None of us have experienced going to school during a pandemic. In the long history of GA, this year is certainly a new chapter worth documenting. The Honors Photography class is working on a special project this semester called “School in a Pandemic” to capture these unique moments in GA history.
The students participating in this class take photos at many different locations at GA, including classrooms, the library, the quad, and the playground. With each frame, they try to capture moments that demonstrate how COVID affects the GA community.
The daily life of a GA student, from classes, lunch, to other large gatherings, is fundamentally different. Due to COVID-19 regulations, most classes have adapted different ways of learning to fit into social distancing requirements. Classes are held with students in the classroom as well as on Zoom. In addition, musical practices are conducted outside on the quad, and fewer people are gathered for study halls. “School in a Pandemic” captures our community memories of this special journey.
Is taking photos with strict COVID regulations easier or more difficult?
Several students were interviewed to share their experiences. Senior Jordan Robertson explains that taking photos is easier because “having to stay away from people means they don’t notice you as much and that makes for better photos.” It is true that some people get nervous or uncomfortable when they realize their photo is being taken, so it might be easier to get more natural-looking photos while having to be further away and more discreet. On the contrary, senior Grace Brogan says: “It certainly adds a new level of difficulty to shooting, but I think the challenges [distanced photography] bring[s] can allow photographers to be more creative when overcoming them in order to create new pieces.” Because everyone is wearing a mask, the photographer may need to capture the moment in a different manner, instead of focusing on people’s smiles and facial expressions. Employing different techniques may allow them to generate photos of different poses and layouts.
Through the “School in a Pandemic” project, Honors Photography students are documenting a monumental moment in history. The photos capture GA’s community spirit, which reminds us how lucky we are able to attend school in person during this pandemic. The pictures will soon be available in the library, so feel free to stop by there to check out their memorable and creative work!
Special thanks to the following students for their time:
Grace Brogan ‘21
Charlotte DiLello ‘21
Jordan Robertson, ‘21
Jenisha Savani ‘21