Childcare & Preschool Portraits

Why MXM Photography?

Mande specializes in the photography of young children. She focuses on building relationships with the tiniest of humans, who change so much over the course of just a few months.
From newborns to elementary school students, a relationship is built and it shows in the final images.
We work very closely with your school staff to create a fun and relaxed portrait session for each child. Parents never have to decide how many photos they will purchase before they see the images. We utilize an easy online ordering system, where parents can browse their children’s portraits and place orders at their leisure.

How does it work?

The process is simple: all aspects of the school portrait experience are handled by us, including parent communication, online viewing and ordering, print fulfillment, payment, and customer service.
After discussing your school’s needs, a setup will be chosen and we’ll set up a portrait date. Depending on the number of students at your school, this may be multiple days. Your school’s director or secretary will be asked to complete an online form with the class and student roster. You will be given a poster to hang to announce photo day.
On Picture Day, setup will be completed early in the morning, and the children will be escorted by one of your school’s staff members to the portrait location. 
Not long after Picture Day, photos will be ready for online viewing and ordering in private, password-protected galleries. Orders are then delivered to the center or optionally direct to the purchaser’s home via the lab.

Planning Portrait Day

Contact me at mande@magicbymande.com or by using the Contact Form to check on availability. MXM Photography services  Wichita Falls, Burkburnett, Holliday, and surrounding areas.

We specialize in preschool and daycare portraits, so the primary age group is aged 6 weeks to 6 years. However, if your center has students of other ages, that’s not a problem at all.

Yes, in order to bring my studio set and lights, I require a minimum of 30 children to be registered for portraits.

*If your center is under 30, you may reach out to student families to bring in younger/older siblings or to friends who may not attend care. In the event the minimum can not be met, another local photographer, Amber O’Brien would be happy to assist you!

For 30+ students and the studio set, there is no cost and we offer several incentive options to your center.

We offer multiple backdrops for each season and allow the directors to choose their preferences! Cap & gown photos can be added to spring portraits if there is time or an additional date set to come back!

Yes! We am licensed with the state of TX, the city of Wichita Falls, and insured through the Professional Photographers of America!

During Portrait Day

Absolutely! All students who have a sibling will be photographed together and separately!

Photos are taken first thing in the morning when the children are fresh, awake (and clean!). Depending on the number of students at your school and their age ranges, two days may be scheduled to ensure all students have the opportunity for top-notch portraits.

Depending on the age of the child, anywhere from a minute or two to several minutes.
Because every attempt is made to get personal with the children and to capture authentic smiles, there is no “assembly line”-type structure to school portraits with us.

Our goal is to give each child an individualized mini session. We go through a series of standing, sitting, and prop poses. Each child should have no less than 3 poses (pending willingness) but often receive 6+ images to choose from. Because of the unique style of our portraiture, every child will have a genuine unique, and hopefully, fun experience.

After Portrait Day

Each school receives a beautiful, easy-to-use online website that showcases each child’s photos in individually password-protected online galleries. Parents order right there in the gallery; it’s even easy to view sibling galleries and check out all at once!

If some parents at your school need assistance with online ordering or prefer to pay via cash or money app, this can always be arranged. Please reach out via phone or email!

Orders are sent to the lab and then sent directly to the center within two weeks of photo day. Parents have the option to have them shipped directly to their homes via the lab. Any orders placed after the week cutoff will be shipped directly to the purchaser’s home.

Online ordering accepts all major credit cards. For families that do not have online ordering access, payment can be made via Venmo, cash app, cash, or money order.

Of course! All galleries stay online for 60-90 days. In the event the gallery has expired, have these parents contact Mande for assistance!

Parent Frequently Asked Questions

Absolutely. If more than one child attends the school, they will be photographed together and separately. You will receive a beautiful gallery for each child with sibling images being in the youngest’s. Both gallery orders can be placed at the same time!

We specialize in photographing children ages 6 weeks to 6 years, so even the littlest “students” will have their portraits taken. We bring a little seat poser for assisting in sitting up and often have a basket or little couch to add an additional pose. We are sure to verify sitting capabilities and belly temperament before giving those a try.

We do not require you to pre-order before seeing the images. You’ll make your selections in an online gallery a few days after the portrait date!

Online ordering accepts all major credit cards via Stripe. For families that do not have online ordering access, payment can be made via Venmo, Cash App, cash, or money order. 

Yes! Digital files are made immediately available for download as soon as our site processes the order.

One of the wonderful things about the online gallery is that anyone with the passcode (or forwarded link) can place an order. If your family members are out of state or not local, they can still have their orders shipped directly to them!
*Please be sure to send it to them. Due to security, MXM Photography will not provide access to anyone but primary caregivers, as stated by the childcare center

Absolutely! You will be sent a proofing gallery to view the images. All ordering is done online via a password-protected gallery. There is no pre-printing or viewing at pickup to purchase. 

Orders are batch-processed two weeks after “going live” and shipped directly to the center from a 3rd party lab in NY. Any orders that come in after are shipped directly to parents and usually arrive within about a week. Parents have TWO SUNDAYS to place their order once galleries are released in order to receive free shipping to the center.

For any child who was not photographed or refused to be photographed, check the reshoot options or check out another local photographer for a more personalized session!

Take a look at the Parent Ambassador Program. It has rewards for parents whose schools book a portrait session with us, and it’s super easy to do!

If your child’s school or daycare has selected MXM to capture school portraits of your little one, rest assured that the experience will be comfortable, friendly, and fun! Be sure your child is registered to ensure they get their portraits taken.

  • DISCUSS PICTURE DAY, BUT DON’T STRESS YOUR CHILD OUT
    There’s no need to remind your child to smile, stand up tall, or keep their eyes open. (In fact, these types of instructions often make the process worse, because the child tries to do everything perfectly instead of just being natural in front of the camera!) We will do our absolute best to get those natural, genuine smiles you crave. It helps to get your child excited about picture day and let them know Mande will be taking their photo. When we introduce ourselves, they can correlate and we are no longer strangers.
    *If you have special instructions, please let me know by email.
  • CLOTHING: BRIGHT, COLORFUL, AND LAYERED
    Dress your child in clothes that are comfortable, but clean and wrinkle-free. Layers are great – they photograph well! The set will be available for viewing via the poster hung at your center. Try to stay away from small patterns such as checks or tiny polka dots, as they don’t show up in photos very well. Avoid clothing with logos or other words on them. And don’t forget shoes –it’s likely that your child’s full body will be photographed as a part of the session.
  • DRESSING SIBLINGS
    Dress your children in coordinating colors, but not in matching outfits (or even in the same patterns). Pick a color scheme you like (that flows well with the current theme) and then dress all of the children in similar colors. You can never go wrong with neutrals and jewel tones!