School pictures are a much-revered tradition, and considered a necessary rite of passage as a student. We all know too well the angst of having our awkward junior high big hair phase permanently immortalized on the wall of our family’s main hallway (no? Just me?).
Regardless of their outcome, we parents snap up school pictures quicker than the photographer snaps a camera.
A keychain with my son’s jack o’lantern smile on it? I’m in.
A pillow featuring my fourth grade daughter in mid-blink? Take all my money, camera man.
My kindergartner grimacing awkwardly while still trying to learn to smile? I will remortgage my house for those shots.
They may be awkward. They may be downright awful, but we love ’em!
School pictures have come a long way since our day; there are a variety of backgrounds that can be digitally edited to create a creative end result. You could opt for an American flag background to express your patriotism. Or you could choose a lovely garden scene to produce a tranquil photo setting.
There’s always the floating head option, too. Apparently.
And mother Laurel Boone Hutsell unintentionally chose the floating head motif when her son wore a green shirt to school on class picture day.
Now I’m the first to admit that I’ve been guilty of the, “Wait, Picture Day… that’s today?!” snafu, resulting in trying to quickly wrestle with a child’s unmanageable hair, or scrambling for something decent (unwrinkled or unstained are the criteria) to wear for their photo.
But avoiding something GREEN wasn’t on my school picture radar; until now, that is.
When it comes to photos that are digitally altered, the use of green screen technology causes any item of clothing in a green hue to “disappear”. As a result, the subject’s shirt fades into the chosen digital background of the photo, producing results like THIS:
The rustic, “hiding in Grandpa’s barn” style.
Ok, 2018. At least we know what year digital photo technology failed us…
These colors don’t run. Well, I guess they sort of- never mind.
Nothing illustrates the joy of a new school year better than a fall motif. Especially when your kid IS the fall motif. Literally.
And although the pictures themselves are funny, some of the photo comments make them that.much.better.
Take, for example, the American flag photo. People celebrated this glorious display and both patriotism AND keen fashion sense.
What a very nice flag poncho.
he can use this if he ever runs for class president!
this screams ‘merica!!!!
The fall bridge photo drew lots of amusing attention, too, generating some great comments.
“lolololol. giant head on a bridge. what’s not to love lol.
If you are to cross my bridge you will first answer my riddles three.
next on the reading rainbow… i feel like this deserves a title to a show… today in nathan’s nature knowings, we’ll be painting fluffy unicorns.
My personal favorite was this photo:
…because as a classic rock fan, I was waiting -just waiting- for someone to reference Pink Floyd’s “Another Brick In The Wall”. And I was not disappointed:
Perfection. Utter perfection.
While the “green-screen” debacle had the potential to ruin an otherwise stellar picture session, Hutsell’s sense of humor and willingness to share the photos publicly turned these photos into a hilarious cautionary tale for fellow parents. As she points out in her post,
I’ve asked around. There was no “fine-print-green screen” warning.
Who knew? Many of us didn’t, but we’re so glad to share in the whimsy of this school picture post’s learning curve.
My son – “Mom, I shouldn’t have worn the green shirt for pictures. It will blend in with the green screen they…
Posted by Laurel Boone Hutsell on Friday, August 17, 2018
We will learn so much once we face adversity.