Delving into Portraiture: GC Faculty Photos Project

November 10, 2015

Professor Erica Walker working with students developing apps using Adobe AEM.

Professor O’Hara working in the lab with a student.

Written by Anna Mallard

This semester when tasked with an extra project for GC 3400 Digital Imaging and eMedia, I knew that I wanted to complete a project in an area that interested me. Coincidentally, this course contains a segment on photography, a hobby that I have enjoyed for several years and now get to use in my major. Somehow this extra project did not seem like an ‘extra’ project as some might see it. To me, it was a chance to creatively capture people doing what they love—in this case, it was photographing the professors in Clemson’s Graphic Communications program. Sure, it is easy enough to snap a photo of a professor up in front of a class or walking through the halls of Godfrey; but to capture a photo that encompasses someone as a university professional, yet also as someone who takes pride in the work they do, is much different.

Mrs. Jones working in the GC1020 lab with a student on her package design.

With each professor I met with, my goal was to portray them in a way that represented their specific skills and contributions to the GC program, whether it be teaching in the classroom, interacting with students, or working on the presses in lab the lab. Having studio portraits as a professional is certainly important. However, another aspect of professionalism is characterizing what makes you good in your profession. So, it is also important to have ‘engaged’ photos that represent what your profession is on a day-to-day basis. These types of photos can make a difference when networking with others, whether it be on a professional or personal level. These photographs will also help the GC faculty communicate their passions with current and potential students and alumni on the Graphics Faculty and Staff page.

In the midst of contacting all of the professors to set up photo shoots and taking the photographs, I was able to draw from previous experience as well as new photography skills gained in GC 3400 from the projects this semester with our DSLR cameras. In the class projects, I was challenged to take correctly exposed shots with thoughtful compos

Mr. Rose working on the duplicator press with a GC2070 student in basic lab.

ition—both characteristics that were extremely relevant in photographing all of the professors. Afterwards, I continued using these new skills while utilizing Adobe Bridge to organize, edit, and choose the best shots from the selection that I had taken.

GC faculty are key to the Graphic Communications program at Clemson, and it is essential that their skills and passion for teaching be captured and communicated; the time they give to developing students is something that deserves to be recognized. With this project, I am thankful for the opportunity to not only have gained practical photography skills, but also the chance to have put photography into a context that allowed me to interact and capture the GC faculty in this unique way.

See all the new faculty photos on our website faculty and staff page.