Graduating from college is an important milestone, and celebrating with a portrait session is the best way to commemorate this achievement. In addition to finding the right photographer, preparing for your shoot is equally important. You need to create ideas on how you want to represent yourself. The best way to tell your story is to involve your favorite props during your session. Props offer an opportunity to elevate your graduation photos by adding a personal touch beyond the standard image. They serve as tools for commemorating academic achievements and reflecting on one’s unique personality and experiences. With my experience as a senior photographer, these are the best props for a college graduation session!
The Traditional Cap and Gown
A college graduation session isn’t complete without some of your portraits, including your cap and gown! These wearable props are essential to celebrating this milestone of earning your four-year degree! After all, without graduating, you wouldn’t have a cap and gown! In addition to these, I love it when students add on their stoles, cords, sashes, or medals. These represent certain honors or awards that they have won during their time in college and are just as important to include in pictures. I encourage my college seniors to bring these extra props because they most likely won’t have another picture with all of their regalia. You can even show off your decorated cap!
Show Your School Spirit
No matter what college or university you graduate from, you are proud of where you studied the past four years! You chose that campus for a reason, whether it’s because they offered you scholarships or had a great degree program. Let’s demonstrate your pride by bringing props that show your school spirit! Examples of this can be a pennant flag or banner, your favorite school sweatshirt, or large numbers showing your graduation year. When I shoot a session at West Virginia University, I can provide large letters for the seniors to use in the background of their portraits. They always look great!
A Future in the Medical Field
If you’ve been a student in the medical field, such as dental or nursing, you have used special equipment and worn certain clothing to learn in that field. Bring your scrubs, white coat, loops, and stethoscope to your graduation session! While these props may seem inconsequential because you use them daily, they are important to include in your portraits. You can’t do what you do without them, so they deserve to be shown off! My past college seniors are proud of their accomplishments in the medical field and loved bringing these specific props to their sessions!
Add Some Personal Touches
While your graduation session is mostly represented by what you’re wearing and where you’re graduating from, adding some personal touches makes your session truly unique. There is a wide range of examples, but my favorites include your college hobbies and your family and friends. If you were a member of the band or orchestra or a cheerleader for the football team, bring your musical instrument or pom poms to include in your portraits. You may not think these props are important, but they represent another side of your college experience that you need to include in your session.
Your family and friends have supported you throughout college, whether it’s by paying your tuition or by being a member of a fraternity or sorority. Include these important people in your session! You can also bring your puppy to join in on the pictures.
Party Time and Celebration
Nothing says “I graduated from college” like champagne! This is one of the most requested props from my senior clients. I even include instructions on how to pop a champagne bottle in my College Graduation Prep Guide, which all my clients receive beforehand. It makes for some really fun photos, and a lot of my clients pose for these in front of their favorite locations on campus. If you’re not into champagne, no worries! I also have confetti that we can pop, and it makes for cute pictures as well!
There are all kinds of props that you can bring to your college graduation session! These are just a few of my favorite and most popular! Even if something here isn’t listed, be sure to bring it to your session, and we’ll find a way to include it in your portrait session!
Interested in booking a college graduation session with me? Reach out to me with your ideas, and we’ll schedule a date!
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