Frequently Asked Questions

1. Who are Unscripted Portraits? 

Unscripted Portraits is the trading name of Unscripted Photography Ltd. A brand and service developed in response to years of stale, lifeless, and cheesy school photos. Unscripted Portraits is a fresh and modern approach to school portraits — natural, character-driven images.

No awkward poses. No forced smiles or gimmicky backdrops. Just authentic, timeless portraits that families genuinely love. Each family receives secure access to a private online gallery. We guarantee a minimum of 5 beautifully curated images in a vibrant mix of colour and black & white; however,  when we capture more, we deliver more and families on average receive 15+ images per album.

We believe in wall-worthy portraits with character, charm and creativity that don’t cost the earth and portraits that are recognisable and actually show WHO YOUR KIDS ARE!

We take a little longer than traditional photographers..that bit extra time with children to ensure that kids, especially SEND/SEMH students, are relaxed too. We believe that photo day should be a fun and easy experience for children. And staff. We don’t do lots of equiptment and there are no daunting flashes, just our classic black backdrop, our photographer and camera.

 

2. The Unscripted Style – what should I expect?

We always aim to provide a wide variety of portraits, including a few more traditional images (the classic “in uniform” look), but at the heart of what we do is character-led photography.

Our portraits are about showcasing children as they really are — honest, relaxed and beautiful. Of course, we’ll always try for a smile, but a smile doesn’t always make the photograph. What matters most to us is that children feel comfortable, and that will always be our priority.

Children are individuals, and how they feel on the day genuinely matters. Some children are confident and expressive; others are shy, thoughtful or a little reserved. While we don’t promise perfectly posed, smiley photos, we do promise beautiful, natural portraits that are always recognisable as your child.

As part of creating a varied gallery, we’ll also try to capture some lovely close-up portraits — framing big features, eyes, eyelashes, freckles, dimples and cheeky expressions. To achieve those close-ups, part of the head will naturally fall outside the frame as we zoom in. We hope you love these intimate portraits, but if they’re not your style, there will always be a range of alternative images to choose from.

 

3. How do I view my photos?

If you’ve received an A5 sized  access (QR card) with a personal access code:

Make sure your phone is connected to the internet.
Open your phone’s camera and scan the QR code to access your gallery.
Alternatively:

Ensure you’re online.
Enter the web address printed on your QR card.
Enter your access code (or codes) and click “Open Album”.
If you have more than one child, enter all access codes on the same login screen to view multiple albums together.

 

4. Where can I check the status of my order?

The easiest way is via the link in your order confirmation email.
You can also log in using your gallery link and access code, then head to “My Account”.

Haven’t received a confirmation email?

Please check that your order was fully submitted and payment completed.
(Some banks require additional authentication before payment is confirmed.)
Check your junk or spam folder for the email..
If you’ve checked all of the above and still can’t find your confirmation email, get in touch and we’ll happily look into it for you.

 

5. How long will deliveries of prints take?

Delivery times depend on the delivery method selected.

Orders that include free school delivery are processed in batches, usually within five working days after the batch deadline. Please keep an eye on our email updates, which will confirm batch order deadlines and delivery information.

 

6. Will the watermark (logo) be removed from my images?

Absolutely — once purchased, all images are supplied clean and watermark-free.

The watermark is only used to protect our work from unauthorised copying. As professional photographers, we genuinely hate having to shield our images, but unfortunately it’s a necessary part of working in a digital world.

 

7. What is the quality of your prints?

Our images are edited specifically for print. Each photographer edits on a professionally calibrated screen that matches our print lab’s output, so what you see in your gallery closely reflects the final printed result.

A few helpful things to note:

Many people view images on phones or laptops with brightness turned up, which can make images appear brighter than intended. Simply reducing screen brightness will give a more accurate view.
High-street printers often print darker than professional labs. If you print elsewhere, please bear this in mind when choosing your supplier.
Want to know more?
You can read our full guide here:
👉 https://unscriptedportraits.co.uk/editing-for-print/

ttps://unscriptedportraits.co.uk/editing-for-print/

8. Can I crop my images?

Yes — cropping is available as soon as you've selected your print size.

Once you’ve selected your print product and chosen your size, click ‘Customise Photo’ (just under your size options). Your chosen portrait will appear with a pink outline showing the area that will be printed.

