Sometimes we miss taking GREAT photos on big events/days, because we just run out of time or the mood is not right. I find taking "official" photos on the day before usually gets better shots with a more relaxed atmosphere.
I do this for Birthdays, Back to School, Easter, Valentine's day and whatever else I can think of. For this shot I wanted to have simple photos but still add something special to make the "Back to School" theme stand out. Books with string and shiny red apples were added to make the scene.

On a more casual note we started a tradition of taking "First Day at School" photos with an Ikea black board. I hope to have cooperative children that will do this for their entire school career, but for now I just find my heart skips a beat when I look at this.
