Samuel Merritt University Commencement Photographer

Samuel Merritt University trains the people who keep the Bay Area healthy: nurses, physician assistants, podiatrists, occupational and physical therapists. The day they cross the stage is the payoff for years of clinical hours and hard exams. Josh Edelson has photographed Samuel Merritt commencement, graduation, and the nursing pinning ceremony for this Oakland health-sciences university, so he knows the room, the rundown, and the moments that matter to graduates and their families.

Josh has shot the Samuel Merritt ceremony inside its grand Oakland theater setting, a tall, low-light, fixed-seating venue that punishes anyone without real arena experience. He works it cleanly: fast glass, a quiet presence near the stage, and an eye for the candid reactions that happen out in the seats while the names are being read.

Commencement-day coverage

Josh covers the full arc of the day. The procession and the line forming up before doors. The platform party, the speakers, and the conferring of degrees. Every graduate at the stage: the handshake, the diploma, the turn toward the cameras. For Samuel Merritt, that includes the nursing pinning, the hooding, and the regalia details specific to the health-sciences programs. Out in the audience he catches the candid family reactions: the parent on their feet, the partner filming on a phone, the cohort screaming for one of their own. Working a large arena in low light is the core of what Josh does. He shoots without flash interrupting the program, holds focus on a moving graduate from across the hall, and protects skin tones under the mixed stage lighting that trips up most event shooters.

What gets delivered

You get same-day, press-grade selects: a tight set of the key moments edited and sent the night of commencement, ready for the website, social, the alumni magazine, or a press release while the day is still news. The full edited gallery follows in 3 to 5 business days, color-corrected and cleaned, delivered in web and print-ready sizes with simple download and sharing for graduates and departments. Need extra coverage of a reception, a dean’s portrait, or a donor moment around the ceremony? Josh builds that into the day so it all comes back in one consistent set.

Why hire Josh

Josh has shot for Agence France-Presse and Getty Images for 15+ years, with work published in the Wall Street Journal, TIME, and the New York Times. That editorial track record means he reads a live event in real time, never misses the frame that matters, and delivers on a newsroom clock. On the academic side, he has photographed commencement and campus work for Stanford, UC Berkeley, UCSF, UC Law San Francisco, Samuel Merritt University, Harvard, Dartmouth, and Lehigh University. He is based in the San Francisco Bay Area, knows the Oakland venues, and travels statewide and nationally. See more on his San Francisco commencement photography, or get a quote for your date.

FAQ

Have you photographed Samuel Merritt University before?
Yes. Josh has photographed Samuel Merritt commencement, graduation, and the nursing pinning ceremony, so he already knows the Oakland setting, the program flow, and the regalia and pinning details unique to a health-sciences university.

How soon do we get the photos?
A set of same-day, press-grade selects goes out the night of the ceremony so you can publish right away. The full edited gallery is delivered in 3 to 5 business days.

What does coverage cost?
Half-day commencement coverage starts at $2,000. The right figure depends on hours, the number of ceremonies or related events, and deliverables. Send your date and program through the contact page and Josh will send a quote.