How do I know when Photo Day is taking place at my School?

There are various ways to receive Picture Day information:

• A Picture Day flyer will be sent out by your school either in Digital format or with your child letting you know the day, date and time their class will be photographed.
• Check the date of Picture Day flyers posted outside of your Child's Classroom or School Notice Board.
• Your School may send out Picture Day announcement emails, reminders - be sure to check your email often.
• Your School may post Picture Day dates on Social Media Groups - check in often to see updates.

What should my Child wear on Picture Day?

We recommend helping your child to choose their outfits.

• Choose clothes that look good on them paying close attention to colours that a flattering.
• Stay away from clothes that compete for attention and take the focus away from your child's smiling face - avoid slogans, logos and big patterns.
• Choose smaller jewelry and accessories and avoid large and bulky pieces.
• If your Child wears a school uniform, be sure to dress your child in the correct uniform for Photos plus use a clean uniform that is nicely ironed and isn't missing any buttons.

How should my child wear their hair?

Any hairstyle is ok but be sure to be realistic about how long it may last on Photo Day.

• Try to keep styles simply and not too elaborate.
• Plan haircuts for a few weeks before photo day so it has time to settle down.

Often your child may leave home looking great after you have spent extra time to style them but by the time they arrive at school and start their day, many different factors may change the way their hair ends up by the time their photo is taken.

On Picture Day, our Photographer's will have Teachers and Volunteers helping us to fix hair and outfits before photos are taken,  everyone does their best to tidy hairstyles however it's important to remember that we are not professional stylists and we have a limited time to spend with each child.

If your child's hair is out of place on Photo Day and we cannot fix it to your liking, you can certainly let your school know that you would like to sign up for make-up day if your school has this option available.

On Picture Day, will an adult help my child get ready for their photo?

Yes all Students are attended to by at least 1~2 Adults during their photo session.

• Teacher - Helps to check Students attire & grooming before they arrive for photos.
• Parent Volunteer - Helps to check Students once their photo session begins (If permitted by your School).
• Photographer - points out any small details that may need fixing before and during photoshoot.

NOTE: Our Photo Team will do their best on photo day to tidy children to best of our ability, we do have combs and wipes available. We do however have times where we may have a stubborn bit of hair out of place we can't fix or a student that doesn't want us to touch their hair, so we will photograph them as they are.

COVID-19 UPDATE

Due to new rules on social distancing within schools, our Team will now be offering CONTACTLESS photography coverage. This means:

• Our Photographers will remain a set distance away from Students. 
• Our Photographers will not make contact with Students and will revert to using clear instructions for posing for Students to follow. 
• Photographers will rely on Teachers and Class Assistants to fix hair & outfits before your child is photographed. 
• All Keyshots Staff will wear masks & regulary sanitize. (Personally & our equipment). 

How do I view my Child's Photos & what is Copyright?

Once your Child's photos are ready for viewing you will receive a unique access code which is connected to your Email address. Only you will receive your unique access code which you can share with your friends and family. 

Access Codes are distributed in the following ways:

• By email (if you or your school provided your email address). 

• By Home Note Flyer (distributed by your School or Child's Teacher). 

Keyshots will never share, distribute or publish your Child's photos without your prior approval in the form of a signed Model Release. 

If you purchase your Child's Digital Images, you automatically receive the Copyright Release which gives you permission to use your Child's Photos in anyway you choose. 

Your Child's Photos will be delivered to your School for use in the following ways:

• Yearbook Publication.

• School ID Purposes. 

• School Website (please contact your school directly to discuss usage). 

My child didn't smile or their posture is awkward?

News flash..... Children don't always sit still and magically smile on demand like in baby vogue!

It takes a little while for them to warm up before they feel comfortable - sometimes we don't always get huge smiles and that's also ok - let your child express themself the way they want to.

Our team works with children regularly and we know how to make their individiual personality shine on Photo Day. We always ask Children to show us their 'Happy Face' and if they don't want to give us a big teethy smile we will ask them what they prefer and they are quite happy to express it - we love to let children be themselves.

It's also possible that your school may have a make-up day so check with your child's teacher for details.

Will there be a make-up day if I don't like my child's photos?

There can be many different reasons why you may not like your child's photos and that's ok too.

