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!