School photos are pretty timeless.  While the rest of the world has progressed in leaps and bounds, school photos now are basically the same as they were 35 years ago.  The only real innovation seems to be the vast array of additional products that can be purchased with your son or daughter’s photo on it, including my personal favourite, the bobble-head doll.

So imagine my surprise when I got the boys’ proofs and saw the biggest innovation in school photos in decades.  Let’s see if you notice it, too.

That’s right – it’s a new pose!  After years of close-up head-and-shoulders shots, they’ve introduced the casual hands-in-pocket standing pose.  I think it looks pretty cool, although their faces are tiny on wallet-sized photos.

I’m not sure I understand what’s going on with the background.  To me, it kind of looks like the boys about to be sucked into some kind of time portal or vortex, and the red / orange smears at the bottom look a little bit like flames.  A cynic might suggest it looks like the boys are posing in Hell – perhaps it’s a not-so-subtle suggestion that the boys should be baptized.