At a modern graduation, photographers, parents and graduates themselves manage to take hundreds of shots from all possible angles. This is a memorable day that happens once in a lifetime. A special photo zone is not always installed, as it is quite expensive. Most often this is done for the sake of unique inscriptions: “School No. 36”, “Graduate 2021, Khimki city”, etc., but it also happens simply “for beauty”.
I decided to make a separate article about the photo zone for school graduation, since every year I take part in the discussion of the overall budget of the event, and I know well the expectations of parents and students. The fact is that the spectacular backdrop for a graduate photo shoot, which we see on social networks and advertisements, is quite expensive.
When planning a graduation party at the first parent-teacher meeting, almost no one remembers the photo zone, no money is allocated for it, and as a result, the wonderful idea is not implemented. The general expense column called “Decoration” most often includes the decoration of the stage and banquet hall. A separate object for memorable photography can cost 25-50 thousand rubles. And this, it should be noted, will not be something extremely unusual and technologically advanced...
I’ll briefly tell you which options are most often chosen for graduation, so that you have the opportunity to understand pricing in your city in advance. If you make a decision a couple of months before the event, you can choose the best decoration for the money you are willing to spend.
Where can I install a photo zone?
On the street
The best option for good weather without wind. If you’re lucky and there’s no bright sun, which creates too dark shadows on your faces, that’s generally great. Natural light most often helps those who take pictures with a smartphone camera.
Think in advance about how to set up a photo zone, taking into account the location of the sun at the time of day when the event is planned (it should not be behind the banner). The structure must be stable, as a small gust of wind can cause irreparable damage. It is best to place a photo zone near the wall of the building. Children, parents and teachers will be happy to take memorable shots.
In the school foyer, in a restaurant
A photo zone is often placed in the hall for gathering guests (the organizers call this place a welcome zone). This is the foyer (if there is a holiday at school), an additional room next to the banquet hall (if the graduation is in a restaurant), etc. Graduates may pose for photographs with additional lighting equipment while the event is ongoing. There will be a lot of good quality footage.
On stage in the assembly hall
This option is chosen for the sake of economy. On the one hand, this is a beautiful thematic design of the stage during the official part or entertainment program. On the other hand, there is a spectacular photo zone, which is well lit by the upper and lower spotlights. There is only one downside - you need to take photos after the event; not everyone has the patience to wait for their turn.
How to assemble flags for September 1, Teacher's Day, Graduation?
Print 1 flag per A4 sheet on paper with a density of 160 g/m3, optimally (200-250 g/m3). If desired, you can reduce and print 2 flags on A4 sheet. After printing, you will need to punch holes in the top, 2 per letter, and thread the ribbon through. Alternatively, you can glue the flags to the ribbon using a hot glue gun.
Examples of phrases for creating stretching in Russian: garland on September 1
garland September 1
First bell
garland for the holiday
Happy Holidays Primer
garland for the holiday
Teacher's Day
garland for the holiday
Hello Golden Autumn
garland for the holiday
Harvest
garland for the holiday Holiday
Harvest
garland for the holiday
Graduation
garland for the holiday
Good luck graduates
Examples of phrases for creating streamers Ukrainian language (Ukrainian language): garland 1 veresnya
garland for the holiday of
Teacher's Day
garland for the holiday of
Mother's Day
garland for the holiday
of the Holy Harvest
Photo zone: DIY design
Over the years of work, I have seen absolutely breathtaking photo zones made by the hands of teachers, parents and children from scrap materials. Yes, this is indeed possible, although several prerequisites must coincide for an impressive result.
- There must be a person with good taste who can take the best of Internet ideas. It is he who can adequately combine ready-made solutions with the theme of your graduation, so that the color scheme is successfully combined with the decoration of the hall, the color of the walls, curtains, etc.
- We need an organizer who knows how to complete any task on time, since “inventing” and “implementing” are two different things. He will control the purchase of materials and distribute responsibilities, because in any case, a photo zone will require not only decor, but also a stable frame.
- It is important to select performers - a group of assistants who are willing to spend time and save money. They are the ones who will spend several hours (sometimes days) creating decorative elements and assembling the entire structure.
What size are photo zones usually?
