Guelph Grad Photos · Style guide

The Outfit Lookbook.

What to wear for grad photos on campus: colours that work against limestone, greenery and brick, why solids beat prints, dressing for the black gown, footwear that survives campus walking, the one-formal-one-casual strategy, and what to avoid.

What actually photographs well.

The outfits that look best in grad photos are rarely the loudest ones. The camera rewards clean colour, simple texture and clothes you can move in, because campus sessions involve real walking, real wind and a black gown that changes every rule. This lookbook is everything we tell grads before a session, backed by what has worked in front of our lenses at Johnston Hall, the Portico and the Gryphon statue hundreds of times.

Colour, backdrop by backdrop.

Campus gives you three main backdrops, and each one favours different colours.

Against limestone.

The grey-cream stone of Johnston Hall and the Portico is a neutral canvas. Rich colour sings here: deep red, forest green, navy, burgundy. Cream and beige also work beautifully, giving a soft tone-on-tone look. The red and gold of a stole pops against limestone like it was designed for it.

Against greenery.

On Alumni Walk, the lawns and the Arboretum, green does the saturating for you. White, cream and pastels glow against foliage, and jewel tones hold their own. Avoid greens close to the leaves’ own shade, or you will blend into the backdrop instead of standing in front of it.

Against brick.

Red brick is the trickiest backdrop because it is already warm and busy. White, cream, black, navy and sage separate cleanly from it. Reds, oranges and warm pinks tend to melt into the wall, so save those outfits for limestone or greenery.

Solids beat prints, almost every time.

A solid colour keeps the attention on your face, which is the entire point of the photo. Busy prints compete with the backdrop, date quickly, and turn into visual noise at the small sizes photos are actually viewed at. If you love pattern, keep it large-scale and low-contrast, or bring it in through an accessory rather than the whole outfit.

Dressing for the black gown.

The gown changes the math. Once it goes on, the camera mostly sees your collar, your neckline, the hem below the gown, and your shoes. That means:

  • Put the effort where it shows. A crisp collar or a clean neckline does more work than anything the gown covers.
  • Light colours pop at the collar. White and cream framed by the black gown draw the eye straight up to your face.
  • All black under the gown flattens. Black on black loses its edges in photos, especially in lower light. Add contrast somewhere the camera can see.
  • Mind the hem line. A dress or trouser that extends past the gown should be a colour you chose on purpose, because it will be in every full-length frame.
  • Plan the reveal. Half the session is usually gown on, half gown off, so the outfit underneath has to stand on its own too.

Looks that worked.

Swipe through real outfits from real sessions, each one photographed on campus.

A smiling graduate in a cream dress holding a red, gold and black stole over her shoulder in front of a brick building entrance.Cream dress, red and gold stole
A graduate in a beige dress seated on the stone balustrade of a limestone building with a red, gold and black stole beside her.Beige tone-on-tone against limestone
Two graduates in white dresses with black and gold hoods smiling between two stone columns in warm evening light.White dresses under black and gold hoods
Three graduates in white shirts and academic hoods flexing their arms back to back in front of a stone building at the University of Guelph.Crisp white shirts, hoods on
A graduate in a black gown and sunglasses holding a bouquet of flowers in front of the bronze gryphon statue at the University of Guelph.Black gown with a statement bouquet
A graduate with long red hair in a white dress with a red stole sitting on the base of the bronze gryphon statue at the University of Guelph.White dress, red stole, spring light

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Drag the top card, or use the arrow keys

Footwear that survives campus.

A session moves between spots on brick walkways, grass and the occasional gravel stretch. Stilettos sink into lawns and wobble on brick, so if you want height, block heels and wedges are the reliable choice. Many grads walk between spots in comfortable flats or clean sneakers and switch shoes for the frames where feet show; we build shoe changes into the route without breaking stride. Whatever you choose, wear it in before session day. New-shoe pain shows up on faces long before it shows up on feet.

The two-outfit strategy.

The strategy we recommend most is simple: one formal, one casual. The formal look, a dress, a suit, or shirt and dress trousers, carries the gown frames and the portraits your family will print. The casual look, something that feels like the real you on a Tuesday, carries the candid frames: walking Alumni Walk, laughing on the stone walls, the photos your friends will actually recognise you in. Changing once, midway through the session, gives you two distinct galleries for the effort of one.

Both of our packages have room for it: Signature covers 3 campus spots and Premium covers 6, and both include the gown and hood, so that is one less thing to arrange either way. Details are on the pricing page.

What to skip.

  • Logos and graphic tees. They timestamp the photo and pull focus. The one exception is deliberate school merch for a fun frame.
  • Neon. Fluorescent colours reflect onto skin and are the single hardest thing to edit well.
  • Very fine stripes and micro-patterns. Tight stripes, small houndstooth and fine checks shimmer strangely on screens. If a pattern matters to you, go bigger.
  • Heavy-wrinkle fabrics. Linen looks lovely for the first ten minutes. Choose fabrics that recover, or steam them the night before.
  • Anything you cannot sit, climb or stride in. The best frames come from movement, and an outfit that restricts it costs you photos.

More looks from recent sessions.

A graduate with long red hair in a white dress and black gown with a gold hood seated on a bench in front of the Portico columns at the University of Guelph.
Three graduates in black gowns with red and gold hoods holding hands and looking back on a tree-lined brick walkway at the University of Guelph.
Five graduates in black gowns with red and gold hoods standing in a line and looking back over their shoulders under large trees.
Three graduates in black gowns with red and gold hoods looking back over their shoulders on a brick path with a green lawn behind them.
Two graduates wearing hijabs and black gowns smiling beside the bronze gryphon statue at the University of Guelph.
A graduate in a black gown with a red stole sitting on the stone wall of the Lang School of Business sign at the University of Guelph.

Outfits sorted? Lock the date.

Bring the formal look, the casual look and shoes you trust, and we will handle the rest. A $50 deposit books your session, with a 48-hour sneak peek after it.

Book your session