Graduation
North Carolina Graduation Photographer covering Chapel Hill, Raleigh, Durham, & Beyond
Let’s pop some champagne together!
As a first generation college graduate myself (UNC 2019, go heels!), I know how amazing of an accomplishment it is to be graduating at any level. You’ve worked so hard for this, and now it’s time to celebrate it. Choosing a grad photographer can feel overwhelming especially as commencement day approaches, but I’m here to make it an amazing experience with the following:
6+ years of NC graduation photography experience, ranging from the following schools: UNC Chapel Hill, NC State, Meredith College, Duke University, Elon University, Wake Forest University, UNCG, Campbell University, ECU, and more
Knowledge of all the good campus locations (both popular and hidden gems), and the best times to photograph there to get the best lighting and minimize potential wait lines during your session
Bomb graduation guide including tips and tricks about outfits, props, locations, etc that you’ll want to have to be full prepped
A fun spirit + creativity to bring you a stress-free session with unique images as the outcome
Graduation Galleries
Let’s get you booked!
Imagine looking back on your graduation photos 10, 15, or 20+ years from now. You can hear the sounds of your college’s anthem playing and the laughter of your friends and family watching you accomplish a major life milestone. You can smell the flowers that fill your campus in the spring. You can taste the first sip of the champagne you just popped during your graduation session. You feel the fabric of your graduation gown as you put it on. You see all of your closest friends in your life surround you.
These are the moments that are most crucial to remember, so let’s capture them to look back on for forever.
What people are saying.
“Best grad gift EVER!!! When I first received the gallery, I teared up. Every person in our group could not stop oohing and ahhing. Not only is Gio incredibly talented, she was open to inspiration pictures and made each of us feel beautiful. Even the process of the shoot was so fun!! All of us still use the Wait Chapel pictures for our Lock and Home screen six months later. I am so grateful for Gio and her work!”
— Alexa Frost, WFU ‘24
“Gio is absolutely great to work with! She made the entire session so easy, stress-free, and fun. Her expertise was evident in every detail—from finding the perfect locations that suited my style to guiding me through poses that felt natural and effortless. She has such an eye for creating photos that truly capture your personality and vision. If you’re looking for amazing photos, a relaxed experience, and a photographer who genuinely cares about bringing your ideas to life, Gio is the perfect choice!”
— Kevin Garcia, Elon ‘24
“We had the absolute best experience working with Gio! She was so professional and knew exactly what she was doing in every aspect. Did SUCH a great job especially with such a big group of us (10 girls) fitting in all the individual photos, groups, and smaller group photos into one session. Allowed us to get all of the photo ideas, backgrounds, etc. that we had in mind and we are OBSESSED with our photos!!”
— Elizabeth Rodden, UNC ‘24
What’s included in all packages
- Graduation guide to give you all the tips and tricks
- Optional consultation call to help you prepare and get to know me
- Edited and retouched images delivered via online gallery within 3 weeks of your session date
- Personal social media and printing rights so that you can freely print and post
- Professional grade print shop access so that you can order high quality prints direct to your doorstep
Yep, that’s me!
You can trust me to capture your graduation photos because I’ve been there! I know the pressure of wanting to get the perfect photo to share with friends and family. I mean, you’re graduating college!!!
My attention to detail, creativity, and ample experience will help us create images completely unique to you!
You want some gorgeous graduation photos
You want to feel prepared and stress-free in front of the camera
You want to feel confident and love the way you look in your images
We’re a great fit if…
The Process
1. LET’S CHAT
You inquire and I get to know the unique vision you have for your grad session
2. RESERVE YOUR DATE
If we are a good fit, I’ll send over a contract and invoice. Once the retainer is paid, you’re officially on the calendar
3. PLANNING
I send you my exclusive graduation guide with tips and tricks I’ve learned over the years. We can hop on a call if you’d like to hash out any details.
4. SESSION DAY
We meet and the magic happens! I photograph your session according to our plan
5. RECEIVE YOUR PICS
Within 3 weeks, you receive your edited images via online gallery
Let’s talk numbers
Sessions starting at $700 plus sales tax.
Graduation Packages
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$700 + sales tax
1 hour
Up to 3 campus locations
50+ edited images
Delivery via online gallery within 2-3 weeks
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$400/person + sales tax
1 hour
Up to 3 campus locations
60+ edited images
Both group + individual images
Delivery via online gallery within 2-3 weeks
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$300/person + sales tax
1 hour
Up to 3 campus locations
75+ edited images
Both group + individual images
Delivery via online gallery within 2-3 weeks
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$275/person + sales tax
1 hour
Up to 3 campus locations
75+ edited images
Both group + individual images
Delivery via online gallery within 2-3 weeks
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$250/person + sales tax
1.5 hours
Up to 3 campus locations
100+ edited images
Both group + individual images
Delivery via online gallery within 2-3 weeks
*Recommend adding time if group desires many individual images or many locations
FAQs
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Sunrise or sunset (though I prefer not getting up at the crack of dawn but will do it if needed haha). Both times have beautiful soft lighting but golden hour (the hour or so right before sunset) is warm and amazing.
UNC SPRING GRADUATES: March is colder but there will be no lines. Early April the lines start to form but it’s not as busy and a bit warmer. Mid to late April flowers bloom around the old well but there will be lines. May is quite busy. Please note that in the weeks leading up to graduation weekend, we may have to deal with people in the background of your photos.
FALL GRADUATES: Peak foliage is late October to early November.
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Our session time includes photo taking, walking from location to location, waiting in lines, outfit changes, tardiness, etc. Please consider all these factors when you select your session length.
My standard session is an hour but you have the option to add time in 15 min increments.
UNC GRADS: Depending on your locations, 1 hour is typically enough time for your session only if you show up to the old well early to get in line. Lines can start kicking in anytime in April, though the wait is longer towards the end of the month. I combat this by starting our session at the old well. I'll ask you to show up early to get in line (sometimes 45 mins to 1.5 hours early depending on the date) and then I will meet you at our start time. Usually by then you'd be at the front of the line and we can begin taking photos when our session starts and no time or little time is spent waiting in line.
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If there is inclement weather, we will reschedule your session free of charge. I usually make a decision the day before or the morning of your session since the weather can be so volatile in NC. If it looks pretty solid that it will rain, I’ll reach out and make a backup plan with you. I will not reschedule for cloudy days. Clouds actually create beautiful soft/diffused lighting that is great for photos.
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Yes, they are welcome to hop in a few photos; however, no other grads unless they would like to join the session officially.
Friends/fam can actually be quite helpful to carry things/wait in lines if needed too :)
If you bring your pet, you must bring someone with you to help out.
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Depends on your budget and preferences.
If you are wanting individual and group photos, the best bang for buck is a large group session and adding on time. That way, you can get both individual photos as well as group photos for the best price.
If you know that individual photos are your priority, then definitely book an individual session. This allows the focus to be all on you.
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For spring graduates, I would book by February or March. I’m typically fully booked by then.
For fall graduates, reaching out by September is recommended. Typically I have way more availability in the fall though.
Reminder - your session isn’t confirmed until retainer is paid and contract is signed.
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Yes! Once you book with me, I will send over my graduation session experience guide which goes over all expectations, location recommendations, prop suggestions, and outfit examples.
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Yes! Your online gallery will include access to a professional printshop which has options for prints, graduation cards, albums, frames, and more!
You will have the freedom to download your images and print wherever you like, however, I highly recommend using the shop. This will ensure that your print is of the highest quality and consistent with the colors in the digital version. In other words, I don’t recommend going to Walgreens/cvs LOL.
Book your session.