Studio notes
General information about our sessions, not about the photographs above.
Graduation Photography in Summerville and the Charleston Area
Studio FB USA photographs graduation sessions in Summerville, South Carolina, and across the Charleston area, for high school seniors, college graduates and the families who supported them. A graduation session is a portrait session with a purpose: the cap, the gown, the stole and the diploma mark a specific achievement, and the images become the ones that hang in a parent's hallway and appear in every announcement.
We photograph graduations from the high schools of Dorchester District Two and Berkeley County, from the College of Charleston, The Citadel, Charleston Southern University, Trident Technical College and the Medical University of South Carolina, and from families whose graduate studied out of state and came home to celebrate. The session can be in the studio in Summerville, on the graduate's campus, or at a location in the Charleston area that means something to them.
Sessions are run in English, Portuguese or Spanish. For many of the Brazilian and Hispanic families we work with in the Lowcountry, a graduation is a milestone for the whole family, often the first in a generation, and the portraits usually include parents and grandparents as well as the graduate.
Cap-and-Gown Portraits and Senior Sessions
A graduation session has two parts. The cap-and-gown portraits are formal: the graduate in full regalia, with the diploma or a diploma cover, against a clean studio backdrop or in a campus setting. These are the images for the announcement, the grandparents and the frame on the wall. The second part is a personal session in the graduate's own clothes, at a location that reflects who they are, with room for movement and expression.
For high school seniors, the personal portion often becomes the main event: a set of portraits in one or two outfits at a location around Summerville or Charleston, made in the spring or the fall before graduation. For college graduates, the cap-and-gown portion is usually photographed on campus, in the weeks around commencement, with the personal portraits nearby.
Bring the regalia, the stole and cords, the diploma cover, and any props that tell the story: a jersey, an instrument, the letter of acceptance to the next school. Plan hair and makeup as for the ceremony itself.
Photographing the Family, Not Only the Graduate
Graduation is a family achievement, and the session should say so. We plan a set of family portraits alongside the graduate's individual images: the graduate with parents, with siblings, with grandparents, with the whole group. For families who traveled from another state or another country to attend the ceremony, this may be the only professional portrait of everyone together, and it is worth the extra minutes.
Coordinate outfits for the family portraits: solid colors, no large logos, a palette that sits well with the gown. The graduate's regalia will dominate the frame, so the family should not compete with it.
When the ceremony itself is open to photographers, event coverage can be added, with the graduate walking, receiving the diploma and celebrating afterwards. Ask about it when you book; each school and venue has its own rules.
Booking a Graduation Session
Studio FB USA is located at 115 Crosscut Lane, Summerville, SC 29486, and photographs graduation sessions throughout Summerville, Charleston, Mount Pleasant, North Charleston, Goose Creek, Moncks Corner and Ladson. May and December are the busiest months, so book several weeks ahead of commencement.
Call or text (843) 727-5264, or use the booking form on our website. Tell us the school, the ceremony date, and whether you want a studio session, a campus session or both, and we will propose a plan.
Graduation sessions in the Charleston area are best scheduled with the weather in mind. May is hot and bright, so campus sessions work best in the early morning or the last hour of the day; December is cooler and the light is low and warm all afternoon. Indoor studio sessions in Summerville are unaffected by either. For graduates who want portraits at a specific campus landmark, we check the ceremony schedule and the campus rules ahead of time, since many locations are crowded on commencement day itself and much quieter the week before.
Book your graduation session with Studio FB USA, or call or text (843) 727-5264.