Schools
My goal is to provide a custom, unique experience for all of the families attending schools who have chosen me to photograph their students.
Through light-hearted fun with the kids, my heart is in capturing who they are right now. Creating a sense of safety, ease and a little bit of silly.
Authenticity, Warmth, and Connection.
Details
As a former teacher in a Montessori school and mom, I want picture day to be as easy as possible for the schools, families and kids.
Each school will receive a pdf or email with detailed information to share with their families prior to picture day. This will highlight what to expect the day of and how to order their images. You'll also receive a web image for easy reminders in your newsletters.
I provide all equipment needed for picture day.
All questions about ordering products and images are taken care of.
Staff and board headshots can also be provided on picture day, depending on your school's needs.
No fee is due from the school. I donate 10% of profits back to the schools. If cost is a barrier to ordering, I will always work with families. Prints begin at $8 and there is no minimum order with both packages and a la carte prints/gifts.
All ordering is done online. Families will receive a private gallery link with photos of their child. Prints and gifts are shipped directly to their home. NEW - free shipping offered, parents order and prints are delivered to school after a set date.
I have experience photographing infant programs - high schoolers.
Photos are generally scheduled with schools outdoors in fall or spring, with the option of a return spring date for new students.
Please reach out early to reserve your dates.
"We love working with Kelly! She's warm, funny, and incredibly kind, and she has a real gift for making kids feel comfortable and seen, which shines through in her photos. After three years, our school continues to feel grateful for her professionalism, flexibility, responsiveness, and genuine care, and we love knowing we're working with a talented, local photographer (not just sales people) who consistently delivers beautiful images, especially with the option for outdoor and sibling photos. Thank you, Kelly!"
-Elena Spagnolie, EAGLE School
"Kelly McKenna Patterson's photography is a remarkable testament to her extraordinary gift for detail and her unparalleled ability to capture the essence of each individual. For many years, she has been our school's photographer, consistently inspiring those around her. I cannot recommend a more gifted artist or a better client than her."
-Lisa Berry, Woodland Montessori School
Working with Kelly over the last few years has been an absolute pleasure. She is a brilliant photographer who has done both school photos and lifestyle photography for Wingra School and I can't imagine working with anyone else. She listens to our needs, is flexible and kind, and able to produce photographs that capture the nature of our students and the beauty of our campus. I would highly recommend her to anyone needing photo services.
-Johanna Schmidt, Wingra School
We have had our school photos taken by Kelly for the last three years and we couldn't be happier. We are a small preschool and Kelly has a deep understanding of how to work with small children, helping them feel safe and willing to open up for the camera. She is able to capture children's spirits and personalities in her photos. She is very willing and able to work with children who are camera shy, even returning multiple times until the child is comfortable with her. I would not choose anyone else to take our school pictures. Kelly is the best!
- Rebecca Anderson-Brown, New Morning Nursery School
"We highly recommend McKenna Patterson Photography for school photos! The group photos were beautiful, and the individual student photos each looked like a senior photo! We have invited her back to do school photos for us two years in a row and will continue to invite her back. She does great work and is very easy to work with. Five out of five stars from us!"
- Lisa Dettinger, PowerHouse Christian School
connect over at @mckennapatterson.photography
