Virtual UCDA Design Conference: Matthew Lester

Matt Lester is a photographer specializing in higher education admissions at Matthew Lester Photography. He’s a visual storyteller who captures the excitement of education. As a lifelong learner who loves education, he creates images that capture a sense of place and the spirit and energy of the students. He’s based in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, and works nationally telling the story of clients from liberal arts colleges to large state universities.

3. PHOTOGRAPHY IN THE TIME OF COVID [PANEL]
Panel presentation with Ryan Pierce and Jonathan Ziegler
During this panel, Matt, Ryan, and Jonathan will talk about admissions photography on campus during the pandemic and finding creative solutions to show how to work with the limitations of remote learning, social distancing, and other issues. They will present case studies of recent projects photographed during this time and talk about how we adapted the process to meet the current needs and challenges. 

From Matt Lester: In March, as our world contracted because of Covid-19, daily walks became something of a lifeline. It was the only structure in our days, but it was also an exercise in seeing. Suddenly we were relishing details we’d never noticed before. My wife Marla proposed a goal, to walk every block of our city, Lancaster, Pennsylvania. We bought a paper map and started to mark off the 113 miles of streets as we completed them.

At first the empty streets and sidewalks seemed eerie. But soon we began to realize it gave us space to look in a new way. Our days slowed to a single outing, our pace slowed to a walk, we began to spot wonders in each block – architectural details and the patterns woven into each row of houses, the whirls of tree trunks or the texture of paint flaking from walls.

It felt like traveling. We explored neighborhoods that we had rarely visited and walked down side streets that we never had been on before. Even on street we thought we knew, we began to see more.

The project made me think about seeing college and university campuses in a different way and how you can find the visual details that make your school unique. Let’s talk about some creative exercises to get you into the framework of of expecting to find something new, sparking creativity, and uncovering wonder. We’ll also talk about how to translate what you find into images that tell the story of your institution.

See other images from their walk here: https://matthewlester.com/new-ways-of-looking-at-a-campus/