This year, Pam Connolly is the acting photography teacher. Being here has inspired her to take on a new project, taking portraits of students to capture a specific moment in their lives.

Connolly is shooting her subjects on a 4×5 large format camera. Her device is not an old camera itself, but it’s modelled after historical cameras that were common in the 1930s-1950s. Connally said, “The larger images have a really different look, they’re very velvety and have almost no grain.” Connolly is shooting in color.

Before coming to Masters, Connolly had just finished getting her masters and did her thesis on portraiture.

“When I came here I found the mix of people interesting. Because the theme is diversity and I see the world though faces and making photos, I thought it would be cool to show what it looks like to see diversity at Masters,” Connolly said.

The limited scope of a portrait, from just head to waist, gives viewers a narrowed focus. “It’s fascinating how they’re all different,” Connolly said.

Connolly started her project by getting volunteers to fill out a questionnaire before winter break. “My wish is that I’ll photograph twenty to thirty kids from now till May,  work on them during the summer, and then hang them in the summer,” Connolly said.