What Should a School Ask Before Hiring a School Photographer?

By Eric MIller, President, MillerFoto School Photography and Yearbooks

Choosing a school photographer affects far more than portraits. The program touches students, families, teachers, office staff, schedules, student data and customer service throughout the year. That means schools should look beyond sample photographs and price sheets.

What to Look For

Ask who will actually serve your campus, how photographers are trained, whether background checks are required and what happens if someone is unavailable. Ask how many students the team can photograph efficiently and how the schedule is built.

Questions Worth Asking

Then examine the family experience. How quickly are proofs delivered? Can parents view images before ordering? How are retakes handled? How long are images available? Are there shipping, late-order, background or archive fees? Who handles parent questions?

Look Beyond the Sales Pitch

Schools should also ask how student information is matched to photographs, how IDs are produced and how yearbook or SIS files are delivered. Specific answers are more useful than promises of “great service.”

The MillerFoto Perspective

MillerFoto approaches school photography as an operational partnership. Organized Picture Days, PhotoMatch identification, on-site ID printing, View-First proofing, yearbook exports and local customer service are designed to reduce the photography-related work that falls back on school staff.

Planning for Your Next Picture Day?

Download our free School Photography First Look Guide to see the questions every school should ask before choosing its next photography partner.