Santa Barbara Fine Art School Portraits

Portrait with natural curly hair wearing floral top against dark background.
Cheerful portrait in floral dress with long brown hair against black backdrop.

We can never have enough photos of our children but let’s face it; school photos aren’t always our first choice when it comes to what to hang up around the house. 


If you’re growing a little tired of the usual school photo formula year after year, why not consider taking some professional headshots at a studio instead? Below are just some of the differences between school photos and studio photos.

Portrait series of a young child in bright turquoise and yellow outfit against dark background.
Close-up portrait showing soft lighting and delicate features against black backdrop.
Artistic portrait with dramatic lighting highlighting natural features against dark background.
A black and white headshot capturing pure laughter and joy.
A portrait of a smiling young person in an orange shirt against a black backdrop.
A black and white close-up portrait showing a joyful expression.
A student in a blue school uniform with red collar poses against a dark background.
Student wearing dark uniform with long braided hair against black background.
Young student in navy uniform with red collar and braided hair.

The Backdrop 


School Photos: Your child’s school photos are usually shot in front of a textured, sometimes tacky, background. These backgrounds tend to be distracting and move the focus off your child completely.  

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Fine Art Portraits: Shooting professional headshots in a studio means you have the option of choosing a more classic backdrop, something that keeps the focus on your child.

Posing and Smiling


School Photos: When it’s time to take school photos, kids are called up one at a time, placed in a standard pose, and told to smile in front of a complete stranger before being rushed out the door again.

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Fine Art Portraits: A professional photographer takes the time to make your child feel more comfortable in front of the camera, which results in a natural expression and smile. They also try a variety of poses so that you walk away with more memorable shots of your kids.

The End Result

School Photos: When you receive your child’s school photos you usually get one or two standard photos in various sizes. There is nothing unique or special about the shots and they usually end up in a drawer in the house.

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Fine Art Portraits: A professional photographer not only takes a variety of photos of your child but spends time editing them too, resulting in photographs you can proudly display in your house, photos you know aren’t present in the homes of every other child at school.

Portrait of a smiling youth with long straight red hair wearing blue.
Black and white portrait showing peaceful expression and long flowing hair.
Portrait showing bright smile and long straight hair against dark background.
A serious black and white portrait of a young person wearing a hooded sweatshirt.
A cheerful portrait of a young person wearing a blue hoodie against a dark background.
A monochrome headshot portrait of a young person in casual attire.

It’s definitely worth taking the time to book a professional photographer to take a few headshots of your child if you’re looking for something a little more special to remember your child’s school years by. 

Portrait of student in red polo with curly hair and bright smile.
Black and white portrait of student in polo shirt with curly hair.