I LOVE photographing graduates at the University of Washington. As a UW graduate and retired UW campus tour guide, I like to think that I know some of the best spots for photos here. But seriously, I give UW all the credit for having an incredibly photogenic campus that makes my job so much fun as a Seattle Senior Photographer. The good news is that there’s never a shortage of stunning grad photo opportunities when you take them at the University of Washington!

When Patricia asked me to take her UW grad photos, I was SO ecstatic… because that meant I could have an excuse to adventure and explore around campus again!

In fact, these are some of my absolute FAVORITE photos I’ve taken at UW so far! If it wasn’t for COVID-19 pushing everything out into summer, we wouldn’t have ever known how great the campus is when we have it almost all to our selves.

To celebrate Patricia’s big accomplishment and to bring some sort of closure to an abrupt ending, I made sure to make this session extra fun and special by bringing confetti poppers and champagne!

Patricia even popped her FIRST champagne bottle to celebrate the special occasion, which was also my first time capturing a champagne pop on camera! I AM OBSESSED!

There’s beauty everywhere you look on campus, including gorgeous flower gardens.

We had so much fun during Patricia’s photoshoot. She told me at the beginning of the session that she needed a lot of guidance. I always provide my clients with natural prompts and cues throughout the entire session, and she absolutely ROCKED it!

We joked about how she couldn’t make a serious face, which brought out even more incredible smiles. That laugh & smile of hers is priceless! Serious MAGIC!

Did you actually graduate from UW if you didn’t get your photos taken outside or inside of Suzallo? Probably not, lol. Since the school year is out, Suzallo Library (aka Hogwarts as I call it) was closed so we couldn’t take photos inside on the grand stairwell or in the Harry Potter Library. We captured some gorgeous photos outside of Suzallo instead!

Usually, there’s a line of seniors with their photographers waiting to get their photos taken at Suzallo… but we missed the crowds and had it all to ourselves! A rare phenomenon for sure… definitely consider taking your UW grad photos once school is out if you want to avoid the insane crowds. Otherwise, it just requires some patience to get those iconic photos.

The Quad was extra beautiful with its new green growth!

We had the entire Quad to ourselves, another rare phenomenon that made my photographer’s heart so happy!

Patricia’s boyfriend joined for a few shots, because why not! They both met at the University of Washington, so this spontaneous decision made the most sense to me. The gorgeous green vines on the gothic architecture makes this such a romantic spot for photos. I love the way these turned out!

During Cherry Blossom season in Spring, the Quad draws thousands of people and it’s liked a packed pickle jar in there. We originally planned on having this photoshoot during Cherry Blossom season, but I must admit that waiting until the school year ended wasn’t a horrible outcome for these senior photos…

These images speak for themselves. It was seriously a DREAM!

We ventured up to Denny Hall next, where we captured some true runway model quality shots of Patricia! These are some of my favorite photos because they were so spontaneous. I talked with Patricia ahead of time about the route we were going, but we decided last minute to take photos at Denny instead of the Business School. I am still SWOONING at how these turned out!

Our last photo spot was at the Big Husky W! Another spot where it’s questionable if you even graduated from UW if you don’t have a photo taken at the Big W! We popped the confetti popper to celebrate a super fun and successful photoshoot right as the sun was setting… this session left me on a major photographer’s high!

CONGRATULATIONS on all your achievements and accomplishments, Patricia! Your future is definitely bright!

If you’ve read this far, THANK YOU!

Of course, I hope you know I’m here for you. If you’re looking for a Seattle-based Maternity Photographer, simply reach out to me using the contact form on my website and we’ll make it happen!

I look forward to hearing from you!

PS: If you found this article entertaining or helpful, you might want to check out these other articles around my site:

• #1: UW Grad Session (with family)