It’s a familiar sight for anyone who has been to UCLA’s campus in the spring: fourth-year students wearing stoles as they pose for photos commemorating their graduation.
But what’s less visible are the students behind the camera like Yessy Camacho, a graduation photographer and graduate student in public policy and social work. Clients book graduation shoots as early as March, Camacho said.
“That’s probably my busiest time of the year, more than Christmas,” Camacho said. “Because since I’ve been a student most of my life – in community college, undergrad and now – every grad season is really busy.”
Camacho said she bought her first camera while attending community college. She added that she taught herself how to use it through trial and error, experimenting with the settings, the aperture and lighting.
Caroline Sierk, a UCLA alumnus and graduation photographer, said she allows her clients to choose sentimental places for their shoots, such as the UCLA Planetarium or the UCLA Little Theater.
“At the core of a grad shoot is this huge moment of celebration,” Sierk said. “It’s a way to capture this accomplishment and a time in your life that you’ll never get back.”
Personalized elements can make graduation photoshoots more meaningful, Sierk said, adding that she once wheeled a harp across campus when taking graduation pictures for her former roommate, who was a music performance student.
“There’s one beautiful picture of her and her harp in one of the huge archways at Royce,” she said. “It just looked so grand and opulent, which is exactly fitting for her being a harpist.”
Kayla Holguin, a graduation photographer and former Daily Bruin Photo intern a third-year communication student and graduation photographer, said it can be challenging to balance exams and essays on top of organizing graduate photos and arranging upcoming shoots.
Holguin, a third-year communication student, said the demands of the job have helped her develop time management skills.
“I really have to be in that locked-in mentality,” she said. “I have to wake up early, get myself in that mindset – to really just get stuff done – and taking the time to do that always makes me feel so much more productive at the end of the day.”
Camacho said she focuses on providing photoshoot services to graduating students from low-income backgrounds and marginalized communities. She added that she makes shoots more personal by encouraging clients to bring props that represent their identities or photographing them in parts of Los Angeles that they have personal ties to.
“We’re going to go to South LA, we’re going to go to Compton and we’re going to go to UCLA,” she said. “Then we’re going to take pictures with their kids as well.”
While other photographers often raise rates for group photos, Camacho said she typically charges a flat rate or bases her rates on donation to ensure her services are accessible to all students and families.
“If you want a picture with your mom, your dad, your abuelo, your abuela, your tía, your tío – bring them,” she said.
Sierk, who plans to pursue filmmaking and media production professionally, said photography has helped her develop a stronger eye for unique angles and lighting – factors she said contribute to telling a client’s story.
“I love taking pictures,” Sierk said. “I don’t think there will ever be a time in my life where I’m not with a camera.”
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