How to Make the Most of Your UCF Graduation Photoshoot
College Graduation Season, whether from UCF or any other college, is such and important and exciting time in your academic career!! Taking graduation photos is an amazing way to celebrate all that you’ve accomplished in the last few years and a perfect opportunity to preserve your college memories! As a senior graduation photographer, and a UCF alumni, I’ve narrowed down the best tips for how to make the most of your UCF graduation photoshoot. These are my favorite things to share with seniors and clients to make the grad photo experience as stress free and fun as possible! The most common theme throughout is to make sure you are planning for your shoot in advance. The more thought and effort you and your photographer put into the preparation, the more successful the experience will be.
1. Plan Your Locations & Backdrops Ahead of Time
The best tip I can give is to ALWAYS think about what locations you want to shoot at and make a plan ahead of time. You want your photoshoot to run smoothly and efficiently so PLAN AHEAD!! What places on campus are the most meaningful to you, or match your vibe and vision the best? Where did you spend most of your time? There are quite a few popular UCF graduation photoshoot spots that everyone usually likes to include. Theses spots are the Reflection Pond, the Alumni Knight Statue, the boardwalk behind the Student Union, and the Football Stadium. Some of my other favorites are Greek Row, the Charging Knight Statue & whichever academic building you spent most of your time at. It’s helpful to keep in mind that the more popular spots are usually crowded with other graduates taking photos, so there may be crowds in the backgrounds or you may have to wait in line for a spot.
No matter the locations you choose though, be sure to make a plan ahead of time that outlines which locations your shooting at, how long you’ll spend at each one, and in what order you want to stop at each. Share your ideas and plans with your photographer! I love helping to make a schedule for the shoot because I can provide insight into which spot looks best at specific times of day and where we can find the best light! I love the light at the reflection pond in the late afternoon so I usually recommend starting there if it’s an evening shoot! Also be sure to consider the time it takes to walk between each location and how much time you will have with your photographer. I find that an hour and a half session is a perfect amount of time to shoot at 4-5 different locations on campus!
2. Prep Your Outfits and Gown and Give Yourself Plenty of Time to Get Ready
Decide on an outfit ahead of time and try it on a few times to make sure you feel comfortable and confident. You’ll want something that fits well so you look great from all angles. You don’t want to constantly have to pull up the straps or adjust something. When you pick up your cap and gown, take it out of the bag and hang it up asap! Gowns get wrinkly very easily, so it’s a good idea to iron or steam it when you get it and again the day of the shoot. Bringing it with you on a hanger and not folded up in bag will help tremendously as well!
3. Put Together a Mood Board or Share Your Vision & Style With Your Photographer
I LOVE when clients share their Pinterest boards and inspiration photos with me! While we won’t be copying someone else’s images or ideas, it’s always great to get a little inspiration from the client themselves to see what they are envisioning and what poses they are drawn towards. If you can, find inspo photos from the same locations you are planning to shoot at!! Sharing your ideas and talking with your photographer ahead of time helps to communicate your style and it sets clear expectations between everyone. It also ensures that I can pose and direct you in a way that you are most comfortable in. So share all your inspo!
4. Make a List of Essentials and Props to Bring With You
Here are a few things you’ll want to make sure you pack to bring with you to make your UCF graduation photoshoot more enjoyable. Preparation is key!
Props are a fun way to add excitement, energy & a personal touch to your images! These are some of my personal favorites but feel free to bring anything that you’d like!
5. Bring a Friend Who Won’t Be Photographed
Now this isn’t a necessity, but it’s EXTREMELY helpful! That list of essential things to bring to your shoot that you just read above? Planning on bringing props? Bringing a friend who can help hold your bags and help with any props or accessories you want to include in your photos is sooo helpful! While I’m photographing and posing you, your friend can also assist in adjusting your graduation gown, hood, or cap to make sure everything looks perfect. They can grab your lipstick for a touchup, or simply move stray hairs without you having to adjust your pose. This assistance is also helpful by making the shoot move quickly and efficiently! There are a lot of spots on campus that are popular for grad photo backdrops, and often times there can be a line of people waiting for their turn at that spot. If you bring a friend to help, then it’s an efficient way for us to work together and move quickly without holding up any lines, while we are accomplishing more ourselves! Its truly a win-win for everyone.
6. Book Your Session at Least 4-6 Weeks Ahead of Time
Grad Season is exactly that. It’s a season, and a pretty short period of time that goes by so quickly! You will have so many things going on during the last few weeks of your last semester. The last thing you’ll want to be doing is scrambling put together outfits and ideas or trying to find a photographer who still has availability. Most graduates will only have from the time they pick up their cap & gown, to the ceremony day, to schedule their photoshoot. Within that short period of time, everyone will be out taking photos and photographers will fill their schedules FAST. So find a photographer you like and get your shoot on their calendar. You don’t want to end up waiting till the last minute and not having an enjoyable experience because you procrastinated! I always recommend booking your UCF graduation photoshoot 4-6 weeks ahead of time. You will have plenty of time to plan and you won’t have to stress about the details.
7. Know and Consider How Long it Will Take to Receive Your Photos
Be sure to talk to your photographer about their turnaround time for photo galleries and if they send sneak peeks! Will you receive your photos in time to post on graduation day? Will you have time to order graduation cards to send to family and friends? These are all important things to consider since you will be using and sharing your photos the most during the time of your ceremony! I deliver photo galleries within 1-2 weeks of the shoot and graduates will always get a few sneak peek photos within 48 hours of their session. If having your finished photos before your graduation ceremony is important to you, then be sure to communicate this to your photographer and schedule accordingly!
These are all tips that have helped me as a photographer and my clients throughout our photoshoots! I hope this can help you prepare and have an amazing UCF graduation photoshoot that truly celebrates you and all you’ve accomplished!!
If you would like more information about booking your shoot with me, whether you’re graduating UCF or any other Orlando college, I’d love to hear from you!! Click here to see more of my work and to get in touch. Can’t wait to hear from you!
