The College Graduation Photos You'll Treasure Most Might Not Be the Ones You Expect
Updated: Aug 19
There will come a day when someone says,
"Let's get one with your family."
Your mom will straighten your graduation gown one more time.
Your dad will stand where he's told, pretending he doesn't need another picture.
Your siblings will make everyone laugh.
Someone will blink.
Someone will complain that you've already taken enough photos.
You'll smile.
The camera will click.
Then everyone will head to lunch.
It won't feel like a big moment.
Not yet.
Because the hardest thing about life's biggest milestones is that we rarely recognize the moments we'll miss the most while we're living them.
A few months later, someone moves into their first apartment.
Someone starts a new job.
Someone leaves for graduate school.
Family dinners become holidays.
Getting everyone together suddenly takes weeks of planning instead of simply asking, "Who's home for dinner?"
The version of your family that stood together on graduation day quietly changes.
Not because anything went wrong.
Simply because life kept moving.
That's why I always encourage graduates to include their families during their college graduation photo session.
Not because you need another family picture.
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I Didn't Know How Much I'd Need These College Graduation Photos
We've celebrated three college graduations in our family. When we took those photographs, I thought we were documenting milestones.
A cap.
A gown.
A diploma.
One wonderful afternoon together.
I had no idea I was preserving one of the last seasons of our family exactly as it was. At the time, everyone still lived at home for the most part, or at least 2 of the 3 were here. It was a revolving door for our kids depending on their school schedule, semester vs. quarter system, grad school vs. breaks and vacation time.
Dinner together was still fairly ordinary.
Weekend plans didn't require calendars or airline tickets.
I never imagined how quickly that would change.
Today, two of our three children have apartments of their own, and Sunday dinners look a little different than they used to. For as long as I can remember, Sunday dinner has been our thing. If you were in town, you were expected to be at the kitchen counter. Gram Bam was there. Any friends who happened to be in town were always welcome, too. It wasn't anything fancy—it was simply what we did.
Now, getting everyone together takes a little more planning. Work schedules, apartments, and busy lives sometimes get in the way. But unless someone is working or out of town, Sunday dinner is still almost mandatory. Looking back, I realize those ordinary Sunday evenings around the counter were quietly becoming some of the memories I'd treasure most.
With 4 graduations behind us (a master was squeezed in there), each graduation reminds me of something different.
Our oldest daughter's graduation was in 2021, and after everything COVID had taken away, simply being able to travel, hug each other, and celebrate in person felt like a gift. A year earlier, that day would have looked completely different. Those photographs remind me how grateful we all were just to be together.
Our middle daughter's graduation reminds me that perfection is overrated. We spent the entire session laughing because it felt like we were standing inside a wind tunnel. Her hair was everywhere, her gown wouldn't stay put, and every time we got settled, another gust came through. I don't remember the wind anymore. I remember laughing together.
Our son's graduation reminds me that sometimes you make the memories work around life. His cap and gown session happened nearly six months before graduation because our oldest daughter was leaving to study abroad, and having all five of us together mattered more than the date on the calendar. Looking back, I'm so thankful we made that decision.
Every story was different.
But every one reminds me of the same thing. They were never just graduation photographs. They became memories of who our family was during a season we'll never get back.
One Day You'll Be Looking Back Too
If you have more than one child, every graduation will tell a different story.
One might happen after a season when simply being together feels like a gift.
One might happen during a windstorm your family laughs about for years.
One might require changing plans because life is taking someone somewhere new.
The details will be different.
But the reason the photographs matter will always be the same.
One day, you'll look at them and remember who still lived at home. Who couldn't stop laughing.
Who was about to move away. Who stood shoulder to shoulder before life carried everyone in beautiful, different directions.
That's when you'll realize these weren't just graduation photos.
They were one of the last photographs of your family exactly as it was.
Looking for a San Diego Graduation Photographer?
Whether you're celebrating a high school or college graduation, I would love to help you create graduation photographs that celebrate more than a diploma.
Bring your parents.
Bring your siblings.
Bring your grandparents if they're in town.
Bring the people who have been cheering for you since long before you put on a cap and gown.
Because graduation isn't just the end of college.
It's one of the last times your family will look exactly like it does today.
And if I've learned anything after celebrating three college graduations with my own family, it's this:
The stories behind the photographs eventually become just as valuable as the photographs themselves. 🧡
And, hey, before you go, I've teamed up with other photographers around the country to help others find reputable photographers in their area. This week I am featuring Jillian Faulkner, Calgary event photography for corporations. Her blog post is focusing on why professional corporate event photography matters. Please check out her stunning work.
Robyn Scherer, an acclaimed photographer based in San Diego, boasts numerous accolades. She holds the prestigious Click Pro Elite certification from Click Pro Photographers and the Unraveled Expert Artist certification from Unraveled Academy. The National Association of Portrait and Child Photographers (NAPCP) has honored her as a Master Photographer in both Lifestyle Family and Senior Photography. Her impressive work has been featured in local outlets such as OLP Magazine and Seaside Retailer, a national publication Senior Year Magazine as well as the international publication Zillionaire.
For more than a decade, Robyn has served as the senior portrait photographer for San Diego’s oldest all-girls Catholic high school, photographing more than 1,600 seniors as they step into one of life’s biggest transitions.
Robyn specializes in high school senior and college graduation portraits throughout San Diego, including Coronado, La Jolla, Poway and surrounding communities.
Her approach is relaxed, thoughtful and personal, with an emphasis on creating photographs that feel like you—and that will someday bring you right back to who you were, who you loved, and what life felt like in this season.
Because these years have a funny way of becoming the ones you wish you could visit again.
You have a beautiful family Robyn and it's so true, time goes by quickly and having all the important people in those photos is such a beautiful keepsake.
Love these senior portraits and that's one proud mama in those photos. These moments go by so quickly, fully agree it's so imporant to get the entire family together to capture this once in a lifetime moment together as a family. Congratulations to your three children!!
Love these senior portraits and that's one proud mama in those photos. These moments go by so quickly, fully agree it's so imporant to get the entire family together to capture this once in a lifetime moment together as a family. Congratulations to your three children!!