5 (More) Tips for your Notre Dame Graduation Photo Session
Notre Dame Group Graduation Pictures keep me busy the whole last month of the school year. As soon as they start issuing caps, gowns, stoles and tassels, seniors and their parents fill my inbox with requests for grad photos with friends. After shooting more groups this year, I have more tips for you to help plan your session. You can find the first tips here.
Bring Shoes
One school of thought: wear your graduation shoes so they are broken-in for your walk across the stage to receive your diploma. That’s a great thought in theory, but we are going to be doing a lot of walking. You won’t break in your shoes as much as they will break you! Groups are promised 3 locations during our 75 minutes together, and you all know how spread out this campus is.
A better idea is to wear comfortable flats between the locations with further distances. Half of my 2023 girls were walking barefooted across the grass between the library and the dome each session this year. Bring the cute wedges and heels, but wear the sandals gals!
2. Wear What Where?
Prior to the session, chatting with your friends about what accessories to wear in each location is helpful. Maybe you think caps and gowns look better at the Golden Dome, and stoles would be the better choice at Hes. Maybe you’d like to wear your dorm cords in front of your dorm. We should have time to do a couple different options at each location, but it’s nice to have thought through it a little bit before hand. You can see in this blog post that really, anything goes. Check it out if you’re stuck. See if inspiration strikes.
3. Main Building: Team Stairs or No Stairs
Everyone knows the legend: if a student stand on the steps at the Main Building, they won’t graduate. However, I’ve found that only half the students believe it. Which team are you on? Stairs or no stairs?
Most people want photos in the God Quad with the view of the Golden Dome in the background, but while we are there, if you are Team Stairs, we can shoot some pictures there, too.
4. Be Flexible
Depending on the time of day, the light will fluctuate. You don’t need to worry about this (that’s my job), except for when a favorite location becomes a little tricky. It may have a completely different look than your friends pictures from last week. It might be difficult to capture. For example, at times the Grotto is really difficult. Everyone loves the winter view of the Grotto, Dome and Basilica, including me. But glimpsing that view in May with the leafy trees is much harder. Plus, the evening sun shines directly on your eyeballs when you stand to face the camera. I will try my hardest to accommodate your favorite location, but some things may look different than you’re envisioning.
For example, in the two photos below, we have the Senior Gate. One is in full sun and one is in nice even shady light. They are both cool, and I can take both, just be flexible about what you might get that day!
5. Unique Shots are Awesome
One group of girls brought football jerseys to wear over their dresses when they stood in front of Notre Dame Stadium. FUN. A different group happened upon the leprechaun so we scored some pictures with him! Another group brought their Ryan Hall dorm sweatshirt to pose with. My favorite shots are usually the ones from your dorms, schools, or with your unique cords.
I hope these tips help for when you are planning your own session. Remember to check out that inspiration post, too. What other tips should I add? Let me know!
Booking a session is easy.
If you’re the gal in charge of your group, reach out to me via email. I intentionally don’t take on many family shoots at this time of year because I want to have room for you. You can also visit the grad session info page here to learn more.
I know everyone hates the phone, but I will quickly call you so we can chat through a lot of date options until we find the one that can work for everybody. It’s just the best way to do it with your senior calendar being so full at that time of year. Talk to you soon!