Sonoma State University Grad Photoshoot by Bay Area Photographers HKCreate

May 15
2 min read

Smiling graduate in cap and gown celebrates on a tree-lined campus path at Sonoma State University in California. College Graduation photoshoot by Bay Area Photographers HKCreate

We always love finding new locations to photograph, especially for grad photoshoots! We like to challenge ourselves and let the creative juices stir so when this grad reached out about having her photoshoot at Sonoma State University at Rohnert Park in the Bay Area, we were all for it!

We decided ahead of time to spend the entire day out, opting to leave early because, as anyone from the Bay Area knows, traffic around San Francisco can be a wild card. We had a blast playing "tourists" for the day, crossing the Golden Gate Bridge (you'd think we'd do it more often with how long we've lived here!), sitting in some traffic, grabbing a bite to eat, and finally making it to one of the cleanest university campuses we've ever seen!

Sonoma State University is known for Charles Schultz – the author of the Peanuts cartoon. It was so fun seeing all of the nods to Peanuts on the grounds. And we loved it all because growing up, Peanuts was our dad's favorite comic strip! From the Schroeder Music Hall, to the Lucy statue in the quad – it was all so cute!

Our grad was one of the most prepared grads – telling us she had looked at "all the Tik Tok reels" on how best to prepare for your grad session. She showed us what she brought and we loved all of the attention to details, from her decorated grad hat with handcuffs on it, to her custom embroidered stole with all of the little nods to her major: Criminal Justice.

She popped her bubbly: Martinelli's Apple Cider, and her facial expressions were hilarious!

All in all, this was such a wonderful solo grad session and we loved getting to hang out with such a sweet grad!

Young woman in black dress and blue criminal justice sash holds a Future Deputy Sheriff plaque under sunlit trees at the Sonoma State University Campus in California. College Graduation photoshoot by Bay Area photographers HKCreate.

Young woman in black dress and blue stoles holds a decorated sheriff emblem under a sunlit tree. College Graduation photoshoot at Sonoma State University by Bay Area Photographers HKCreate

Smiling graduate in blue stole holds a decorated cap with handcuffs and the words FUTURE, DEPUTY, SHERIFF, 2026.
College Graduation photoshoot at Sonoma State University by Bay Area Photographers HKCreate

Smiling graduate in a black dress and blue sash holds a Future Deputy Sheriff sign under a stone archway.
College Grad photoshoot at Sonoma State University by Bay Area Photographers HKCreate

Young woman in a black dress and blue graduation stole stands between stone pillars, holding a sheriff-themed decorative sign.
College Grad photoshoot at Sonoma State University by Bay Area Photographers HKCreate

Smiling graduate in black dress and blue criminology sash holds a Future Deputy Sheriff sign under a stone archway.
College Grad photoshoot at Sonoma State University by Bay Area Photographers HKCreate

Young woman in a black graduation dress smiles while walking under a stone pavilion, holding a cap and gown in bright sunlight.
College Grad photoshoot at Sonoma State University by Bay Area Photographers HKCreate

Smiling graduate in black dress leans on a stone pillar, wearing a blue Criminal Justice stole labeled Class of 2026 and holding a decorated cap.
College Grad photoshoot at Sonoma State University by Bay Area Photographers HKCreate

Smiling graduate in a black dress lifts a decorated cap under a stone archway, one leg raised in bright sunlight.
College Grad photoshoot at Sonoma State University by Bay Area Photographers HKCreate

Smiling graduate outdoors raises a sheriff-themed cap with handcuffs; blue stole reads Class of 2026 and Criminal Justice.
College Grad photoshoot at Sonoma State University by Bay Area Photographers HKCreate

Smiling graduate in black dress and blue stole holds up decorated cap on a tree-lined path.
College Grad photoshoot at Sonoma State University by Bay Area Photographers HKCreate

Smiling graduate in black dress stands beside a Sonoma State University Lucy statue on a leafy campus, arms open.
College Grad photoshoot by HKCreate Bay Area Photographers

Woman in black dress stands on outdoor steps holding a blue graduation stole, with trees and soft sunlight behind her.
College Grad photoshoot at Sonoma State University by Bay Area Photographers HKCreate

Smiling young woman in a black dress stands outdoors on campus, wearing a blue graduation stole and cords with text.
College Grad photoshoot at Sonoma State University by Bay Area Photographers HKCreate

Graduation cap with handcuffs and ribbon reading Future Deputy Sheriff, B.A. Criminology and Criminal Justice.
College Grad photoshoot at Sonoma State University by Bay Area Photographers HKCreate

Young woman in a black dress with a blue sash stands in a lush green garden, looking left.
College Grad photoshoot at Sonoma State University by Bay Area Photographers HKCreate

Smiling graduate in black gown and blue stole walks down a tree-lined campus path, holding her cap on a sunny day
College Grad photoshoot at Sonoma State University by Bay Area Photographers HKCreate

Smiling graduate in black gown and blue stole holds a decorative Future Deputy Sheriff sign on a tree-lined campus path.
College Grad photoshoot at Sonoma State University by Bay Area Photographers HKCreate

Smiling graduate in black gown and blue sash holds a decorated sign on a tree-lined campus walkway at golden hour.
College Grad photoshoot at Sonoma State University by Bay Area Photographers HKCreate

Young woman in black graduation gown and cap stands on a campus path, wearing blue stoles reading Class of 2026, smiling proudly.
College Grad photoshoot at Sonoma State University by Bay Area Photographers HKCreate

Smiling graduate in black cap and gown with blue stoles, arms raised on a tree-lined campus road. College Grad photoshoot at Sonoma State University by Bay Area Photographers HKCreate

Woman in black dress and decorated graduation cap walks down a campus path, blue sash reading criminology and criminal justice. College Grad photoshoot at Sonoma State University by Bay Area Photographers HKCreate

Smiling woman in a black dress pops champagne on a tree-lined park path, spray arcing into the air on a sunny day
College Grad photoshoot at Sonoma State University by Bay Area Photographers HKCreate

Woman in a black dress and heels pops champagne on a tree-lined driveway, smiling as spray arcs into the air.
College Grad photoshoot at Sonoma State University by Bay Area Photographers HKCreate

Woman in a black dress and heels drinks from a wine bottle while posing on a tree-lined park path.
College Grad photoshoot at Sonoma State University by Bay Area Photographers HKCreate

Smiling woman in a black dress pops a champagne bottle on stone steps under green trees, with spray flying.
College Grad photoshoot at Sonoma State University by Bay Area Photographers HKCreate

ABOUT HK CREATE PHOTOGRAPHY

Located in the Bay Area in San Jose, California, HK Create is a sister photography duo who love connecting with people to capture lasting memories. Known for their joyful, candid, and creative photos, these natural light photographers want your experience to be more than just getting awesome photos, but aim for connection, interaction and authenticity in your photos, while embracing the joy and chaos that comes along with it!

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