Time to Pop the Champagne! But first... Let's Plan
Its a super huge milestone to graduate from college, so its time to get pumped up?! Right? This is the beginning of your graduation celebrations and you deserve to have a great experience, not just amazing photos. You wanna do this right but you also want to know all of the possibilities.
Below I will cover a lot of details you might not have thought of before you booked your graduation session with me. This moment only happens once, so lets start making it special:
Pick a Date
When Picking a Date, you want to think about a few things: Like do I have classes that day? Will my family and friends be able to join that day? Am I booking early enough & will that day even be available for my photographer and I? Will I have my UCF Regalia by then or will I have to borrow regalia? (UCF regalia is given out 2 weeks before your commencement date) What will the weather be like that season?
Spring: 70 degrees F- 88 degrees F (late May to March)
Summer: 86 degrees F-92 degrees F (May to September; the humidity makes it feel hotter in the afternoon, more rain late summer)
Fall: 70 degrees F- 91 degrees F (Hurricane season is June 1st to November 30th; starts to get less humid and more dry towards the end of this season. Cooler weather)
Keep Hurricane season in mind, you can still book during the rainier months, just make sure you book a morning session or leave the day after fee, incase we need to reschedule a different time to avoid rain. Rain in Florida is veryyy scattered and I reach out to all of my graduates within 24 hours if we need to update the time or day for their photoshoot.
Pick a Time
Sunrise Session: Less Crowds, Cooler Weather & usually less Humidity, Best for Summer Graduation, You will have the rest of the day to Relax or go to Brunch!
Sunset Session: More likely to be Crowds (which often include friends, family, and pets), Warmer weather & usually more humidity, Best for Fall graduation with early sunset time, Warmer tones and golden hour, dry surfaces/grass, and you have the entire day to prepare!
Checkout my complete UCF Graduation Outfit Guide HERE. You want to make sure your graduation outfit(s) are complimentary to your location and not to distracting for the occasion, comfortable to wear around campus and for in that season, and lastly to make sure you wear something that you can be confident and content in.
Pick your Props & Rentals
Many students choose to bring either Champagne or Bio-Degradable confetti with them to their graduation photos. These add a lot of energy and excitement to your graduation photos. Keep in mind, if your confetti is not bio-degradable, we will be picking them up ourselves so we don’t leave campus dirty. Please pre-order confetti either on Amazon or pick up free bio-degradable confetti from the UCF Student Union. Lately they have been giving them out to students around the time of graduation.
As a photographer, I’m all for adding fun things to your photos in creative ways that are environmentally friendly.
For Rentals, you can add-on my 6FT Spirit Splash Duck Inflatable named “Splashy” for your Reflection pond photos! I will provide inflation and breakdown for EPIC photos!
Lastly, Come Prepared to your Shoot
Extra Tips I give to all of my Clients before their graduation shoot:
your photographer, xx Shaya
Florida Couples, Destination Elopements & Weddings
I care about your love and representing your milestones in the most natural and creative way possible, on top of a super fun experience. Seeing clients reactions to their photographs when they labeled themselves as "non-photogenic" is the most rewarding part of what I do. As a photographer with years of experience in the service industry, I do my best to make your experience as enjoyable as I would want for myself. I can't wait to start working together. ~ Shaya
