Do I really need an official Graduation Portrait?
Yes! The first thing to realise is that this bit is for the parents! ;-) They are all over the official portrait to show off to their friends and family and maybe even, (God help us!) put in the local paper! After all think of all the sacrifices they have made to get you this far! :-)
You would want the Insta opportunity at the gate of Queens University, and the group shot on the night out (Although will you be able to find those in a years time?), but a formal Graduation portrait, with the scroll, is still the mum's favourite memory of the day. So why not spoil her and make it a pleasant experience for everybody?
Both universities make their own arrangements, and they are, by and large, a rushed affair with a lot of queuing and rushing which tens to produce a mediocre photograph at best. We find August a busy month redoing quite a few graduates who have not liked the official image that is sent out afterwards that has not been edited properly. What good is a large pack of the same print if you hate the picture? You do know that you don't get to choose the final photo, right?
The advantages of a booking a private Graduation Photography Package.
Imagine the situation. You leave your graduation ceremony with the unprecedented adulation and then, whilst you are still not too dishevelled looking, it's an excellent time to get your graduation portrait taken. So you head over to the photography station only to find that dozens of other people have had the same idea and they are there before you!
You take your place at the back of the queue, and you are surprised how much it reminds you of the last time you took a flight and had to stand in a snaking line just to get through airport security.
Meanwhile, where to put poor Mum and Dad? What about Granny and your brother and sisters? Do you just tell them to hang around and you'll be with them as soon as you can?
Then there's the heat! Nothing beats summer graduation with the strawberries and cream but how about all those flies, and the fact that your hair is starting to stick to your head? Your face develops a discotheque like shine, and there's nothing you can do about it because you don't want to lose your place in the queue!
Finally, you get to step in front of the camera. Will you be conscious of the 30 other families who standing, (almost) patiently, in the queue behind you, staring at you; in the vain hope that somehow it will make the process faster so they can take their turn?
Of course, the photographer feels the pressure also, they are more focused on getting a quantity of people through the system that to focus on quality. So what, your gown's not sitting right, your necklace is sideways, and your mum had lipstick on her teeth? Sure it will be something to laugh about when you get to see the final picture a few weeks later when it drops through your letterbox! Unfortunately, it’s much too late to do anything about it by then! :-(
If only you have thought ahead and booked yourself a private photography session at a professional studio close by. Then you wouldn't waste time hanging about as you had an appointment scheduled for a time that suited you and your family.
You'd all arrive and be offered refreshments, and then someone (who knew what they were doing) would check your gown and make any necessary adjustments, so it didn't look like you were about to attend a fancy dress party!
You would be seated at a makeup area where you could brush, straighten or pin your hair. You could top up your lippy and take off your shoes if your feet were sore. Once you had caught your breath, you would then be helped on how to pose in a way that would flatter you, and a series of images would be captured using different angles and lighting that would ensure you looked like a million dollars.
The rest of your family would then be invited to get into some photos with you and lots of combinations would be taken so that when you came back in a couple of weeks, you could decide which ones you liked and which ones you didn't. Yes, that's right. You would get to choose the photos that you liked and not have someone you didn't know picking them for you and sending them through the post!
How much did you spend on your graduation shoes?
The average graduation outfit for a guy will be between £150-390. The girls will spend this on just their shoes and much more if we include beauty treatments. Add to that the dolling up of the family and the spend on the entertainment afterwards and you are getting the picture that the hire of the gown and the cost of the tickets are the least of your worries.
Please remember that the portrait is never going to come down off the wall. It means more to your parents than they would be prepared to admit.
We encourage you to slip off the gown and get a relaxed family picture while you are there because the way these things work is that the family may not be together for a while and it becomes even more precious when you are not at home.
This is a step in your journey, but to your family, it is a huge milestone. Let them have a little glory for helping you get this far because we all know that their support is a significant factor in your achievements!
