In the realm of early childhood education, where every moment is a milestone, capturing memories becomes paramount. While parents are often armed with smartphones, there’s an undeniable magic in professional photography. In this post, we’re excited to share a conversation with David Kapper, a seasoned professional with over 15 years of experience in preschool and daycare photography at Clix. Based in metro Atlanta, David’s company is dedicated to creating lasting memories for families while streamlining the process for childcare centers. He provides a fascinating look into the world of seasonal photoshoots, the challenges of working with little ones, and the innovative ways his company adds value to schools and families. Join us as we explore his insights, the logistics behind picture day, and the value of capturing those precious early years.

Can you tell us a bit about your company and the work that you do?

We’re a photography company specializing in preschool and daycare photos in the metro Atlanta area, which includes anywhere within about an hour of metro Atlanta or Atlanta proper, and also the southeast and west of us. We’ve been in business for over 15 years doing this type of work. We love working with our preschools and our daycares. Our goal is to create great memories for families as their kids are growing up. Everyone these days is a photographer with their cell phones, but it’s not every day they can get a professional shot done and they typically don’t print those out. We offer the ability to purchase our pictures via print as well as digitally, which allows families to share with others all around the world as well as make their own prints. Our goal is to help capture those memories because these kids are so darn cute.

Can you describe your typical schedule and what your busy periods look like?

The business itself is fairly seasonal. We typically take fall pictures at the beginning of the school year with a lot of schools. We also do holiday-style pictures around November and December, where people can make holiday cards or just have pictures with Santa, and we’ll bring Santa to the preschool with us. Then we do a spring picture set where we typically do some class pictures. To finish the school year, we’ll do cap and gown graduation pictures for them. There’s very little daycare and preschool work that gets done over the summer or the winter. We do other things here in our studio, like larger schools, private schools, and senior pictures. But as it relates to daycares and preschools, that’s kind of our schedule. So, right now, we’re gearing up for our spring pictures. We usually have a brand-new background every season, something that is going to look great, and we also bring some props like a bucket of flowers, a bench, a chair, or a box, depending on how the background looks.

You mentioned that picture day isn’t always a favorite for schools, can you expand on that?

What I’ve learned over 15 years is that pictures are a necessary evil for the schools. They don’t necessarily love picture day because we interrupt their normal schedule. But they have to do them because parents expect them and want these pictures. So, we try to make it as easy as possible for our preschool directors and assistant directors and staff. When we come on-site, we bring enough staff, so their staff doesn’t have to do all the work. Of course, they have to help us out a little bit. We don’t know the kids’ names, and trying to get a one or a two-year-old to tell you their name, especially their last name, can be difficult! We have to be able to sort through this and make sure we have the right kids. But besides that, our staff is wonderful, they’re great, vetted, interviewed, fingerprint checked, and background checked. They are people who just love working with kids, so we have a fun day.

How do you typically organize a picture day at a school?

We usually come early in the morning and are typically done before lunchtime. Once we finish and clean up, we like to leave the room just as we started the day, putting everything back the way it was. Usually, within 24 hours of taking the pictures, and many times much sooner than that, the pictures are online and available for the parents to look at, and they’re all password-protected for the individual families. The parents then have the opportunity to order the pictures online, and all the orders get sent directly home to the families. What we’ve done effectively is taken the child care center or the preschool out of the equation, where they don’t have to be the order takers or the distribution machine anymore. Assistant directors love this, as they’re usually tasked with that.

It sounds like you’ve created a very streamlined process. Are there times during the year when you’re particularly busy?

Yes, we are currently finalizing the spring schedule. Our existing clients are always given first choice as to their dates, and then we try to add in from there. The nice part about us is we have enough equipment that if we get additional bookings, I just need to hire additional people and train them up. I have a lot of freelance photographers that have done this before. If it gets busy enough, I can add true staff members to our team. We are scalable. The busiest times are typically March and April in the spring and September and October in the fall. We don’t do pictures on Mondays because parents will often forget to dress the children properly.