I think for graduation it is best to order a 3x2 meter photo zone. There is no point in lining up the whole class for a photo shoot, since a group of children will still cover all the beauty that you spent time and effort on. You need to photograph 1-2-3 people: teacher + graduate, two girlfriends, girl + guy, graduate with parents.
On special websites you can order a structure made of chrome-plated pipes and use it every year. More often in schools they make a frame from timber. How to make a photo zone sustainable is full of videos and articles with recommendations on the Internet.
Which option is the cheapest
Obvious, but let me remind you. Find suitable decor on the Internet, purchase materials, balloons, photo props and ready-made elements from a Chinese online store, and put it together with a group of volunteers. Now you can order delivery of blanks for creating any thematic photo zone to any location in Russia, you just need to do it before April. Our online stores with holiday goods also have all this. The cost will be significantly higher, but you won’t have to wait 2 months for delivery.
Briefly about what decorative elements you can buy to create a spectacular photo zone:
Flat photo zone made of paper
Fantas / fans
You can see from the picture what we're talking about. In some stores they are called “colored corrugated circles”, “round paper fans”, “paper wall decorations”. They are sold in stores with the theme “everything for the holiday” and simply in large marketplaces like “Ozone”. The choice of colors and sizes is not equally wide everywhere, but you can find what you need and order delivery to any city in Russia.
The forfeits come folded and in a second turn from a stick into a chic dense circle. You can cover a plywood panel with plain or striped wallpaper and place the forfeits in “islands”. Sometimes they simply paste over the entire surface, placing smaller circles on larger blanks.
It’s better not to experiment with color combinations. There are quite a lot of solutions thought out by decorators on the Internet, just choose the one that suits you. Even black and white or silver and white looks impressive. There are also ready-made sets of fans of different sizes and colors that can quickly be put together into a bright composition.
Garlands on strings
Even cheaper design. There are ready-made threads in stores, to which circles, stars, diamonds, etc. are attached at a certain distance. You just need to place these threads on a plain board, and the side parts of such a photo zone are most often decorated with “fountains” of balloons. With a successful combination of paper and inflatable elements, you will get a spectacular, inexpensive photo zone.
Garlands can consist of large or small elements, I don’t even know what looks cooler. You choose the length and number of threads in the description on the packaging; there are no restrictions on colors either. A great photo zone in just a few minutes!
Figure from figurines))
I couldn’t figure out how it could be called differently, but from the picture, I think it’s clear. Naturally, you don’t have to cut them yourself, since all these butterflies, hearts, and stars are sold cut out of good double-sided paper. Come up with a simple shape in which you will place small parts at different angles. For contrast, a white background is often chosen, but you can do the opposite. Glue white figures onto a bright colored surface.
I saw how butterflies made huge numbers with the school number, a heart, a giant arrow (it showed the direction to adulthood). You can simply depict a spectacular wave on a flat banner with the name of the school or the words “Graduate 2021”.
Mosaic or art collage
This definitely requires artistic abilities and skills. From colored cardboard of different shades you can create a real masterpiece. The work is painstaking, but in an hour, graduates of one class can easily cut out and sign blanks to create a photo zone. There would be an idea.
Volumetric photo zone made of paper
Let me remind you of a few ideas to awaken your imagination.
cubes
Cubes of different sizes are glued together from cardboard. The maximum is 50x50x50 cm, the smallest is 10x10x10 cm. They can be spray-painted in the desired colors. The cubes are placed one on top of the other so that the faces are turned in different directions. The result will be a spectacular play of light and shadow. On the plain dark sides of the cube, sometimes inspirational quotes or all sorts of rules/formulas/graphs are written with a white marker. You can use wallpaper with a striped pattern as a background.
Some people do everything in black and white, others like silver or gold plated cubes. With a set of modern and affordable spray paints, uniform painting of any color takes a minimum of time and effort.
You can also decorate 5 sides of the cube with wrapping paper, and make one side part of a giant puzzle. Graduates will set up their own photo booth!
Letters and numbers
Order cutting of cardboard blanks for gluing huge letters and numbers in the workshop. The year of graduation from numbers more than a meter high is a ready-made photo zone. Figures can also be painted using spray paint. It is best to choose white, since during the photo shoot the graduates stand behind the numbers, and their bright clothes perfectly “highlight” their snow-white figures.
