I love a good “back to school” photo. Every year, it’s fun to see both my kids and all my friends’ kids proudly holding those “first day of school” signs or showing off their new backpacks. This year, it may look a little bit different as many kids are starting school virtually and others will be donning kid-size masks to head out the door. But, I imagine no matter what school looks like this year, we’ll all want to document this crazy year and another milestone for our kids.
Since we have already been talking about the safety rules kids need to know before they start back to school, it brought to mind another safety issue when it comes to back-to-school, the Back to School Photos.
While back to school photos seem harmless, there are a few photos you want to make sure to keep OFF social media.

Photo in front of the school sign
This is a fun photo to take, to document the first day of school next to the school sign. Especially if the kids are moving from one school to another.
Letting the whole internet know where your child is attending gives them a lot of information about your child’s daily life. A quick internet search could allow any one to know exact pick up/drop off times and more! Snap this shot, but keep it off social.
Consider sharing a photo from in front of the school’s fence or soccer field instead!
Photos with a school shirt
If your child has a school uniform or will be wearing a t-shirt showing off their school spirit, consider blurring out the information on their shirt, so that you aren’t announcing to the internet where your child goes to school.

Photos next to the school bus
Be careful with school bus shots, if you frame it right, this can actually be a great shot to grab, but make sure they bus number is not visible in the photo, as those are easy to track, and make sure that there are no street signs or addresses that can be seen in the back of the shot either.
Photo with other kids
Sharing pictures of your kids with their friends, is always a fun option, but make sure you check with the other kids parents before you do so. Some moms and dads have very strict rules about what photos they want of their kids on social media (some don’t show faces, others don’t use their kid’s names). Make sure you double check before you post!
Now that you have your photo plans taken care of, make sure you check out this post that will help your kiddos banish their first day of school worries for good!
Here’s another great resource with the best books to help your child prep for Kindergarten.
Where is your favorite spot to take back to school photos? Let me know in the comments.
Emeli says
It seems to me that the photo near the school bus is best suited for this series of photos. Thanks for the tips as always very helpful. I also often take pictures of my child, and even began to read new articles about the creation of beautiful photos. I recently read a wonderful article about hand poses for my child. These are great tips that make photos professional!