Punting Photo Sessions for Students: Affordable, Fun & Uniquely Cambridge

The Most Cambridge Thing You Can Do With a Camera

There is something almost absurdly photogenic about punting on the Cam. The flat-bottomed boats, the pole, the willows dragging across the water, the college architecture passing slowly on both banks — it's an image that captures something genuinely particular about Cambridge, and for students who have access to it throughout their degree it forms a significant part of what "Cambridge" means in memory.

A punting photo session is one of the most requested and most enjoyable student photography commissions I take on. It's relaxed, it involves being outside and doing something active, and the photography is relatively informal — which tends to produce the best student portraits, precisely because the subjects aren't thinking about being photographed.

Logistics: What a Punting Session Actually Involves

Punting photo sessions typically run 60–90 minutes, starting from one of the main punting hirers (Scudamore's at Quayside, Trinity Punt Hire, or college punt houses for those with access). I photograph from the bank and from an accompanying punt, moving between positions to capture different angles of the boat, the location, and the people in it.

A session works best for two to eight people — smaller groups make the boat feel intimate and photogenic; larger parties can feel crowded. Couples, friend groups, and small society gatherings all work very well. The golden-hour light in late afternoon and early evening (especially in May and June) is particularly beautiful on the Cam.

What to Wear and Bring

Students sometimes worry about what to wear for a punting session. The honest answer is: whatever you'd actually wear punting. If you want something slightly more considered — a summer dress, a light shirt, a simple outfit in muted colours that won't date quickly — that works too. What doesn't work is looking like you've tried too hard for a photo session while pretending to punt.

Bring a picnic if you like. Drinks in the boat. Make it feel like an actual afternoon rather than a photography session with a punt as backdrop. The more genuine the experience, the better the photographs.

Pricing: More Affordable Than You Think

Student photography commissions are priced with students in mind. A full punting session with digital gallery costs significantly less than a single evening's formal hall dinner, and the photographs will last considerably longer. Group sessions split across multiple friends reduce the individual cost further.

Mini session options (45 minutes, smaller digital gallery) are available for those working with a tighter budget — they still produce full, beautiful sets of images and often feel more focused and intentional than longer sessions.

The Photographs You Won't Stop Looking At

In my experience photographing Cambridge students over many years, punting images are consistently among the most treasured. They are specific enough to mean something — this is Cambridge, this is the Cam, this is a world that very few people get to inhabit — and relaxed enough to capture something genuinely natural about the people in them. Book a session before the opportunity passes.