With graduation comes anxious jitters and graduation pictures. These photos memorialize a students’ entire college career and with Sam Houston State University’s main campus’s visually pleasing locations, they can be great backdrops for graduation photos.
Staircase leading up to Austin Hall
The flight of stairs leading up to Austin Hall is one of many landmarks that take students to the center of campus. Once at the top, the Old Main Pit’s brick structure and a sea of plush greenery surround Austin Hall that serves as a nice building for photos for graduates. For an overall large view, graduates can take pictures from the top of the stairs in a celebratory pose. For an intimate close-up, photographers can capture students going up or down the staircase in their cap and gown or a portrait photo of them sitting down in front of Austin Hall.
Alumni Fountain
Installed at the end of the LSC Mall area, this serene waterfall beautifully complements the nearby Bearkat Plaza and Alumni Garden. With a massive sea of stairs and several benches surrounding the Alumni Fountain, this location has become a frequent spot where students wait to pass time between classes. There is an abundant amount of space surrounding this location, allowing graduates and photographers to let out their creativity. Students can take a tranquil photo right in front of the waterfall leaning against one of the dry podiums on the stairs beside the foundation and more.
Bearkat Plaza/The Yard
This expansive space is the liveliest sector of the SHSU campus. Student organizations, visitors and students utilize this location for various occasions. For graduation photos, this wide scenery is perfect for a landscape shot, especially the well-maintained gardens and the noticeable plaque featuring the university’s motto.
The Blatchley Bell Tower
This tower is the most prominent location in the Bearkat Plaza. Settled right behind the Marks Administration Building, this 50-foot-tall symbol plays the SHSU Alma Mater and Bearkat Fight Song and an assortment of classical music hourly on the bells. There is an eerie superstition surrounding the location, which states that any undergraduate who walks directly under the tower before graduation will not graduate on time, so proceed with caution.
There is a slight incline to get to the tower from the LSC Mall Area, so students can use this height difference to their advantage in photos. Whether leaning against the clock for a portrait picture or walking towards the tower for a POV perspective, there are several ways graduates can use this landmark in their photos.
Renovated Lowman Student Center (LSC)
Described as the SHSU building of “School for Gracious Living,” this massive building was once located in the heart of campus. After its recent modern renovation, the building now contains multiple dining areas, meeting rooms, bookstores, an art gallery and more. It was moved behind its original location to fit the expansion. Compared to the older model, the new LSC adopted more open windows perfect for natural sunlight when lounging inside the orange and white hallways.
On the outside, they incorporated an impressively built brainteaser named Analemma Dilemma. Artist Dan Phillips and Flying Carpet Creative produced this colorful analemma filled with 60 mosaic medallions that attach from behind the back of the old building to the new one. Whether posing on the main steps leading up to the second floor of the LSC or right in the center, this installation paired with the student center’s new sleek design can add character to graduation photos.