Photo of Rafael Moreno ’17 at last fall’s Opening Collection: Memorial for Victims of Summer ’16 Violence by Caleb Eckert ’17.
A recent Haverford magazine feature, “Haverford Through the Lens,” introduced readers to some of the talented students who make up the Office of College Communication’s student-photographer squad. These 10 Fords shot more than 30,000 photos during the 2016-17 academic year at 236 different events, helping to document the life of the College for the website, magazine, social media, and posterity. There were only so many pages that we could devote in print to their wonderful images, so we asked some of them to submit their 10 favorite photos and tell us (and you) what they’ve loved about and learned from seeing their school from behind their cameras’ lenses.
Victoria Merino ’20
I never imagined I would become a photographer. More so, I never imagined that photography would define my entire first year of college. Trying to adult online, I found a photography job opening at Haverford my first week here, and I’ve been photographing for the Office of College Communications ever since. Photography, for an extrovert like me, quickly became an open door to all types of events on campus. Through these events, I’ve had the incredible opportunity to meet so many different people. Photography also became my way of sharing an experience with someone. A photograph can be one of the best souvenirs you can give someone. So, in hopes of giving back for all the experiences people have given me at Haverford, I like to give people pictures. Soon enough, photography became one of my main identifiers on campus and part of my identity here. I’ve had such a great time as a photographer and can’t wait to continue meeting people, taking pictures, and sharing moments.
Rae Yuan ’19
I am always telling my friends that I have one of the best jobs on campus. As a student photographer, I can do something that I really enjoy, improve my photography skills, and practice post-production. I am (or I’m trying to be) the “invisible free person“ that can wander around at any event and capture beautiful moments and details of the campus and students’ lives. Shooting photos for the College has also brought me something that I didn’t expected at first. Thanks to this job, I have sat in so many panels and talks that didn’t suit my interests at first, but eventually helped me to gain a lot of knowledge and inspirations. I have been doing this job for almost two years now and have been enjoying it since Day One. I look forward to keeping telling stories about Haverford through my lenses in the future!
Lily Xu ’19
Being a student photographer at the Office of College Communications gives me a great opportunity to meet new people at different events. I believe a photo not only captures a specific moment in time, but also tells a story of a person, or a group of people. Although the presence of the camera can sometimes be distracting to the participants of certain activities that are being photographed, I always try my best to attain good photos without being too intrusive. Taking portraits was not something that I was familiar with before I started working for College Communications, but I am now becoming more interested in portrait photography. In the past year, I also made a few short videos featuring student activities, such as Casino Night, and the apple-picking trip. The filming and interviewing processes were initially very challenging to me, as I constantly had to force myself to communicate with strangers and to practice multi-tasking skills. I believe I have now grown into a more mature videographer/filmmaker because of this experience.
Lev Greenstein ’19
I came into college wanting to continue photography, but not knowing how. Luckily enough, I found this outlet. Taking pictures for the Office of College Communications gives me an opportunity to practice doing something I love while getting paid. It’s a pleasure. I think that if I keep at it, I’ll keep on getting better.
Claire Chenyu Wang ’20
My experience photographing at Haverford has always been a journey full of surprises (and sometimes panic). I’ve been to the events I’d never been to and discovered fields that I have never heard of. As mostly an event photographer, I learned to overcome my anxiety to stand or even lie down in front of the audience just in order to get a good angle. And we are problem solvers for the bad lighting in Magill and James, pushing through the crowd of a popular lecture and people covering their faces when they find out they are shot. Nevertheless, we always know the most beautiful areas for shooting portraits and all the secret staircases for bird views.
Wanyi Yang ’20
The best part of photographing for Haverford is going to all the events I haven’t thought about going to before. Although I have only been photographing for Haverford for one semester, thinking back on my experience, I’ve learned so many things just from attending these events. I went to Brewerytown to look at graffiti, and I also listened to a talk on an alternative theory to the Big Bang. Not to be cliche, but that again makes me realize the importance of a liberal arts education and reminds me that college is the time to explore. I shouldn’t just be going to events that fit my academic interests. And finally, free food at these events is amazing!
