17-07-2025
Ready for the first day of school? 5 tips to get the best photos of your kid's big day
Buses will fill up, classroom seats will be taken and schools will be abuzz with kids. Welcome back to school!
Well, almost, but it's still an exciting time as kids around Knox County prepare to return to school on Aug. 7. And with the first day of school comes the requisite first day photos, so parents can show off their pride and joy to friends and family online.
But sometimes the photos we envision might not translate into the ones we actually take, and you want to make sure you get the best photo you can to remember your child's first day of school.
So with phone or camera in hand, here are some tips from Knox News photographer Brianna Paciorka and reporter Keenan Thomas on how to capture your kid's smiling face before they hop on the school bus Aug. 7.
Environment matters, and you can still have fun
An easy way to get fun, interesting photos for the first day of school is to utilize the environment around you.
Stairs are a great prop to use, as you can capture your kids sitting on the stairs, leaning on the railing, descending the stairs or posing in the staircase. Couches, chairs and benches can provide support with a variety of poseable options for parents to capture.
The options extend outside of the staircase and living room with trees, archways and doors being excellent locations with options for kids to lean, walk through or climb for photos! It can show how they're ready for the school year journey or climbing their way to academic success.
Be mindful of lighting, surroundings
Lighting and surroundings are two of the biggest potential issues to look out for while taking photos commemorating your kid's first day of school.
Lighting plays an important role in capturing nice photos, but it can also spell trouble if you're not positioned well. Taking photos in the shadows will make the shots darker, whereas having the background too bright could cause it to be overly backlit and leave your kid in silhouette.
To capture good lighting, make sure the background is the same brightness or darker compared to the foreground where your kid us. Also, be mindful of the sun's location. Positioning your kid where the main light source is shining on them from the front or to the side will properly expose them, but you don't want them to be squinting when they say, "Cheese!"
As for surroundings, you don't want things in the background to "stick out," like a pole that appears to be sprouting from their head, or unpleasant props like a trash can visible off to the side.
Find contrasting backgrounds to make your photos pop
Another good way to take nice photos is to find a background that contrasts with what your kid is wearing. If your child is wearing darker clothing, then find a lighter or colorful background. But if they're wearing something bright and colorful, a darker background will help to draw attention to them.
This way, you can highlight your kid on their first day even more while making your photos interesting, without them getting lost in similar colors within the shot.
Composition matters, and here's a tip to capture it!
While taking photos, keeping an eye on composition can improve the aesthetic quality of your photos, and that's true for taking first day of school pictures!
Parents can utilize the rule of thirds by positioning their kids and the camera to capture more dynamic photos. The rule breaks photos down into three columns and rows that are symmetrical in the frame, with best practices including positioning the subject either within different columns or along different lines.
On phones, an easy way to implement the rule of thirds is with a grid present on the screen in the camera app. It might need to be turned on in the settings, but the grid allows parents to easily take nice photos.
Or if you just want a simple photo, do whatever seems best to you! Maybe you want your child to be in the center of the frame or doing something goofy.
Pose, pose, pose, and have fun!
Allowing your child to try a variety of poses could be a fun way to engage them in the photos while having several options to choose from when posting on social media later.
It could be a nice and proper pose, one with a little board that says something to express excitement about the first day, a pose using props like a backpack to show it off or even a silly pose that showcases your kid's personality.
But at the end of the day, have fun with it! If your kid has any ideas, listen to what they have to say and try it out. It could lead to a unique photo that no other parent is posting online, and even could get them excited to take on the day ahead.
Either way, this should be a fun and relaxing activity. Getting a nice photo to remember the day is the cherry on top, and you can have a good time doing so.
Keenan Thomas reports for the Knox News business growth and development team. You can reach him by email at
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This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Try these 5 tips for taking the best first-day-of-school photos
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