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Grad & Senior Dos and Don’ts

Photographers Guide:

Grad season is fast approaching! If you’re getting ready to don your cap and gown and march across that stage, we’re sure you want some photos to document your big day! Here’s a few tips to have a great graduate session!

DO:

Plan Ahead
Knowing the overall feel of your grad session you’d like is so important to having a great grad experience. Pinterest is a great tool for locating poses you like, props you may want to bring, or special scenario you may want to try. Create a board with a collection of photos to this effect, that you can share with your photographer and let them know what you have in mind!

2. Have a Posse

There’s always more joy when your crew is involved! Lots of grads have the misconception that their session has to be them alone, but having along a few people can really make the moment special. Perhaps you had a big surprise in a tiny package during your studies and are that much more proud of your accomplishment, or you’d just like your friends/family to share in your joy. No matter the reason, you deserve to have this moment with your people around you, proudly cheering you on. You can feature your family and friends in your photos, or just have them along as your pep squad. So grab a few friends, (or the whole family!) and make your grad session something to remember!

3. Personalize

This is YOUR big day! Graduation is a milestone, whether high school, college, tech school, or grad school. You’ve survived all the sleepless nights, long studying hours, and stressing over final grades; you deserve your celebration! With that in mind, make sure you make your memories uniquely yours with personalization! Many grads choose to decorate their caps, commission specially made graduation stoles, and even decorate champagne or liquor bottles for their photos. All of these things and many more creative ideas can be used to really bring your own special touch to your session.

4. Have Fun!

Though this session is commemorating a huge milestone and accomplishment, that doesn’t mean you have to take yourself too seriously! Enjoy this moment, savor this time, and have a blast celebrating your achievement. Make a silly face, dance a little gig, go crazy!

Don’t:

1. Forget the Details

The devil’s in the details! Be sure to pay attention to your grooming, don’t forget to smooth your hair, brush your teeth, check your clothing for lint and snags, and so on. Little things like your shoe choice or lipstick make a big difference, so take a few moments before your session to make sure you have everything in place. This is also where having your people there with you come in handy; the more eyes, the better!

2. Shoot in the Afternoon

This one’s kinda self explanatory. We like to refer to the hours of 12:00 noon til 4:00 pm as the “Graduate Dead Zone”. It’s hot, it’s bright, and it’s MISERABLE. For those wearing makeup, your finishing spray will be engaging in hard battle with the inevitable sweat you’ll encounter at that time. Though any good photographer never arrives to an outdoor session without a light filter; at the middle of the afternoon, the sun is at the highest in the sky, and therefore exceedingly hard to manipulate. the softer light to be found earlier or later in the day, or even the coolness of the night (with proper lighting) are far preferable and beneficial when planning your session time.

3. Overthink

When planning your grad session, it can be easy to get bogged down in every little element of the session, to the point of stressing over it. What should you wear? What color should it be? Formal or Casual dress? School colors or personal choice? Cap and gown or school paraphernalia? Sooo many choices can feel overwhelming! But don’t stress, just do what is most comfortable and exciting for you. If posing at the top of your school stadium feels like too many stairs to climb, Don’t do it! No matter how big of a tradition it is. If you want to have a paint fight in your cap and gown, Do it! (You just may need to wash it before graduation day…) Your session can be as extravagant, silly, formal, or joyous as you would like it to be!

4. Be Afraid to Try Something New

Think outside of the box. Don’t feel like your grad session has to model anyone else’s, just do you! Try that interesting pose, or go to that cool place you saw. Though you want your appearance to be what is most comfortable for you, everything else is up for interpretation. So, if during your shoot you get the idea to jump in the fountain instead of just sitting on, do it! Often times, the best photos are the ideas you come up with on the spot!