Capturing moments and milestones is TOTALLY my thing. I live for it. I never journaled or wrote down dates when my kids cut their first teeth or took their first steps - I took pictures to remember.  And believe me, it’s not easy to take a sharp picture of a squirmy 8-month-old’s gummy first central incisor.

My littlest is only coming up on 2, so there has been no ‘to-school’ for her, let alone ‘back-to-school’, but my oldest is heading into grade 2, and I’ve adored getting those first day of school shots. They exude a mixture of pride, happiness, nervousness and exhilaration (and possibly total goofiness). They are truly a window into the feelings of little souls.

I would LOVE for you to be able to capture those back-to-school moments in your own perfect way when our Toronto kids descend upon the schoolyards next week, so I’ve done a little legwork for you. I’ve compiled a list of my favourite back-to-school photography articles and links to printables so you can get the best ideas all in one spot.

My suggestion is this: Pick out 1, 2 or 3 shots you would like to try for - plan it out a couple of nights before so you have time to grab anything you need. The night before, charge up your batteries and free some space on your memory cards, and plan to carve out a few extra minutes in the morning for the snaps – at home or at the school grounds. 

1. Start here, with absolutely top tips from one of the brilliant women behind Clickin’ Moms.

2. Next jump over to i heart faces for ideas starting with pre- start-of-school to first day images.

3. Pop over to NAPCP (the National Association of Professional Child Photographers - of which I am a very proud member!) to see some more simple and classic image ideas.

4. Then there is the adorable Abbie and all sorts of tips illustrated by her awesome photographer mom.

5. Grab some amazing free PRINTABLES here over at NAPCP again, if the whole chalk thing is not working for you.

6. Or, a whole lot MORE PRINTABLES here.

7. And lastly, for extra kicks, here’s a whole gorgeous session themed around back to school for two sisters – always an option to hire a pro to capture those special moments just perfectly!

That’s it folks! Be sure to share the love with all the other moms you know of school or pre-school kiddos, and share your snaps on Insta and FB with hashtag #funlove_backtoschool. Can’t wait to see all the adorable and nervous smiles!