Congratulations to the JMU Class of 2025! I wanted to show off each of my talented graduates that I had the pleasure of having in front of my camera this spring. Thank you to all 32 of you who trusted me to capture this moment in your life and help you celebrate.

This was my ninth (yes, ninth!!) year of taking James Madison University graduation portraits, and every year is different. When I first started during my freshman year at JMU, I delivered 10-20 photos to each of the few grads who trusted someone only a year into business. I’m eternally grateful to those individuals who supported me and showed me all the locations around the Quad where they wanted to take photos. That spring Madison Hall had finished constructed, and one of my grads wanted to take photos at the columns freshly cleaned of construction dust. I still credit her to being the very first graduate to take photos at those columns.

Now, many many years later, I visit those columns during almost every session. The fountain remains to be my favorite location, and large Quad shots featuring Wilson in the background continue to be the must-have photos. There are a few other locations around main campus that I love to use when we have extra time in sessions, and each year I discover more and more. Shoutout to the grads who allow me to get creative and trust me to deliver!!

Each year I also have the pleasure of getting off main campus. I love when grads want to include their buildings or locations that they most frequented during their college career. This year I got to visit the business college, the performing arts center, the baseball field, and two different locations in the mountains. Not only do these graduates immediately feel more at home during the session, but they get photos that visually represent their time as Dukes!

I frequently get asked if I get tired of JMU grad portraits. I can honestly tell you that after 150+ sessions and 300+ graduates over the last 9 years, I’m not tired of it at all! I look forward to this season every year. Of course I get a little tired of editing towards the end, and each year brings new challenges (the last few years I’ve been learning to deal with larger crowds and lines at the columns), but it’s always worth it. The Quad looks different every day thanks to the determination of springtime blossoms and the JMU landscaping team, new photographer friends arrive and old ones return, and every grad has their own story to hear. It’s the time of year that I feel most at home.

So thank you to these graduates and all the ones who came before who support me every year at one of my favorite places on Earth.

Here’s to the Class of 2025! Go Dukes!

If you’d like to see more senior portraits, check out my seniors category on my blog!

Want me to photograph your James Madison University senior graduation portraits? Contact me!