on the job: graduation day
Photographing graduation ceremonies can be a particularly unique challenge. On the surface they are just like a lot of other events. They have a handful of speakers, a captive audience watching, and some key moments happening in the in-between times that make for great photos (like the one that leads off this post).
But I’ve learned each ceremony can be very different after photographing more than thirty graduation ceremonies in my career. Crowds can be unpredictable. Weather can force you to change plans in an instant. The sun can cause a lighting nightmare. Speakers can say things that catch you entirely off-guard. Those unpredictable moments are the ones I love the most — that’s what can make photos from graduation ceremonies so engaging.
Over the last fifteen years I have had the opportunity to be the official photographer for Saint Joseph’s University when graduation day rolled around. This year was quite different from the rest in a lot of ways. But working with the creative team at Saint Joe’s has always been a great collaboration.
The first difference — and quite possibly the largest — was that we added cap and gown portraits of graduates into the mix this time. We hadn’t done these in the past, and in order to accomplish them without adding more stress to graduation day we opted to do these a few months in advance if the ceremony. To pull off 500+ graduate portraits, I set up a team of eight to help photograph students in their graduation gear without the pressure of the big day on their shoulders. They walked away with a nice, neat portrait in their regalia before they even graduated.
The next biggest difference was that I was also tasked with capturing a photo of each graduate at the ceremony itself. I enlisted the help of two of my staff photographers to ensure the flow of the event was not interrupted by these extra portraits.
Finally, we amped up our day-of edits so the school could push some photos out on social media immediately after the ceremonies ended. We have been doing day-of edits for a while but this year, with some new gear, we were able to turn them around almost in real-time so the team could share the good news. I mean, did it even happen if you don’t get it up on The ‘Gram immediately?!
Don’t take any chances with your graduation ceremony photography. Reach out today and we can put together a plan to capture the absolute best photos of your school’s graduation day. Photos not just to capture the event for posterity, but emotional, colorful images that will inspire recruiting and enrollment messages.
