured together, it looks really cool!
(Source: Lifetouch Bright Ideas Book)
7. The Brady Bunch Photo
Do you have creative teachers? Then this is the one for them. This takes the concept used in The Brandy Bunch and translates it to photos. Remember the opening of the show and how all the people interacted with one another, even though they were in their own little box? The same is true here, and all it takes is a little planning to figure out where each photo will be placed.
(Source: Lifetouch Bright Ideas Book)
This blog is sponsored by Lifetouch Yearbooks, the leader in photography for schools. Enter to win a Yearbook Camera Prize Pack from Lifetouch Yearbooks!
