8 Tips for Taking the Perfect Graduation Photos this 2023

One of the most anticipated milestones in every person's life is graduation from college. In the Philippines, this is especially very sentimental in that finishing college is usually a collaborative effort between the student, his or her family, and perhaps a scholarship provider that made it possible for a college education to be less financially daunting.

Not needless to say, we immortalize this moment by taking a multitude of graduation portraits and pictures with friends, family, professors, and of course, ourselves. Since this is a once-in-a-lifetime experience, your graduation pictures must look really cool and memorable that if someone looks into them, they will think that you've hired a professional photographer to do the graduation photography for you. When in fact, you didn't!

Want to know some legitimately helpful tips to pull off the best graduation photos for you with your loved ones? Lumina Homes rounded up some graduation picture ideas that you must try. Be ready to snap!

Graduation Photography 101: Graduation Picture Ideas

No, you don't need an expensive DSLR camera! With just your smartphone, you can take (or allow someone to take) stupendous shots that you will be proud to publish on all your social media accounts. Without further ado, here are our recommendations:

1. Shoot in an outdoor lighting setting

Natural light in the daytime would make your graduation photos clearer even with just a smartphone for a camera. If your graduation ceremony will happen in the evening, consider setting a daylight photoshoot and bring your friends along! This would be a fun activity before your actual graduation.

2. But first, a close-up shot

An integral part of every graduation photo is a close-up shot of you sporting your biggest smile. This is practically the easiest that you can take as it does not require an expert hand. What you just need to do is to pose with the smile of a champion while holding your trophy (your diploma, really)!

3. Don't forget the group photos

Graduation is not a solitary celebration, so absolutely your best friends, family members, and relatives will come along to congratulate you on your academic achievement! Hence, a group photo with a wide-angle lens is mandatory. This time, though, some equipment would be better to capture the best group photo sans the shaking of the photographer's hand (a tripod).

4. Stage an interaction that doesn't look staged

In graduation ceremonies, it is commonplace that graduates would throw their graduation cap up in the air as a gesture of extreme delight for finishing the academic race. This interactive moment would make for a great portrait photography material. Your camera must be able to capture you with your graduation cap suspended in mid-air. The result would make you want to put it as the first photo in your social media post!

5. Use your diploma to strike a pose

In addition to your regular close-up shot, you can use and hold your diploma as props. You can either hold it on the side, or look happily mysterious by covering half your face with it. Aside from your diploma, a medallion would also make for a captivating prop to strike a pose with. Make it seem like you're in the Olympics and bite your medal like a champion! If you were given a bouquet of flowers during your graduation day, distract your audience with its presence resting on your hand.

6. Tell a story with your shots

Get more creative and sentimental by telling a story with your graduation shoot. If you have been a working student, bring your work uniform with you and wear it as your second graduation attire. Doing this will make you even prouder of yourself for making it this far, juggling your studies and work with a few hours of rest and sleep than necessary. Upon publishing this on your social media account, your friends and acquaintances will surely be inspired by your story.

7. Look for an Instagrammable background

Your grad photos must be nothing less than Instagrammable! But this does not equate to hiring a professional with an off-camera flash to do the photography and editing for you. Instead, roam around and check for an Instagrammable background where you can take snaps. One good example would be to grab shots of you in a flight of stairs. You can either sit, stand, jump, or be spontaneous with your poses. The most important thing would be to have your happiness captured in that photo shoot!

8. Wacky!

Finally, it wouldn't be complete without the proverbial wacky snaps. Take a picture or two with just yourself pulling off your carelessly zaniest look. Then gather your endearingly quirky buddies and pose for a wacky picture together. With two other friends, allow them to carry you and laugh it out! This, if captured perfectly in a photograph, definitely deserves a spot on your photo album. Later, you and your friends may take different paths, and these pictures would be your memory of them before you traverse said different paths.

After the graduation season, you'd be back to reality and feel obliged to look for a job to commence adult life. Look no further as we at Lumina Homes look for potential instead of focusing on experience alone. We welcome fresh graduates to apply for our job vacancies and get a high chance of becoming part of the real estate industry through our brand.

To give you a quick background, Lumina Homes have been in the property investment industry for more than 10 years. We offer affordable house and lot for sale for Filipino families, especially those with low-income earners. We designed our affordable house and lot provisions to be built with the utmost quality without charging exorbitant rates.

On top of this, Lumina Homes communities from over 50 key locations from Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao are located strategically near hospitals, academic institutions, marketplaces, malls, leisure areas, government offices, and major roads for commuting convenience, among others.

You can grow your career in the real estate industry through Lumina Homes. We have employed thousands of professionals who have gained more knowledge and skills with our company. Join Lumina Homes and apply to Lumina Careers and commence your professional journey with us!