Paper plastic, leaves and flowers
It is a complex type of creativity, but there are many craftswomen in our state. You can find how to make large volumetric flowers using different techniques on YouTube and on decorators’ websites. There are very complex options that are dangerous for beginners to take on. But you can choose simple flower patterns and ask high school girls to help make the elements from which you will assemble a beautiful paper photo zone.
There are examples of small flowers (they are even made from napkins), and there are large products. As always, we get ideas from Pinterest. Tropical leaves are sold cut out, but I made them myself from double-sided paper in different green shades, nothing complicated. I found ready-made patterns and came up with some myself.
Polygonal figures / bas-reliefs
These fashionable “faceted” figures always seemed prohibitively complicated to me, until my fifth-grader and I put together a cool bas-relief of a parrot for a poster for math week in 20 minutes. It turned out to be 50 cm high. It would be possible to print the diagram on several A3 sheets, and it would be 2 meters high. There are simply separate fragments from which triangular and quadrangular pyramids are glued together. From these pyramids a figure is laid out according to the diagram. In principle, blanks are often glued arbitrarily, simply in the form of an abstract picture. Nothing complicated, honestly!
A photo zone with polygonal figures and bas-reliefs looks impressive thanks to the play of light and shadow. Snow-white, but not monochromatic!
Stars
These are also ready-made cardboard figures of different sizes, which are laid out from a flat blank in a couple of seconds. A photozone can be made voluminous from them. Attach some stars to the wall, hang others at different heights (make sure that they all fall into the frame) or place them on surfaces draped with polysilic (desks, stools). Stars are even sold at IKEA, but ordering in advance from China will significantly reduce costs.
Some stars have beautiful slits in them. We also installed battery-powered LED lights inside, it looked incredible. 10-12 pieces of different sizes are enough to decorate a photo zone for graduation.
It should be noted that the stars look great in daylight and evening light, so such a photo zone can become a spectacular art object during a disco.
Colored ribbons, tassel garlands
I don’t know why the word “tassel” is used to describe spectacular brushes made of paper and synthetic materials. Now you know how to properly search for them on websites for holiday decorations. Tassels really look interesting if you think about the color combinations. I often see gold and black. It’s beautiful, but for prom it’s better to choose something more delicate and neutral. You always need to think about how to make girls’ outfits in any color scheme in your photo zone look impressive.
They are hung in different ways: one above the other on threads, with overlap, in bunches, fluffy “columns”, etc.
Balloons without helium in a stream
Many people like the idea of creating a fantasy installation from balls of different shapes and textures. I called this type of decoration “stream garland”. In fact, doing it is not as easy as we would like, but it is possible. For beginners, I recommend using a grid with large cells. Balls are tied to it and the photo zone area is covered with a minimum number of balls. There are short videos on YouTube on how to create such installations. It is also better to take a ready-made color scheme.
DIY photo zone made from helium balloons
Some parents consider the cost of balloons in bags at a wholesale price and the cost of a helium cylinder, and set a minimum budget for decoration. If neither of the parents has experience in inflating balloons with hi float treatment, it is better to order several fountains with delivery. Firstly, these compositions will be more spectacular, and secondly, they will definitely not burst during the photo shoot. Bouquets (fountains, columns) made of helium balloons are placed in a row as a continuous photo zone or combined with a printed banner.
The most successful, in my opinion, combinations of shaped foil star balloons, metallized, matte and transparent balloons. If they are distributed at different heights, they will create impressive columns. You shouldn’t shoot higher than two meters, as they don’t fit entirely into the frame.
Personally, I like photo zones made from individual fountains for their mobility and versatility. Can be moved from place to place several times (from a classroom to an assembly hall, from a foyer to a banquet hall, to the street for a launch, etc.).
Photo zone for graduation in 11th grade
Photo zone rental
For graduation, decorators in all cities of the country are trying to prepare several universal photo zones that can be rented out for a day or longer. Of course, these are not balls, not fragile structures. These are banners with inscriptions such as “Graduate 2021”, “Goodbye, school”, complemented by decorative elements (life-size flowers, installations made of foam plastic, cardboard, foamiran, etc.).
Make sure that the rental price includes installation, dismantling and delivery, as in some cases the website indicates a more modest amount without taking into account additional costs.
