Introducing:
The Julia Renee Photography Grad Team Experience
Introducing:
The Julia Renee Photography Grad Team Experience
Introducing:
The Julia Renee Photography Grad Team Experience
North Carolina State University Graduation Photos
Can you believe you've made it?! After all of the long nights of studying, early morning classes, and countless memories, you've made it through your time at NC State! While this is crazy bittersweet - it also means you're about to earn that degree AND you've earned the best graduation photo experience that Raleigh has to offer!!
JRP Grad Photographers specialize in fun, bright and colorful images to help you remember your favorite days and places for the rest of your life. We're here to help make sure you feel comfortable and confident and make sure you get to show off all the incredible things you've done! We can't wait to celebrate all of your accomplishment!
Hi! We can't wait to celebrate you!
I'm Julia - lead photographer and owner of Julia Renee Photography.
I graduated back in 2018 from Michigan State (um wow, where does the time go?!) & immediately missed being on a college campus, so after I moved to Raleigh in 2020, I just knew I had to find a way back into the college world. The friendships, the football games, the accomplishments - it all goes by way too fast - so as a photographer, I knew I wanted to make an impact on college seniors by capturing those moments and friendships one last time before students graduate and take their first steps toward the rest of their lives.
Fast forward to 2024 & I'm officially entering my 4th year of photographing college grads. I've photographed over 200+ grad sessions at NC State and have no intentions of ever stopping! While I wish I was available to photograph every senior who reaches out to book with me - my schedule fills up quickly and doesn't allow me to - so I've brought on a team of photographers to join my team so that everyone can experience the JRP grad experience! No matter who you decide to work with - you will be in great hands!
Who will we be at your session? We'll be your biggest cheerleader, making sure you feel confident and comfortable. We'll be your besties - wanting to hear all about your life plans and goals. And we'll even be your parents bestie - making sure we get at least one photo of you with your cap on, even if you feel silly, because it's classic and mom & dad love it.
Myself and my team can't wait to work with you!!
What past grads are saying:
Hannah Jones
"10/10 recommend Julia for any of your photography needs!! She was AMAZING for my graduation pictures! I had a blast! She was such great help coming up with poses & ensuring I felt beautiful the whole session! Her work is awesome!"
Reagan Perry
"Julia took the best NCSU graduation photos for me! She was excellent at instructing me on how to pose and made me feel comfortable in front of the camera. I also got my photos back super fast which I really appreciated."
Taylor Cook
"Absolutely speechless at the result of my boyfriends graduation pictures. They exceeded my expectations on every level. From our experience, to the turnaround time, to the gallery. Beyond pleased and appreciative. We felt taken care of and a priority with our entire experience beginning to end- and that our interest in these pictures was taken seriously and curated throughly.
I couldn’t recommend Julia and her team enough. They are talented, kind, and next level in all of their work."
Pricing & PAckages
Pack Pride
$800
This is the ultimate grad session experience for the NCSU senior that can't imagine anything less! This session is a great option for solo grads who want plenty of time to take photos all over campus at classic locations like the Belltower, Court of Carolina, Holladay Hall, etc. and have extra time for photos at unique locations like their Greek chapter house, their college building, at Carter Finely, etc. or for a large group of friends who want to celebrate their time at NC State together with both group and individual photos.
What is included:
- 90 Minute Session - perfect for the grad who wants to take photos at both the classic locations as well as unique locations - or for a group session!
- 100+ edited images delivered in a high-resolution digital gallery
- 1-2 week turnaround time
- All printing, downloading, and sharing rights
- Options to purchase prints and an album directly through your gallery site
- Can be split by up to 6 grads! (additional time available as an add-on to include more friends)
The Red & White
$500
This session is the most booked session by NCSU grads! We will hit all of the top locations on main campus where you'll get a variety of poses and backdrops. This session is perfect for the solo grad wanting to celebrate their achievements and document their time at NC State and have plenty of photos to choose from to post and print.
What is included:
- 60 Minute Session on main campus
- 60+ edited images delivered in a high-resolution digital gallery
- 2 week turnaround time
- All printing, downloading, and sharing rights
- Options to purchase prints and an album directly through your gallery site
- This collection includes one person - but you may add up to 3 friends for $75 per additional person (any more than 3 total people and you'll want to upgrade to the Pack Pride collection to allow enough time for everything!)
Celebrating Your Pack
$500
If you are a group wanting photos with your Pack but don't need any solo shots, this session is for you! With the Celebrating You Pack session - we will spend 45 minutes at 2-3 locations taking photos of your group all together. The Belltower and Court of Carolina are the most popular locations for group photos, but if you have another idea in mind - we can take these photos anywhere as long as it fits into the 45 minutes!
