Bloomington is home to so many photo-worthy spots. As you finish up your time as a student at IU, take advantage of the city and campus’ landscapes for your graduation photos.
Beck Chapel
Located just a few steps east of the Indiana Memorial Union is Beck Chapel. Constructed from Indiana limestone with detailed wood carpentry sourced from southern Indiana forests, the all-faiths chapel was built in 1956 funded by an endowment from IU alumni Frank and Daisy Beck.
Included within the chapel are several religious symbols to represent various faiths of the world, including a gold, hand-painted copy of the Quran, a Torah, a Bible and a collection of Buddhist scriptures, among others.
Whether religion and spirituality played a large role in the graduates' college experience, or they just appreciate the religious architecture, there are several photo-worthy spots outside of the chapel from its stained-glass windows, limestone archway and all the greenery which surrounds it.
Fountain Square Mall
The Walnut Street side of Fountain Square boasts a bright baby pink wall, adorned with large bouquets in the spring and summer time. Surrounded by Venice style metal fencing and red brick sidewalk, the wall looks like it came from California or your Instagram feed.
For graduates interested in a more West Coast style for their photos, or are just a big fan of pink, Fountain Square’s east wall offers the perfect photography spot. Since the big pink wall is located outdoors, there are no set hours to limit photography times. After photos, Fountain Square offers plenty of stores to shop from and is only a block away from the Monroe County Courthouse, for even more photography landscapes to choose from.
Graduate Bloomington & Poindexter Coffee
For any graduate that's a big fan of knick-knacks or IU memorabilia, the Graduate Bloomington hotel and Poindexter Coffee makes the perfect spot for graduation photos, rain or shine.
Besides Poindexter's dark wood carpentry, the coffee shop is full of natural lighting, red and blue diner style accents and wall-to-wall cookie jars, creating an eclectic, preppy style backdrop for senior photos that you can stay inside for. There are plenty of food, coffee, tea and baked good options to eat, or even use as props while taking photos. It's an added benefit if Poindexter was one of the graduate’s favorite study spots as a student.
Poindexter is open daily from 6:30 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Poindexter is attached to the Graduate, which boasts plenty of IU pride, including a large painting of men wearing “Hickory” and “Cutters” jerseys in tribute to the films “Hoosiers” and “Breaking Away” right above the reception desk. The Graduate even has a row of bleachers and basketball-net-like light fixtures to honor Bloomington’s long history of Indiana basketball. Like Poindexter Coffee, the Graduate’s dark wood carpentry and patchwork wallpaper throughout the lobby creates the perfect backdrop for academia-style graduation photography. The outside of the building even makes for good photo locations, with dark red brick and a bright LED sign which can give the photography an old-Hollywood type of style.
