PICTURE DAY GUIDE!


Get Ready for Picture Day with DMV School Portraits!

With DMV School Portraits, we’re all about keeping things simple—no need to worry about preordering or handling paper forms!

Before and after picture day, you'll receive an email with instructions to access your child's private online gallery. The best part? You get to view the photos before deciding which ones to order, so you can choose your favorites with confidence. Once you’ve made your picks, you can order prints, digital downloads, or other fun products. Plus, prints are shipped straight to your home—no more crumpled school pictures at the bottom of a backpack! Digital downloads are available instantly.

Keep reading for more school picture day info!

We never force a smile and simply aim to capture the unique personalities of the children we photograph. No awkward poses; just authentic expressions! During our time with each child, they are encouraged to laugh, wiggle, and have a good time. The results are genuine, timeless, and display-worthy portraits. We provide a light and fun experience for students and take pride in providing an environment where the they can relax and enjoy their time in front of the camera. 

Picture Day Experience

Have your child wear something they're comfortable in, feel good wearing, and fits just right- not too big or too small. Solid colors or simple patterns always looks great! If your school has outdoor portraits scheduled, you'll want to be mindful of the weather when choosing outfits.

What NOT to wear:
-Avoid neon or fluorescent colors - these colors will reflect back on your child's face.
-Avoid distracting choices such as hoodies, shirts with large pictures, logos, or words.

If your child wears a uniform, ensure that it is wrinkle free for picture day. Newer clothes tend to photograph best, so please choose the well-fitting shirt that has seen the fewest wash and dry cycles.

what should my child wear?

Your family's privacy is very important to us. All student images are placed in separate, private galleries. If your school has opted for sibling portraits, you will receive an additional access code for your sibling gallery. Galleries are not combined by families.

 After picture day, please allow 10 business days for your photo gallery to be ready.

Before and after picture day, you'll be emailed your unique access code. This code enables you to enter your private gallery to view and order your child's images. We recommend enrolling in text notifications to be alerted as soon as your images are ready to view. Text your access code to 90738 or visit https://galleries.photoday.io/ to get started. *Text notifications and emails are only used to communicate picture day information.




Your Child's images

Lost Your Access Code or Looking for Previous Years' Picture Day Images?




No worries! We’ve got you covered.

If you have misplaced your access code or want to view and purchase photos from previous picture days with DMV School Portraits, please visit our Access Code Recovery and Previous Photos Page. Here, you can quickly retrieve your access code by entering some basic information.

Frequent Questions

Unfortunately, we are not able to accommodate parents during school picture day.

If your school has opted in for sibling portraits, you will be notified before your school's picture day and may be required to sign up ahead of time. Check with your school for details.



Our goal is to capture the authentic personality of the child we photograph, on the day.  Each child is unique, and our goal is to capture various sides of their personality, but sometimes they are simply not in the mood to smile. We do our best to foster a light and fun environment, however, we can not guarantee that your child will smile. We never use the word "cheese" and don't try to force children to do anything they are uncomfortable with. 

The amount of images can vary per child. We aim to provide galleries with at least 4 images per child to choose from. This is an average, not a guarantee. Each child has a unique personality and yields different results. Some children really love the camera, while others are a little more reserved. 

Your school may not have a re-take / make-up day scheduled. For schools that do have a make-up day scheduled, it will be limited for students who missed the originally scheduled picture day or for students whom the photographer deems a re-shoot is necessary.

 Your family's privacy is very important to us. All student images are placed in private galleries.
Before and after picture day, you'll be emailed your unique access code. This code enables you to enter a private gallery to view and order your child's images. We recommend enrolling in text notifications to be alerted as soon as your images are ready to view and when your gallery is expiring. Text your unique access code to 90738 or visit https://galleries.photoday.io/ to get started. You are able to share your access code with family and friends. Physical products will be shipped to your door and digital files will be emailed to you.

If you need help along the way, please email hello@dmvschoolportraits.com.

Have multiple children and access codes? No problem!
You can add packages and products to your cart for one private access code, then visit another private access code and add more packages and products to your cart. This allows you to checkout only once, resulting in only one shipping charge. 



1. You will need to shop one order at a time. Start by entering the access code for the first person.

2. Select your packages and products, and add them to the cart.

3. While in the cart, tap on My Galleries at the top right corner. Then, add another gallery by entering your next access code.

4. Shop as usual, and add the products to the cart. Continue adding access codes as needed.
When finished, checkout and enter payment information to complete your transaction. 


We do not offer class portraits as digital file downloads, but you can purchase them as prints.

If your child was absent during class portraits, there will not be a class portrait in their gallery, however, if you would like a class portrait print, please email hello@dmvschoolportraits.com with your child's name, grade, and school so that we may assist you.


We offer a range of prints, packages, and digital files at various price points.
A-la-carte prints and products begin at $13, packages begin at $39.99, and single digital files are $40 each, with discounts for multiple files. You are free to mix and match images in packages.


All Angela Vaughns' Photography team members are vaccinated and boosted.  All ordering is processed online and your print products are shipped directly to your door.

If you have questions, please reach out to customer care via email at hello@dmvschoolportraits.com.

cAPTURE THE MOMENT WITH OUR PICTURE DAY POP-UPS!

Have a PreK-12th grader? Don't miss our Picture Day Pop-Ups—quick, easy, and full of giggles!


Almost there!

Want to make sure you’re the first to know about mini childhood sessions, family session dates,  and promotions from your favorite DC, Maryland, and Northern Virginia child photographer? Just drop me your name and email address to stay up to date. And as a little “thank you,” I’ll send you a guide with 5 Tips to Take Better Pictures of Your Children!