Photographer’s guide the City of Indianapolis

Indianapolis is the capital of the State of Indiana and its most populous city. It is home to sports venues, conventions, historic neighborhoods, museums, riverfronts, and mouth-watering cuisine. There are many different reasons to photograph the city of Indianapolis. This could be to document your vacation travel or to showcase your home city. Or it may be to promote a convention or portray the location of a business. Numerous shooting locations that can give your images drama, feeling, and flare. Below is a list of some of the best locations to showcase Indianapolis. Keep in mind it can take some planning and some patience to get the most memorable images of the city. Images captured in the early morning, early evening or during a storm can be the most dramatic, but you can also get some good images in the middle of the day.

The Soldier’s and Sailor’s monument on the Indianapolis circle is the most iconic image of Indianapolis. The Soldier’s and Sailor’s monument is a 284-ft tall neoclassical monument built on Monument Circle. The Circle is a brick-paved street that intersects Meridian and Market streets in the center of downtown Indianapolis, Indiana. The circle may be one of the best ways to represent the essence of the city.

There are also countless interesting photographic locations just north of the circle in University Park and the American legion Mall. This area just north of Monument Circle provides opportunities to photograph war memorials, statues, and historic buildings.

The Indianapolis skyline is also a wonderful way to represent the city. The skyline is easily recognizable and provides a sense of the size of the city. Locations to capture the city skyline include:

Hilltop Park is just east of downtown and is one of the best locations for sunsets with the cityscape in the background. One can frequently find families or couples enjoying the sunset, which add a human detention to your images.

White River West Drive, just north of the Indianapolis Zoo, is also an excellent location to capture the city skyline. One can photograph the moon rising above the skyline. And the cityscape can glow as the sun is setting in the evening. And if you are fortunate, you may capture a pink glow in the clouds above the skyline about ten to fifteen minutes after sunset.

The Riley grave in Crown Hill Cemetery is the county’s highest point and can provide a vista of the city. You will need a long lens for the city skyline to fill the frame.
The bridge at the intersection of Blackford and Wabash street over the central canal provides a closer image of the downtown skyline. The canal can provide a leading line that draws the viewer into the center of interest.

There are many other notable landmarks to photograph that portray the culture, history, and character Indy. These other landmarks may not represent the city as a whole but help to portray the city’s charm, culture and atmosphere. The Indianapolis Speedway, Lucus Oil Stadium, Holliday Park, Garfield Park, the Madam Walker Theater, Holcomb Gardens, Union Station, the President Benjamin Harrison Home, the Eiteljorg Museum, the Indianapolis Children’s Museum and City Market are just a few of the interesting places to showcase the city.

Have fun as you explore and photograph the city of Indianapolis. If you are searching for existing photographs of the city, you can find many examples on In Dancing Light’s Shutterstock collection.