Guelph Grad Photos · Campus locations

Every spot we shoot on campus.

Six zones across the University of Guelph and the Arboretum, photographed on real sessions.

Your package sets how many stops a session covers, and the walking between them is part of the session time. You do not need to memorise any of this. Read the zone nearest to your building, pick what you like, and tell us on the day.

Two graduates wearing hijabs and black gowns smiling beside the bronze gryphon statue at the University of Guelph.

Zone 01

Southeast campus entry

Stone Road and Gordon Street, where campus starts. The first thing anyone sees of the University of Guelph, and the spots that say where you graduated without a caption.

Gryphon Statue

The bronze Gryphon at the Gordon and Stone gateway, unveiled in 2014 and the most requested grad photo on campus. Rub the beak for luck.

Good for groups

A graduate with long red hair in a white dress with a red stole sitting on the base of the bronze gryphon statue at the University of Guelph.
A graduate in a black gown and sunglasses holding a bouquet of flowers in front of the bronze gryphon statue at the University of Guelph.
A professional photo of a young woman in a graduation gown. sitting on the Gryphon Statue on the University of Guelph Campus. The photo is from Guelph Grad Photos.
Main Entrance Sign and Stone Gates

The university’s name in the frame, which is why this is the announcement post. We work the angle so the road stays out of it.

Graduate in cap and gown standing in front of the University of Guelph sign. The photo is from Guelph Grad Photos. The background is the University of Guelph Campus.
Person in blue graduation gown and cap standing next to another person in a red suit outdoors.
Four University of Guelph graduates together at the University of Guelph entrance sign.
Together at the University of Guelph entrance sign.
Main Entrance Boulevard

The tree-lined approach from the gates: long lines, depth behind you, and room for a walking shot.

Good for groups

Three women in graduation gowns sitting on the ground with autumn leaves and trees in the background. The photo is from Guelph Grad Photos. The background is the University of Guelph Campus.
Woman in a black graduation gown with hands outstretched against a green background. The photo is from Guelph Grad Photos. The background is the University of Guelph Campus.
Four University of Guelph graduates together on the tree-lined path.
Bus Loop with the Campus Behind

A wide, open stand with the campus rising behind it. Good for a group lined up across the frame.

Good for groups

A University of Guelph graduate in regalia framed by pale blossom.
Framed by pale blossom.
A University of Guelph graduate in doctoral regalia in the garden.
A University of Guelph graduate laughing with her head back, in doctoral regalia.

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Four graduates in black gowns with red and gold hoods, two wearing hijabs, seated together at the Portico columns at the University of Guelph.

Zone 02

Johnston Green heritage core

The heart of campus, around Johnston Hall. Limestone, lawn and the clock tower. If you only have time for one zone, it is this one.

Johnston Hall Clock Tower

The most recognisable landmark on campus and the building on the front of every brochure. Softest in the late afternoon, when the front is out of hard sun.

A graduate in a black gown holding her cap on her head in front of the Johnston Hall clock tower at the University of Guelph.
A University of Guelph graduate in regalia with her arms wide on the green in front of Johnston Hall.
With her arms wide on the green in front of Johnston Hall.
A smiling graduate in a white dress with a red stole, the Johnston Hall clock tower and Canadian flag soft behind her
Johnston Green

The open lawn in front of Johnston Hall: space for a whole group, a cap toss, and the long view back to the tower.

Good for groups

Person walking on a paved path with trees and buildings in the background
Two people taking a selfie outdoors in a park with trees and grass. The photo is from Guelph Grad Photos. The background is the University of Guelph Campus.
Person in a graduation gown with a red and gold stole standing on grass with trees in the background. The photo is from Guelph Grad Photos. The background is the University of Guelph Campus.
Alumni Walk

The tree-lined path through the middle of campus. Extraordinary in October, green and generous in spring.

A professional photo of a young woman in a graduation gown. sitting on the Gryphon Statue on the University of Guelph Campus. The photo is from Guelph Grad Photos.
A young woman in a white dress, on Alumni Walk on the University of Guelph Campus, with green trees in the background with trees in the background. The photo is from Guelph Grad Photos.
A young womanin graduation gown with a red and yellow stole standing in front of a brick building. on Alumni Walk, a tree-lined path on the University of Guelph Campus, with a brick building. in the background. The photo is from Guelph Grad Photos.
The Portico

The stone columned entrance standing on its own in the green, a survivor of the original 1874 college. Open shade under the arch all day.

