Cap & Gown pictures for preschool or kindergarten graduation are an ideal way to introduce speculation packages to a parent, school or market. It can introduce you to a new school or get you closer to an existing account.
If you already have more business than you can cram into your schedule this may not be for you. The numbers are lower because you are primarily photographing the graduates, but the sales average or percentage is higher. You can photograph anyone who opts in. This is one time I would not photograph everyone. Check out the promotional materials for Cap & Gown on the SPAC PowerPoint.
This lower volume is easier on the school’s staff. It also means you have less risk or investment in prints. It may be a good place to start.
This is not suitable for every preschool and child care center. You need to ask the school. It may change from year to year so keep asking.
As always, I like specualtion. There is no better way to get the attention of a skeptical parent or school administrator than to put actual prints of their child or children in their hands. How can you resist a five-year old in a Cap & Gown with a diploma in their hands?
This is What You Will Need
Some of the schools will have their own Caps & Gowns. All you have to furnish is the diplomas. The Caps & Gowns can be purchased from Rhyme University or Anderson’s Alphabet U. They are both located in Minnesota and have similar prices and products. You can order online or by phone. Complete sets, in your choice of delightful colors, are about $20. If you already have the Caps & Gowns, you can get new tassels with year charms for about $3 each. I have four in each of six colors.
Diplomas are a sheet of parchment paper with a ribbon of an appropriate color. Some people use a special background such as a bookcase. I have tried it. Does anyone want a bookcase background? Cheap! I will try almost anything, but I don’t like doing more work for lower sales.
When to shoot them? Get the pictures back at least two weeks before graduation. Most graduations are in late May or early June. Some are in August to send the kids off to kindergarten.