Cherished Memories Photography

What Cherished Memories Photography does

Cherished Memories Photography is a privately held, family-owned school photography company founded in 2001 by Mike Norkin in Lake Elsinore, California. The company provides portrait and photography services for K-12 schools — covering elementary (TK-5), middle (6-8), and high school (9-12) grade levels — through dedicated account managers and district-level contracts across five Southern California counties (Riverside, San Bernardino, Orange, Los Angeles, and San Diego). It also operates an ALSP (All League Sports Photo) sub-brand serving youth leagues and school athletics with same-day action photo delivery, and offers tiered senior portrait packages (Traditional, Timeless, Deluxe) with outdoor add-ons at curated Southern California locations.

The company's underlying technology stack centers on a proprietary studio workflow featuring a live previewing system that allows photographers to catch blinks before students leave the studio, paired with a SOC 2 Type 2 compliant gallery and ordering platform with AES-256 encryption and PCI DSS compliance audited monthly by ControlScan. SIS integrations with Infinite Campus and Aeries allow files to be renamed by Permanent ID for direct ingestion into yearbook, lunch, and administrative systems. The platform supports bilingual (English/Spanish) parent ordering with SMS and email notifications and direct-to-home shipping, and includes a stitched digital panoramic class photo product alongside traditional formats.

Cherished Memories monetizes through (1) per-session fees paid by families at booking for senior and outdoor sessions, (2) transaction-based revenue on photo packages, prints, and digital files purchased through the online ordering platform, (3) transaction-based fees for on-site ID card printing sold to schools, and (4) contract-based photography services billed per school. With 180+ team members, 7 studios, 300+ school partners, and 400,000+ students photographed annually, the company has scaled entirely through organic growth since founding, with no outside investors, private equity, or external funding disclosed.

Name

Cherished Memories Photography

Legal name

Cherished Memories Photography

Website

https://cherishedmemoriesphotography.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2001

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Cherished Memories Photography is a family-owned, Southern California school photography company serving 300+ K-12 schools across five counties with 180+ staff, seven studios, and proprietary SIS-integrated ordering technology, photographing 400,000+ students annually.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Lake Elsinore

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices8 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. School Photography Services: Contract-based photography services for schools across TK-12, including elementary, middle school, and high school portrait sessions. Revenue comes from session fees paid by families at the time of booking.
2. Photo Products and Packages: Sale of photo products and packages to families after proof galleries are delivered. Parents select and purchase prints, digital files, and specialty items through the online ordering system.
3. Senior Portrait Sessions: Tiered senior portrait session packages (Traditional, Timeless, Deluxe) with outdoor add-ons. Session fees cover photographer time, retouching, and yearbook submission.
4. ID Card Production: On-site student and staff ID card printing during photo day. Schools pay for ID card production services.
5. Sports Photography (ALSP Division): Sports photography services for youth leagues, middle school and high school athletics. Same-day photo delivery for action shots, team banners, and individual portraits.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Cherished Memories Photography provides school portrait and yearbook photography services to TK-12 schools across Southern California, including on-site picture days, senior portrait sessions, ID card printing, and yearbook production. The company also operates a sports photography division (ALSP) and sells photo products (prints, digital files, specialty items) directly to families through an online gallery and ordering platform.

Product overview

Cherished Memories Photography operates as a school photography service provider offering a portfolio of interconnected products and services. The core offering includes school photography across all grade levels (elementary TK-5th, middle school 6th-8th, and high school 9th-12th), with senior portrait sessions available in three tiers (Traditional, Timeless, and Deluxe). The company provides add-on services including outdoor portrait sessions, on-site ID card printing, and yearbook design/printing. A sports division called ALSP (All League Sports Photo) handles youth and school athletics photography. All services are supported by an online gallery and ordering platform enabling direct-to-home shipping. The company operates seven studio locations across Southern California for portrait sessions.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• ALSP (All League Sports Photo): Sports division of Cherished Memories Photography that handles sports photography, action shots, team and individual sessions, banners, and event coverage for youth leagues and schools across Southern California.

