JFF - Funny/chaotic Kid School Picture Day Stories?

For my sons first school pics ever (3K) I laid out nice clothes for him and a brush. DH was bringing him to school that day. I told DH I had laid out the clothes but "apparently" he did not hear me. They ended up running late that day so my husband threw on the sport shirt he had worn the day before that was dirty. When I picked DS up that day I could not believe he was wearing that ugly dirty shirt - uggg. Those pics were 40 bucks too!!

I could write a book. But I'll stick with the most recent and probably best story ever. My very outdoors oriented DS picked camo background and a leafy border. Whatever, I've just had family pics done so I could care less. Well, the pictures arrive and his teacher hands his packet to him.... complete with a huge art deco pink flowered border. It's been 4 months and the kids still tease him about it. Of course I was blamed. The picture company hand delivered new pics to the school to be delivered in class. I can still hear the rep on the phone call as she pulled up the proof: "Oh! Oh....Oooooooooohhhhhh..... Oh dear..... we'll have new ones to the school tomorrow!"

I remembered my worst school picture. My mom tried to give me a permanent the day before. Did not work. Can you say frizzed ?! My grandson is in 1st grade & practiced his smile for a week before picture day. Something went wrong & he looked like he was going to eat someone. I know that someday we will all laugh about it, but not right now. They really should not make us pre-pay. Don't you just love it ??!!

Three days before my youngest daughter's 1st grade school portrait, a boy in her class cut her bangs. Never mind that a 6yr old child had the opportunity to get THAT close to my daughter's face/forehead/EYES with a pair of scissors - never mind that she must have LET him do that, THAT was a whole other issue. He didn't just cut her bangs randomly, he cut a perfect two inch section so that just off center, her bangs were 2 inches shorter than the rest of them. Perfect straight bangs (_____-----___), with a notch in them. I'll cherish that picture forever.

And it took FOREVER to grow out!

my daughter wanted to wear a fancy dress for picture day. ok no problem. but read a book at recess mmkay. We did her hair in a cute side pony and curled it and she was adorable. after pictures she didn't need to stay clean right? so she went on the monkey bars. She fell off and broke her arm. So the picture we got is perfect. but just cause the child is dressed to NOT play on a play ground doesn't mean you wont get a broken arm! Good bye soccer season.

I gotta tell ya......I think they hire the photographers from the DMV for school pictures. :) One year, my daughter's bra strap was hanging out of her top. One year her glasses were falling off her face to the point where you couldn't see her eyes. Do they not see that when they are looking thru the lense of their camera? LOL

Mammabearof2- THAT IS PRICELESS! I couldn't stop laughing! :)

Those are the best pictures because it encompasses who your son really is!!! :) My son, who started middle school this year, was always on the chubby side, never really cared much about doing his hair, just wasn't into being the cool kid...so on the first day of school, he wore a nice shirt, but didn't do his hair up, kept his glasses on and had the FUNNIEST smile ever! (this is the picture that will go in the year book!) He has since become very popular w/ the girls, so does his hair every day, makes sure he has cologne on, he's slimmed way up and gotten taller than me (and I'm almost 5' 8"!) He even went and got his ears pierced (yes, I took him and in our area, that's what a lot of boys do...I know in more rural areas, boys do NOT do that!) Anyway, him becoming one of the "cool kids" has made his first day of school picture even funnier! We couldn't stop laughing at it (even he laughs cause he knows what a goof he looks like!)

And I remember my first grade picture, my mom had curled my hair under...it was that Dorothy Hammill (sp) style. Well, my teacher decided to feather it back and didn't have me take off my ugly sweater. My mom was not happy about THAT picture either! LOL!

I just read Carol's answer...her grandson looked like he was gonna eat someone! OMG...that made me laugh out loud! I always tell my kids to smile nice, I don't want to see the "I gotta go poop!" face!

Well, not sure it's really funny, but this year was our first public school picture experience. Pre-paid, like you. I expected to be presented with a choice from a few different shots, as we were in nursery and pre-K. Nope, they apparently only took one and it had to be, hands-down, the absolute worst photo of my son that I had ever seen! He had put on this really forced smile, so he almost looked like he was in pain. Ugh.

Fortunately, they did offer a retake day. I told him, whatever he did, DON'T smile with your mouth open. He listened and I just got the retakes today. Probably one of the BEST photos of him ever. Phew!

When my daughter was in second grade, her pictures came out horrible! She was in the middle of a blink, so it was this half-way open eyes, with a strange smile....

