I knew from our first conversations several months before her December grad session that I was going to love working with Emma! She is smart, outgoing, and has such a sweet personality. She graduated with a degree in Kinesiology from The University of Alabama. Emma loves fashion and had been working on her grad session dress collection for some time. It was hard to narrow it down to just a few but the final looks were GORGEOUS! We started off at the President’s Mansion with the red velvet sequin dress. It was perfect with the cap and gown and white backdrop of the mansion. Another bonus with December sessions is how pretty all the holiday decorations are!

Emma’s next look was a gorgeous off the shoulder long dress with black polka dots on a white background. It was both stylish and classic.

Next we headed to Emma’s sorority, Phi Mu, for a quick change into a beautiful white dress and of course, pink shoes!

Emma’s last look was SO adorable and a great way to finish our session at Bryant Denny Stadium! She paired a cute tulle skirt with a vintage Alabama sweater and white heels.

When I work with my college grads to prep for our sessions, my number one tip is to prepare well in advance of your session day. If you are prepared and have all of your outfits selected at least two weeks before your session, you will feel less stressed!

I always suggest they select a variety of looks. We usually start with the formal grad dress plus cap, gown and all of their cords and sashes. After that, some clients prefer their other looks to be more casual (jeans and Alabama jersey for example), and some prefer to include more dressy looks (jumpsuits, skirts or other dresses for example). Sometimes we include an outfit that is more professional so we can capture headshots for resume use.

I encourage my clients to think outside of the box when putting outfits together and get creative. Overall, it’s very important to choose clothing that fits you well and is easy to move around in during a session. Some poses will require clients to be able to sit comfortably so keep that in mind when choosing outfits. Pick a variety of looks from formal to casual. How you style your session is totally up to you! Your outfits should reflect your personality and they should make you happy!