Campus-location portraits linked to a graduation event

For a graduate, a campus is not a backdrop. It is the library where nights were spent, the corridor outside a lab, the tree where friends met. Photographs in these places carry meaning, which is why many families ask for them. The practical question is whether the places are open to a photographer.

This page belongs to our guide to graduation and convocation photography. It concentrates on choosing places and confirming access. Crowded spots on the day are discussed on our page about crowded post-ceremony areas.

Which places should we choose?

Ask the graduate. A place that matters to them is better than the most photographed gate on campus. It might be a corner of a faculty building, a bench near the cafeteria, a favourite staircase or a lakeside path.

Choose three or four. A short list is easier to confirm and easier to walk in regalia. Our priority photograph list builder can help you rank them.

What does the institution decide?

The institution decides which areas are open to visitors, which are open to photography and whether professional or commercial photography needs approval. It may also set times, limit equipment and ask for notice.

These rules are the institution's, and we follow them. Our guide to venue permission, participant permission and photographer terms explains how the different permissions fit together.

How do we ask for access?

Write a short request with the date, the places, the number of people and the purpose, which is a private graduation portrait. Ask what is allowed, at what times and whether there are fees or conditions. Keep the reply in writing.

We can help you work out what to include. We cannot request or promise access on your behalf unless the institution accepts a request from us, and even then the decision remains theirs.

What if access is limited?

Limited access is common. Some places may be closed, some may allow quick portraits only, and some may allow photography with a visitor but not with a professional.

Plan a backup for each location. A similar place outside the grounds, a public park nearby or a permitted corner of the same building can carry the same feeling. Our venue photography checklist helps you list the questions.

Example scenario: three places, three answers

For example, imagine a graduate who chooses the library entrance, a lakeside bench and the faculty courtyard. The institution replies that the library is open to photography before 11am, the lakeside is open all day, and the faculty courtyard is closed on graduation day.

The family adjusts: library entrance at 9.30am, lakeside at 12.30pm after the ceremony, and a public courtyard outside the campus for a third portrait. Each choice is confirmed, and none depends on an assumption.

How does time of day affect these places?

Light changes the feeling of a location. A shaded courtyard can look flat at noon and lovely at four; a lakeside can glare at midday. Our guide to venue access before guests arrive explains why earlier is often calmer. If shade is limited, see outdoor photographs when shade is limited.

What to tell the photographer

• The places that matter and the order you prefer.
• What the institution has confirmed in writing.
• Opening times and any limits on equipment.
• The route, walking time and any access needs.
• The backups you would accept.

How does this affect cost?

Coverage hours, the number of locations and any travel on campus shape the quotation. A route of three nearby places in an hour costs less than one that spreads over a large campus. Your written quotation states the window, the plan and the deliverables for your date.

What if the graduate wants a place that is not on campus?

Meaningful places are not always inside the gate: the cafe where you studied, the bus stop you used for years, the street near your lodgings. These public places may be easier to access than the campus itself. Check any rules for the place, such as a shop's or building's own policy, and tell us your reasons for choosing it. A personal location often makes the most honest portrait.