Last graduation season, I had the pleasure of working with Shae Jefferies, a PhD graduate from The University of North Texas. Some things you guys should know about Shae before we get in the story. She loves to live life on her terms and enjoys a good laugh and spending time with friends and family. Shae is goal-oriented due to this trait she was able to complete her program in under 4 years. Upon booking, she just wanted photos of herself in her cap and gown. After, a brief discussion on showing off who she was in her photos I was able to show her the benefits of bringing some props.

Without props, a graduation session can be boiled down to the basic three: 1) the cap throw, 2) the walking away from the camera shot, and 3) the classic standing on one leg pose. Boring! Don’t get me wrong, there is a reason these are the tried and true go to poses, but why are we limiting ourselves? A graduation is literally one of the most memorable occasions a person can celebrate and as the photographer, my job is to make sure I am capturing your personality and your story in a way that showcases just how dynamic you are. So, given what I shared with you about who Shae is, there was no way I was going to simply give her the basics. During our consultation, I asked her to think about what story she wanted the session to tell and together we came up with the following perfect props!

Shae brought a chalkboard, champagne, and her sorority stole.

• She chose to write, “Phinally Dr. Shanae Jefferies” on the chalkboard. This simple touch would remind everyone who saw her photos that, even though the journey had been a long one, she was a boss!

• Nothing says celebration like popping open a bottle of champagne. These were some of my favorite photos because of the genuine joy on her face. After completing almost 20 years of schooling, I would say she earned every last drop of bubbly.

• The final prop was her sorority stole. Being a member of Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, Inc. is a huge part of Shae’s personal and professional life. If you were to ask her about her favorite collegiate memories, the women who helped push her through those tough days, and those who clapped for her successes the loudest, I guarantee her sorority sisters would be mentioned more than once. It was only right to include them in her story telling.

Moral of the story, don’t forget to include props!

Leave a comment below with some props you’ve used during your shoots or props you would like to include in your next shoot.