Why We Don’t Show Photos Until After Checkout (And Why Our Affordable School Photos Are Worth It)

Hey there! We totally get it—you want to see the photos before you buy them. We’ve been asked about this a lot, and we want to explain why we do things a little differently at Instant School Photos.

First, let’s start with the heart of it: affordability. We’re a small, family-run business (literally just my brother and me), and we’ve built this with one main goal in mind—making sure every kid can get a school photo, no matter what. We both have kids, my brother’s in public school and I homeschool mine, so we know how important these moments are. And we want to make sure no family has to miss out because of a high price tag.

Keeping School Photos Affordable

One of the ways we keep our prices super low (as low as $1.99 for a digital photo) is by not showing the photos until after checkout. If we did it the traditional way, with proofs and previews, we’d have to charge way more—and that just doesn’t sit right with us. We want every parent to have access to affordable school photos that they can treasure, without the stress of "Do we really have the budget for this?"

At the end of the day, this little change in how we do things helps us keep prices down for everyone. Because we believe every child should have a photo to remember their year by.

No Refunds, But We’ve Got Your Back

Now, let’s talk about the no-refund policy. We know that might make you a little nervous, but we’ve got a solid reason for it. Keeping costs low means we can’t offer refunds due to the personal customization involved in creating your child’s photo. But here’s the thing—we are 100% committed to making sure you love your child’s photo.

Before checkout, we show you an image of the photo’s composition, so you can check our rating recommendation and make sure everything looks great—like confirming the lighting is good and nothing important is cut off. This helps catch any issues before we finalize your photo, so you’re confident with what you’re getting.

If something still doesn’t look right after this, we offer manual reviews. We’ll personally go in and fix what we can, whether that’s adjusting the background, clearing up a blemish, or tweaking the lighting. However, sometimes the issue is with the original uploaded photo itself, and in those cases, there might be limits to what we can do.

That’s why we’ve developed some tips to help you get the best possible results when taking or uploading your photo. We also have a rating system to ensure the original photo’s quality is high enough for us to create a professional-looking school picture. Our goal is to give you a photo that makes you smile as much as your kid’s smile did that day!

By the way, all of the photos you see on our website? They’ve been created using our service, so you can trust that we’re delivering the same high-quality results for your family.

Why This Matters to Us

We’re not just another big photography company—this business is personal to us. My brother’s a dad with kids in public school, and I’m a homeschooling mom. We get how much these photos mean. It’s not just about snapping a picture, it’s about capturing a memory. These are the moments we’ll all look back on and say, “Remember when…?” We want to make sure every family can afford that memory.

That’s why we work so hard to keep things simple, affordable, and flexible. Whether your child is in a traditional school, a hybrid setup, or homeschooled like mine, we believe every kid deserves a school picture they can treasure.

We’re Here for You, Every Year

So, while our process may be a little different, it’s all about making sure you get a photo you love without the extra cost. We’re here to capture those memories, and we’re so thankful you trust us to do it.

From our family to yours, thank you for choosing Instant School Photos.

We can’t wait to help you create memories for years to come!