Grad Shoot Prop Ideas

Grad portrait season is starting soon! It’s one of my favorite milestones to capture and I love seeing graduates celebrate their accomplishments.

If you’re graduating soon, congratulations! Here is a list of props that you can use during your senior portrait session to create some fun images and express yourself!

Sample photos from Pexels & personal portfolio

Message Board

A chalkboard or felt letter board is a great way to personalize your grad portraits! There’s so many different messages you can use. Say a simple message like “Class of ____” or something more elaborate, like a pun related to your major.

Bubbles

Bubbles add such a fun and playful vibe to portraits. Something about them makes adults feel like kids again. You can either blow the bubbles yourself, get a handheld bubble machine, or have a friend blow the bubbles at you.

Confetti

A classic prop for grad shoots. You could get confetti in your school colors or multicolored. Throw it above your head, blow it towards the camera, or pop a confetti canon. It’s best to use biodegradable paper confetti (better for the environment) instead of Mylar.

Champagne Bottle

Or sparkling cider for the sober or underage grads. Save this prop for the last photos of your shoot because you’ll get wet. Bring a champagne glass as an additional prop to make you look fancy. Tip: shake the bottle really well and then press your finger on it to make the champagne spray everywhere, the same way you would with a garden hose. Keep shaking the bottle up and down. Doing this with backlight (the sun behind you) gives the champagne drops a really cool glow⁠— especially during golden hour.

School Merch

Use a hoodie, shirt, or sports team jersey as a quick additional outfit during your shoot. If your school sells plush toys of the mascot, that could also be a cute prop. Any school merch that has sentimental value, like your very first hoodie from freshman year, will work.

Item related to your degree, identity, or hobbies

This is a great way to show your personality. If you’re on the school’s basketball team, bring your jersey and ball. If you’re a nursing student, bring a stethoscope. If you’re a foreign exchange student and want to share a part of your culture, wear your country’s traditional clothing. If you love skateboarding and that’s how you would commute to your classes, bring your skateboard. You’ve been a ballerina since you were a kid? Wear your pointe shoes. Your dog is your best friend? Bring them to the shoot and take a few photos with them. There’s so many things you can bring to make your session more personal.

Sash

This is another great prop that just screams “I’m a graduate” and you can pose with it in different ways. I’ve seen a lot of students customize their sashes, like adding their embroidered sorority/fraternity crest, degree, country flag, or even photos.

Cap and Gown

The epitome of grad fashion. If you don’t want to wear a gown or sash, you should at least get a few photos wearing the cap. (Bonus points if you decorate it.)