My Favorite Photo Spots At Kent State

It’s no secret I have a lot of photoshoots while at school. In fact, with roughly four blog posts a week I racked up thousands of pictures throughout my freshman year of college. Today, I thought it would be fun to round up some of my favorite locations on and around campus to take photos.

Whether you’re a blogger yourself or just looking to snap some cute photos with your girls, this post has got all of my top locations! However, these aren’t the only places I shoot photos in Kent so you’ll have to check out my archives to get the whole scoop.

THE FRONT OF THE ROCKWELL (THE FASHION SCHOOL)

Hands down, one of my favorite places to take photos on campus is in front of Rockwell also known as the fashion school. It’s got a mirrored front with the word FASHION across the front that’s perfect for photos. There’s also this cool windowpane pattern right next to the front door that I love to shoot in front of. I love the dimension of this location.

THE SIDE DOORS OF ROCKWELL

Along the side of Rockwell are these gorgeous brown doors. This is technically the side entrance although they keep these locked. The lighting is always spectacular here so this was a never fail shooting location for me. I also love taking photos on steps so if I’m not standing directly in front of the doors, you can find me on the steps instead.

THE BRAIN

It’s hard to explain where “the brain” is but if you’re a student at Kent I’m sure you know where it is. It’s on the backside of a few buildings I will be talking about later on in this post. It’s the center of this side of campus and has the coolest stone book wall. There’s also a few rocks around here and a fountain. This location is great if you catch it at the right time— I recommend the weekends around golden hour so the lighting isn’t as harsh and so there aren’t as many people around.

THE WHITE STAIRS OF THE ARCHITECTURE BUILDING

The architecture building is one of the most popular at Kent and definitely one of the coolest. It’s across the street from the fashion school and right next to the little cottage Starbucks. There is a gorgeous white staircase with several different flights of stairs. The whole side of the building is windows so the natural light in here is amazing. There are never any people here and the bathroom is right around the corner so outfit changes are super easy.

It gets so cold at Kent in the winter and this is one of the few indoor locations to shoot at. Sophie and I always came here when it was snowy or unbearable outside.

THE FRONT OF THE ARCHITECTURE BUILDING

As I mentioned, the architecture building obviously has really cool architecture. The building itself is orange with mirrored windows that turn full length as you move down. I love shooting here because these look like two different locations even though they are just a few steps apart from one another. Come here when class is in session so that there aren’t a lot of people or cars reflecting in your shot!

THE BACK OF THE ARCHITECTURE BUILDING

I discovered this little wall when leaving the architecture building one day. This ledge is on the back-half of the building and it reminds me of a parking garage. I love coming here for edgier outfits! Be careful if you sit on the ledge like I am here, the drop is insane lol.

THE FRONT OF FRANKLIN (THE JOURNALISM & MASS COMMUNICATIONS SCHOOL)

All of my classes were on this half of campus not the science/math/nursing side so the architecture of these buildings is so pretty for photos! These next three buildings I am about to share are all in a row so I would often shoot photos in front of one, then walk to the next, and then to the next. Franklin in specific is one of my favorite places. There are two large columns on either side with a grand staircase that was awesome for formal wear! It’s usually pretty quiet around here too so I very rarely had to worry about people being around.

IN FRONT OF THE DC LOOKING BUILDING

I cannot remember the name of this building for the life of me but it’s one of my favorites. It looks like it could be apart of the DC monuments so it always reminds me of home when passing. You can sit on the steps across the street to get the whole building in the shot but I also love standing right up by the lamp posts too!

THE BUILDING WITH THE HUGE COLUMNS

Next to the DC looking building (lol) is this other building with the hugest columns you’ve ever seen. I also cannot remember the name of this building (and Google Maps is not helping me hahah) but it’s one of my favorites. The lighting here is almost always stellar. Similar to the last few locations, this half of campus is very rarely busy and you can go right inside to change which is my favorite part of shooting on campus. The Brain is right behind this building and the DC looking one!

THE FRONT OF TRENO

When I was looking at colleges one of the reasons Kent sold me was the downtown area. It’s so cute with many different locations to eat, window shop, etc. I also loved how many places there were for me to take photos, as silly as that sounds. I only ever shoot here with Sophie because I have to drive here/need a car to change in but working our way around town is so convenient because everything is within two miles of each other.

The Italian restaurant Treno is a favorite shooting spot of mine. It’s got really gorgeous brick and sitting in the windowsill always makes for a good shot.

THE PARKING LOT BY RAYS

This a really random location but there is a small parking lot right in front of the train station and next to Ray’s. Sophie and I often park her car in this lot and then work our way around the various walls/side of buildings that are on the perimeter. There are a few different colored walls, doors, and stone. I love coming here for more casual outfits.

ACORN VALLEY

Acorn Valley is another section of downtown where there are various different coffee shops, brunch spots, etc. It connects the two sides of downtown and has lots of stairs and plain walls. This location is typically a bit more crowded and the lighting can be kind of tricky but when you catch it at a good time, the photos turn out awesome.

THE TRAIN

Similar to the side of Rockwell, photos in front of the train always have good lighting. I love the color palette of this location and you can work your way around it to snap a bunch of outfits all in the same area. If you go at the right time, the lighting will be perfect by the tracks themselves which are right behind this train!

KENT STAGE

I love shooting in front of Kent Stage and it’s usually where I shoot my more “out there” looks. I didn’t discover this spot until second semester but once I did, I couldn’t get enough of it. Be prepared to get a few weird looks and honks by the people driving by, lol.

SCRIBBLES/THE BRICK ACROSS THE WAY

Scribbles is a coffee shop in downtown Kent and it’s got the cutest mural on the side of it! It’s not great for full body shots but for close-ups it’s a really fun spot to hit up. I love the colors so much! Across the street from it is a strip of buildings. I honestly don’t know what they are or if the businesses are even up and running but I do know that the brick here is so pretty!

THE PAINTED ALLEY

The last spot I’m sharing today is the painted alley. I’m honestly the worst when it comes to directions and street names so I don’t know what two roads this alley connects but I do know it’s right by Tree City Coffee! There are a handful of painted murals on either side of the buildings that are so fun. The photos here usually come out a bit dark so make sure you go on a brighter day. Be careful too, cars can drive down here so you have to be extra alert!

Well, I can’t spill all my secrets so I’m going to leave this post at that. Compiling these locations made me realize how much fun I had shooting photos while at Kent! I could not love my campus more as there are so many unique photo ops. I am definitely going to be lost without my girl Sophie next year and hope I can find someone as helpful and willing to take my photos!

That’s a wrap for my top photo locations…. until August when I’m back in Ohio!

With love, McKenz

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