Fashion is all about making a statement. Graduation should be treated the same way! It’s crucial to emphasize the importance of the huge amount of time and effort you’ve dedicated to obtaining that diploma, degree, or certificate. Deck out this milestone event in style with our four tips below.
- Play with different themes for your senior or graduation photos. There are so many creative ideas out there that can make your grad or senior photos really stand out.
Of course, the classic cap and gown photos are a necessity. But you can also emphasize your hobbies or interests, especially if they were a big part of your academic career. If you’re a drummer, assemble your kit in the middle of a forest or field for a truly striking shot. If you’re a bookworm, visit an old or historic library and take photos with your favorite classics. And if you’re an athlete, consider some action shots to capture powerful and dramatic movements. Think about settings that mean something to you, like the soccer field, a museum, or maybe an aesthetic coffee shop you frequented to study.
The possibilities are endless. Whether you’re working with a professional photographer or enlisting family and friends for a fun photoshoot, remember that you can usually coordinate a few different outfit changes. Choose outfits that truly represent you, and vary them—maybe one is more formal wear, while the other is your basketball uniform.
Remember that your graduation photos are celebrating you and your accomplishments. Your photos should be uniquely and beautifully you.
- Create and send out Graduation Announcements. Your efforts should absolutely be shared with all your friends and family! A great way to get the word out—and to show off your amazing photos—is by creating and sending out graduation announcements.
An online print ship like PurpleTrail makes creating a unique Graduation Announcement easy. Choose from a diverse collection of both contemporary and classic designs, and personalize it with your own text and photos. Change font styles, select from a variety of specialty trims, and customize the color schemes of the announcement to match your school or future school’s colors. Create a card as fashionable as you are!
Announcements are the perfect way to let your family and friends know about your accomplishments and future plans. If you’re throwing a celebration after commencement, or want to invite some family to the ceremony, you could also include that information on your announcement.
- Get crafty and creative with props! Another big trend in graduation photos involves a little bit of craftiness. A lot of grads are making cute signs and creating other crafty props to use in their photo, especially to emphasize their graduation year.
Create a cute sign out of wood or chalkboard with your graduation year on it to hold up in some of your photos. Write or paint your graduation year on the sole of your shoes and pose with your heels kicked up! Show off your graduation cap bedazzled with glitter, gems, and cutout letter stickers—usually spelling out an inspirational quote. Use glitter or confetti in your photos—throw it up into the air for some action shots. Pose with balloons or party banners. This is a celebration after all!
- Edit your photos to give them an extra pop of drama. A big portion of photography involves the editing process after the photos are taken.
If you’re hiring a professional photographer to take your photos, chances are they will handle all of this. But if you’re taking your own photos, or want to save a little money, you don’t have to miss out on that killer editing sesh. Even if you don’t have access to a fancy camera or elite photo editing programs, there are so many free or inexpensive resources available today that can help you create stunning photos just the same.
Free editing programs like Paint.Net or Pixlr allow you to edit your photos just like the professionals. You can also consider a program like Adobe Photoshop Elements, which is offered at a lower cost than the complete Photoshop software.
Don’t be afraid to play around with settings like contrast and saturation to really make your photos stand out. Think about ways to make your photos unique. Experiment with the lighting elements in your photos to create dramatic and stately black and white images, or use highly contrasted colors to make your outfit or makeup pop.
There are tons of free tutorials online in this wondrous age of technology regarding photo editing. Take advantage of that!
Go beyond just the classic cap and gown photos. Get creative with your graduation photos to create unique memories and keepsakes, and to properly represent this momentous event in your life.
