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Best places to take your graduation photos at UH

The Cullen Family Plaza Fountain and Reflecting Pool is one of the most popular places on campus to take graduation photos. | File photo

The Cullen Family Plaza Fountain and Reflecting Pool is one of the most popular places on campus to take graduation photos. | File photo

You’ve got your cap and gown, your finals are coming to an end, now how do you memorialize your entire college career? That’s where the graduation photos come into play.

The Cougar compiled this list of visually interesting spots to take your graduation photos before you leave campus for the last time — and if you use confetti make sure to clean it up when you’re done.

Around the Ezekiel W. Cullen Building

The Ezekiel W. Cullen Building is the big, cream-colored building at the end of University Drive. It is the most iconic location and representation of the University.

There are multiple ways you can take the photo. Take it with the plaque, in the field in front of the giant banner or take it from the renovated median in front of both. Just take one of your graduation photos with that building as the backdrop.

Cullen Family Plaza Fountain and Reflecting Pool

This is a classic. The large fountain is one of the more picturesque places on campus. On every brochure, picture gallery and Instagram of a perspective student, the fountain is in the background splashing away.

The fountain is one of the centerpieces of campus and an area for students to gather when the weather is nice. Such an scenic location is ideal for some of the last photos you’ll ever take on campus.

Trevor Nolley/The Cougar

Cougar statues

Graduate can also get a photo at, or some even choose on top of, one of the cougar statues behind Ezekiel W. Cullen Building. Not many of your graduation photos need to be serious, but this one especially needs to be as silly as possible. Celebrate being a kid for these last few days and throw your hands up.

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The UH Mural on the Welcome Center Garage

Every year you’ll see graduates lined up for photos in front of the tiled mural. The bright red mural serves as a great backdrop for a close-up. The mural will encompass the entire background of the photo, and it was practically made for photo taking opportunities.

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TDECU Stadium

TDECU Stadium is the place many students tailgated for the first time and the home of our football team. It also has great statues and areas to take pictures.

Notable mentions include the “WHOSE HOUSE COOGS HOUSE” statue that students can sit on, the cougar statue in front of the stadium and any angle you can see the fairly new stadium itself. And for the times when the stadiums is open, you can take pictures in the stands or on the field.

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Public art around campus

The University is home to hundreds or interesting public art pieces. From the rainbow “Double Physichromie” to the newly installed “Mobius Houston,” there are plenty of large, colorful and unique pieces students can pose in front of.

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MD Anderson Library

The MD Anderson Library is where students spent much of their school career studying. While the building may not always have the best memories attached, it is still a representation of your time here and an interesting architectural piece that makes for a good background.

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In front of books

Let the books be the background for a more artsy approach for a few graduation photos. While the MD Anderson Library doesn’t allow photography, but there are multitudes of smaller libraries around campus who may allow you to take photos.

To be fair, we’re rating the Architecture Pond as if it were a beautiful day outside. In the mid to late fall, studying outside isn’t out of the question, and the pond located by Architecture building has a gentle fountain that provides some white noise while studying. Noise: Moderate. Comfort: Moderate. | Ian Everett/The Cougar

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Gerald D. Hines College of Architecture and Design

The architecture college is one of the most visually interesting buildings on campus, and while you may not be an architecture student, that doesn’t need to stop you from taking photos in front of it.

Another bonus of the school is the small pond right next to it with a little walkable bridge. The pond also has turtles in it, which, if caught on camera, would add something small and cute to your photos.

Your own college

Your relatives are going to ask about your degree for a while, so be prepared. Take a picture in front of your college so you can just show them the specific college you went to instead.

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