How to collect yearbook photos from parents
Give families one upload link that lets them add photos without seeing anyone else’s, ask for specific events within a day or two of each one, and review everything before it’s used. Parents have the candid moments no official photographer was there for; the trick is making it one tap for them and keeping control for you.
Why collect photos from families at all?
Parents and guardians are at the class party, the field trip, the pumpkin patch and the pickup line. Their photos are how a yearbook covers more of the year than the handful of events a volunteer photographer attended. Participation is always optional for families.
The advice on this page works whatever tool you use. For what to ask teachers and room parents for, and how to set up the folders, see the photo collection guide.
What should the upload link do?
Whatever you use, the link should:
- Let people add photos but not see, download or delete anyone else’s. This removes the privacy worry, and it removes the accidental delete.
- Need no account. Every extra step costs you photos. The parent with the best shots of the year is often the one least willing to make an account.
- Ask what the photo is of (class or event) as it’s uploaded, so you don’t end up with an unsorted pile.
- Be something you can turn off after your deadline.
Don’t do this by sharing your yearbook folder with every family. A folder set to “Anyone with the link” leaves children’s photos reachable by anyone who ever receives the URL.
What should we ask families for?
Photos of real school experiences, taken at school or at school-organized events:
- classroom activities
- field trips
- school events and assemblies
- performances, celebrations and spirit days
- candid moments of friendship and learning
They don’t need to be professional. Genuine, clear moments are best. Phone photo tips to share with families →
What are the content rules?
- Photos should be positive and student-centered.
- Every student pictured must be approved for publication under your school’s policies.
- Avoid photos that single out or exclude students in a sensitive way.
- No captions or text overlays unless you’ve asked for them.
- Every submission is reviewed, and no photo is guaranteed a place in the book.
How do I get families to actually send photos?
- Put the deadline in the same message as the link.
- Say what you’re looking for. “Field trip and spirit week photos” gets better submissions than “send us your photos”.
- Ask within a day or two of an event, while the photos are still on the home screen of the phone.
- Send two or three reminders before the deadline.
- Ask for the class or event to be tagged accurately, because the tag is what puts a photo on the right page.
What should the message to families say?
The wording matters. It tells families their photos may be printed in a book everyone receives, which is different from a photo meant only for their own copy.
Thank you for helping us create the best yearbook yet.
By uploading photos at the following link, you agree that they may be printed in the yearbook.
[your upload link] (please send by [deadline])
Your photos help us capture the moments that make this year special. We can’t guarantee every photo will be used or where it may appear.
At a Rethink school, the message adds one line: photos meant only for your own child’s copy go through custom pages, which are printed only in your copy. How families add custom pages →
More photos in.
More of the year in the book.
Every child is in the shared school pages of a Rethink yearbook, and families who choose personalization get pages built around their own child’s class and grade.