If you want to become involved in a classroom as a photographer, suggest to the teacher that you will come in one of those first days of school and take a photo of each child. Request that the parents keep track of the Back-To-School new outfit to wear again on one of the last days in June when you photograph again.. Younger children, especially, will show some amazing physical growth. A teacher of Kindergarten or First Grade might include reading the book or singing the song, "Mary Wore A Red Dress" in the fall and again in the spring. With older children, there might be several classes involved. In a case of so many students, I would line them 3 or 4 at a time against a chalkboard, bulletin board, or outside wall and cut the photos apart when they were developed. Make sure each child shows head and feet. Those professional photos taken in fall only show faces, not growth.

My sixth graders would be so amazed at how "cool" they thought they were in the fall, and how silly they thought they looked by the time they had matured a bit by spring.

Suggested fall school photographs:

August-September:

- First day of school
- Welcome assembly
- Beginning reading (math, spelling, etc.) lessons
- Back-to-school night
- School ID photo taking
- Teacher greeting class
- Principal greeting school

October-November:
- Halloween party (younger classes)
- Halloween costume dance (older classes)
- Thanksgiving school or classroom feast
- Native American activity (especially with children in costumes)

Here are some fall school layouts: