Before Everyone Scatters: Why Your Friend Group Needs a Graduation Session Together

Northwestern University Graduation Photography | Nicole Jones Photography

"Champagne at Deering Library. They earned it."

There's a moment at the end of every college graduation that nobody warns you about.

It's not the ceremony. It's not the cap toss or the champagne or the teary goodbye hug with your roommate. It's the week after — when you're back home, or off to a new job and it suddenly hits you that this specific group of people, the ones who became your whole world, will never all be in the same place at the same time again.

Hold on to it.

That's what a group graduation session is really about. Choosing to mark the moment — not just with a diploma, but with a real celebration, with your people, on the campus where you grew into yourself. The photos are the souvenir. The time together is the gift.

The Friend Group That Said Yes

This past spring, I photographed several groups of Northwestern seniors who did something so many friend groups talk about and never actually do: they booked a graduation session together. Each group had their own energy, their own inside jokes, their own version of what celebrating looked like. What they shared was the decision to actually do it: to take the time together before life pulled them in different directions.

The energy was celebratory and easy — the comfort of people who know each other well and are genuinely happy to be in the same place. They weren't performing for the camera. They were just themselves, which is exactly what made the photos personal.

"The cap toss outside Deering — pure chaos and pure joy."

What Makes a Group Graduation Session Different

Most graduation photos capture a milestone. A group session captures a relationship.

When you do this together, something shifts. The nerves of being photographed alone dissolve into the comfort of your people. You forget about the camera because you're too busy being with each other— and that's exactly when the real photos happen.

Here's how I structure every group graduation session:

Group time is the Priority. We start group shots once everyone gets there — the candids, the cap tosses, the walking shots, the moments where you're just existing alongside each other one last time in these robes on this campus. I direct just enough to get you moving and then I step back and let you be.

Then everyone gets their own portraits. Every single person in the group gets a minimum of five individual photos — real portraits, not quick snapshots. You get your moment.  You get to exist as an individual, not just part of the pack. We start individual portraits as soon as the first person shows up and keep taking them until the whole group arrives.

"Every person gets their own portraits. These are a few."

Everyone gets everything. Every person in the group receives access to download all of the photos — the group shots and everyone's individual portraits. One gallery, shared by all. No one is left hunting through someone else's camera roll hoping they'll send something good.

Why Northwestern in the Spring Is Magic

The Evanston campus transforms in May and June. The gardens behind University Hall explode with color — irises, sage, every shade of purple that somehow makes the robes look even more intentional. The light in the late afternoon turns gold and warm and does things that make every photo feel like a painting.

The Northwestern arch is an obvious stop — and there's a reason for that. There's something about standing under "Congratulations, Graduates!" with your people that closes a circle in a way nothing else does.

We use all of it. The gothic architecture of Deering. The stone walls draped in ivy. The garden paths. The arch. Each location gives a completely different feel, and together they tell the whole story of a Northwestern education.

The Conversation You'll Be Glad You Started

The hardest part of booking a group session isn't the logistics. It's saying "hey, we should do this" first.

Someone has to text the group chat. Someone has to be the one who says out loud: this matters, let's document it.

Because here's what happens in the years after graduation: people move cities, start jobs, fall into new routines, build new lives. The friend group doesn't disappear — but the version of it that exists right now, in this exact configuration, on this campus, in these robes? That version has an expiration date.

The photos don't.

How to Book a 2027 Group Graduation Session

Northwestern's 2027 Commencement will be here faster than it feels right now. The best group sessions book out months in advance, especially in the weeks surrounding graduation weekend when Evanston fills up and everyone is suddenly scrambling.

Here's what I recommend:

Reach out in **January or February** of your graduation year to lock in your date. If you're graduating in June 2027, that means starting the conversation in early 2027 — before you're buried in finals, thesis deadlines, and graduation logistics. As a Northwestern University graduation photographer, I've seen firsthand how quickly this window closes.

One person can handle the contract and invoice for the entire group OR each person can have their own contract and invoice to simplify logistics. Group session pricing requires a minimum of 5 people and costs $200 per person. Pricing includes the individual portion and the group photos. Everyone downloads everything. Simple. You handle the group chat. I handle the rest.

If you want to be first on the list for 2027, **reach out now** https://app.iris-works.com/customer/leads/new?ref=11063— I open my calendar for the following graduation season in the fall, and early inquirers always get first pick of dates and times.

To the Northwestern Class of 2026

Congratulations, You did it! Thank you for letting me be a small part of your journey.

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Nicole Jones Photography specializes in graduation portraits and group sessions at Northwestern University and across the Chicago area. To inquire about 2027 graduation availability, contact Nicole at nicole@nicolejonesphotography.com or inquire at 972-742-8399.