Boutique School Portraits

Designed for your community by local photographers

Two young girls standing close together, one with her head leaning on the other's cheek, both wearing floral dresses, smiling against a plain white background.

Boutique school photography serving Maplewood, South Orange, and surrounding North NJ areas. Our portraits are created to capture each child’s authentic personality, thoughtfully elevated beyond the traditional. Unlike national chains, we take the time to understand your school community, run unhurried sessions and craft images through a refined, artistic lens…portraits families and schools truly treasure.

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A young girl with brown hair, smiling and crossing her arms, wearing a pink floral dress, standing against a plain light gray background.
Portrait of a young girl with braids, smiling, wearing a black top, against a black background.
Portrait of a young girl with red hair, green eyes, and freckles, wearing a necklace with a small heart pendant, against a plain light background.
A young girl with dark hair styled in two messy buns, smiling and showing her teeth, wearing a striped cream and blue sweater and a multicolored turtleneck, against a plain gray background.
A young boy with brown hair smiling and showing his teeth, wearing a blue and white plaid shirt over a gray T-shirt, against a plain gray background.

How it works

Authentic Portraits

We use a very simple black, white or gray background so the attention is on capturing the individual personality of a child. We keep it simple, calm and fun.

The Difference

We’re local, we’re moms, we spend 1-2 min with each child snapping a variety of expressions so the parents have choices and we keep it simple for the schools.

Investment

All profit is made via online orders in a range of packages and a la carte options. No cost to the school, no minimum required, prices in line with the big companies.

Who we are

Hi, we’re Emily and Lisa!

We’re photographers, mothers and longtime members of this community and we understand firsthand the limitations of traditional school picture day.

After years of photographing families and children of all ages, we’ve learned how to help kids feel comfortable, confident and truly seen in front of the camera. Our goal isn’t a smile…it’s a portrait that reflects your child’s real personality.

With our combined experience, we bring both artistic expertise and a thoughtful, unhurried approach to every session. Because school portraits shouldn’t feel rushed and they should be images you’re proud to see in the yearbook and display at home.

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  • "No bland backgrounds, no stiff smiles, no forced poses. From start to finish, the process feels relaxed and natural, which makes all the difference when photographing kids."

    —Parent

  • "Emily has a remarkable way of capturing your child’s true personality in a single frame: the spark in their eyes, the quirks, the energy that makes them who they are."

    —Parent

  • "Lisa is warm and wonderful with our kids and always gets the perfect smiles out of them."

    —Parent

  • "She creates a deeply personalized experience for each child, taking time to connect and adjust her approach so every student feels comfortable and understood."

    —Preschool Director

Your Questions, Answered

  • Boutique school portraits are a modern approach to traditional school photography. We will be using a very simple black, white or gray background (your choice!) so the attention is all on capturing the individual personality of your child. Our goal is to deliver a classic and timeless portrait that lets your child’s uniqueness shine through. Children are encouraged to be themselves and will never be forced to smile.

  • All profit is made through orders placed in the gallery directly from parents, such as digital files, prints and packages. There is no sitting fee or other charge for taking photos. Prints can be ordered a la carte or in packages. We will send along an example price guide and you will find the prices sit alongside the large-scale photography companies.

  • Prior to the shoot day, we would set up a date to visit the school and scout a perfect location.  

    We bring all of our own equipment, including a backdrop, stands, lighting, cameras and so on. We will also bring an assistant with us the day of the shoot to help. 

    Approximately 1-2 minutes is spent with each child. Our goal is to capture a range of expressions for each child, however some will naturally be more comfortable in front of the camera.

    Smaller preschools budget half a day for picture day, while larger schools should expect a full day (or days).

    Afterwards, we professionally edit the photos, aiming for 2-5 final images (usually more!) per child. We upload the photos to a private online gallery. Each class will have their own password-protected folder with the final images (each child with their own folder of images within the class folder). Parents can place orders from their gallery, including digital files, photo prints and packages of prints or canvases. 

    The ordering window will be 1-2 weeks from the time of gallery delivery.  We will then place a bulk order, package the prints and deliver to the school for distribution.

  • Yes, there can be a class picture! This will be included in the gallery for purchase.

  • Yes! Teacher and staff photos (the digital files) are complementary and can be used for the school website, marketing, staff IDs or however the school needs.  

  • Yes! We love capturing siblings together. If siblings are not students at the school, we prefer the parent bring them in before we start the individual classes.  

  • We upload the photos to a private online gallery. Each class will have their own password-protected folder with the final images (each child with their own folder of images within the class folder). Parents can place orders from their gallery, including digital files, photo prints and packages of prints or canvases. 

    The ordering window will be 1-2 weeks from the time of gallery delivery.  We will then place a bulk order, package the prints and deliver to the school for distribution.

  • We start with pre-school (age 2) and continue through high school.

Contact Us

Reach out to discuss your school’s photography needs.

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