Official Commencement Photography Partnership
CO MME N C E ME N T
PHOT OG RA PHY
Official Commencement Photography Partnership A look at what partnering with Geskus means for your institution, your graduates, and their families. Prepared for Rivier University
Welcome Geskus Studios is a family-owned school and university photography company, founded in 2004 and headquartered in Stratham, New Hampshire. We serve K-12 districts, colleges, and universities across all six New England states. Our higher education work is built around commencement and large campus ceremonies. We handle the planning, the logistics, the staffing, and the follow-through, so your campus team can focus on the ceremony and your graduates. We are a regional company by design. For you, that means: ■
Close by. Our leadership and crews are within easy driving distance throughout New England.
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In person. We can walk your venue with you well before the event.
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Reachable all year. You can reach us by phone throughout the year, not only in the weeks around commencement.
We would welcome the opportunity to bring this approach to Rivier University. We photograph commencement for Boston University, UMass Amherst, Massachusetts College of Art and Design, Emmanuel College, and MCPHS University, among others.
wearegeskus.com | (800) 948-1120 ext. 673
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Official Commencement Photography Partnership
Our promise: all you need to do is smile That is what we tell every partner we work with, and it holds just as true for your graduates and their families as it does for your staff. ■
For your events team: one point of contact, a clear plan, and a photography crew that works around your ceremony, not the other way around.
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For graduates: a simple, relaxed photo experience on a day that already has plenty going on.
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For families: easy ways to find, view, and order photos afterward, with no pressure.
What a partnership looks like As your official commencement photographer, we handle the photography and the ordering experience. We ask a small number of things from your team to make it work smoothly. Area
What Geskus handles
What we ask of your team
Coverage
Ceremony photography and graduate photo moments, led by our Lead Commencement Photographer
Approved shooting locations and access for our crew, plus graduate data, including contact emails, for our ordering emails before and after the ceremony
Planning
A dedicated point of contact and a written plan for the day
Your ceremony schedule, run of show, and photography guidelines
Graduate experience
A simple, welcoming photo process for each graduate
A link to our photo information on your commencement web page
Ordering
Online ordering for graduates and families, and direct marketing to graduates and their families, which takes the work off your plate
Sharing ordering details through your usual graduate communications
Official status
Serving as the photographer of record for the ceremony
Letting graduates and families know we are your official provider
How we plan together We build the timeline around your calendar, and the steps stay the same no matter the size of your ceremony. 1. Kickoff call. We learn how your ceremony runs, who your key contacts are, and what matters most to your leadership. 2. Site walk-through. Our team visits the venue, or reviews it with you virtually, to map out positions, access, and photo areas.
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Official Commencement Photography Partnership
3. Run-of-show review. We go through your schedule together and agree on where our photographers will and will not be during the ceremony. 4. Graduate communications. We give you simple, ready-to-use language and links so graduates and families know how photos will work. We also use the contact data you share to email graduates and families before and after the ceremony. 5. Final check-in. A short call shortly before the ceremony to confirm every detail and answer last-minute questions.
Ceremony day Our goal on the day is to be thorough without being in the way. The ceremony belongs to your graduates and your institution, and our crew works to respect that. ■
Early arrival. Our team checks in with your events lead before the ceremony begins.
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Agreed positions. Photographers work from the locations and guidelines we settled on during planning.
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A quiet presence. We stay discreet during the ceremony itself and keep to your protocols.
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A smooth graduate moment. Each graduate gets a quick, friendly photo experience that keeps lines moving and families happy. Handshake and ramp photos are our standard program.
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One person to find. Your events lead always knows exactly who to reach if something comes up.
After the ceremony For most families, the photos matter most once the day is over, so the follow-through is where we spend real effort.
How ordering works for graduates and families 1. Before the ceremony. Each graduate and their family receives a series of email reminders with a presale code, so they can pre-order at www.geskusprint.com. 2. After the ceremony. A post-commencement email goes out with a graduate-specific code. 3. Viewing and ordering. Entering that code brings up the graduate’s own proofs, which can be viewed and ordered through our secure checkout. 4. Ordering by phone. Families who would rather not order online can call our office and order directly with a member of our team. No one should miss their graduate’s images because a website is not for them.
Support and follow-up ■
Responsive support. Questions from families come to us, so they do not land on your staff’s desks.
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Official Commencement Photography Partnership
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A debrief with your team. We sit down after the ceremony to talk through what went well and what we can adjust for next year.
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Year-over-year improvement. Each ceremony informs the next, so your partnership gets better with time.
What it means for your institution The exact structure is tailored to each institution, and we put every detail in writing as part of your proposal. Here is what we will walk through together. Topic
What we will cover
Cost to the institution
Zero. Our programs come at no cost to your institution.