What is included:
- 45 Minute Session on campus
- 50+ edited images delivered in a high-resolution digital gallery
- 1 week turnaround time
- All printing, downloading, and sharing rights
- Options to purchase prints and an album directly through your gallery site
- No limit on group size
Need more flexibility? Book with one of our associate photographers!
Associate Photographer Pricing
The Red & White
with an Associate Photographer
$400
What is included:
- 60 Minute Session on main campus
- 60+ edited images delivered in a high-resolution digital gallery
- 2 week turnaround time
- All printing, downloading, and sharing rights
- Options to purchase prints and an album directly through your gallery site
- Option to add-on people to include up to 3 friends
The Pack Pride
with an Associate Photographer
$700
What is included:
- 90 Minute Session - perfect for the grad who wants to take photos at both the classic locations as well as unique locations - or for a large group session!
- 100+ edited images delivered in a high-resolution digital gallery
- 1-2 week turnaround time
- All printing, downloading, and sharing rights
- Options to purchase prints and an album directly through your gallery site
- Can be split by up to 6 grads! (additional time available as an add-on to include more friends)
Celebrating your pack
with an Associate Photographer
$500
What is included:
- 45 Minute Session on campus
- 50+ edited images delivered in a high-resolution digital gallery
- 1 week turnaround time
- All printing, downloading, and sharing rights
- Options to purchase prints and an album directly through your gallery site
- Can be split by up to 10 grads! (additional people may be added on for a fee)
Associate Photographer: Henry
Henry is the lead associate photographer (& husband!) of Julia Renee Photography grads. He's been photographing with Julia since early 2022 (& may have been forced to pose for photos when she bought her first camera back in college). Aside from grad sessions, Henry also photographs weddings as a second shooter as well as family sessions.
When he's not working behind the camera, he's either at his full time job in the auto industry, working within his own business - Cobb Auto Detailing - or traveling! He's a Minnesota Vikings fan, enjoys fly fishing in the mountains (or ice fishing back home), and can't say no to a cold IPA at a brewery.
Associate Photographer: Emily
This is Emily's second year photographing for Julia Renee Photography grads at NCSU. Emily is a North Carolina wedding and portrait photographer who was born and raised in Eastern NC, and graduated from NC State in 2022. She was in your shoes just a few years ago! She loved being part of the Wolfpack community (ask her about her favorite buildings and secret study spots!). Working with NC State grads holds a special place in her heart because it's how her photography career started, and she loves to celebrate your accomplishments with you. She knows all of the prompts and poses to help you feel like your best self, so don't stress! Y'all going to have a great time.
Outside of photography, Emily has a huge heart for agriculture and working on her flower farm. She also loves living life with her husband, picking up a new hobby, or exploring a new part of North Carolina. Go Pack!!
Associate Photographer: Julianna
Julianna is an NC State Class of 2023 graduate! She has 3 years of experience shooting seniors at NC State and is so excited to be part of the JRP team. When she was a student at NC State she spent her time growing her photography business, bartending, and studying Fashion Merchandising and now she shoots weddings across the country!
Her favorite part about shooting NC State seniors is making sessions feel like fun girls' night out (she want to hear the tea!) and showing seniors her favorite unique photo locations at NC State.
Add On's
Additional People - $75
- Add on additional friends for $75 per person. More than 10 people will require additional time.
- Additional people can be added the Pack Pride Collection - up to 10 people
- Up to 3 additional friends can be added to the Red and White Collection
Additional 30 minutes - $250
- Additional 30 minutes can be added onto the Pack Pride. This is highly recommended for larger groups and is required for groups of 10 or more.
Rush Editing - $175
- 48 hour gallery turnaround time
- Perfect for the grad that books a session near graduation day and wants to make sure they have their photos back in time
FAQ's
WHEN IS THE BEST TIME TO have my photos taken?
A few key points when deciding when the right time to book your graduation session:
- Will I be able to purchase and receive my cap and gown by my date? Check with the University on this! I typically start photographing spring grads around early March and haven't heard of anyone having an issue getting their cap and gown in time, but I'd double check to be safe.
- Should I try to avoid the heat? For the spring semester, to avoid the heat, I recommend doing your graduation session as early in the spring as you can. Dressing up and adding a cap and gown to an outfit can get warm when it's 80+ degrees out as graduation day nears - and your face may be flushed/red by the end of your session. I begin shooting grad sessions as early as March. Booking a morning session helps as well!
- Should I book a morning or afternoon session? I shoot at either 8am, 9am or 1-2 hours before the sun sets as these are the times with the best lighting. Mornings are typically less busy on campus and cooler outside, but the Court of Carolina can be in full sun. Evenings tend to have gorgeous, even lighting and free parking, but it starts to get crowded on campus by mid-late April.
- How do I make sure I receive my photos by graduation day? If receiving your photos by graduation day is important to you, make sure you schedule your session for AT LEAST 2 weeks before graduation day. While I do my best to edit at quickly as possible, I do not guarantee delivery prior to 2 weeks after your session date. I do offer rush editing (48 hour turnaround) for $175 for those that don't want to wait!
