Scrolls, robes and the end of the road…
I don't graduate until next year, so this photo isn't of me.
Due to my slightly disjointed path through university (I studied for two years as an engineer, before realising that it's just a hell of a lot of dull, dull maths), and my gap year, I've already seen a number of my schoolmates graduate. I love the austerity of the whole occasion - the robes, the tradition, everything, it's fantastic. Add in the fact that as a Glasgow School of Art student, I'll be graduating in the Bute Hall of Glasgow Uni, and you've got the full-on Hogwarts effect of the grand setting.
However, I absolutely, positively, cannot stand graduation photographs. The thought of my five years of higher education being summed up by me standing in front of a grey/blue mottled canvas backdrop, smiling like a twat with a mortarboard on my head, makes me feel physically sick. As a result of this, I was very keen for my friends in the year ahead not to have such a wank momento of their time at GSA, so I decided to take a punt at doing something a bit nicer for them.
Anyone who's been to Glasgow University will know how stunning the main building is - the rest of the newer buildings might look like they've been shat out of the 60s (because they were), but the old building is a monument. So, with a little discussion, we found a huge staircase, with lovely natural light coming through the windows. I'd have loved to do them outside to be honest, but the wind was insanely blustery, and robes are like sails - just because you're wearing a cape doesn't mean you'll look like Superman when the wind blows through.
I'm not a portrait photographer, but I enjoyed trying something new. I'd like to think the images I took were better than the generic ones that most people end up with, so in that respect, I think it went well. Feel free to let me know what you think. Finally - well done to the graduating class of GSA Product Design 2009; you've all worked like absolute dogs this year, and given us a bloody hard act to follow for 2010!