It’s that time of year! Introducing… the UCLA Class of 2023 graduation photos! It was my second time photographing UCLA grads and I scheduled a few hundred photoshoots during April and June. Check out graduation photos from last year too!
UCLA students, listen up! If you’re interested in scheduling a shoot next year, please read this entirely. Please message me on Instagram (@incandescently.happy) if you would like to be put on the email list. You will be the first to know when spots open up on the schedule! Please click that link and read the description for all information about shooting, including pricing. Here is more information that you might find useful:
When should I book?
As soon as spots open up (probably around February of 2024), I’d suggest scheduling your shoot in April prior to graduation! The earlier the better, and the light in April is beautiful and sunny. In June, it is not only gloomy and cloudy, but it campus is very hectic and crowded as everyone is trying to get their photos in. We can definitely work around it, but it’s easier to just get it done ahead of time. It also takes a little longer to shoot at the iconic spots when everyone doing the same thing.
What do I bring?
Bring all your graduation gear, like your sashes, cap, gown, and hood with the tassel. If you want, you can also bring champagne to pop, circle confetti to throw, cute ’24’ balloons, your pet, any certificates or awards, and also a change of clothes or accessories. Scroll through these photos for inspiration!
Where do we take photos?
I generally stay around the Powell Library / Royce Hall / fountain area of campus. If you schedule enough time (more than thirty minutes), we can go anywhere on campus that’s meaningful to you. But all the beautiful and traditional architecture is luckily in one central spot so we can hop between places quite efficiently.
What about friends or groups?
Bring whomever you want in your photos! The price remains the same – it’s a flat fee for the amount of time you book. If you really want to fully document your UCLA graduation, I’d recommend scheduling a half hour with your closest friends or family on one day and then another individual half-hour on another. (Or later that day, so you can switch outfits.)
Extra information about modeling:
I will direct you and suggest poses, so if you don’t know how to pose, don’t worry! But if you’re super comfortable in front of the camera and know exactly what you want, then I’ll snap away and capture whatever you’re giving me. To prepare ahead of time, I recommend going on Pinterest and searching grad photo ideas, or looking through these to get inspiration. Save a few to your phone that you can look through before the shoot to remind yourself. I’ll take you around to different spots that I think look great at that specific time.
What time of day is best?
I will have time slots open from early afternoon until sunset. The best time of the day is golden hour, which is around an hour before sunset when the light is glowy and soft. Regardless of when we shoot, there are beautiful spots on campus at all times throughout the day. (For example, the light is brighter at 4-5pm, and the light inside Royce corridor is stunning. But the light is softest at 7pm, and shooting besides the fountain is best at that time.) There are pros and cons to every time slot.
I hope you enjoy these! This is just a small selection of the nearly 70,000 photos I took for UCLA Class of 2023 graduation!
