Ideally, you should book your graduation photographer 4–8 weeks before you'd like your session to take place.

Spring graduation is especially popular, so if you're graduating in May, I recommend reaching out as early as February or March. Waiting until the week before graduation can mean limited availability—especially if you want those beautiful spring evenings or golden-hour sessions.

For December graduates, booking sometime in October or early November usually gives you more flexibility.

And remember: your graduation photos don't have to happen on graduation day.

Scheduling your portraits separately means we aren't trying to squeeze photographs between ceremonies, family plans, crowds, and everything else happening that day. You get time to relax, explore campus, change outfits, and actually enjoy the experience.

Couple reflected in a motorcycle side mirror, sharing a romantic moment on a city street.
Diamond engagement ring resting on a vintage car hood ornament, showcasing elegant jewelry against classic chrome.

When Should You Take Your Graduation Photos?

There isn't one perfect answer.

Some graduates want their photos several weeks before commencement so they can use them for graduation announcements and social media. Others prefer taking them closer to graduation when everything finally feels real.

If you want to use your photographs for graduation announcements or invitations, I'd schedule your session at least 4–6 weeks before graduation.

If you're mainly interested in celebrating the milestone and having photographs to remember it, we have much more flexibility.

A couple shares a romantic moment on a motorcycle on a rooftop parking lot with a city skyline in the background.
Young woman in red tube top and wide-leg jeans posing on a forest path surrounded by lush green trees.
Woman in blue maxi dress standing on rocks surrounded by lush green trees in a serene forest setting.
Woman in light blue dress sitting on fallen log in lush green forest setting.
A young woman in a light blue dress stands on a wooden bridge surrounded by lush green trees in a serene forest setting.
Young woman in blue dress reading a book while sitting on a fallen log in a lush green forest setting.
Young woman in white floral dress posing in lush green field, hands framing face, smiling softly at camera.
Young woman in white dress aiming a blue recurve bow outdoors in a green field.
Young woman in white dress holding a badminton racket standing in a green meadow with trees and blue sky.
Young woman in blue dress reading a yellow book outdoors, surrounded by lush green bokeh background.
Young woman wearing a blue graduation cap with tassel outdoors, celebrating academic achievement.
Young woman in white dress holding blue graduation cap outdoors in green park setting, viewed from behind.
Young woman in blue graduation cap and gown walking outdoors in a lush green forest setting.

What Should You Bring to Your Graduation Session?

This is where we get to make your session feel like you.

You definitely don't need to bring everything on this list, but here are a few things worth considering:

  • Cap and gown
  • Graduation stole, cords, or honors
  • Diploma cover
  • Champagne or sparkling cider for a celebratory pop
  • Confetti
  • School flag or pennant
  • Letterman jacket or meaningful school gear
  • Items related to your degree or future career
  • A second outfit
  • Comfortable shoes for walking between locations
  • Touch-up makeup, hairbrush, and lip products

If there's something that played a meaningful role in your college experience, bring it! Your graduation session doesn't have to look exactly like everyone else's.


What Should You Wear for College Graduation Photos?

I recommend bringing at least two looks if your session allows time for an outfit change.

For one look, choose something polished that photographs beautifully underneath your graduation gown. Dresses, jumpsuits, dress pants, button-downs, blazers, or another elevated outfit are all great options.

Your second outfit can show more personality.

Maybe that's jeans and your university sweatshirt. Maybe it's an outfit that feels completely you. Or maybe you're headed into a profession where incorporating your next chapter makes sense.

The goal isn't to dress like somebody else's Pinterest board.

It's to look back at these photographs years from now and recognize yourself.


Should You Take Graduation Photos on Campus?

YES. Campus is one of my favorite places for college graduation sessions because those locations actually mean something.

Think about the places you've walked past hundreds of times over the last several years—the building where you spent half your life, the steps outside your favorite lecture hall, your school's sign, the quad, stadium, library, or that one spot where you and your friends always met.

Those aren't just pretty backgrounds.

They're part of your story.

We can also combine campus photographs with another nearby location if you want more variety and a completely different look.


Can You Take Graduation Photos With Friends?

Absolutely—and I LOVE this idea.

If you and your best friends survived college together, there is absolutely no reason they can't be part of the celebration.

A group graduation session gives you the traditional cap-and-gown photographs while also documenting the friendships that made those years what they were.

And yes, we'll get the individual portraits too.


Don't Forget the Little Details

Some of my favorite graduation photographs aren't necessarily the big, posed portraits.

They're the details.

Your tassel.

Your decorated graduation cap.

The cords you worked incredibly hard to earn.

Your hands holding your diploma.

The way you laugh when we attempt to throw your cap into the air for the fifth time because apparently graduation caps have absolutely no respect for photographers.

Those little things help tell the entire story.


Your Graduation Photos Should Feel Like a Celebration

You worked hard for this.

Your graduation photography session shouldn't feel like another obligation you have to check off before commencement. It should feel like celebrating everything it took to get here.

We'll walk around, find beautiful light, incorporate the places that mattered during your college experience, and create a mix of classic graduation portraits and images that actually show your personality.

You don't have to know how to pose or what to do in front of the camera—that's my job.

Your job is pretty simple:

Show up and celebrate the fact that you freaking did it.



Woman in blue dress walking through lush green forest, viewed from behind with flowing skirt and dark hair.

Ready to Celebrate Your Graduation?

Whether you're graduating from college in Louisville or celebrating your degree somewhere else in Kentucky, I'd love to document this chapter for you.

Because someday the campus that feels completely ordinary right now won't be part of your everyday life anymore.

And you'll be really glad you have photographs that bring you right back to it.


Jennifer Renee Photography

Creating memories that feel like home


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