by Laura Falin posted in Life & Home

I love our "first day of school" pictures.
I love that they're natural, and not too posed, and they show the kids' real personalities. I used to order the actual school pictures every year, but the photographer who took them gave the kids so many instructions -- "Look this way!", "Not there, over here!","Don't smile, it looks too fake!" -- that by the time he snapped the pictures of them, they looked all:

So personally" I much prefer our own back-to-school pictures, taken in front of our own house or school. We've been taking them for ten years now, and I've collected a few tips over the years to make those pictures go a little smoother. (Also, read on for a free printable to use in your pictures!) Tips for taking first day of school pictures:

Make sure to allow plenty of time. When I plan for our first day of school, I always forget to add in an extra 15 minutes or so for pictures. And the kids don't take good pictures when I'm yelling at them to hurry up and sit still and just look at me once really quick. It gets especially tricky when you have more than one kid, so be sure to allow enough time to take some nice pictures without having to rush.
Make sure you get candids. I love the annual picture in front of our house. But don't forget to take some as the kids get on the bus, or bike to school, or see their friends for the first time in a while. Those are all fun.
Make sure you get i...