Products and services

• Elementary School Photography Full-day photo day services for TK-5th grade including multi-station setup (one class every five minutes), fall and spring portraits with 60+ scenic backdrops, complimentary class composites for every student regardless of ordering, and kinder/5th grade promotion photos. ADA-compliant stations included.
• Middle School Photography Photo services for 6th-8th grade including on-site ID card printing, 6th and 8th grade promotion photos, yearbook-ready images, dedicated makeup days, and pre-pay packages sorted by homeroom.
• High School Photography Comprehensive high school photography including underclass ID photos, formal senior portraits, cap-and-gown sessions, yearbook coverage, sports photography, dance and event coverage, and graduation day documentation.
• Senior Portrait Sessions Tiered senior portrait session packages (Traditional, Timeless, Deluxe) covering photographer time, professional retouching, and yearbook submission. Outdoor add-on available for $150. Includes mandatory school attire (cap & gown, tuxedo, white undershirt, black drape). Pets welcome in Deluxe sessions.
• ALSP (All League Sports Photo) Sports photography division capturing youth athletes, teams, and league events at fields and gyms across Southern California with same-day photo delivery. Includes action shots, team and individual portraits, banners, and event coverage.
• On-Site ID Card Printing Same-day student and staff ID card printing service provided on-site during photo day, eliminating the need for separate vendors. Schools pay for ID card production.
• Yearbook Design & Printing Service Yearbook design and printing service offered as part of school partnership package, supporting schools with yearbook production.
• Online Gallery & Ordering Platform Digital platform enabling parents to search by school, view student photo galleries, and order photo packages online with direct-to-home shipping. SMS and email notifications when galleries go live. PCI and SOC 2 compliant.

Quantifiable outcome

• 3-5 day proof delivery vs. 4-6 weeks for national chains
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration3 records

AI capability1 record

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Student Data Privacy Alliance (SDPA)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023Cherished Memories participates in the Student Data Privacy Alliance, administered by Access 4 Learning (A4L). Through this participation, they commit to nationally recognized standards for safeguarding student data, limiting how it can be used, and supporting transparency for schools and families.
• Infinite CampuscoreTechnology or IntegrationIntegration with Infinite Campus student information system allows renaming files by Permanent ID for seamless upload to lunch systems, yearbooks, and other school administrative systems.
• AeriescoreTechnology or IntegrationIntegration with Aeries student information system enables secure data exchange and file organization for school administrative needs including yearbooks and lunch systems.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Herff Jones: Herff Jones is a major school photography and yearbook company serving K-12 districts nationwide. It overlaps directly with Cherished Memories on school portraits, senior portraits, and yearbook production services.
• Dorian Studio: Dorian Studio provides school photography services for K-12 students, including portraits, ID cards, and yearbook imagery. It is a direct competitor to Cherished Memories for school district contracts in overlapping markets.
• Jostens: Jostens is a primary competitor in the school photography and yearbook space, offering portrait services, yearbook design, and graduation products. Cherished Memories competes directly with Jostens for high school yearbook and senior portrait contracts.
• Strawbridge Studios: Strawbridge Studios is a regional school photography company serving districts with similar portrait, ID card, and yearbook services. It is closely comparable to Cherished Memories in terms of service mix and target customer (K-12 schools).
• SchoolPix: SchoolPix is a school photography company offering portrait day services and online parent ordering. Its direct-to-parent online ordering workflow closely mirrors Cherished Memories' own SOC 2-compliant gallery platform.
• Inter-State Studio & Publishing: Inter-State Studio is a regional school photography and yearbook company that competes for K-12 contracts. Its service offerings — school portraits, senior portraits, yearbooks — closely mirror Cherished Memories' portfolio.
• Marathon Photography: Marathon Photography is a school and youth sports photography company offering portrait and event coverage. It compares to Cherished Memories on school portraits and is also adjacent to the ALSP sports division on the youth sports side.
• Lifetouch (Shutterfly): Lifetouch is the largest school photography company in North America and was acquired by Shutterfly. It directly competes with Cherished Memories for K-12 school district contracts, including fall portraits, yearbook photos, and senior portraits, though at much larger national scale.

Others

• B&H Photo Video: B&H Photo Video is a photography equipment and supplies retailer. It is not a direct competitor but is an enabling/adjoining participant in the photography ecosystem and a supplier of the gear used by Cherished Memories' studios.

Broad incumbents

• Shutterfly: Shutterfly is the parent of Lifetouch and a much broader consumer photo product company. While not a single direct competitor, Shutterfly's Lifetouch division and overall printing/personalization portfolio compete with Cherished Memories on school photography and parent purchasing channels.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/cherished-memories-photography

Compliance4 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Cherished Memories Photography