Over the past few years, I have had the opportunity to photograph tons of students for their graduate photos. With a thirst to learn more and always striving to do my best, I have practiced a ton, created mood and Pinterest boards, and shared ideas with fellow photographers.
Through these experiences, I have captured moments forever and gathered important insight along the way. Here are my top three tips!
1) Foreground and background matter. Sometimes, the best photos are those that capture a moment and represent it from an angle not often seen with our own two eyes. In the example below, I have two photos -- one captured straight on, having the graduate standing straight and smiling. The second shows much more of a story: palm trees in the foreground and lighting illuminating her from behind. The plant in the foreground creates a deeper image rather than the graduate just standing in the frame.
2) Pose your clients! The most important thing I have learned is that it is vital to come prepared with poses, especially for different locations that you are anticipating to approach on location.
At Quinnipiac University, there are walkways with pillars, arches, steps, and a huge quad with tons of grass. To prep for this, I scrolled through Pinterest and created a board with tons of ideas. From here, I glance at my phone throughout my shoots working with my clients to pose them in the most flattering way that resembles the idea.
Some of my favorite poses include tossing the grad cap, sitting with the cap on their lap, and (of course) the generic straight-on soft smile.
3) Direct sunlight isn't always your bestie. Now, this one may be up for debate with some photographers as they may prefer to shoot in direct sunlight. I, for one, love shooting in harsh light when I am doing editorial shoots. Despite this, for grad shoots I learned that I shoot best when the timing is closer to sunset or I can at least get my models in the shade since most of them don't have any experience modeling.
The photos below were taken about ten minutes apart at 9:30 am. You can clearly see the difference in comfort of the client herself being in the sun versus the shade. The editing is able to be much more consistent and the client will be much happier with the results!
In direct sunlight.
In a shaded area.
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