Check the record against the agreement, not against your memory. Use the cohorts, sessions and programme moments listed in the brief, and tick each one. Look for coverage, not perfection. If something is missing or faulty, note it with the session and time, and use the shared guides for technical faults and disputes. Raise gaps promptly, while the details are fresh.
A delivered graduation gallery can be very large. Several ceremonies, hundreds of graduates, family groups and official moments mean that nobody can check everything by eye on the first afternoon. A structured check makes the task manageable and keeps the conversation with us factual.
This page belongs to our guide to graduation and convocation photography. It helps the commissioning institution assess agreed cohorts and programme moments. Technical faults and disputes are covered in our shared support guides.
What are you checking against?
Check against the agreement: the brief, the quotation and any programme sent beforehand. List each session, each cohort and each moment that was commissioned.
If the agreement was loose, write down what you expected and the reason. It is better to say that early than to argue about it later. Our page on institutional graduation-ceremony photography explains how to define the brief in the first place.
How do we structure the check?
Use a simple table:
| Item | Present | Partly present | Missing | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Session 1, cohort A, stage | ||||
| Session 1, procession | ||||
| Session 2, platform party |
Add one row per commissioned item. Our photo delivery acceptance checklist is built for this, and the post-event photography review worksheet helps you record what you learn.
What should we look for in each item?
Look for presence first: is the moment there? Then for usability: is it in focus, correctly framed and recognisable? Finally, for labelling: are cohort names, session numbers and captions right?
Expect natural variation. Not every photograph is perfect, and a representative selection is not a promise of every frame. Our guide on why a final gallery may exclude technically unusable photographs explains why some images are left out.
How do we handle gaps?
Record the session, the approximate time, the cohort and what is missing. Check the programme and the agreement. Then tell us, in writing, with examples.
Our guide to an agreed moment that seems missing from the delivered gallery explains what to do next. If you cannot resolve the matter through normal contact, see when ordinary support has not resolved a photography concern.
Example scenario: three sessions and one missing cohort
For example, imagine an institution that commissioned three sessions. On checking, the team finds that session two has stage images for cohorts A, B and D, but not C. The programme shows C crossed the stage between 2.10pm and 2.35pm.
The team notes the time, the cohort name and two sample filenames before and after the gap. They write to the photographer the same day. The photographer checks the originals and replies in writing. Nothing is assumed, and the matter is resolved with evidence.
What about technical problems?
Files that will not open, wrong recipients and misnamed images are different from missing moments. Our guides to delivered photo files that will not open and the editing differing from the agreed expectations describe the steps. Keep the problem description short and factual.
When should we raise concerns?
Soon after delivery. Details fade, links expire and original card contents may be archived. Set a review date in your calendar when the gallery arrives, and stick to it.
What to tell the photographer
- The agreed list you are checking against.
- The sessions and cohorts you have checked.
- Gaps, with times and filenames.
- Questions about captions or labels.
- Your deadline for resolution.
How does this affect cost?
A clear check usually saves time on both sides. Corrections and re-delivery depend on the cause and the agreement, and your written quotation states what applies.
Who should do the checking?
Choose someone who knows the programme, such as the registrar's office or the event coordinator, and give them the agreed list. A second person can review captions and names. Setting a short review window avoids long delays, and a named contact makes it easy for us to respond. Keep the findings in one shared document, so that every question and answer sits in the same place.
Checklist
- Get the agreed list of sessions, cohorts and moments.
- Check the gallery against the programme order.
- Tick each item: present, partly present, missing.
- Note session, time and example filenames for gaps.
- Check captions, names and cohort labels.
- Raise issues in writing, soon after delivery.
Send us the agreed list and the delivered gallery details, and we will help you compare them calmly, with any gaps noted in writing.
Check our graduation photographic recordCommon questions
How do we know what should be in the gallery?
The brief and the quotation should list the sessions, cohorts and moments agreed. Use that list. If it is vague, write down what you reasonably expected and discuss it with us. Clear lists make later checking much easier.
Should every graduate appear in the gallery?
Only if that was the agreed scope. Many ceremonies commit to coverage of each graduate crossing the stage; others commit to a representative record. Check what the agreement says, and check the stage sequence against the programme.
What counts as missing?
A missing item is something agreed in the scope and not delivered, such as a session, a cohort or a named moment. A photograph you hoped for but that was not on the list is a different matter. Note both, and treat them separately.
What if the files do not open?
That is a technical fault. Note which files, what happens and the device. Our guide to delivered files that will not open explains the steps. Raise the issue with us as soon as you find it.
Check our graduation photographic record
Send us the agreed list and the delivered gallery details, and we will help you compare them calmly, with any gaps noted in writing.
What happens next: You send your event details on WhatsApp. Our team reads the brief, asks what is missing, then confirms in writing whether the date, venue and coverage can be booked, with a quotation. Opening WhatsApp does not send anything, and a message is not a booking until both sides confirm.
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