Absences, late enrolments and retakes are normal in school photography. Plan how these will be recorded before the shoot so the final filenames, importer CSV and Workspace collections stay aligned.
Agree on the process with the school
- Who records absent students.
- Whether a retake day will be offered.
- What qualifies for a retake.
- How late enrolments and students who change rooms will be reported.
- Who tells families when new photographs are available.
- Whether retakes will replace or sit alongside the original portraits.
Keep one working student record
Record each absence, retake request and late addition in the same master information used to prepare the importer CSV. Do not keep important changes only in email or handwritten notes.
Give each new student a unique User ID and Password combination. Their final image filenames must follow the same naming and sorting rules as the rest of the job.
Show that a student was absent
To reduce questions from parents, some photographers create a simple placeholder image explaining that the student was absent on photography day. Upload the placeholder file to the gallery, then enter its filename in both the student's Image Start and Image End columns in the importer CSV.
This assigns the placeholder as the image in that student's collection. When the parent logs in, they can see why no portrait photographs are available rather than finding an apparently empty collection. Keep the message brief and clear, and check that the filename in both CSV columns exactly matches the uploaded file.
If a retake is later photographed, update the working CSV as well as the gallery. Replace or remove the placeholder as appropriate so a future CSV import does not restore the old absent information.
Add a late student
Complete the student's final editing and filenames before changing Workspace. Add a new row to the working importer CSV with the correct credentials, Image Start, Image End and any shared-photo filenames.
If you create the collection manually, make sure the same complete information is also added to the CSV before it is processed again. Otherwise, the next import will not include the student or may recreate an incomplete result.
Handle retake files carefully
Decide whether the new file replaces an existing photograph or becomes an additional choice.
- Use the same filename only when the retake is intended to replace that exact gallery image.
- Use a new unique filename when families should see both versions.
- Update Image Start and Image End when the new file changes the student's contiguous range.
- Update shared-photo columns if a new Class Photo or School Photo is involved.
- Recheck the collection after every change.
Replacing a Workspace gallery image changes future ordering, but it does not update orders that already contain the original file. Export Gallery Sales and contact Queensberry urgently if the original has been ordered.
Check class and school photographs
A student may be absent from an individual portrait but still appear in a class photograph, or may attend a retake without being added to a new group design. Confirm what the school expects and avoid promising that every absence can be resolved inside an existing class photograph.
Retest and communicate
After adding or replacing files:
- Test the student's credentials through the Login Portal.
- Confirm the intended individual and shared photographs appear.
- Check image classifications and products.
- Test packages and crops.
- Record the change in the working CSV.
- Tell the school or family when the updated collection is ready.
If the main ordering deadline has passed, explain the available delivery options and any freight that may apply rather than implying the order will join the earlier bulk shipment.
