The Student News Site of Harvard-Westlake School

The Harvard-Westlake Chronicle

The Student News Site of Harvard-Westlake School

The Harvard-Westlake Chronicle

The Student News Site of Harvard-Westlake School

The Harvard-Westlake Chronicle

Say cheese: alumni capture student life with photos

Visual arts teacher Kevin O’Malley commissioned three alumni to take photographs of alumni and students for an upcoming art show titled ‘Decades.’

Curatorial assistant at the Hammer Museum January Parkos-Arnall ’96 is organizing the show, which is part of the 25th Anniversary Alumni celebration.

Michele Asselin ’90, an editorial photographer whose work has been featured in Time Magazine and The New Yorker, took portraits of roughly 30 seniors Feb. 9-10.

Asselin said that she chose to photograph seniors because she wanted to capture them in the midst of their transition out of high school.

During each shoot, Asselin asked the student questions about themselves and read their college essays out loud, capturing their reactions.

Asselin said that reading the essays allowed her to establish a personal connection with each student.

“These students are amazing,” Asselin said. “I feel like I photographed such incredible people. The essays were so powerful, thoughtful, interesting and so varied.”

Art Streiber ’80, a photographer who specializes in portrait, corporate, entertainment and advertising projects, will be photographing students who live further than 25 miles from the school.

Matt Sayles ’00, a celebrity portrait and documentary photographer, will take photos of various alumni to showcase the previous generations of students.

O’Malley said that he is excited to see how the showcase will turn out.

“I was able to see several portraits on [Asselin’s] monitor in the studio,” O’Malley said. “They are nothing short of exquisite. She is such a master of light. I like the idea of her interacting with this generation of students.”

 

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Say cheese: alumni capture student life with photos