It’s no secret that we’ve been indoors for quite some time now, and this summer is still looking a bit different for so many of us. It will be different for Edge, too. Unlike ever before, we will be shooting graduation photos throughout the summer; Edge has already gotten the ball rolling with outdoor photos.
Beyond getting your photo taken, there are countless activities we can do outside while staying safe. So take a break and head outside with these 5 things you can safely do outdoors!
Bring the Indoors Out
Love watching movies? Set up a projector or large monitor in your backyard for an outdoor movie night. Grab a big bowl of popcorn and spend the evening under the moonlight watching (or re-watching) your favourite films.
Picnic in the Park
Picnics are easy, fun, and can be relaxing. Find a grassy spot, or stay in the shade if you plan on staying a while. Bring a picnic blanket, some snacks, even a mini speaker to enjoy some tunes as the kids play or work on their PPE Fun Book!
Meeting a friend or two? Make sure everyone brings their own blanket, snacks, sanitizer and sunblock.
Bird Watch
As of late, it seems there have been more birds chirping and singing than ever before. Sometimes as early as 4am! Explore your local area and see how many birds you can find. How many new birds can you spot and what new sounds can you hear? If you have a pair of binoculars, even better!
Grow an Edible Garden
There are few things more rewarding than planting and watching your very own vegetables and herbs grow from tiny little seeds. This requires a little bit of research to ensure your garden has enough sunlight, healthy soil, and water, but the result is rewarding. The best part? Eating them, of course!
Community Clean Up
Organize a community clean up! Please be sure to follow your provincial government’s safety guidelines, first. If permitted, round up a small group of neighbours and community members to help clean up your neighbourhood. Members can easily stay socially distanced and safe by wearing gloves, masks, and using trash grabbers.
If you want to take it easy, simply go for a walk and continue supporting the local businesses in your area. Grab that iced latte from the coffee shop around the corner, and pick up some fresh flowers from your local florist. It still is and always will be a great time to support local Canadian businesses, like Edge.
Your high school grad picture is one of the most important photos you’ll ever take. You’re expecting it to be one of your most-liked Instagram posts of the year, and you know Mom and Dad will have it hanging up in the living room until they can eventually replace it with your college or university grad photo, wedding picture, or whatever milestone you reach next. Not to mention the fact that it’ll be hanging in the halls of your school for, like, ever.
As government restrictions around physical distancing are starting to relax across the country, we’re just as excited as you are to re-start grad photography sessions. That said, it can feel like there’s a lot riding on grad photo day; take the pressure off by getting prepared to take some awesome pics. We know it’s a big deal, so we’ve put together a list of our top three tips for slaying your photo session – even during a pandemic.
Stay Informed
This may not have been the tip you expected at the top of this list, but staying on top of all the details is more important than you might realize. During more normal times, we’d advise this, too, but especially during a pandemic, when government advice and health regulations are constantly changing, it’s crucial to have all the information.
Book your photo session in advance to make sure you get the time slot that works best for you. Pay attention to any emails from your school or the photography provider. They’ll remind you about your photo appointment, explain the safety protocols, and let you know if any details have changed.
On picture day, show up for your appointment 10-15 minutes early for any last-minute touch-ups and to catch your breath before heading to the camera.
Why is staying informed so important for having an absolutely amazing photo shoot?
It’s simple – if you know what’s happening, you have nothing to stress over. You’ll be calm and confident as soon as you’re in front of the camera. Your photographer will appreciate your preparedness, too!
Don’t Be Overly Trendy
Don’t get us wrong, it’s important to feel good about the way you look on grad picture day, but you might want to consider staying with a relatively classic look. Not every trend lives forever.
If you don’t believe us, just look at any school picture from the 80s. Though the hair and makeup styles were very on-trend for the time, this era has become one of the world’s favourites to make fun of.
Make sure your look stands the test of time and keep it simple.
Know What to Wear
Normally, choosing an outfit isn’t too difficult for grad picture day, thanks to the gown, but “what should I wear?” is one of the most common questions we receive from graduating students.
A white, collared shirt nicely compliments the dark-coloured graduation gown. If you’d like, you can also wear a tie – dark, solid colours work best. This is our favourite look and the one we recommend the most. If you prefer a less traditional look, feel free to wear a tank top-style shirt; this won’t be visible under the V-neck of the gown.
We are offering single-use gowns to students during our studio photo shoots (meaning you won’t be sharing the gown with other students), but you can choose to forego the gown if you’d be more comfortable without it. If you decide to take your photos without the gown, we still recommend wearing a white, collared shirt, or something equally sharp. Patterns aren’t your friend for this photo – stick to a clean, simple look.
Still feeling nervous about grad pictures? Check out our “What to Expect” video!
Looking for more info on how Edge is keeping our students healthy during their photo sessions? Check out this video on our procedures.
High school graduations may not begin for a few months, but grad photo season is already upon us! It’s one of our favourite times of the year, but we know some school staff can find it a bit stressful.
Luckily, we just so happen to consider ourselves experts at graduation photography. We want to make grad photo days feel like a breeze for our school partners, so we reached out to our professional graduation photographers to find out their best tips for running a smooth grad photo day.
Keep Reminding Students About Photo Day
This is one tip all our photographers agreed upon: Repeatedly remind students when and where grad photos are being taken and how they can sign up for their session.
“I get a lot of students saying ‘I didn’t know grad photos were happening’, especially toward the end of the week after their friends had them done,” says one of our photographers. “Run announcements, make use of the flyers we provide, and ask teachers to talk about it in homeroom classes.”
Senior year is busy for graduates – they’re focusing on postsecondary applications and keeping their grades up. It’s easy for details to slip their mind. By talking about grad pictures frequently, hanging up posters, and handing out hard copy reminder notices, students are more likely to sign up for their photo sessions early and avoid any last-minute chaos.
Encourage Students to Come Ready
Encourage your students to come to school ready for pictures – maybe this means they’re already wearing their favourite tie or they’ve already made sure their makeup is on point. This way, only touch-ups are required before they sit for their photo session.
When students are ready to go as soon as they get to the camera, it keeps the day running on time for everyone.
However, sometimes students aren’t certain what “ready” means when it comes to grad photos. We’ve put together a video for your grads with answers to every question they might have around photo day.
Stay Informed
Just as it’s important to ensure students stay informed, make sure your admin team is up-to-date as well.
Stay in touch with your photographers and your school representative from your photography company. Make sure you know what the students’ options for posing are, as well as where the photographers are set up so you can easily answer any questions from your students.
Your photographer will also email you a schedule of all the appointments for each day so you’re always in the loop.
Looking for a new grad photography provider? It’s not too late to switch to Edge. Contact us today!