What are some ways you help to ensure parents are prepared for picture day?

We provide a little sticker that says “picture day is coming” that they can put on the children the night before to remind the parents. We also provide posters that the centers will hang up in visible places. The parents are very well-informed that picture day is coming because we want them to dress the kids up well and comb their hair. That’s one of the reasons we’re in early and out by lunch, because after lunch, they’re a mess! It’s all over their clothes from playing outside and having lunch. We try to get them before they become a mess. We operate Tuesday through Friday and, at this point, we can do up to three schools in a day.

What advice would you give to a center director who is organizing picture day for the first time?

There are two important things. First, we ask the center directors to provide us with a list of students and their family’s email addresses. This way, we can send out the proofs, and parents can view them right away. Everything is password-protected. We need those lists at least three or four days before the scheduled picture day event. Secondly, it is also important to put the posters up to let the families know picture day is coming. Other than that, we take care of everything else. We try to make it as simple as possible for both the center directors, assistant directors and all the staff there.

Are there any other additional services or benefits you offer to the schools?

Yes, we provide headshots for all the staff at no cost. Schools often want updated pictures of their staff to put outside the classroom, on their website, or for their staff to use on their LinkedIn accounts. The staff will want to come prepared with a proper branded shirt for their pictures, and they will want to make sure their hair and makeup is done before the shoot. We make it as painless as possible, and they get to choose a picture they like; we’re not going to use a picture that’s not satisfactory to them.

Do you offer other types of photos, like sibling or group shots?

Absolutely. We also take sibling pictures and ask the center directors to let us know who the siblings are. We can usually figure it out from their last name and email, but sometimes there are siblings with different last names. Even if they’re not direct siblings, if you have two cousins at the school, and the family wants a picture of them together, we are more than happy to do that. We’re there to make all the families happy, and the better job we do, the better we make the school look. This helps ensure families have a good experience with the center and will re-enroll for the next session.

Can you tell us about yard signs, and the success you are having there? 

Yes, we also make yard signs for the graduates. Families can put them in their yards to say they have a preschool graduate. We have a few different styles, and they all have the center’s logo on them. One style is generic, one is fun looking, and one can have the child’s picture on it if they want. We started these two years ago, and last year several centers purchased these for all their graduates and gave them to the families. It’s another opportunity for them to look good to the families. If not, we offer them to the families to purchase themselves as well.

So the original intention was for families to purchase the signs, but the schools are also using them?

The original intention was to sell them to the parents, but then center owners or directors said they would like to purchase them for each child. We are more than happy to accommodate that and give them a discount. We do all the work designing them, too. We even had an owner at a conference buy one for her child who was graduating, even though her center didn’t use us as their photographer!

How do you ensure photos align with a center’s brand or aesthetic?

We collaborate closely. For staff headshots, we follow wardrobe guidelines. For kids, we tailor backdrops and props to match the center’s vibe—whimsical, elegant, or themed. If a center wants updated facility shots for their website, we’re happy to discuss add-ons. Flexibility is key.

What’s the biggest lesson you’ve learned in 15 years?

Pictures are about more than smiles—they’re marketing tools for centers. Happy parents share photos, leave reviews, and re-enroll. We’ve seen centers use our shots in brochures, social media, and ads. When we make directors look good, everyone benefits.

For directors in metro Atlanta, partnering with a dedicated photographer means less stress and happier families. And for those elsewhere? Take inspiration: streamline communication, leverage technology for ordering, and don’t underestimate the power of a cute yard sign!

To connect with David or learn more about his services, visit clixnorthatlanta.com or follow them on Facebook or Instagram.

If you enjoyed this post make sure not to miss the exciting and inspiring GCCA Spring Conference that brings together the brightest minds and most passionate professionals in Early Childhood Education across Georgia! This year’s event is packed with opportunities to grow, connect, and have fun in celebrating everything that makes ECE extraordinary.

Register here.