Graduate photo-time
We’ve photographed several graduates but this time it was very special, our dear friend graduated from one of our alma maters Johns Hopkins University.
Back in 2015, she came to our graduation ceremony for the Kreiger School of Arts and decided she wanted to enroll as well.
Of course, we were honored when she invited us to attend and take her graduate photos.
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Like many graduates she had a few questions and we gave her the following tips.
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Pick an outfit that you can sit in comfortably.
- During your session, you’re standing or sitting and you want to make sure that your outfit doesn’t lay awkwardly in either position.
- Ensure the outfit allows you to walk normal. Don’t want anything bunching up as you take a few steps
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Order your cap and gown early
- Don’t want it to arrive to close to your ceremony and you don’t have it in time for your photoshoot.
- Ensure the cap fits properly on your head. Yes, you can pin it but don’t want to use too many pins. Might give you a headache.
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Choose your shoes wisely
- Campuses, parks, etc have points of interest far from each other, make sure your shoes don’t hurt your feet.
- We recommend you have a pair of sneakers or sandals, this way you don’t scuff up your nice pair of shoes.
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Weather
- It’s out of everyone’s control and can change rapidly. So check the forecast often.
- The day before our shoot, it said rain all day and then the morning of the shoot, it changed to after 1 p.m. Thankfully, our shoot was at 10 and we were done before the rain came. But we made plans that if the rain was coming early, we had another day scheduled as well.
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Foot traffic
- If planning a shoot around DC or a major university, be prepared that others are going to do the same.
- Give yourself time in case you have to wait to pose in front of a building or with a statue in your shot.
- Do the other shots while you wait such as throwing up the cap or walking with the gown.
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Special considerations
- Do you or someone with you need access to ramps or can’t stand for long periods of time? Make sure that where you park or dropped off doesn’t have any steps and is close to the location. Also, make sure there’s a bench or other places where you can sit to take breaks.
- If you can’t be in the sun for long periods of time, aim to do the shoot early in the day or later in the day when the sun isn’t at it’s brightest. Also, make sure there’s areas of shade where you can take a break if necessary.
Planning to graduate and want to schedule a session? Feel free to reach out to us by filling out our contact form. You can also learn more about us or check out our portrait experience.