In Moscow, the cost of renting for a day is from 25,000 to 60,000 rubles. It's expensive, but there's a lot of choice. Expensive materials are used, the concept is always quite massive, and many hours are spent on its production (the background is made of small flowers, for example).
Photo zone to order
In this case, you can already find inexpensive options, especially if you just want to repeat a ready-made solution from the Internet; the decorator does not need to come up with anything, just repeat the idea. Let me remind you that you need to take into account the conditions in which the photo zone will be located. Outdoors or indoors, against a wall, in a corner or in the center of a room, next to a light source, or additional lighting equipment must be provided. The inscriptions should be large enough, but at the same time completely visible during the photo shoot behind the people’s figures.
Banners (press wall)
The most common option since the 2000s, but I can’t say it’s a sure-fire choice. Unfortunately, I often see mistakes that look downright bad in the finished photographs. The surface of the banner “sits” crookedly on the frame and glows when flashed, the original image is of poor quality, poor-quality printing. Also, the layout itself, made by the inexperienced hands of novice Photoshop users, is replete with incompatible fonts of all colors of the rainbow.
If you really want to write the school number and year of graduation, it is better to entrust the creation of the layout to an experienced decorator or repeat a successful solution from the Internet.
Banners are most often complemented with balloon fountains or large foam figures.
Photo zone made of helium balloons
You can do without printing a banner and creating a background wall in another way. Order several “columns” (fountains, bouquets, whatever you call them) from balloons and place them at a close distance from each other. The height of each fountain is about 2.5 meters. The total length of the photo zone made of such elements is 2-3 meters. In this case, you will get a full-fledged background for a graduation photo shoot.
Giant balls (60-90 cm in diameter) also look very impressive. Three pieces decorated with tassel garlands (ribbons to which tassels made of various materials are attached) are enough. A photo zone with these balls can be outdoors or indoors, in both cases it is important to firmly attach such decor.
Giant letters or numbers
The number indicating the school number (and in Moscow it can be four-digit) or the year of graduation from 11th grade is made in different ways. Huge three-dimensional letters made of foam plastic can be ordered in the workshop. This is a finely porous material, so you don’t have to worry that the figures will quickly lose their shape and crumble. More often they are left white, since further processing (putty and painting) doubles the cost.
The background for such a photo shoot can be the school itself, the school yard, or a stage in the assembly hall. This is not so important, since the giant letters themselves attract all the attention. For graduates, order figures from 100 cm in height.
Sequin background
Personally, I think that this backdrop is more suitable for the New Year holidays, but lately I often see graduation photo shoots with sequins. In combination with artificial flowers or balloons, this backdrop can look spectacular at a Hollywood themed prom.
There is no point in buying such a photo wall; you can find it for rent in almost every Russian city. By the way, the fragments are fixed in such a way that the canvas “comes to life” at the slightest movement of air. A flickering effect is created as the light is reflected at different angles. Very beautiful!
Photo zone for graduation “all at once”
This, unfortunately, happens often. A banner made up of a poor quality photo with unreadable inscriptions all over the background, balloons, artificial flowers, foam figures, photo props on sticks, hats and boas on graduates - all in one crazy mix. I understand how difficult it is to simultaneously take into account the wishes of all children and parents, to protect them from excessive use of decorative elements when creating a photo zone, but such abundance never looks impressive. Try to convince each other to stop decorating in time.
Templates for chocolate for graduation in elementary school (Alenka chocolate 100 g): how to assemble the boxes
After printing, you need to cut out all the templates. Using a ruler and an iron object with a sharp end, you need to crease all the folds from the wrong side
, for example, with a knitting needle or a ballpoint pen that no longer writes. This needs to be done so that there are no unsightly creases and the box is neat. You can glue the side parts of the box, additional elements, using double-sided tape (it’s better to buy it in hardware stores) or with pencil glue; professional craftsmen choose German pencil glue Erich Krause.
Unusual photo zones for school graduation
I will briefly list different options for unusual photo zones that may inspire you.
Coated surface
Someone prints a banner in the form of a board with important phrases written in white chalk. But there are also truly huge canvases or screens with a coated surface, on which the calligrapher writes and draws inspiring and congratulatory texts.
