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Are Cap & Gown Sessions worth it?

Hands down, YES!  If you are thinking about having a cap & gown mini session or cap & gown session at all, DO IT!  Whether you are reading this across the country or are local to where I am in Wilson, North Carolina, I hope this simple blog helps clarify what you can expect.  In my photography business, I hold cap and gown mini sessions every May & June.  15 minutes of session time may not feel like a lot of time.  I can promise you I have a clear workflow and instruction to swiftly move through EVERYTHING you will read about!

Why should I have a cap and gown session?

Well, cap and gown sessions are something to celebrate!  You {or your child} has worked incredibly hard and graduation is an honor!  Take time to celebrate it and DOCUMENT it!  These images can be shared on beautiful cards to be mailed out to friends and family who will support and cheer you on!

First: What to Bring to your cap & gown session

There are plenty of things to bring to your cap and gown session.  Obviously, you need to bring your cap and gown.  Always check to make sure you have your tassel and that it hasn’t become detached.   You will also want to bring your school stole (if you have one), honors cords and medals.

Accessories to Bring

Some seniors bring along family members and even pets to include in their session! Additionally, many high school seniors will bring college swag to declare their next move after high school. (More on college decision sessions and why they are important later! If you are looking at grabbing some college swag, check out Fanatics!)

Another cute detail to consider is a kindergarten or pre-k graduation picture (or any picture for that matter of you as a kid) to hold up in a beautiful comparison of just how far you have come!

Second: What to Expect

Chances are, your photographer has LOTS of tricks up their sleeves.  I always begin in a basic outfit such as a suit or white dress that the senior is wearing underneath.  If you are dressing nice, let’s take time to grab a nice portrait!  Personally, I have a workflow of layering cords, stoles and finally the cap and gown that is a seamless process.  I coach a LOT when it comes to the cap toss.  It sounds easy, right?  Toss the cap and you have a perfect Pinterest picture.  FALSE!  There is a lot of coaching and tips that go on to land on that ‘perfect’ image (out of 37 that will be taken!).

While your photographer has a workflow and inspiration, it’s ALWAYS okay to share inspiration with that person.  Know that you can trust your photographer to be creative in their own way.  Trust is SO important!  But photographers yearn to bring a vision to life, so DO communicate!

Third:  Have Fun!

Really, HAVE FUN at your cap and gown session!  This is a time to celebrate!  I recently had a session where it was set to rain, and it did in fact rain.  What did we do?  Because the {college} senior was so excited and so mentally ready to have fun, when I suggested I could grab clear umbrellas from Target, she said GO! You can see them here! Your mindset as a client is SO much of the experience.

Below, I am sharing images that hopefully share inspiration and can help you consider how much fun cap and gown sessions really are!

Inspo for all the Cap & Gown Combos!

 

Cap & Gown

Cap Toss

Details

College SWAG

 

 

 

 

 

Additional Accessories

 

 

Casey is a full time Minister of Music and Organist at First Christian Church in Wilson, North Carolina.  She has been a senior photographer since 2018 and loves diving into this side dream!

Follow her on Instagram at: www.instagram.com/caseywchildersphotography 

Facebook: www.facebook.com/caseywchildersphotography