Graduation party photo ideas your graduate will actually keep

Before the ceremony

Kids grow up fast, and this one only happens once. Here are the pictures you'll be glad you took.

Get a photo in cap and gown at home, in good daylight, since ceremonies are crowded and rushed. If you have a matching photo from the first day of school, recreate it. This is usually the favorite picture of the whole event.

The shots people wish they had

The graduate with each grandparent. The graduate with the teacher or coach who mattered most. Close friends together, since they may soon be living far apart. The whole family, including whoever usually holds the camera.

At the party

Put out a table of old school photos and awards. Guests enjoy them, and they prompt stories. Set a card or sign with a QR code nearby, so people can share their photos and old pictures of the graduate you may never have seen.

Share across friend groups

Graduation parties often bring together family and friends who have never met, and they aren't in the same group chats. A single shared gallery means nobody has to ask around, and the graduate's friends get the photos their parents took as well.

Protect younger guests

Many of the guests may be minors. Keep the gallery private to the people at the party, and ask before posting identifiable photos of other people's kids online.