Wondering WHY the heck you need cap & gown photos + need some help planning yours?! Keep reading for alllll the tips + graduation photoshoot inspo!

 

 

Why cap & gown sessions are so fun

 

Grad sessions have easily become some of my fav shoots ever! It’s you + your besties, celebrating these past few years together!! These are the pictures you can hang up in your dorm, or your future home – memories that will last forever with your favorite people!! 

 

 

They give you an excuse to CELEBRATE YOU + your accomplishments!!

 

Cap & gown sessions give you an excuse to just CELEBRATE everything you’ve accomplished!! You deserve the hell out of it because you’ve worked so hard to get to this point in your life, and that needs to be recognized! Grad photos are so fun because the focus is on you + how kickass you are 😉 And who doesn’t want an excuse to party + cheer themselves on for all their hard work?!

 

 

To capture this huge milestone in your life & have memories to look back on!

 

You KNOW that I encourage everyone to capture their moments in their lives (obviously that’s why I’m an elopement photographer!) – both big and small! And graduation is a BIGGGG one. You’ll regret it if you don’t have amazing photos to look back on when you’re older and are reflecting back on this time in your life! You want to remember what makes this season of your life so dang special + remember who was by your side throughout it.

 

 

You can do ANYTHING you want with them + totally make them your own

 

Cap & gown photos are TRULY able to be whatever the heck you want them to be!! I encourage ALL of my grads to make their sessions their own, which is why I offer both local + adventure sessions, friend sessions, & MORE (my packages are at the bottom of this post!). To make sure that your cap & gown photos represent YOU + this season of your life, and what’s most meaningful to you!!

 

Fun cap & gown photoshoot ideas

 

Now let’s get into some fun ideas to incorporate into your cap and gown photoshoot!

 

Bring your besties + significant other along!!

 

This is my FAVE way to do grad photos – with your BFF’s!! Who doesn’t want their best friends by their side to celebrate this huge moment?! Bring along your friends who are graduating with you, who have been by your side through this journey & celebrate together!

 

 

One of my recent grads, Jayley, brought along her bestie, BF, mom + sis to tag along and it was a BLAST!! It was the most amazing way to capture the people closest to her, helping her celebrate her accomplishments + capturing those memories together. You can see some of those photos here!

 

Invite your closest fam

 

Not only can you bring your friends along – you can bring your fam too!! Whether that means you bring your parents, your siblings, your grandparents, aunt, uncle, whatever – bring the people that have supported you the whole way + mean the most to you in this season of your life. Your people should celebrate the hell out of you, and you deserve it!!

 

If you’re graduating college, bring some bubbly (or somethin’ a little harder, no judgment here)

 

If you wanna have a blast at your college grad session, bring along your fave drink (alcoholic or not)!! Whether that’s a bottle of champagne, some tequila shots (my personal fav), or sparkling cider to shake + spray everywhere, let’s partyyyyy!

 

Visit your high school

 

During your grad session we can visit your high school, which is such a fun way to look back on your journey! If you were a track star, let’s take some photos on the track. A drama student? Let’s see if we can go in the theater!!

 

Include any props that are meaningful to you + your school journey

 

You can bring along any props that would make your photos more meaningful!! Maybe that means your dog, the instrument you play, a uniform, a stethoscope, anything to represent your school journey or the future ahead.

 

Pick your fave locations, whether that means an adventure session on the coast or an urban sesh in your fave downtown area

 

Grad photos can be taken anywhere!! Are you a hiker? Let’s go into the mountains! Or would you rather spend your evenings on the coast? We can hit up my fav beach spots! Not a nature person?! I know the cutest spots around town for the most fun shoot with your favorite people!

 

Cap and gown photo outfit inspo + ideas

 

Matching outfits with your besties!!

 

I’m obsessing over grad outfits, matching colored dresses, and especially my fav, neutral colors + college dad hats!! So many fun ways to plan a grad shoot with your besties!

 

Short summer-y dresses

 

Short dresses always look super cute under your gown and give a fun summer-y feel!

 

Thin shirts/blouses that aren’t too puffy

 

Make sure not to wear any tops that are puffy or that would make the shape of your gown look a little weird!

 

Color-coordinate with your cap + gown

 

Your cap and gown will probably be some version of your school colors, so make sure your outfits don’t clash with that color! I know grad caps aren’t the cutest, but seriously, y’all can always pull them off + make them so cute no matter what color they are!

 

College shirts/dad hats to show what’s next

 

I LOVE when grads wear college shirts or college dad hats to show what’s next on their journey!!

 

What to do with your cap & gown/graduation photos

 

There’s a TON you can do with your cap & gown photos once you get them back – don’t just let them sit in your camera roll or on a hard drive forever!!

 

Send out grad announcements to your fam + friends

 

You can create beautifulllllll grad announcements + cards through your online gallery that I’ll send to you, that you can mail off to your friends + fam! This can also be where you announce your grad party if you’re having one.

 

Print + frame your faves to gift to your parents/family members

 

I guarantee your parents/family members would LOVE to hang a framed grad photo of you up in their house (whether or not you’d like them to hahah). Print + frame your fave(s) through your online gallery and gift it to your fam!

 

Share them on the gram!!

 

Let’s be real, what’s a grad session without IG-worthy pics to announce your graduation to your followers?! 😉

 

Make a lil’ photo book out of them to have as a keepsake (for you or others)

 

Through your online gallery, you can also create a super cute photo book, or buy a nice leather/linen album (I can help y’all out with that after your session!!) to have as a keepsake for yourself or your fam!

 

 

Cap & gown/graduation portrait packages + pricing

 

Here’s a look at the packages I offer for grad photos – you can find all the deets on my website here!!

 

 

WOW, I am so excited for this year’s grad sessions after writing this!! My 2021 calendar is filling up fast, so be sure to book your cap & gown photos with me ASAP!!