It's important to be careful not to make your child feel like they weren't good enough - that little bit of hair sticking up or a missing tooth shows character and is how your child is at this time in their life - looking back at school photos in the future they will love seeing all of these cute little details.

Common reasons for make-up Photos:

•  Your child was absent or sick on photo day.
•  Your child's hair was not to your liking.
•  Your child was not in a good mood on photo day.
•  Your child cried on photo day.
•  Your child refused to have their photo taken.
•  Your child's outfit was dirty or out of place.

Often your School will have a make-up date planned in your school calendar - check-in with your School Admin or your childs Teacher to see if your school has this option available.

Your School may also have rules on what subsitutes a good reason for having photos taken again - it's best to check with your school admin to see if you can apply for a make-up day photo. 

When will I be able to see my Child's Photos?

Depending on the size of your School and the time of year - turnaround for processing is usually about 4 ~ 5 weeks.

All photos are processed using professional photographic software to enhance colours and contrast - our team inspect all photos one by one and only post the best images from your child's session. 

You should expect to see 3 ~ 8 photos inside your gallery - numbers may vary as any images with eyes closed, mouth open, awkward posture or looking away will be removed from your collection. 

All photos are posted online with unique photo access codes for each child for you to access their secure gallery.

PDF Home note flyers will be sent to your School to distribute via your child's teacher - be sure to check in with your child's teacher for more information.

How long will my child's gallery stay online? Will it expire?

At present we don't archive photo galleries since we know our Tokyo Families are very busy and travel internationally often.

For now we will keep galleries online for at least 12 months.

In the future however, we may choose to archive galleries but will of course let you know via email newsletter if and when this may happen.

At any time though - we can always re-open an archived gallery for additional purchases so just let us know by email.

Do you have any packages or discounts available for early-bird shoppers? 

Absolutely! All our prices are listed inside your personally gallery - be sure to look through all the options - choose from discount mix and match packages to single prints and product options. 

You can also order digital downloads in various sizes depending on your budget and needs. 

Depending on your School Size you may also have a special 10% off coupon added automatically to your shopping cart for a limited time so be sure to check out early to take advantange of some great savings. 

How can I pay for my Order?

All orders are paid for by Credit Card using Stripe register our secure credit card processing company.

We are unable to accept payment in cash.

If you do not have a credit card, you can opt to purchase a pre-paid credit card from any convenience store in most locations in Japan.

I have more than one child can I combine my order?

You can easily add multiple photo access codes to your account and mix and match your orders between all of your children. In some cases, we photograph different schools in your area so you may even be able to combine orders from different schools. However you can only combine packages with Students from the same School. 

If your other school doesn't have a photo day service please feel to contact us and we would certainly be happy to arrange a good time to visit for photo day. 

Once I place my order online and process my payment how long does it take to ship?

Orders are processed locally in our Tokyo Professional Lab - they are printed on professional quality archival traditional fade-proof photographic paper.

Our custom lab delivers all orders in bulk to our Setagaya Office where they are repackaged after being checked individually for quailty control before being shipped to your provided address via Japan Post. 

Depending on your order contents - orders roughly take between 7 ~ 14 days to ship. 

Prints take less time to turnaround than magnets and canvas prints for example. 

The size of your order also determines how long your order will take - for example if you have only 1 print in your order compared to 30 different prints. 

How is my order delivered & how long will it take?

All orders include FREE LOCAL SHIPPING! 

INTERNATIONAL ORDERS - NEW FLAT-RATE SHIPPING FEE - ¥1000 + tax. 

We ship via Japan Post using standard shipping services - this does not include tracking so we cannot tell you how long your package will take exactly, we are only able to tell you the date your package was shipped.

Usual turnaround is as follows:

• Local shipping - 1 ~ 7 days (inside Japan).

• International shipping - 1 ~ 8 weeks depending on your regional location within the country of destination.

Be sure to enter your complete and correct shipping address - Keyshots is not responsible for orders that go missing in the mail due to incorrect or incomplete shipping information. In some cases we may charge a re-shipping fee if your order is returned as undeliverable.

Does my School receive a commission from my School Photo Order?

In most cases your school will certainly receive a commission from your School photo order which is usually paid after a sales target is reached or may be based on the number of students in your school. 

Check in with your fund raising committee to learn the details of your School's Commission Program.