Pulse@ChathamU’s Student Photographers Pick Their Favorite Photos of 2023
A Chatham University student rolls a bowling ball at an off-campus game night. (Kyle Ferreira ’24)
Student photographers are the eyes of Pulse@ChathamU. They see campus through a viewfinder and capture images that bring stories to life. Many times, those photographs have stories of their own.
As part of Pulse’s end-of-the-year coverage, the Office of Marketing and Communications’ two student photographers, Liam Lyons ’24 and Kyle Ferreira ’24, shared the memories behind their of their favorite photos from 2023. These responses have been edited for clarity.
Liam Lyons ’24: I was able to go to a rehearsal for one of the Drama Club's performances, it was a great experience. I'm happy to see the Drama Club being built back up over the past few years. But these photos also just happened to come out looking amazing, shout out to the Chatham Drama Club!
Kyle Ferreira ‘24: Students gather to celebrate the holidays at Chatham's annual Candlelight at the Campbell Memorial Chapel. I really like the lighting of this photograph. The candles create a warm and comforting atmosphere to the image that captures the magic of the moment.
Liam Lyons ’24: I've don't a few Office of Admissions & Aid events on campus over the years, but this one was a gem. This photo screams, "I just woke up, but I'm happy to be here". It's the little fun photos like this that make this job pretty fun most of the time, you ened up meeting and taking photos of funny, interesting people.
Kyle Ferreira ’24: Students play cornhole during the Campus Welcome Picnic at the beginning of the fall 2023 semester. I really like the action captured in the photograph and that the background provides context about the event.
Liam Lyons ’24: The Visual Arts and Studio Arts survey is a classic at Chatham, in the Art and Design Center, once a semester, all the art that was made is shown off in the hallways. I major in media arts myself, so I get to take photos of friends, meet some new people, and check out what my classmates have made that semester. Taking the photos of all of it is just a nice bonus.
Kyle Ferreira ’24: A student bowling at Zone 28 during Chatham's off-campus Game Night. This is one of my favorite photographs I've taken this semester. I like the symmetrical composition, plus the action of the student throwing the bowling ball was perfectly captured.
Why did you take this job? What did you get from it?
Liam Lyons ’24: I took this job at first because I wanted to get better at photography, and maybe try to get out of the house. It ended up being a great way to go to events I would not have normally gone to, meeting people I would not have normally went. And, yes, lighting on campus was not always great, and I for sure forgot my SD cards once or twice, but in the end, I got to take great photos of great people. I learned so much about lighting, framing, and people during these events. I like taking photos to create something that is really cool, but it also happens to be a great way to meet people.
Kyle Ferreira ’24: Working as an event photographer for Chatham has been an excellent opportunity to gain experience photographing a wide variety of events that help expand my portfolio. As someone who intends to pursue photography professionally, this experience is invaluable to me. However, this job has done more for me personally than just help my career. I transferred to Chatham as a commuter student in 2020, probably the worst timing possible. With the pandemic altering how the whole world worked for a good two years, I felt rather disconnected from campus life. Photographing events has brought me to campus more often, and I've connected with people I may never have met otherwise.