Hey, Paidea Parents!

Picture day was a huge success!!

Please stay tuned as your child’s photos are edited and put together in a gallery for viewing. An expected gallery completion date is anticipated for the last week of October!

Welcome to Smile School Portraits, where we believe all students deserve a school picture worth framing! We are EXCITED to return to Paidea this year! Smile School Portraits is a modern approach to school photos. No more cheesy background, stiff smiles, and unflattering poses. We use a black background and your child’s photo will be simple and classic, focusing on your child’s true personality. The results are genuine and timeless portraits that most wouldn’t associate with the traditional “school picture” we’re used to.

We created this page as a way to connect and prepare for your child’s Picture Day. Here you will find all the information you need to know when picture day is for your class, tips on what to wear, viewing, ordering, and more. Should you need any information, please reach out to us anytime! You can find the “Contact Us” button in the menu above or email us at hello@smileschoolportraits.com.

Who is Smile School Portraits?

Hi! My name is Melissa, and I will be the photographer at your school picture day! I am so excited to capture all the smiling faces at Paidea! You may also see the name Melissa Soto Photography…we are the same!

When is Picture Day?

Tuesday, September 24th & Wednesday September 25th

What Should My Child Wear for School Pictures?

By far, this is our #1 question for picture day. What’s most important is that your child wears something that they are comfortable in. If it’s something your child doesn’t like, it will show in their photos. Colors that photograph well are rich jewel colors, solids, or neutrals. Shirts with collars and embellishments around the neck are wonderful. Hair bows for the girls, and fun stuff like suspenders and bow ties for the boys are always welcome. Prints and patterns are fine as long as it’s not large and distracting. Do not worry about shoes, they will not be in your photos. Most photographs are taken from the shirt and up.

What NOT to wear: a black colored shirt or neon colors, hoodies, large logos/brand names, characters, or large distracting prints.

For further tips, check out our 5 Best Tips for Photo Day. You can read about that HERE.

Do You Take Sibling Photos?

Siblings of all ages are welcome for pictures together or by themselves. There is no need to sign-up! Just drop on in anytime between 9-10 am on picture days. This is for siblings/children only. No family photos will be taken.

When Will Photos Be Ready to View?

Within 1-2 weeks after picture day, you will receive a private, password-protected link to access your child’s photo gallery. Inside the gallery, each child will have their own individual album only accessible with a 4 digit PIN. This PIN is your child’s four-digit birthday (For example: My birthday is January 19. My password would be: 0119). If you have more than one child that attend this school, they will also be in your gallery, so enter the oldest child’s four-digit birthday. Each child will have an album with 3-5 images in both color and black & white for you to choose from.

How Do I Order?

Ordering is simple! Once you’ve viewed your child’s photo, you can order directly off the website. You will have a variety of choices from prints, high resolution digital images, and canvas. You’ll also get a video where I walk you through the ordering process. I will upload that video into this private webpage once we get close to having your school’s photos complete.

Your gallery will remain open for 1 week to order prints. Only the high resolution digitals will be available to purchase after the ordering window closes. Any print purchases will be delivered directly to your home. You will be responsible for shipping charges. Once the ordering window closes, you cannot make any changes to your order.

All digital purchases will be sent within 24 hours. All digitals must be downloaded using your computer, not a phone or tablet.

Wondering about our prices? Check out our list below. You’ll see that our prices rival national chains, yet our quality is unmatched.

Do You Take Family Photos?

Looking for family photos? We are excited to announce the launch of our Mini Sessions!! These sessions are designed to capture beautiful moments in a condensed time frame, ideal for immediate families members, couples, or individuals looking to capture a special moment.

Mini sessions will occur Saturday, September 7th.

Visit our webpage for further details: MINI SESSIONS - MELISSA SOTO PHOTOGRPAHY

Can I See Your School Price List?

***Please note the canvas items will not be available this year.

WAIT…there’s a few more things I need to share with you!!!