019 -- June 11, 2010 -- Graduation Time
by Niles Dening
It’s that time of year to celebrate graduations. Many college and university graduations are past, but we still have graduations from high school – and middle school – and 6th grade – and kindergarten – and preschool – class nights - and probably more that are not related to school. Are they important? Of course they are! Graduations not only mark points of accomplishments, they also mark points of time that are very important in family histories: they mark memories and points of growth that will never come again, they mark occasions for family gatherings to share the proud moments with the graduates. How can we preserve this moment in time? As a photographer, my answer to that is easy – take lots of pictures, print them out and preserve the files. Twenty years from now, you’ll be very glad you did. Some kids love to have their pictures taken, while others only submit kicking and screaming (I hope I’m exaggerating here). Here are a couple of ideas you may consider to make the process easier.
- Plan ahead for your photo session. Don’t spring the idea of pictures on everyone last moment when your graduate is afraid of being late for the ceremonies. Announce your plans to take pictures well in advance – even days or weeks in advance – and repeat your plans to let them sink in. Set a time that you want everyone dressed and assembled for the photos (make sure you leave sufficient time to get to the graduation with a little time to spare).
- I like to plan backwards for the schedule: we need to leave the house for graduation at ______; pictures will take ________minutes and must start at _______; everyone needs to be here and dressed by _______; (if the participants need it, that means you must start getting ready by______).
- If relatives and friends of the graduate are joining the photo session, make sure they know when and where and the dress you’d like them in when they arrive.
- Plan where you want to take the photos; I suggest daytime photos, outdoors in a solid-shaded area – the light (and photos) will be better quality using natural light than indoors with a flash.
- Plan ahead how you intend to stage and pose people for the photos; have any chairs or other props on site and ready.
- If you’re planning a full group shot that you’ll be in and are planning to use the self-timer-delay on the camera, make sure you’re comfortable with how the camera works and have a tripod handy – a scheduled photo session like this is no time to be reading the instruction manual. If someone else is going to operate the camera for the picture with you in it, make sure they know how the camera works.
With the pre-graduation photos done, you have time to get to the ceremony site a little early (if possible, you may choose to go in a separate vehicle so you don’t arrive just-in-time). If the rest of the family gets there early enough to save you a seat down front, that’s good; I usually chose to stay on my feet and wander during the ceremony. Scout out the area and try to plan good vantage points for pictures. If you can, get some photos of the graduates assembling and interacting prior to the ceremony – the electricity and emotion in the photo will be completely different than photos taken after the ceremony. If a walking-down-the-aisle picture is important, you’ll need to know which aisle and be in position; be warned – this will be a quick, moving shot so be ready.
If your graduate is getting special awards as well as a diploma, try to anticipate the timing and move as close to the stage as you can; if you stay low, you shouldn’t block the view of many people. Try to get photos of all parts of the program. Who knows, in 20 years, maybe one of the guest speakers will be president of the world and it could be a valuable photo!
After the ceremony, try to get picts of your graduate and friends, teachers, administrators, or other influential and respected people. There can be a lot of emotion here; get as many picts as you can. People may clear out fairly fast, so be an opportunist in setting up groups for photos.
Tip #1: If the ceremony is inside, know the range of your flash and get close. A photo from the back of the aud probably will not work unless you are using a fast telephoto lens.
Tip #2: Anticipate the photo timings so you are in position. Don’t be shy when you move into position to take photos; be polite – try not to step on people – and stay as low as you can.
Tip #3: Back up your files and print out your favorites.
Tip #4: Consider assembling your photos into a bound photo album book.
Tip #5: If you have several of your graduate’s friends (or relatives) sharing the pre-ceremony photos session, consider engaging a photographer and splitting the cost with the families participating.
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