Should Your Center have 1 or 2 days of Photos?

As a director, choosing between a 1 or 2-day option for your photos can be tough. To note, due to the size of your center, only one of these options may be available. For example, centers with less than 30 children will always have 1 day of photos. In contrast, centers with more than 80 children will almost always have 2 days. But if you fall within that 30-80 enrollment range, and you're not sure whether to choose 1 or 2 days, then this article is for you! I'll break down a few pros and cons of each to help you decide. :)

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One Day of Photos

Pros: "All done!" If the thought of hosting a Photo Day makes your heartrate increase just thinking about the added planning and coordination it can take, then the 1-day option may be your best bet. You can wrap up the whole event in one day and get back to "normal" sooner. :) Consistent weather/lighting With outdoor photos, it's never guaranteed that one day of photos will have similar weather than the other. Because of that, you won't have to worry about one batch of kids getting a 45 degree day with clouds and wind, while the other batch gets 65 and sunny skies. Less room for parent confusion No matter how many times you tell a group of people the details of an event, someone will always forget or get confused. If you're only hosting 1 day of photos, you have less chances of a parent getting their dates turned around and dressing up their kiddo on the wrong day. Cons: Style differences between multiple photographers Depending on your center's size, having all your photos on one day will sometimes mean that we'll have multiple photographers to cover that day. While I always try to bring on photographers with similar shooting styles and experience, there will always be small differences between the way that we pose and shoot. No chance for a make-up day When you host photos over 2 days, there is a potential for a kid who was sick/gone on day 1 to be able to make up their photos on day 2. If you only take photos on one day, however, you likely won't have that opportunity. Part-time kiddos may miss out Similar to Con #2, with only one day of photos, some of your part-time children may not be able to attend.

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Two Days of Photos Pros Inherent make-up day for absent kids or bad weather In contrast to a 1-day plan, if you have 2 potential days for the children to get photos, the ones who were registered for the 1st day and couldn't make it due to sickness, etc will have another shot to get their photos on Day 2. In addition, if the weather goes south for Day 1, you already have one set option for those children to make up their photos. Consistency of photos With multiple days of shooting, your center is more likely to have only one photographer for both days. This leads to a consistency in posing and shooting styles and a more cohesive finished product. Easier for part-time attendees Spreading your photos over two days of the week can capture all of your part-time kiddos and make sure they get their own photo day. Whether they're a M-W-F kid or a T-Th kiddo, you can get them all. :) Cons More drawn out Spreading the photos over two days will mean that you'll need to be ready for the center's schedule be a bit disrupted for two days, instead of just one. Potential to confuse parents Juggling family life, work, and daycare can get tough for parents, and they don't always take the time to read and understand all the notices that daycares give them. ;) If you have your photos over two days instead of one, you increase the chance that a parent (or two) will get confused about which day they're supposed to be getting photos. More chances for bad/inconsistent weather Since we typically take photos outdoors, when you host photos over two days, you're taking the chance that the weather will be nice and relatively consistent both days. In the event that it's not, this can lead to differences in lighting, location, and clothing needed for each day.

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That wraps up the pros and cons! Hopefully, this article has helped to guide you to the right decision for your center. If you ever have any questions at all, please contact me at hello@genesisphotog.com or 402-413-0129. -Bonnie