A graduate with long red hair in a white dress and black gown with a gold hood seated on a bench in front of the Portico columns at the University of Guelph.
Two women standing under a stone archway with trees and flowers in the background. The photo is from Guelph Grad Photos. The background is the University of Guelph Campus.
Graduate in cap and gown standing outdoors with flowers in the foreground. The photo is from Guelph Grad Photos. The background is the University of Guelph Campus.
OVC Quad and the Science Pathway

For veterinary grads especially: the Ontario Veterinary College’s quad and the path through the science buildings.

War Memorial Hall

The 1924 limestone hall with broad stone steps and a balustrade: a seat, a stride, and a formal frame.

A Guelph grad posing for her graduation photo, sitting on stone steps, on the University of Guelph's campus, holding a sash with the war memorial building and trees in the background.
Woman in a formal dress with a sash standing next to a wooden door.The photo is from Guelph Grad Photos. The background is the University of Guelph Campus.
Creelman Hall

The 1914 dining hall beside the green, brick and stone with tall windows. Quieter than the tower and just as classic.

Mills Hall

The 1920 residence on the green. If you lived here, this is your shot.

Woman standing among pink flowers in a garden. The photo is from Guelph Grad Photos. The background is the University of Guelph Campus.
A University of Guelph graduate in regalia beside a limestone campus building.
Beside a limestone campus building.
A University of Guelph graduate with her regalia catching the wind beside a forsythia in full bloom.
With her regalia catching the wind beside a forsythia in full bloom.

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Graduate in cap and gown standing in front of a brick building with 'Navye Hall Library' sign.

Zone 03

Mid-campus, around the University Centre

The busy middle, from the Cannon to the Science Complex. The everyday campus: the plaza, the pub, the painted cannon, and the buildings you actually had classes in.

Old Jeremiah, the Cannon

The painted cannon outside the University Centre, repainted by students so often it is never the same colour twice. Fun, dynamic poses.

Graduate in cap and gown standing in front of a colorful sculpture on a campus, The photo is from Guelph Grad Photos. The background is the University of Guelph Campus.
A graduate in a white dress with a red stole sitting on the painted Cannon with one arm raised, campus buildings behind
A University of Guelph graduate in regalia perched on the painted cannon.
Perched on the painted cannon.
Massey Hall

The classic red-brick former library from the early 1900s, arched doorway and all.

A University of Guelph graduate in regalia making a heart with her hands.
Making a heart with her hands — the red-brick hall.
Graduate in cap and gown standing in front of a brick building with 'Navye Hall Library' sign.
Graduate in black cap and gown standing in front of a red brick building with trees in the background.
UC Courtyard and Garden Nook

A pocket of green in the busiest part of campus, and a calm frame between buildings.

Reynolds Walk

The path past the Reynolds Building: leafy, lower-key, and useful when the front of campus is crowded.

The Bullring

The round 1901 building on Winegard Walk, now the campus pub. Brick curves and a good story.

Zavitz Hall

The 1914 fine-art building: red brick, tall windows, and the natural pick for art grads.

Raithby House

Built in 1882, one of the oldest buildings on campus, a small brick house in a garden setting.

A University of Guelph graduate with her regalia draped over Old Jeremiah.
With her regalia draped over Old Jeremiah.
Rozanski Hall

Clean modern lines and glass, for a portrait that looks like now rather than 1914.

Summerlee Science Complex, Waasamowin atrium

Indoors, bright, and home to the white Tree of Life sculpture. The rain plan for science grads.

Indoors, so it works in the rain

McLaughlin Library

Not the prettiest building on campus, and that is rather the point. If you spent four years in it, it belongs in the set, and grads are usually more attached to this photo than they expect to be.

a Guelph Grad sitting on the floor between two rows of bookshelves in the McLaughlin Library. The photo is from Guelph Grad Photos.

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Woman in a white dress sitting on a sports field with a bench in the background. The photo is from Guelph Grad Photos. The background is the University of Guelph Campus.

Zone 04

Stadium and athletics

Northeast campus, around Gryphon Alumni Stadium. For anyone who spent their Saturdays here, and for the props that make a photo fun.

Gryphon Alumni Stadium Grandstand

The stands, the field and the Gryphon red. For anyone who played, cheered or worked here.

Good for groups

A University of Guelph graduate in regalia sitting on the Gryphons logo at Alumni Stadium.
The Big Chair

The oversized red chair by the stadium: a fan favourite and a guaranteed laugh.

Two people sitting on a red bench with a bright background, The photo is from Guelph Grad Photos. The background is the University of Guelph Campus.
a Guelph grad on the University of Guelph campus, sitting on a large red chair with a black design, outdoors. The photo is from Guelph Grad Photos. The background is the Gryphon Alumni Stadium on the University of Guelph Campus.
A University of Guelph graduate in regalia leaning on a red railing at sunset.
Leaning on a red railing at sunset — University of Guelph.
Platform 9¾ Sign

The stadium’s Harry Potter joke, and a crowd-pleaser for the right grad.