Huge open book
This is a three-dimensional photo zone in the form of an open book. There are a lot of ready-made examples on the Internet, there are very inspiring examples. The top “pages” of this book are easily changed, and new text is printed for each event. It looks very interesting; such a photo zone is ideal for graduation.
Photomosaic
Using special equipment and software, an image layout consisting of several hundred small photographs is created. Graduates pose for a photograph on the day of the holiday or in advance, and paste the printed mosaic fragment on the wall in a certain place (the number on the photo must match the number on the banner). The result is a solid image in which each participant in the celebration can find themselves. This photomosaic is left as a wall decoration for the whole year.
Photoball
This is a huge transparent ball, inside of which there is a round banner with the name of your school and a bright design. Everyone, 1-2-3 people each, climbs inside the ball (the entrance is convenient, you don’t have to be a gymnast). Air currents swirl small confetti (petals, feathers, leaves) around the graduates. The fun in the frame turns out to be very sincere)).
Chromakey
The shooting itself is carried out on a plain green background.
By the way, it is important that the girls’ dresses are not exactly that color, otherwise the whole idea will fail. The point is that chromakey can easily be replaced with another background, and your graduates find themselves inside a science-fiction film, against the backdrop of world landmarks or wonders of the world. The idea is suitable if an experienced designer takes care of the installation, and the photo shoot itself ideally supports a themed graduation. In the example photo, after replacing the background, the girl will fly over her home school like Harry Potter.
LED photo zone
You rent not just a floor and two walls, but three digital screens on which spectacular videos are continuously broadcast.
You can take not only photos, but also videos with greetings from graduates. Ideal for posting on social networks! For example, screens broadcast space. Simply space!
Video spinner
It is also called “selfie-360”. This is a small platform that 1-2 graduates can stand on. In a short period of time, a selfie lamp with a camera “flies” around the posing people. It turns out to be a cool circular video. If you throw confetti at the moment of shooting, you get an additional magical effect. During installation, music and any memorable inscription are immediately superimposed.
Selfie mirror
It looks like a mirror in which graduates can look at their outfits again. But! The camera and built-in flashes are hidden behind the mirror. When you touch the surface of the mirror, a countdown begins, and guests have time to strike a pose for photography. Finished frames are sent to social networks or for instant printing.
Templates for chocolate graduation in 4th grade (Alenka chocolate 100 g): how to make inscriptions
Sometimes you need to personalize the templates and insert inscriptions on the chocolate wrapper, for example, enter the name of the person to whom the gift is being given; you must agree - receiving a personalized gift is very nice! To do this, you can open the files in a graphics editor, on your computer, for example, Paint (a free built-in program), it is easy to use. Open the layout and make the inscriptions in a beautiful font, usually you can choose from the fonts installed on your computer. You can also use other graphics programs.
Photo zones for graduation in 4th grade
A photo zone for an elementary school graduation is often part of the stage design. More precisely, this is how many parents deliberately puzzle the decorator. After the official part or holiday concert, children and parents in small groups go up to the stage and take pictures.
These can be spectacular decorations made of balloons (not just garlands, but entire figures and compositions). Opponents of balloons (many modern parents insist on using environmentally friendly materials) ask to decorate the stage and photo zone with paper decor (honeycomb balloons, accordion balloons, lanterns, pom-poms, tassels, stars, etc.).
If I am asked to advise “cheap and effective”, I always recommend purchasing ready-made fans (fantas) of different diameters, folded and securing them with special fastenings to the wall. If it's not paper wallpaper, Command's easy-to-remove garland clips will hold up not only these fans, but also heavier decorations. Easy to decorate, easy to dismantle.
In principle, many of the ideas described above are also suitable, the main thing is not to rush and opt for photo zones for adults. The end of 4th grade is a kind of farewell to childhood, and it makes sense to emphasize this when ordering a holiday photo shoot.
Useful for graduation on this site
Over the past 10 years, I have paid quite a lot of attention to graduations. These articles may be useful for parents and teachers:
Scenario for the official part of graduation in 4th grade “Blue Bird” Programs for graduation in elementary school (description and cost) Decoration: first conversation with the decorator Choosing the format of graduation in 4th grade: at school, entertainment center or in the fresh air Around the world in 80 minutes: scenario for primary school Scenario plan for graduation in 11th grade “Awesome graduation”
