What Brandon Sumner knows about creating award-winning yearbooks

Brandon Sumner, President of Sumner Photography, wrote this month's "Picture Perfect Partnership" article. Sumner Photography is a California-based school photography company dedicated to capturing and preserving memories for educational communities. Through partnerships with platforms like Treering, Sumner Photography supports schools in creating exceptional yearbooks that serve as historical records and creative expressions of their unique identities.

In the world of school photography, few moments feel as good as seeing your partner schools get recognized on a national level. Recently, three schools that Sumner Photography works with, Coronado Middle School, Reilly Elementary, and Ladera Ranch Elementary, became finalists in a nationwide yearbook cover contest. This achievement shows not only their creative vision but also what happens when photographers and yearbook teams work well together.

How the Partnership Started

When I first partnered with Treering ten years ago, I was drawn to their excellent customer care. This fits perfectly with Sumner Photography's commitment to serving West Coast schools. What started as a shared goal to preserve memories has grown bigger than I first imagined.

School photography and yearbooks share the same basic mission: capturing and preserving memories for a lifetime. But our collaboration has grown beyond just taking pictures. Today, we're actively helping yearbook teams with their creative process, knowing that all the logistics and details involved in making a yearbook can overwhelm the very people trying to create those lasting memories.

The more we can make these processes easier—or remove roadblocks entirely—the more time yearbook teams have to focus on what really matters: telling stories, being creative, and making memories. This idea has become the heart of our partnership with Treering and the schools we serve.

Three Great Covers, Three Great Stories

Each of the three finalist covers from our partner schools tells a different story about their community and creative approach:

Coronado Middle School had a fantastic color scheme that immediately captures the unique vibe of their coastal community. Having spent time in Coronado, I can tell you, this city has a special feel. Their yearbook cover captures that perfectly. The design choices show not just good taste but a real understanding of their school's identity and place in the community.

Reilly Elementary showed amazing attention to detail in their "Dive Into Learning" theme. Every element, from the biggest design pieces to the smallest details, works together beautifully to bring their concept to life. This kind of thoughtful design is what makes the difference between good yearbooks and truly memorable ones.

Ladera Ranch Elementary impressed me with student-created artwork that shows the incredible talent within their school community. The expressive eyes in their lion mascot design—created by student artist Fiona—show the real creativity that comes out when young people get the platform and tools to express themselves.

What This Means for the Future

These three covers represent something bigger than individual school wins; they show the range of creative possibilities available in yearbook design today. What gets me most excited about yearbooks' future is how they're evolving beyond simple documentation into true creative outlets.

Yearbooks do two things: they store memories and give people a platform for artistic expression. The finalists' covers from our partner schools show how art and design can bring up feelings that readers connect with the memories captured in photos. This emotional connection turns a yearbook from a simple record into something people treasure.

The Treering platform plays a huge role in this creative evolution by making sophisticated design tools available to yearbook teams without extensive publishing backgrounds. 

Something You Can Hold

In our increasingly digital world, there's something special about holding a yearbook or photograph in your hands. This physical interaction requires intention—you have to choose to engage with it, to turn the pages, to pause and remember. This hands-on experience creates a different connection than scrolling through digital images.

I'm excited to see how yearbook teams and students continue to capture our ever-digitizing world in physical form. The challenge and opportunity are in translating the richness of digital experiences into formats that can be held, shared, and treasured for decades to come.

Looking Ahead

The success of Coronado Middle, Reilly Elementary, and Ladera Ranch Elementary in this national competition shows the incredible potential that comes when photographers, yearbook teams, and technology platforms work together smoothly. At Sumner Photography, we're committed to supporting the creative process while handling the technical stuff that can distract from the artistic vision.

These three finalist covers are just the beginning. As we continue to partner with schools and support their creative work through our collaboration with Treering, I look forward to seeing how the next generation of yearbook creators will push the boundaries of what's possible in preserving and presenting their school memories.

The combination of photography, design, and storytelling in yearbooks creates unique opportunities to capture not just what happened, but how it felt. That's a mission worth pursuing with passion and excellence.