Photographer gives online students a keepsake

Online learners are missing out on some of the experiences in-person learning offers but a Rapid City photographer didn’t want them to miss out on a keepsake, school photos.

Amy Oyler has captured moments in time for the last 15 years, from weddings to family portraits to school photos. She saw a need for these school photos within new online learning families and wanted to offer her talents.

“The last few years, I’ve offered a few pictures here and there for families who homeschool their kids,” said Oyler, owner of Legacy Photo and Design. “But this year, I noticed that there were a thousand new moms out there homeschooling their kids and decided that I would offer pictures for them to be able to just capture that year.”

Oyler is offering school photos every Wednesday and Thursday through the rest of September and October. She’s photographed 30 families since the start of September and has booked at least 30 more for the rest of the offer. And more families reach out every day to document this time in their kid’s lives, she said.

“It’s normal,” said Deanna Lassegard, distance learning mom. “You’re supposed to have a school picture every year. And when the kids are seniors, and we go through the senior slide show, there’s going to be a missing chunk. We didn’t want a missing chunk. So, Amy, who does our family photos, offered to do homeschool photos.”

Lassegard began distance learning this year to keep those around her safe but didn’t want her kids to miss out on the COVID version of school picture day.