Novi High School Class of 2026: Cap & Gown Portrait Recap

There's something about cap and gown photos that gets me every time. 🎓

The gown goes on, the cap gets adjusted just so, and suddenly it's real - four years of high school, done. Every senior for whom I captured cap & gown photos carried that energy, and honestly, these mini sessions were some of my favorite sessions of the year!

Here's a little recap of some of the sessions:

The Setting

For the past 3 years, I have offered cap and gown mini sessions as a fundraiser for Novi High School’s Senior All Night Party. And, these have quickly become some of my favorite sessions of the entire year!

Each of these mini sessions was captured on the campus of Novi High School, in the mornings and evenings of late May and early June. I absolutely love photographing at Novi’s athletic complex - the stadium, the bleachers, the football field, and the back (athletic) entrance to the school. It all photographs so well, with beautiful lighting and carries the Novi branding and environmental memories through this last milestone.

The Group Shots

Some of the most joyful moments of these sessions came from the group sessions. A handful of best friends showed up together and the laughing (and TikToks) started before I even picked up my camera.

There's something really special about photographing friendships that have been built over four years of high school (or longer!). You can feel it in the way they stand next to each other, the inside jokes that surface mid-pose, the genuine smiles that come from being with people who know you well.

One memorable session took place during an all-day middle school track meet. These girls confidently put on their caps & gowns and posed and giggled all the way through their session with many on-lookers. They definitely got their fair share of “congratulations” and “you look so pretty” from the younger crowd….it was a session I’m sure they won’t forget!

Siblings

A few of the sessions included siblings - and those are always some of my absolute favorites to document. Watching younger siblings look up at their big sister in the cap & gown is the kind of moment that makes my job feel like the best job in the world!

I especially loved the mini session celebrating both the Novi High School senior and her younger sister graduating who was graduating from kindergarten. This was such a great way to capture both milestones and their sweet relationship!

Photographing twins was also a fun experience this year!

The Childhood Toys Session

Okay, I have to talk about this one. 🥹

One of the seniors came to his session with a collection of his childhood toys…a full set of Toy Story figurines (also perfect for Toy Story 5 releasing around the same time) — and I cannot tell you how much I loved this idea.

Here's this senior, standing in their cap and gown, on the edge of a whole new chapter - and they brought along the toys that were part of their earliest chapters. The contrast between the graduation regalia and the childhood toys was both funny and genuinely moving. This was definitely one of my favorite frames of the entire series of mini sessions!

If you're a senior who has something meaningful from childhood you'd love to incorporate into your session, please bring it. Seriously. These are the sessions I think about for months.

The Dogs

Because of course there were dogs. 🐾

A couple of seniors brought their dogs along, and if you’v ever tried to get a maltipoo to hold still in their matching graduation cap and gown you know exactly how this went!

Dogs in portraits will never not be a good idea. They bring out a completely different side of their humans; more relaxed, more joyful, more themselves. And let's be honest, every graduation photo is better with a dog in it.

To the Novi High School Class of 2026

Congratulations. Genuinely.

I loved getting to be a small part of this moment for you. The cap and gown photos are always a milestone - one of those "it's really happening" moments that you'll want to have documented when you look back years from now.

Watching this class come through, the class that my daughter was also a member of, was especially memorable and special. You are each already so accomplished and talented, and your futures are incredibly bright! It was a privilege to photograph you!

Wishing every one of you the most incredible next chapter. 🎓✨

Booking for the Class of 2027

If you're a rising senior at Novi High School — or anywhere in the Metro Detroit area — and you'd love natural, story-driven senior portraits that actually feel like you, I'd love to work together.

Summer and fall sessions are filling up.

Book your senior session here: Contact me or learn more about the senior portrait experience.