Beautiful Design
20 Minutes
For Students
Professionally Edited
Limited Dates
Fresh starts, growing confidence, genuine smiles. Our Back-to-School Express Sessions are a fun and easy way to capture this chapter before the school year races by. Quick. Easy. Stress-Free.
Back-to-School Express Sessions take place in our beautiful downtown Port Arthur studio in Thunder Bay, with professional photography designed to make updating school portraits simple and enjoyable.
Sessions are designed to be fun, fast, and affordable. With creative sets and thoughtful posing, you’ll see beautiful results meant to last a lifetime.
Select Your Date
20 Minute Session
Downtown Studio
Multiple Backgrounds
- Professionally Edited
Private Online Gallery
$49.00 + HST
Gallery of Edited Proofs in 72 hours
One High Resolution Digital Included
Purchase Only What You Love & Need
Affordable Optional Prints, Digitals & Products
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Express Sessions are what we do best. Designed to make professional photography easy, affordable and fun, Shine Photo Express Sessions combine creative sets, beautiful photography and a quick, relaxed experience. Choose the images you love, purchase only what you want, and leave the rest to us.
Shine Photo is a Boutique Volume Studio. That means we combine the creativity, care and professional quality of a boutique photography experience with an efficient session format that keeps professional portraits affordable. By photographing several sessions during each of our themed Express events, we can create beautiful sets and experiences without the traditional boutique price tag.
Back to School EXPRESS SESSIONS
- 20 minutes in length
- $49 + HST non-refundable reservation fee
- multiple backgrounds using beautiful traditional portrait backgrounds and fun elaborate sets. Outdoor picture are also offered from time to time.
- One high-resolution digital image of your choice included, unless otherwise stated
- An average of 20 images presented in your private online gallery
- Proofs available to view and purchase online
- Additional digital images, prints and products available at affordable prices
- Purchase only what you need and love
Express Sessions run back-to-back, so timing is important. We recommend arriving 10 minutes before your scheduled session. Please check your route, parking and location details before you leave home so you can arrive relaxed and ready for your session.
Your $49 + HST reservation fee includes your 20-minute Express Session and one high-resolution digital image of your choice.
After your session, you’ll receive a private online gallery with approximately 20–25 professionally edited images. Choose your included image, then decide if there are any others you simply have to have.
Additional images and products are completely optional, with prices starting as low as $15. Purchase a few favourites, a larger collection, prints or products. The choice is entirely yours.
No minimum purchase. No pressure. Just choose what you love.
Your $49 + HST reservation fee includes your 20-minute Express Session and one high-resolution digital image of your choice. After your session, you’ll receive a private online gallery of approximately 20–25 professionally edited images.
Why do we include just one image?
Because kids are kids, and sometimes photo day simply isn’t their day. Someone may be tired, teething, under the weather, or decide that crying is the only acceptable activity for the next 20 minutes.
Including one image with a low reservation fee means you aren’t required to invest hundreds of dollars before we’ve even taken the photographs. If you fall in love with lots of images, wonderful. If there are only a few you love, you can purchase just those.
You choose what you love. You choose what you spend.
Digital Collections
- 3 images — $90
- 5 images — $135
- 10 images — $185
- Full Gallery — price varies with the number of images in your gallery
Professional prints start at just $15, with larger prints, wall art and other products also available.
All ordering is done conveniently online from the comfort of home. Take your time, choose your favourites, and purchase only what you love.
Express Sessions are designed for up to four people from the same immediate family per session. 4 siblings? One session.
If your group includes more than four people, please book one additional back-to-back session for each additional group of up to four people.
For example:
1–4 people = 1 session
5–8 people = 2 back-to-back sessions
9–12 people = 3 back-to-back sessions
This ensures we have enough time to photograph everyone, create different groupings and combinations, and still give you the relaxed, polished experience you expect from Shine.
Start with coordinated bottoms, then choose one colour or tone to build the family’s wardrobe around.
For Back-to-School Sessions, choose polished, school-appropriate clothing that photographs beautifully and feels like your child. If siblings are being photographed together, coordinated bottoms and one simple colour or tone can help pull everyone together. Think coordinated rather than identical.
Don’t forget about footwear. Shoes are often visible in full-length portraits, so choose clean footwear that works with the outfit and feels appropriate for a polished school portrait.
Keep clothing simple, polished and timeless. Avoid large logos, distracting graphics and highly trendy pieces that may quickly date the portrait. Clothing should also allow your child to sit, stand and move comfortably for a variety of poses.
Above all, choose clothing that feels like your child, photographs beautifully and lets them move comfortably.
Back-to-School Express Sessions take place at Shine Photo’s downtown Port Arthur studio in Thunder Bay.
Your booking confirmation will include the studio location and parking information. Please review those details before your session day so you know exactly where to find us and where to park.
We recommend arriving 10 minutes before your scheduled session so everyone has time to get settled and ready before your 20-minute session begins.
Express Sessions run back-to-back, so please allow a little extra travel and parking time if this is your first visit to the studio.
Your professionally edited proofs will be presented in your private online gallery within 72 hours of your session, unless otherwise stated.
Once purchased, digital files are available for immediate download. Printed products generally arrive at the studio within approximately 14 days, or you can choose to have your order conveniently shipped directly to your home.
Why Timing Matters
If you arrive late, we aren’t able to extend your session into the next family’s reserved time, which means your photography time may need to be shortened or cancelled.
Back-to-School Express Sessions take place at Shine Photo’s downtown Port Arthur studio in Thunder Bay. Please review your studio location and parking information before your session day and allow a little extra travel time if this is your first visit.
Plan to arrive 10 minutes early, and we’ll take care of the rest.
LOCATION: Shine Photo, 268 Red River Road, Thunder Bay ON.