So, when retakes came around, I sent that picture packet BACK to school to have them re-taken... and she forgot to turn it in and get her picture taken! So.... that was the final picture for their yearbook.

Oh, well...... I was ticked, though..... I had wanted to use some of those photos for Christmas, and they were horrible.

Last year we had a parent council meeting the night before school picture day. We hire a couple of Jr. High girls to watch the kids during the meeting. This particular night the girls brought face paints and temporary tatoos to entertain the kids. We all had to go home after the meeting and scrub off all the tatoos and paint before bed so they would be clean for pictures the next morning.

I have one from 3rd or 4th grade when the photographer was posing me - I assume he was trying to make it look like I was sitting up perfectly straight, but the result was that in the picture I am leaning back aver so slightly...like I'm about to tip off over the chair.
Yearbook picture of a classmate - the photographer's assistant didnt move away in time, so there are phantom hands fixing her shirt.
My sister in the 80's - she never smiles in pictures to begin with, and she had the blonde, weaved, permed 80's bangs over one of her eyes - we called it the cyclops picture.

MY BIL has the BEST school pictures. He decided in third grade that he hated the entire idea. So he started to intentionally mess them up...retakes too. It didn't take long for my MIL to give up the idea. Crossed eyes, closed eyes, silly faces, standing up and getting a belly shot. You name it, he did it. I am certain they were irritating at the time, but even my in-laws laugh at those pictures now.

Well, there was the retake where the photographer, rather than ask me to take my glasses OFF, tilted them so I looked drunk or stoned. And my sister's hair that would never stay put. And the baby/daycare picture where they had to bribe my child with a random block to get her to sit still. And the home haircut (not by a parent) that everyone seems to have one of...

My worst photo, though was senior pictures. The girls in charge of our section screwed up the whole senior section and did not use people's retakes. My yearbook photo is HORRIBLE. My only consolation is that anybody who sees me now will say, "Wow, she looks great!" Well, that and I know at least one of them dropped out Feb of our senior year and didn't even graduate. I will take my ugly picture and my diploma, thanks.

ETA: Senior pictures for SD - she wore a cowl necked shirt and in one of the proofs it was a tad revealing. She also had a bad 6th grade photo. My DH sees no use in sit down portraits. He says they are overpriced (agreed) and often not the best. I like having a few around, but getting HIM to sit for one is a pain in the butt. SS is no better. They use picture day for the yearbook and the school ID but he hated them every year. One year he actually ripped them up. No more prepaid for us.

Just recieved DD's photos. Locally, they give you a bunch of photos and you pay for the ones you want. A waste, IMO. And expensive! So I get to choose between the one where she has a cute smile, but they gave her a double chin somehow, the full body pose where her face is totally "just take the picture" with a fake smile and the one where she's probably talking. Oh, and she goes to preschool every day, but they only included the class photo from the day she was assigned to take her picture. I called to see if we could get the other set of kids, too.

I felt like a bad mommy, but I did not realize you had to pre-pay for these pictures and had to select what you wanted BEFORE picture day (he is in Kindergarten so this was the first year). So picture day came and he did not have his envelope with him, but they aloowed him to take a picture anyway, thankfully. Well, they don't know my son and NOT to ask him to smile because you will get the WORST cheesy smile EVER!!! So the proofs came back and the picture was horrible! And then the pricing being just so ridiculous and the fact that I am a photographer myself my husband just said, forget it, we are not ordering this or having him retake any because it will just be another horrible picture!

If my son's school ever requires pre-pay for pictures, I absolutely will not do it. This year I was less than thrilled with the experience. Picture day comes and I ask my son how it went. (He is in Kindergarten.) He says he did fine, but forgot to smile like he was laughing. Ok, I am expecting a blank expression on his face. Nope, he looks drunk and high at the same time! I send him to the retake and this picture comes out MUCH better. But what picture is the school using for everything, including the memory book, school website, and Christmas ornament they made at school? Yep, the drunk picture.

The retake pictures I ordered, but the prices were ridiculous. The cheapest package that included an 8x10 was $36. I ordered one of their fun pack things that has the bookmark, key tag, etc. None of the pictures were centered and the coloring was off. Photography studio says they can't control the printing process of the fun packs, so there is no refund. I made them print me a second one and it turned out just as bad as the first one. From now on, I'm just going to make sure my son gets to daycare super early when they take their pictures. Their photographer is awesome!