SDSU Graduation Photographer | Lucy | San Diego State University Class of 2026

If you know, you know. SDSU graduation season is something special. The Spanish-tile rooftops, the warm San Diego light, and an Aztec campus that somehow keeps getting more beautiful every spring. When Lucy reached out about booking her SDSU graduation session, I knew we were going to have a great time. Add in her crew of best friends, all wearing white, and this became one of my favorite grad sessions of the entire year.

Lucy is a San Diego State University Class of 2026 grad, and she wanted her session to feel both polished and genuinely fun. The kind of photos that look editorial but also feel exactly like her. We shot across several iconic SDSU campus locations, moving from the dramatic archways and colonnaded walkways to the lush gardens and the winding stone paths tucked between the cacti. Every corner of this campus delivers something different, and that variety is exactly why I love shooting SDSU graduation photos year after year.

One of my favorite parts of any San Diego State graduation session is when a graduate brings their whole squad. Lucy’s friends showed up in coordinating white mini dresses, heels, and all the energy you could ask for. The archway on SDSU’s campus made for a dramatic editorial backdrop that stops the scroll every single time. These are the shots that end up framed, and the screenshots that flood your DMs.

For Lucy’s solo SDSU graduation portraits, we started in the colonnaded walkway, one of the most classic SDSU graduation photo locations on campus. The repeating arches frame a subject perfectly, and the warm afternoon light filtering through creates that soft, glowy look that photographs so beautifully. Lucy’s white lace dress and red-and-black SDSU graduation stole popped perfectly against the neutral stone tones.

There’s something about a group of best friends who genuinely love each other that photographs differently than anything else. Lucy’s girls were all in, laughing, hugging, and completely present in every single moment. These are the graduation photos that actually matter years from now. Not just the posed shots, but the ones where you can feel how much everyone loves each other. I live for this energy on a San Diego State graduation shoot.

We moved into the garden areas of campus next and the green was absolutely lush for Lucy’s SDSU senior portraits. The contrast between her white dress, the vibrant red graduation stole, and the deep green foliage created some of the most stunning color combinations from the whole session. San Diego’s late afternoon sun made everything glow, and Lucy’s natural ease in front of the camera made my job easy. This is what I mean when I say SDSU is one of the most photogenic campuses in California.

The pointing shots are always a fan favorite and honestly they never get old. When five people are all pointing at their best friend who just earned her degree from San Diego State University, the joy in that moment is completely genuine. You can’t fake that. These are the kind of SDSU graduation pictures that belong on every platform, and they always perform because the emotion is real.

One of SDSU’s most unique graduation photo locations is the cactus and succulent garden. It offers a completely different look from the rest of campus and photographs unlike anywhere else in San Diego. Lucy worked the stone path and golden greenery perfectly, looking back over her shoulder with the kind of effortless confidence that comes from knowing you just finished four years of hard work. This spot is one I always recommend to clients booking a SDSU graduation photographer. It creates images that stand out from anything you’ll see on campus.

The walking shots are always magic. Whether it’s toward the camera full of laughter or from behind showing off the full scene, there’s a cinematic quality to movement in photos that just hits differently. Lucy and her friends owned this stretch of campus. The golden-hour backlight, the trees overhead, the white dresses catching every bit of light. This is what graduation photography at SDSU is supposed to look like.

Lucy, congratulations on graduating from San Diego State University. You worked hard for this, and these photos are proof of that chapter closing in the most beautiful way. I’m so glad you trusted me to capture it. The squad, the campus, the golden light, all of it.

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Book Your SDSU Graduation Session

Are you a San Diego State University senior looking for a graduation photographer at SDSU? I’d love to be your photographer. Visit my SDSU graduation photographer page for campus locations, past sessions, and booking info. I specialize in SDSU grad sessions, senior portraits, and group friend sessions on campus, capturing the energy, the friendships, and the real emotion of finishing college in San Diego. Sessions book quickly during graduation season, so reach out early to lock in your date.

📍 Location: San Diego State University campus: Hepner Hall, the colonnades, cactus garden, Aztec Student Union, and more
🎓 Best for: SDSU senior portraits, graduation group photos, bestie grad sessions
📅 Peak booking: April to June. Book 4 to 6 weeks in advance.