Revenue or commission
Your institution receives $3 per purchased photo package.
Agreement length
Year-to-year
Exclusivity
We will cover your commencement ceremony photography.
Insurance and credentials
We have more than 20 years of experience and can provide insurance documentation upon awarding of the partnership.
Graduate data and privacy
We are a vertically integrated company, and every part of our program uses software that we designed and own. Simply put, your graduates’ data and images are never shared with any third parties.
Optional and additional services Beyond the scope described above, the following are available at your institution’s discretion: ■
Graduate portrait sessions. A custom session before or after the ceremony, in the spirit of a senior portrait but elevated to suit a college graduate audience rather than a high school one. Sessions are offered at several levels, and pricing depends on the level of sitting the graduate selects. There is no cost to your institution.
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Headshots at regalia pickup or additional campus events. We can bring a headshot station to regalia pickup days or to any other senior event you host.
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Institution-branded backdrop. A Rivier University branded backdrop on ceremony day for portraits and celebration photographs.
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Communication and promotional support. Assistance producing advertising materials and student communications relating to commencement photography.
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Additional events and photographers. Coverage of further commencement-related events, and additional photographers where you want deeper coverage.
wearegeskus.com | (800) 948-1120 ext. 673
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Official Commencement Photography Partnership
Why Geskus: our equipment and technology Here is what sits behind the service: the equipment we use, how we prepare for problems, and who handles your images.
Photography equipment We photograph commencement on Nikon mirrorless camera systems with NIKKOR lenses. Rather than running equipment until it fails, we follow a standing replacement policy. Gear is refreshed on a rolling basis, and no camera body in service is more than five years old. That matters at commencement, because the ceremony cannot be paused and each graduate crosses the stage only once. Every camera setup carries an external flash, so the lighting at the crossing point is ours, not the weather’s. Sunlight shifts, clouds come and go, and an outdoor stage offers no consistency of its own. Our own light keeps the crossing photo looking the same from the first graduate to the last, whether the morning is overcast or bright.
Backup equipment Backup camera bodies come to every ceremony as standard. Our on-site crew also includes a backup photographer who can step into a primary position immediately if a camera or a person goes down midceremony. Because commencement cannot be rescheduled, we plan for equipment to occasionally fail, and we build that plan so a failure costs the ceremony nothing.
Editing and quality control All editing is done in house by our production team, and none of it is outsourced. The team handles color and exposure correction, cropping for consistency across the crossing sequence, and preparation of highlight selections and images for social media and media relations. A separate in-house quality control review follows. Our quality control managers check every image against the Geskus standard before it is released, so the first person to catch a problem is a member of our team, not a graduate or your institution. Keeping both steps in house also lets us commit to a delivery window with confidence, because your schedule never sits in a third party’s queue.
Our own online ordering platform Geskus runs its own online ordering engine rather than licensing a third-party gallery service. We own the graduate’s experience from the first email to the final order, so service quality, response times, and any changes you ask for are ours to control, not an outside vendor’s.
wearegeskus.com | (800) 948-1120 ext. 673
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Official Commencement Photography Partnership
What our partners say Do not just take our word for it. Here is what two of our higher education partners have to say about working with us. “Our first year partnering with Geskus Studios for Boston University’s commencement exceeded every expectation. Their crew brought a level of care and professionalism that our coordinators noticed immediately. On my Saturday tour of convocations, I crossed paths with one of the most meticulous and high-standard coordinators on our team, and the first words out of her mouth were, ‘I love Geskus.’ I’m not sure I could say it any better myself. We look forward to our continued partnership with Geskus and recommend them to anyone looking to upgrade their commencement photography partner.” Michael Ciarlante, Director, Institutional Events, Boston University
“From the earliest planning stages through final delivery, Geskus was organized, responsive, and highly communicative. They took the time to understand the unique needs of each event ... Taking a studentcentered approach, their photographers created a welcoming and comfortable environment, helping students feel at ease and authentically represented ... They understood the importance of these milestone moments and approached each session with patience, care, and genuine enthusiasm. The university environment is often fast-paced and constantly evolving, and Geskus Studios navigated those challenges with remarkable flexibility and adaptability.” Rebecca White, Director of University Events, University of Massachusetts Amherst
References We are happy to put you in touch with any of the institutions below to hear about their experience directly. Institution
Location
Reference contact
MCPHS University
Boston, MA
Brittany Durning, Center of Campus Life brittany.durning@mcphs.edu 617-732-2903
UMass Amherst
Amherst, MA
Rebecca White, Director of University Events rebecca.white@umass.edu (413) 577-1101
Boston, MA
Michael Ciarlante, Director, Institutional Events michaelc@bu.edu (617) 353-2769
Boston University
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