Rachel's Graduation Photos
Though I hadn't done any advertising for graduation photos this year, I still was able to procure a number of graduation photoshoots. Last week I shot with Rachel, a student graduating with an animal science degree. We headed out onto the UC Davis campus on a beautiful weekday evening to capture the best light possible. It turned out to be spectacular, soft lighting that really made for some incredible images.
Rachel really wanted to show off the natural aspects of UC Davis in her graduation photos. She loved the beautiful campus and especially wanted to capture the trees. As we were walking I noticed the sunlight shining through the trees above us - we had to stop and get a picture with them in the background. Her blue decorated cap was a perfect color to contrast the scenery behind her. It's awesome when graduates decided to decorate their caps! It adds so much personality!
Unlike most of my graduation photoshoots, we didn't shoot every picture outdoors. Rachel studied quite a bit at the library as a student and wanted to get a shot there. The library on campus does not have very good lighting at all, but with some adjustments in post I was able to get an image with some nice color rendition.
There were a lot of graduation photoshoots going on while we were on campus. Many photographers shoot in common areas of the school, but I always like to vary it up a bit and find a spot that may be unique. For Rachel, we found these lovely white benches around Dutton hall. Of all the photos we took that day, I think these were the most spontaneous in terms of shoot location. I really love her pose here as she is looking up towards her bright future.
Being an animal science major, Rachel really wanted to get some of her beloved animals in a few shots. We walked all the way across campus to where the cows were and took some photos with them. It was fun to see all the cows come over to us as we began snapping away. They were definitely excited to see Rachel around them.
With animals, you never know what you're going to get. I love that I got this split second moment of this cow sticking his tongue up his nose. Thankfully, I always shoot with the highest shutter speed that I can. This lets me freeze any quick motions that are possibly made. The brightness of the day really allowed me to ramp up the shutter!
And of course I had to have a shot with Rachel at the UC Davis sign close to Dutton Hall. As you all know, this is THE sign to take a graduation photo at. Be forewarned - make sure you come here early or first because you have to wait in a fairly long line to get this iconic landmark. Rachel and I didn't have to wait too long to photograph here, but you really never know whenever it comes to this location.