Graduation Photography Guide

Graduation days are busy and often tightly scheduled, so I usually recommend shooting either the morning before the ceremony, when you're fresh and unhurried, or a separate day entirely, close to but not on the ceremony date. Trying to squeeze a full session in between ceremony events tends to feel rushed and shows in the photos.

If timing only allows for the ceremony day itself, we can work around it, but I'll usually suggest keeping the shoot to one nearby location rather than moving across the city.

The Botanical Garden's Palm House is one of the most requested locations for graduation portraits, and for good reason: the glasshouse gives soft, diffused light even on a grey day, and the greenery provides a natural, elegant backdrop that suits the formality of a cap and gown without looking stiff.

Outside the glasshouse, the wider garden grounds also work well for a slightly more relaxed set of shots away from the gown-specific ones.

Frederiksberg's tree-lined avenues and the grounds around the old palace give a timeless, elegant backdrop that photographs well regardless of the season, which makes it a solid choice if your graduation falls in a month with less predictable weather.

If your degree is tied to a specific Copenhagen institution or you simply want the city itself in the background, the city centre — Gammel Strand, the canals, Strøget — gives a genuine sense of place that a garden or park doesn't. It works particularly well for graduates who studied in Copenhagen and want that connection visible in the photos.

Gowns photograph better with a bit of movement than standing perfectly still — a slight turn, a walk, catching the gown mid-swing all read as more natural than a stiff standing portrait. For the cap, I usually shoot a mix: cap on for the formal shots, cap off or held for a more relaxed, personal set, and often one classic cap-toss shot if there's space and good light for it.

Bring the gown well-pressed if possible; creases show more than people expect once photographed close-up.

If family are attending the ceremony, it's worth allocating a few minutes within the 45-minute session for group shots alongside the solo graduation portraits. I'd suggest doing these early, while everyone's energy is still fresh, and saving the more relaxed solo shots for after.

Your edited gallery is delivered within one to two weeks as standard, but if you need a preview sooner — for a family member travelling home, or to share before an event — tell me at the session and I'll send a small set of edited previews faster.