Illinois
Graduation photos · Chicago
In short
Graduation photos in Chicago starts at $295: 60 min on location with a photographer who works in Chicago, and 30 edited photos delivered to a private gallery within 5 business days.
Why choose Graduation photos in Chicago?
Graduation photos in Chicago are a one-hour session at two campus landmarks that delivers 30 retouched photographs, priced from $295. The Chicago area graduates students from several large universities each spring, and the Evanston campus of Northwestern University is the one most often asked for, because its lakefront campus puts a cap and gown in front of Lake Michigan with the downtown skyline on the horizon. Spring quarter is the hard part: the weeks around finals and commencement are the busiest on campus, so the session date is chosen with the academic calendar open on the table.
Worth knowing about Chicago
Northwestern University treats all non-news photography on its Evanston and Chicago campuses as commercial work routed through Global Marketing and Communications, and its policy bars commercial filming inside residence halls and libraries and during the week before and the week of final exams. The policy does not mention graduation portraits by name, so a Chicago graduation session on the Northwestern campus is cleared with that office before the date and keeps to outdoor frames.
What does the session in Chicago look like?
- The Lakefill, Northwestern University, Evanston
- Lakeshore rocks and open water, with the Chicago skyline in the far distance behind a gown.
- Deering Library, exterior
- The Gothic facade graduates recognize at a glance, photographed from the lawn rather than inside.
- Chicago Cultural Center
- The downtown alternative for graduates of a Loop campus, under a permit that names graduations.
What does graduation photos in Chicago include?
- 30 retouched photographs
- Two campus locations chosen for the school’s landmarks
- Solo, family and friend-group frames
- Private online gallery within 5 business days
- Print release for personal use
FAQ — Graduation photos in Chicago
Can graduation photos be taken inside Deering Library at Northwestern?
Not as a hired shoot. Northwestern University’s filming and photography policy does not allow commercial filming in its libraries or residence halls, and it counts all non-news photography as commercial. A Chicago graduation session therefore photographs Deering Library from outside, where the Gothic facade is the frame graduates want anyway, and confirms the plan with Northwestern Global Marketing and Communications first.
Can a Chicago graduation session use the Chicago Cultural Center?
Yes, with a permit from the Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events, whose photography policy names graduations among the posed shoots that need one. The Chicago Cultural Center books permits one month at a time, at least two weeks ahead, and asks that no part of the building, restrooms included, be used to change into a gown.