Drag any of the bold pink corners to adjust your crop.
Click and drag anywhere inside the image to move the frame and find your perfect composition.
If your crop isn’t suitable for enlargement, a notification will appear — this helps ensure your final print quality remains high.

You can also switch your image between portrait or landscape orientation; however, this will change your crop, so please review carefully before completing your order.

For more guidance about cropping.., take a look at our crop guide:
👉 https://unscriptedportraits.co.uk/crop-that-pic/

 

9a. How do I order a package (e.g. “Just Your Faves”)?

Here’s a simple step-by-step guide:

Log in to your gallery.
Browse your photos.
Click “Packages” (top left, next to “Photos”).
Select your chosen package (e.g. Just Your Faves).
The system will automatically select the first images.
Click “View Package”, then “Edit” to change selections.
Choose Product 1, 2 or 3 and replace images as needed.
Click “Confirm” (this step is important!) to save changes.
Proceed to checkout 🎉

 

9b. How do I order my full digital album?

Log in to your gallery.
Browse your photos.
Click “Packages”.
Select “Download All Photos”.
Click “View Package”, then “Add to Basket”.
Proceed to payment — that’s it! 🎉

 

9c. How do I purchase a single digital image?

Log in to your gallery.
Click on the image you’d like to purchase.
On the right-hand side, scroll to see individual purchase options.
Select Single Digital File (or a print option) and add to basket.

 

10. How are your digital files delivered and are they suitable for printing? 

Digital files are delivered via email with a download link once the order has been processed. This will normally be processed within 10 minutes of placing the order but during busier times may take up to 24 hours to process. If the email has not been received within 24hours, please get in touch.

And Yes…all our digital files are delivered as high resolution at 300dpi, so they’re suitable for printing (including large prints). In fact, our portraits have been used on billboards and bus backs in the centre of Newcastle, so they’re more than capable of being printed at scale.

 

 

 

11. Can I request images in an alternative format (e.g. colour)?

Our photographers carefully curate each gallery, choosing which portraits work best in colour and which shine in black and white. This decision is based on light, tone and mood — and is a key part of the Unscripted look.

We also aim to provide variety. Supplying both formats for every image would double editing time and reduce the number of portraits we could include.

That said, we understand preferences are personal. If there’s a specific image you’d love in an alternative format, we’re happy to help.

Cost: £8 per image
Simply email us the image reference number(s).
We’ll raise a BACS invoice and let you know once the new version is added to your gallery.

 

12. Why does the number of images vary between albums?

Every child is different on photo day with their own personality, confidence level and mood on the day. Some are naturally expressive in front of the camera; others are quieter or a little shy. We have around 1–2 minutes with each child, but we will always prioritise their comfort. We never pressure a child. Some children warm up quickly; others need more time — and that’s absolutely okay. But that’s why each gallery is unique as the number of usable portraits can vary.

Instead, we prefer that perhaps next year they are a little braver, but perhaps remember the Unscripted Photographer who tried to make them laugh.

And whilst our benchmark for delivery is a guarantee of five images per album, on average, most families receive around 15+ or more. However, having a minimum of 5 images ensures clear expectations. We’ve chosen not to cap galleries at a fixed number because we want to share all the beautiful moments we capture, and our pricing is set per album so that families can access all their images at a fair and consistent price.

We also work hard to keep pricing competitive. Many traditional providers charge around £37 for just three digitals, whereas our albums typically include many more portraits for just £44.

Ultimately, we hope families see the value, care and attention that goes into every single album delivered. 

 

13. Requests for beauty editing

School staff work wonders preparing children — muddy knees, pen marks, lunch stains, wild hair and all! But photo day moves quickly, and not every small detail can be caught.

Our photographers do their best to spot obvious things, but as they don’t know each child personally, they photograph them as they are in that moment.

That’s why we promise beautiful photos, not perfect ones.If we chased perfection, hours of retouching would be required — and pricing would reflect that. Instead, we embrace natural, honest portraits that tell a child’s real story.

 

14. Why should I order prints through Unscripted?

While some high-street printers may be cheaper, print quality, paper and colour accuracy vary hugely. Our professional lab ensures consistent colour, depth and finish — exactly as intended.

 

15. Can I select images from multiple albums?

Yes — absolutely.

Our packages allow you to mix and match images across albums. The full digital album offers the best value for a single child, but we’ve lots of flexible digital and print packages ideal for families selecting favourites across albums.