Make every grad photo unforgettable! This guide reveals how to capture stunning grad photos with 50mm camera lens—fun, easy, and totally share-worthy pictures for this year.
Introduction:
Graduation events are important milestones in a student's life. As you toss your graduation cap, walk across the ceremonial stage, or pose with your proud friends and family, these moments deserve to be remembered and captured with timeless, vibrant images.
For that, a proper digital camera, a capable lens, and a related skill set are required. Skills will develop with experience, and a good camera body is readily available at a reasonable price. However, choosing the "best" lens is a subjective matter. Even in the rapidly evolving world of portrait photography, one standard remains consistently the same: grad portraiture with a 50mm prime lens.
Grad Portraits & 50mm Lenses
Ask any professional, and they will tell you that the pair of grad photos with 50mm lens is made in heaven. Such lenses with a 50mm focal length are hugely popular for taking grad photos, as they can mimic how the human eye sees the world. Pictures feel natural and are not distorted, a common problem with wide-angle lenses for portraits.
Capturing grad photos with 50mm lenses works exceptionally well for both full-body shots and close-up portraits that are wide enough to include campus details and the surrounding environment. Moreover, the same focal length also works well for close-ups and dials down distortion when capturing candid moments.
The trend in such portraits is shifting significantly towards intimacy and authenticity within the frame for graduate students. This requires polishing portrait skills and upgrading to a capable lens; a few of the things you can do for that are below.
Getting Better at Grad Photos
1. Grad photos require you to be in the best posture; either go with a relaxed seated pose or use a tall standing posture while confidently looking into the lens. Photos with friends in a tight frame, capturing authentic group moments with a natural laugh, are likely to yield the best results. The key is not to be pushy but to enjoy the moments; the rest will follow.
2. 50mm camera lenses are designed with max wide-angle apertures (f/1.8, f/1.4, or even f/1.2, etc.), which adds that dreamy, blurred background that everyone loves in their portraits. This also means that such an aperture profile allows photographers to maintain a lower ISO for grad photos, and a higher shutter speed helps to produce cleaner, sharper images.
3. If you want max bokeh in your portraits, go for a lens with an f/1.2 aperture, but it can be quite expensive. Camera lenses with an f/1.4 aperture strike a good balance between bokeh and their price. Next, use a shutter speed of 1/500s or faster for capturing cap toss moments and 1/125s to 1/250s for posed portraits. Use ISO settings from 100 to 400 outdoors for pro-level, detailed images and 800 to 1600 indoors, with post-editing adjustments.
4. When framing, position the graduate in a way that the light hits at a 45° angle for depth. If you want warm, flattering tones in your graduation portraits, aim to shoot during the golden hour, if possible.
5. Always keep in check the rule of thirds when framing such a portrait and balance the subject and their environment.
6. For the best grad photos, capture emotion, not forced portraits. The most memorable pictures are with friends and family at such an event.
7. A 50mm camera lens is a very versatile lens and should not be used for such zoomed-in portraits. Experiment with environmental portraits, low-angle dramatic shots, candid moments, and more.
Recommended lens for Grad Photos
The 50mm version of the SIRUI Venus Full-Frame Anamorphic Lens is a T2.9 full-frame optical hardware designed to render a punchy shallow depth of field that complements grad photos. You get an ultra-wide (2.4:1 or 2.8:1) aspect ratio in your shots, which automatically frames the graduate within a sweeping context.
These lenses add an oval-shaped background blur to portraits, creating a unique and artistic feel while maintaining consistent sharpness and detail in the final images. What's special here is the aspherical optical formula of the 50mm lens, which renders a distinct and timeless look that separates you from every other graduate photographer.
Wrapping Up:
A 50mm camera lens is extremely versatile and serves as the gold standard for grad portraits for several compelling reasons. Capturing grad photos with 50mm SIRUI Saturn lens kit yields portraits with a wow factor that are effortlessly stunning and share-worthy.
