School Pictures - FAQ

1. Where are the pictures?

Here: http://sunflowermontessori.smugmug.com/

They're organized by age group, hopefully making it easier for you to find your child(ren). The files are large and there are over a hundred in each gallery, so the pages may take a minute to load. 

2. How do I purchase prints or downloads?

Browse around 'til you find a photo (or photos) you like. When you've clicked on one you're interested in purchasing, you'll see a green button in the top right corner of your screen called BUY PHOTOS. Click on it.

3) A drop-down menu will appear, where you should choose "THIS PHOTO"

4) From there, a menu will pop up with all kinds of sizes of prints you can purchase. SUPER IMPORTANT NOTE: On the top toolbar, you'll see a few options, including Prints and Downloads.

                            

If you click on DOWNLOADS, you can purchase a full-resolution copy of your photo file. It comes with a copyright release, so you can print and distribute your photo however you'd like forever and ever, amen. 

3. What are you doing with the money raised by photo sales?

100% of proceeds (minus the small Smugmug hosting fees) go to Sunflower; the money has been earmarked for the purchase of new playground equipment. 

4. Why is my child holding a dinosaur/blanket/book/block in his/her picture?

I imagine being a small child walking into a room filled with bright alien lights can be a little frightening. Sometimes, a kid will walk into the room and I know that the little plastic dinosaur she's clutching in her fist is the thing that can separate a decent picture from a complete meltdown. So, rock that dinosaur, sister. Same goes for seating choices: some kids wanted to sit on the chair, some on the floor, some on the stool. I let them tell me what made them the most comfortable. 

5. Why do some kids have four pictures in the gallery and my kid only has one?

I encouraged each child to stay as long as s/he felt comfortable. If there's only one photo of your child, it's probably of the split-second window before s/he decided to blow that popsicle stand. I'm not a fan of making kids hang around until they cry. Which brings us to:

6. I don't like my kid's picture, or we missed School Picture day. What are my options?

Hey - no hard feelings. 4 days, 147 kids and 1200+ exposures - something's bound to go wonky. That's why, to make sure everyone gets a picture they like, we're having a...

RE-TAKE DAY

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 8TH

SUNFLOWER MULTI-PURPOSE BUILDING

(aka "The Brown House" on the corner of 6th & Hickory, next to Sunflower South)

Why Wednesday? Because more kids attend school that day than any other day of the week. Why at the Brown House? because we can set up our studio there without disrupting any learning spaces. If you'd like your child's photo re-taken, let me know. No questions asked. Maybe you didn't mean for your kid to be in that outfit, or there's something about his expression that makes you bonkers, or you think if you come along, you can help make her smile. Totally cool. You don't need to explain. Let me know what time works for you on that Wednesday if you'd like to attend - otherwise, we'll get it done during the school day.

7. I have two kids at Sunflower, and I'd really like it if they could be photographed together, or (and I got this question, verbatim, last year) - My child has an older sibling at another school and the school picture she took there made her look like a crazy person. Can I bring her to Sunflower instead?

The answer to both is yes. Come to re-take day on Oct 8th. Let me know what time works for you and we'll get it done. 

8. Let's talk about Photoshop.

Yes, let's! I used it to get rid of tons of dried yogurt, tears, scratches, boo-boos, lint, pimples and (Lord help me) boogers. (Note to Adobe: Please develop a de-booger function in the next Photoshop upgrade). If I somehow missed something you'd like zapped, let me know. If I accidentally zapped something that you'd like to have back (like you want to remember that boo-boo for all eternity, for example), let me know and I'll put it back. 

9. I bought a digital photo, but I don't want to order prints from the Sunflower site because I need to make a bajillion copies for Grandma. Any thoughts on where I should get them printed in town?

Yes. If you simply must print hard copies here in town, Costco has the most reliable color system. Walmart probably has the worst (some days they skew blue, some days yellow - it's a real crap shoot). I hate to send you to a competitor, but if you're going to get them printed from an online vendor, I highly recommend Mpix.com. They're higher quality than Shutterfly for about the same price.

10. Who took these pictures?

Me. Brooke Burbach, fellow Sunflower parent. I didn't roll in with a crew and a grip truck. I sat on the floor in my sweatpants and balanced blocks on my head, talked through a giraffe puppet and bawked like a chicken to try and make your kiddos smile. I love the school and I love your kids, and no part of the profit from the sale of these photos is going to me, although Correy definitely owes me a beer after she served yogurt to toddlers on school picture day. Above all, I want you to have a picture you're happy with, so if there's anything at all you need, (all together now), let me know.

-Brooke