Submit Picture Day Roster: To prepare for the Picture Day, please submit a participant roster at least four weeks before the event using this short form. Roster submission is required for us to build the online ecosystem for Picture Day.
Timings: The start time of the event is fixed and is mentioned in both the calendar invite and the attached flyer. The end time is flexible and can vary depending on how the event unfolds and whatever time it takes to complete smiling photos of all the kids.
Photo Area Setup: The photographer will come approximately 30 minutes before the start time. The photo area can be set up either indoors or outdoors. If you prefer to shoot outside, make sure the photo space is dry, sheltered, and free of direct sunlight and areas of sun. However, if you prefer to set up the photo area indoors, that is absolutely great, and the photographer will work with you to find the finest interior location for the photoshoot. Although we try to use natural light as much as possible, the photographer will bring in backup artificial lighting that can be used if necessary.
Parent Volunteers: Parents can receive a $75 e-gift card by volunteering during Picture Day. Interested volunteers can sign up immediately using the information provided on the Parent Volunteers webpage. The Picture Day volunteer gift has a $75 maximum per date, which can be distributed among multiple volunteers if necessary. There is a limit of one parent volunteer per picture day and the spot is filled on a rolling basis.
Session IDs and Passwords: These will be mailed via USPS to the school in a sealed envelope to the school’s shipping address on file. We will notify school after the photos are ready and released from our side, and the school is requested to distribute those codes AFTER receiving our EMAIL notification. One can use the session IDs and passwords to access their online album, browse photos and order from there. Orders are directly fulfilled by Kiarah Studios.
New students, changes to roster and missing session codes: We understand that flux in student roster happens with drop offs and new admissions. To address these changes, on the picture day just let the photographer know of anyone not on the roster and the photographer will hand write their names on the sheet. Anyone not on the roster submitted by the school will not have a physical session code form in the USPS shipment. Once the photos are ready, albums for these new students will be emailed to the director of the school, who can forward them to their respective recipients. Alternately, these new students and anyone else missing their session codes (or whoever lost them) can request direct access to their album by filling the section “Trouble accessing photo album?” on our website: www.kiarahstudios.com/album
Graduation Photos: Kiarah Studios does not provide cap and gown for the shoot, and those are provided by the school. This helps us to stay in compliance with our hygiene and sanitization standards. In some instances, photographers may bring a preschool-age cap and gown, however, such a request must be made by the school at least one month in advance of the Picture Day. Every kid will be photographed on the two backdrops that have been chosen for the Picture Day, and the graduating kid will be additionally photographed on the solid backdrop with their cap and gown provided by the school. The graduation photos for the graduating cohort are taken at the end after every kid has been photographed on the two backdrops — this helps with efficient time management at the event.
Class Photos: Class photos can be clicked with entire class standing together in a group. Photo backdrops are meant to accommodate one or at most two kids up to age of 6, and they cannot be used for group photos. School can instead opt to have class composites and can choose from various design options. In the event school chooses class composites, it is the responsibility of the school to provide class assignments for each participant (student and staff), and to review and approve the composites prior to photo release. Depending on the choice by the school based on available options provided here (https://www.kiarahstudios.com/composites) either a group photo or a composite may be present in the album. To comply with privacy guidelines, we do not write names of anyone, student or staff, on the class composites.
Print orders and media types: Print orders are available in glossy, luster and matte media. Glossy photo paper has high gloss, Luster has a slight gloss, while Matte does not have any gloss. We use high-quality photo paper media (250 gsm or above) for our prints and more information on the media finish types is present on our website (https://www.kiarahstudios.com/mediatypes). A sample book of the these media types will be provided to the school and parents may reach out to them to touch and feel the media type prior to placing the order.
The digital proofs in the album are generally in 8×10 aspect ratio. The photo frame will be adjusted prior to printing on sizes of client’s choice (4×6, 5×7, wallets or otherwise) to match the aspect ratio of their selection.
Feedback: Your input helps us to improve our services and kindly use this weblink (https://forms.gle/e597wz9j8UQMfe9t6) to provide us feedback on the event.
Delivery of the Photos: Photos are ready in 3-4 weeks after Picture Day, and they will be uploaded to an individual’s online album.
Pricing: We offer quality photos at competitive pricing. More details on pricing can be viewed here: www.kiarahstudios.com/pricing Plus, everyone has an opportunity to get a flat 10% additional discount by providing us feedback on our services.
Donations: i) The cutoff dates for mailing advance check for Spring and Fall photo sessions are August 1st and December 31st respectively, and the check will be mailed within four weeks after these dates. If the donation is less than $50, then a check for the exact donation amount will be sent. If needed, a second check may be mailed for additional sales that happen between the dispatch of the first check and the cutoff date for final sales calibration.
ii) However, if the donation is more than $50, first an advance $50 check will be sent, and the remainder will be sent after calibrating for final sales numbers at the cutoff date. The cutoff dates for the balance check for Spring and Fall photo sessions are September 15th and February 15th respectively, and the remainder check will be mailed within four weeks after these dates. The check will be mailed to the mailing address submitted at the time of booking.