App State Graduation Portraits in Boone, NC
Four years go by faster than anyone warns you. One day you are getting settled into the dorms, and the next you are getting your cap and gown and wondering how it happened so quickly. College graduation portraits at Appalachian State University in Boone, NC are different from everything that came before them. These are about where you have been, what you built here, and the specific places on campus that became yours.
The entrance to your college building. The corner of Sanford Mall where your people always found each other. The App State sign you walked past a thousand times. The wall that feels like your own. These are the portraits that tell the actual story.
Most of our college graduation sessions happen right here in Boone at App State. We know this campus well, and we have photographed seniors across every corner of it, from the main entrance and Kidd Brewer Stadium to the quieter spots that show up in almost no one else's gallery.
The App State Graduation Portrait Experience
By the time session day arrives, everything is already planned. The route, the timing, cap and gown logistics, all sorted in advance so you can show up and simply be present for it.
Two photographers at every session means more creative range and more coverage. Jonathan and Bonnie work as a team, which gives the day room to breathe and results in portraits that feel natural rather than posed. We move through the campus locations that mattered most to you in an order that makes sense, making sure we cover everything you came for.
And yes, if you want, we can finish with popping the cork on a bottle of champagne at the main Appalachian State University sign. It happens at nearly every session. We are ready for it.
For some App State seniors, the Blue Ridge Parkway was as much a part of college as any building on campus. If that was you, we can plan portraits out on the Parkway to finish the day. If four years flew by before you made it out there, no problem at all. The session is built around your App State experience, not a standard itinerary.
Favorite Places for App State Graduation Photos
Every session is planned around the parts of campus that actually mattered to you. The football tradition at App State runs deep, and Kidd Brewer Stadium is a must for most graduating seniors, whether that means portraits on the field, in the stands, or both. Other frequently requested locations include the App State sign and the Founders Bell pavilion at the main campus entrance, the steps outside your college or department building, Belk Library, Sanford Mall, the Touchdown Yosef statue, and the more creative corners of campus for grads who want something that does not look like anyone else's gallery.
The Founders Bell is worth a moment of its own. It sits in a pavilion near the entrance that was designed to echo the old bell tower of Watauga Academy, the mountain school founded in 1899 that became App State. The bell rings on Founders Day, once for each year the university has existed. For a graduating senior standing next to it in a cap and gown, that history has a particular weight. You are not just passing through. You are now part of the place.
You do not need to arrive with a complete plan. During your consultation, we walk through the locations together and build the route from your answers.
It Starts with One Question: Which Corners of Campus Were Yours?
Your session begins with a complimentary consultation, by phone, video, or here at the studio. The first thing we want to know is which places on campus actually mattered to you.
Maybe it is the stadium and the entrance sign, the classic App State graduation images everyone recognizes. Maybe it is the steps outside your specific college building, the Yosef statue, Belk Library, or a wall somewhere on campus that feels completely your own. Whatever it is, we build the session around your answer.
From there, we take care of the planning. We map the locations in an order that makes sense and walk through outfit options so the portraits feel like you. Family members and dogs are always welcome for part of the day.
Seeing Your Portraits for the First Time
About a week or two after your session, we will schedule your viewing appointment. Local clients join us at the studio, where we project your proofs on a large screen so you can see them side by side and at full size. If you are coming from out of town, we set up a guided video viewing instead.
We walk you through every decision so nothing feels overwhelming. Since this is your one opportunity to view all of your proofs, we ask that everyone involved in the decision-making plan to attend.
Your Portrait Investment
Your $790 booking fee secures your date on the calendar and includes a $600 credit toward your portrait order at your viewing appointment.
Every college graduation session includes:
• Complimentary planning consultation
• Portrait session with two photographers
• 75 to 100 proofs at your viewing appointment
• Viewing and ordering appointment at our studio or via video conference
• Delivery of your finished portraits, with in-home installation available for wall art
• Lifetime guarantee on all portrait products
• A companion digital file with every portrait you purchase, suitable for printing up to 8x10
Most clients leave with a Portrait Collection Box or Book, a designed collection of their favorite portraits made to be lived with every day. Many also add framed pieces for their home or for their parents. Your $600 credit applies toward whatever you choose. We walk you through every option at the consultation so nothing is a surprise.
If you would like to review portrait options and pricing before your consultation, just ask. We are happy to send it along.
If you are not an App State student but want this same level of planning and care, we also create college graduation portraits at other campuses. We have photographed college seniors at UNC Chapel Hill and at other campuses across the state. The planning, the experience, and the care we bring to an App State session travels with us.
Ready to Start Planning?
Jonathan and Bonnie Burton have been photographing portraits in the NC High Country for more than thirty years. Named National Senior Portrait Photographers of the Year at SYNC in both 2023 and 2026. Fewer than a handful of photographers in the country have received that award more than once.
Most seniors reach out a few weeks before graduation. We do our best to accommodate everyone, so do not hesitate to get in touch even if your timeline feels tight.
Fill out the form below or call or text us at (828) 773-7873. We would love to hear which corners of campus were yours.
burton@NCphotographer.com · 166 Chapel Hills Rd., Boone, NC 28607 · (828) 773-7873
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