The Gryphon Door

The player entrance and its Anishinaabe mural inside, for a wall of colour behind you.

A University of Guelph graduate in regalia pictured close up against the campus mural wall.
A University of Guelph graduate in regalia with her arms crossed in front of the campus mural wall.
Champions Corner

At the northwest end outside the grandstand, a plaque for every championship the Gryphons have brought home. For student-athletes.

The Hand-Off Sculpture

The two-metre bronze at the stadium, made to be part of the game-day ritual, and a good prop for a pair.

A University of Guelph graduate in regalia beside a bronze sculpture against the campus mural wall.
Beside a bronze sculpture against the campus mural wall.
Football Honour Wall

Added in 2024, the names behind the program. For the football grads.

W. F. Mitchell Athletics Centre

The modern glass front of Gryphon athletics, a few steps from the stadium.

Gryphon Centre

The arena beside the Athletics Centre, for the hockey and skating grads.

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Two graduates in caps and gowns sitting on a bench outdoors. The photo is from Guelph Grad Photos. The background is the University of Guelph Campus.

Zone 05

North campus

Macdonald Institute and the LANG building. Historic stone on one side, the business school on the other, and two of the best indoor options on campus.

Macdonald Institute

The 1903 historic stone building with its terrace and balustrade, one of the most photogenic buildings on campus.

Good for groups

Two University of Guelph grads in graduation gowns sitting on a balcony with trees and a clear sky in the background.
Woman in a black graduation gown sitting on a bench in front of a brick building. The photo is from Guelph Grad Photos. The background is the University of Guelph Campus.
Man wearing a white shirt and black cape standing outdoors with a brick building and trees in the background The photo is from Guelph Grad Photos. The background is the University of Guelph Campus.
LANG Building

The Lang School of Business’s home, with the LANG lettering on the stone wall. The business grad’s shot.

A professional photo of a Guelph grad on the University of Guelph campus. Graduate in a black gown standing in front of the LANG Building.
A professional photo of two Guelph grads on the University of Guelph campus, sitting on a ledge in front of a building with 'School of Business Economics' signage. The photo is from Guelph Grad Photos. The background is the LANG Building on the University of Guelph Campus.
a Guelph grad in graduation gown sitting on a stone wall with 'LANG School of Business & Economics' inscription.
LANG Water Fountain

The fountain outside LANG for movement, reflection and a little sparkle.

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A graduate in black regalia walks across a wooden footbridge framed by overhanging willow branches

Zone 06

The Arboretum

East campus, the gardens and the trails. Four hundred acres of gardens, collections and woodland, ten minutes from the clock tower and a different world.

Arboretum Gazebo

The wooden gazebo: a roof in light rain, a frame in the sun.

Works as a rain plan

Pergola Walkway

The vine-covered walkway: dappled light and a long line to walk down.

A smiling graduate in a white dress with a stole standing hand on hip beneath sunlit vine leaves, steps behind her
Italian Garden Pool and Fountain

The formal pool with its fountain jets, hornbeam hedges and stone benches, inspired by Renaissance estates.

A graduate in a cream dress with a red stole stands on a gravel path between tall hedges by a fountain
English Garden Moon Gates

The Edna and Frank C. Miller English Garden’s moon-gate trellises, heavy with wisteria in early summer.

Main Tree Tunnel Trail

The tree-lined trail into the collections: a tunnel of leaves in summer and of colour in October.

Ivey Trail

A wide, open, wheelchair-accessible loop through the collections.

Fully accessible

Wild Goose Woods

The woodland trail, for deep shade and depth behind you.

Native Trees of Ontario Trail

A walk through Ontario’s own trees, at its best when the maples turn.

OAC ’56 Park

The big lawn with specimen trees, and room for the largest group on this page.

Good for groups

Gosling Wildlife Gardens

Five backyard-scale gardens from 1989, among the first wildlife gardens in Canada. Intimate and green.

Victoria Woods

The old woodland at the Arboretum’s edge: deep shade in summer, colour in fall.

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Somewhere not on this list? The residence you lived in, the field you played on, the lecture hall, the greenhouse you worked in. If it is on or near campus and it means something to you, say so when you book and we will work it into the route.

Sessions go ahead in the rain: we bring matching umbrellas for everyone, rain and cloud often make the best photos, and the indoor and covered spots above keep the route moving. The weather plan has the details.

Before you come

Run through the checklist.

Regalia, outfits, and the handful of things worth sorting before shoot day.

Grad session checklist →