When you have a child graduating as we did this past weekend, it will be a momentous occasion, and if you are the family photographer you will undoubtedly be taking photos to document every second. Perhaps you will want to make a traditional scrapbook for the graduate or even a digital album or swatchbook with My Digital Studio for a quick and easy way to save and share your memories. Check out my graduation photography tips below.

Here are my photography tips for graduation to ensure you HAVE those photos!

• Think ahead about taking pictures at graduation, preferably at least a day ahead. Four or five years of college tend to sneak up on you and even with a year's notice you may find yourself unprepared for picture-taking at graduation.
• Search your battery stash for a package of extra AA batteries, making sure you don't grab AAA batteries.
• If there is no new package of AA batteries in your battery stash, stop all tasks and go to the store immediately to purchase at least one if not two (and maybe three) packages of batteries. It's really more important than having laundry done or the right pair of shoes packed.
• Have an extra package of new batteries for your camera easily accessible in your purse before the big event.
• If no new package of batteries is available in your stash and you don't really stop to think through how important it is to go out and buy new batteries right now, then grab a ziploc bag of loose batteries which perhaps are new ones taken along, but not used, on vacation or something recently. Surely they are brand new and will work.
• If you suspect that your camera batteries may be close to wearing out during the graduation event, change the batteries in your camera during a boring speech while seated. Do not wait until your camera flashes "Change Your Batteries" during the singing of the school song and moments before the fireworks display to conclude the fabulous graduation ceremony.
• If you are forced to change batteries in your camera, in the dark, while standing during the grand finale of the whole graduation ceremony, quickly take notice of which ends of the batteries are up and which are down before taking out the old batteries, then quickly insert the new batteries from the ziploc bag trying not to mix up the two groups of batteries.
• If it turns out these spare batteries were indeed brand new, hooray for you! If not, just the act of changing the batteries will probably make your camera work for a few shots.
• If after a few shots, these replacement batteries do not work because they weren't actually new batteries after all, quickly remove at least two and rub each end vigorously on your clothes and be assured that you will probably be able to get a few more shots out of this technique.
• Always keep an extra package of batteries for your camera on hand because you never know when you might have a child graduate from college.  
• If you are over the age of 30, (and you probably are), during the graduation speeches learn how to find and use the camera function on your cell phone, just in case. Did you know you can take video?? Learn how to slide the thing back for still shots so not everything is video.
• Hope that someone with a better lens on their camera got a clear shot of your child receiving their diploma on stage because even if every other photo you took is perfect, that one will be blurry and unrecognizable.