Danny

Also known by the children as 'Dan the Camera Man' , Danny Higgins is the Owner and Head Photographer of Smiles At School Photography. Supported by his loyal sidekick 'Cheeky Monkey', he is passionate about bringing the best out of your little ones in their photos, whilst a terrible line in Dad jokes helps to get those natural smiles for which we are well known (and the odd groan) out of older children. A photographer for over 30 years, Danny has been described by friends as having ‘an excess of personality’, which we like to think means he likes to have fun and create great relationships. Danny’s wife, on the other hand, says he’s just a big kid - with that we have to agree!

With two small children at home, he has every opportunity to hone his smile-making skills, and his long-suffering kids are usually happy to help develop new ideas and photo styles in his home studio.

Danny also has over 15 years of experience in Corporate Sales and Marketing, which he puts to good use in developing amazing marketing solutions for Schools and Nurseries. He understands what is needed to best promote educational settings and encourage parents to entrust their children to their care, and many of our clients come back year after year for great promotional images, display solutions and fundraising ideas.  

" Danny is excellent with the children, and understands how a nursery operates and will always work around the different children's routines and their needs. The feedback from parents has been very positive. We are overall very pleased with the quality and service and will continue to use (them). " - Nursery Manager.

Sally

'Sal the Photo Gal' as we lovingly call her, is our second photographer based in Buckinghamshire. Like Danny, she’s a little bit bonkers and ace at getting the best smiles from the children, aided by ‘Monkey’ to entertain the smaller kids.

She’s a mum of 2 girls, so knows what it takes to encourage the best from the children, but beware – if you bring a tiny baby in for sibling photographs, you may not see them for some time! She gets all gooey-eyed and will do everything she can to get the best – and often first - professional photos of them!                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  

With over 8 years experience in photography (plus 10 years previously in film... and almost 14 years child wrangling at the time of writing), her fun, energetic approach is sure to delight!

“ Just wanted to say how amazing Sally was this morning! We had a couple of challenging children (one in particular that wanted to be in every photo!) and she dealt with them brilliantly. She is so good with the children and managed to get some lovely pictures of them all. It is always a pleasure to work with her. ” Preschool Manager
 

Tracey

Tracey, AKA ‘Smiley Face Trace’ is our second photographer based on the Surrey / Hampshire border. With girl’s best friend ‘Mrs Woofington’ on hand to encourage a smile or two from the little-ones, she is a dab hand at getting the most out of Preschoolers for superb photos and genuine smiles. Another parent, her kids are a little bit older now, and so she enjoys getting the opportunity to photograph children who engage with her unique style of silliness – something we suspect is less appreciated by her teenagers!

With 20 years behind the camera, she has all the experience needed to get the best from eveny child, and just the right amount of crazy too...

With her family a little more self-sufficient now, she is looking forward to forging her career as a more full-time photographer in the years to come and we look forward to supporting her every step of the way!

" Thank you so much! The photos look lovely. It is always a challenge to get great pictures of my kids when they move around so much. So I really appreciate it. " - Day Nursery Mum

Dee

'Busy Bee Dee' is our Hertfordshire based photographer (although she's sometimes spotted further afield) Like the other members of our team, she’s slightly nutty and loves making photography fun for everyone. 22 years' full time photography experience means she knows pretty much all the tricks for getting the best smiles from our early years subjects. Assisted by ‘Mr Buzz’  (and a tickling stick) she's great at getting giggles and natural expressions.

Another parent in our team, and although her daughter is now grown up, she still goes all mumsy when babies and little-uns are around so be prepared for lots of coo-ing and laughter!

She's also our Dance School expert, with the knowledge and skills for perfectly on-point photos every time.

" Just to let you know all went really well yesterday at our toddler group photo morning. Our mums commented that Dee was fantastic with the children! " - Toddler Group Manager

Bondy

Claire Bond, AKA 'Bonny Bondy' is a portrait photographer with over 20 years of experience. Once based in the midlands and then Brighton, Bondy now lives in Surrey with her partner and all their plant babies. (Plus a very cute step daughter half the time)

Bondy is passionate about portraiture and over the years has honed many skills to make the little ones laugh with glee, usually in the form of ridiculous faces and/or noises. (Sometimes at the same time!) Those, along with her little sidekicks Sweep and Zen the tiny Zebra, ensure she can always get the smiles and giggles we all love at Smiles at School. Described by many of her friends and coworkers over the years as ‘The Positivatron’, one of Bondy’s special powers is the ability to always see the bright side of life, both personally and professionally, a trait that has carried her through many of life's trials and tribulations.

Her ‘bonny’ disposition has definitely been advantageous in her career working with small people!

" Thank you very much for these. Lovely photos we shall cherish! What a lovely job you’ve done! Thanks Claire. " - Nursery Mum

Chris

Chris is the latest addition to our roster of photographers.

He has been a School photographer for over 30 years, well versed with getting the best from children - especially those starting to gain their cheeky side in the upper Primary and Secondary schools . And If there's a photographer with a better eye for detail when it comes to the positioning of class group photos, we've yet to meet them! We're looking forward to introducing Chris to more of our lovely School clients over the coming year.                             

" Really happy with you and Chris. Great group photos again this year. " - Primary School

Cate

Cate Hooper - 'Happy Hoops' - is our amazing videographer based in Eversley on the Berkshire-Hampshire border.

With a keen eye for storytelling, Cate captures meaningful moments that tell powerful stories. As a mother of two grown children, she has spent years refining her skills by documenting family life and now, with Cate's expertise a huge asset to Smiles At School, we're perfectly positioned to tell your School's story through fantastic video content. From long form video to short snippets perfect for Social Media.                                                                                                         

" Lovely working with Cate. Pleased with the footage she filmed. " - School Head

Steve

Steve heads up our fantastic print lab. With over 17 years in business with extensive experience in the School photography industry, Steve helps us produce amazing prints and gifts from your treasured photographs., using only the most up-to-date printing equipment and with the fastest turnaround  He's also a dab hand behind the camera and we rope him in from time to time when we're up against it!                                                                                                         

" Steve was absolutely brilliant today. He was so kind and patient and hard working, and so good with the children and adults." - Preschool Manager

Hayley

If you ever have cause to call the office for assistance with your web orders, then Hayley will have been the fantastic person to steer you through. Whilst a little camera-shy, her unflappable nature and full understanding of our systems means she can fix a problem with the wave of her hand. And we challenge you to catch her not happy and smiling - we never have!                                                                                                                                                                                                    

" We are overall very pleased with the quality and service and will continue to use Smiles at School ." - Nursery Manager