Fun and Candid Graduation Photos | Grade 8 Grads at the Tett Centre
This was an interesting session for me, and I want to tell you all about it.
It's not really a typical session.
You see, an old friend of mine contacted me, asking me to take a few candid photos of their kiddos right before graduation from Grade 8.
So of course, because some of the families involved had a more traditional understanding of photography, we made time to take the more traditional photos.
But I also had a lot of spontaneous and candid fun with the kids.
We met at the Tett Centre, with the idea that we could have a nice outdoor space with water and trees to provide lots of nice natural backdrops. Here are some of the first images we made, when I first showed up.
This is what I call the “period of warming up” during a photoshoot. The kiddos are getting used to me taking their photo, and trying more and more to be themselves. When they learn that I’m not really there to pose them the entire time, they really loosen up!
And even though this age can be an awkward one - for getting kids to comply with having their photo taken, the approach to warming up is just the same: I act silly and I’m super friendly, and the kiddos learn to trust me. And then we basically work together :P
There is also the period of warming up with the parents! (sometimes it can be longer than with the kids haha)
I grab a few candid shots of the parents just hanging out, so that they, too, can start to feel relaxed around me.
It’s really all about being your real self. I am my real self, I’m not formal, I’m friendly and make stupid jokes. I laugh at myself a lot…
Anyway, I give people the real me, and they give me the same right back!
Once everyone is “warmed up”, it gets really fun!
This photoshoot was no different.
I had the kids jumping, I had them photobombing each other's photographs, and overall I think everybody had a really great time. (and when I say I “had them”, what I mean is: they were just being themselves and I photographed the whole thing!)
One of the fun grad photos we took at the Tett Centre - everyone jump on three!
It was quite windy by the water. We were scared that the photographs would have fly-away hair for everybody involved.
Well actually the parents were scared. I wasn't scared. Flying hair is kind of a fun and amazing thing when you’re a documentary photographer.🤩
Because flying hair in a portrait from graduation reminds you of just what was happening that day. It reminds you that the day was windy, that you were having lots of fun with your friends, and that the atmosphere was pretty amazing.
And even the more posy photos... we really did have lots of fun together.
I try to make sure that they weren’t super staged, so that the real emotions could still come through for each child and parent involved. Anyway here's a bunch of photos of this event.
What do you think about these graduation photos?
Is this style something that you would consider?
Or do you still prefer the more traditional photographs of graduation?
There is no right or wrong answer, by the way.
Each family gets to choose what kind of photos they would like.
Some families like to display more traditional portraits.
I like to display more candid photographs on my walls, and those are the kinds of photographs I've specialized to take.
When people think of a candid photographs, they often have a misconception.
Candid photography often carries a negative connotation.
People think of mess and imperfection. Things to be ashamed of… Things to try and hide. Smooth over.
But, I like to think that those are the very things that make the photographs stand out. The very things that make these photographs special.
Life is not perfect.
Our children are not perfect. We are not perfect, either: Our hair and faces are not always perfect. We sometimes get pimples. Sometimes our hair flies in the wind. Occasionally we have food on our faces… or our shirt button is undone.
All of these things should not be hidden and swept under the rug. They shouldn't be things we’re ashamed of. They should be things that we embrace, that we want to show the world, that we love about ourselves. (I know, right? Did I just say you should embrace food on your face? I mean… to a point! haha. I still make sure to brush my youngest son’s rat-nest-for-hair every morning because I’m afraid his teachers will judge me… and also that rats will find it cosy and actually build a nest there…)
But what I guess I’m saying is:
We should strive to do things that help us to take ourselves less seriously.
Because life is not that serious all the time.
And when you take yourself less seriously, when you show your real self to the world, you start experiencing life in a completely different way.
We saw this cool tree, and decided it would be a great shot to put everyone’s hands (and feet!) in the shot.
By having a more documentary oriented and more candid photo shoot, you can teach your children an amazing life-lesson.
You can teach them that they don't have to be perfect.
Not all the time.
That they can just be themselves, and you'll still love them. That they can be themselves, and you'll still frame their photograph.
That they can be themselves, and life will keep on giving to them.
Life will give them more joy, more laughter, and more adventures, when they learn to embrace their true real selves.
I encourage you to try this if you haven’t already. ❤️You won’t regret it, I promise!