Graduation portrait tips: How to get the most from your photography session

Book Early — Especially for June

University graduation ceremonies cluster in June and January. For June ceremonies — the busier season — I recommend booking your portrait session in March or April. Cambridge and Oxford graduation portrait photographers book up completely for the first two weeks of July. If you leave it to May you will likely find preferred photographers fully booked.

Prepare Your Academic Dress

Collect your gown, hood, and mortarboard from your college or university dress hire provider before the photo session if possible — not on the same day. Gowns benefit from hanging overnight to lose creases. Check that the hood is the correct one for your degree subject and level; hoods differ and the difference is visible in photographs. Have someone help you put it on correctly — gowns look significantly better straight than lopsided.

Plan Your Locations in Advance

The best graduation portrait locations — college courts, library buildings, river bridges — require knowing where you're going and when the light hits them. I plan location sequences with every graduation client in advance based on the time of day and the college or university involved. Don't leave this to improvisation on the day: the best spots are busy during graduation season and timing matters for good light.

Allow Time for Both Formal and Relaxed Portraits

The most useful graduation portrait sessions produce both formal gown portraits — the kind that go on walls and into family albums — and more relaxed personal portraits that capture the person beyond the academic achievement. The casual portraits are often the ones people return to most. A 90-minute session typically allows time for both properly.

Include Family

Family portraits at graduation are among the most valued images I produce — a parent's expression seeing their child in academic dress for the first time is genuinely moving, and that genuine emotion creates portraits of lasting significance. Budget 15–20 minutes of the session for family groupings and use the remaining time for individual portraits in the most photogenic locations.