- For Spring of 2024, sessions must be booked by April 19th, 2024 to receive your edited photos by graduation day
MORNING VERSUS AFTERNOON GRADUATION SESSIONS
Perks of a morning graduation session:
- There will be less people on campus taking graduation photos, so we won't run into the issue of potentially having to wait for other grads to finish taking photos at the popular locations and we will have less chances of other people being in the background of photos. It's also typically cooler outside in the morning which can be a gamechanger later in the spring!
Perks of an afternoon graduation session:
- There is free parking in a handful of lots around campus after 5pm. The Court of Carolina (as well as other popular locations) is in full shade meaning the sun won't be in your eyes causing you to squint.
SHOULD I DO my GRADUATION SESSION AFTER GRADUATION DAY?
Some of my favorite grad sessions have taken place after graduation. During this time, campus is quiet, we don't need to wait for other photographers who will be photographing at the popular locations, and the stress of finishing classes/exams is over, so my grads are typically more relaxed. If you don't mind receiving your graduation photos after graduation day, this option is great for you!
WHAT TO EXPECT AT THE SESSION?
Be prepared to have fun! The best photos are when you are relaxed and willing to have a good time. Don't worry about feeling silly in your cap and gown. Everyone feels a little silly but you should be proud to finally be wearing your cap and gown, showing off your success at NCSU!
Be prepared for posing help. Not everyone feels comfortable in front of a camera, but don't worry, we've got you covered! We also are totally open to posing ideas if you have a few favorites that you'd like to recreate!
Be prepared for potentially having to wait our turn at the popular photo locations. Campus can become flooded with grads and photographers, especially in the afternoon as graduation day nears, so we may have to wait our turn at some spots. Don't worry though, this won't count against your time if we have to wait for a while!
WHAT SHOULD I WEAR?
Ultimately, wear something that represents who you are as a person. This is your time to shine, wear something that makes you feel good! A white dress for the girls pairs well with the red cap and gown, and a dress shirt/tie for the guys looks fabulous as well. If you'd prefer a casual outfit, go for it! Want to bring along a jersey for some photos? Please do!
WHAT/who SHOULD I BRING?
- Your cap and gown - this one is important! I do not provide cap and gowns - they can be purchased through the university.
- Shoes to change into if we will be walking a lot & you don't want to wear heels the entire time.
- A brush if you are worried about your hair in the wind.
- A fun prop! This can make your session so much more fun and unique! Props grads have brought before are:
- Confetti poppers
- Loose confetti to blow
- Champagne to pop
- A champagne flute to pour some champagne into for photos
- A bottle of tequila - or your drink of choice!
- Red, white, and black balloons
- A photo of yourself from preschool or kindergarten graduation
**Tip - bring 2 bottles of champagne to pop in case the first try doesn't go well. Same with confetti poppers/loose confetti. Bring extra if you are worried about it not working out on the first try!
- Your dog! Bonus points if you dress them in a graduation cap or a jersey!
- Your parents/significant other
- Roughly 50% of grads bring someone along while the other half comes solo - it's totally your call but I welcome the important people in your life to hop in a few photos of course!
LOCATION IDEAS
- The Memorial Bell Tower
- Holladay Hall (oldest building on campus across from the Belltower)
- The Court of Carolina Stairs
- Brooks Hall
- Your Greek Chapter Building*
- Carter Finley Stadium*
- Your college building*
- Centennial Campus buildings*
*must book the Pack Pride collection to allow time for locations off of main campus
NCSU Graduation Portfolio:
WHAT IF THERE IS BAD WEATHER?
If there is bad weather on your session date, we will do everything we can to reschedule your date to a day that works for the both of us. If we are unable to find a time that our schedules align, I will refund your retainer.
When the forecast looks spotty, I like to make a relatively last minute decision on rescheduling, because I have found that often times the weather clears up at the last minute. I try not to cancel unless absolutely necessary, but we will be in contact leading up to your session day/time to chat through our options.
WHAT IF I NEED TO CANCEL MY SESSION?
Life happens - I understand! If you need to cancel, you are welcome to - you won't be held liable for the remaining balance of your session. However, I do not refund the retainer. When someone is booked for a date, I end up turning others away for that same date, so the retainer covers that. If you are able to reschedule though, I will do my best to accommodate a reschedule date.
IS NCSU the only university you photograph at?
No! We've also photographed at Duke, UNC, Meredith, High Point University, UNCW, Campbell, and Wake Tech. While 95% of our grad sessions are for NC State grads, we also love the opportunity to photograph at another University. All pricing/packages are the same. Feel free to submit an inquiry form or book directly through the booking link if you attend any University in the Triangle area.
