HOW TO TAKE A PHYSICALLY-DISTANCED MATRICULATION PHOTO

from The Journal 2020

MEMBERS

In contrast to the cover image of this edition of the Journal - taken in October 2019 - the 2020 matriculation photos posed a new challenge to our regular photographer, John Thompson of Jet Photographic. In place of a carefully-constructed gantry, to be negotiated gingerly in heels and gowns, students faced a new health and safety risk: COVID.

Colleges tackled the obvious problem of proximity in a number of ways. Some resorted to aeriel shots, taken from chapels and towers; others opted to photograph students in their household ‘bubbles’. But at Fitzwilliam, we firmly believe in the the best of the old and the new, and were keen to attempt something a little more 21st century: a digital composition, designed to recreate the traditional photograph, but ‘stitched’ together using technology.

The work began several months before the arrival of the students, when a hardy group of graduate students - locked down in the summer at Fitzwilliam - agreed to be guinea pigs. Look closely at the picture in the background...can you see anything unusual?

John Thompson explains: “In lockdown last summer I was fully aware we may not be able to take our traditional Matriculation picture on our staging. I had this idea of trying to take individual people, superimposing it and making it look just like the Matriculation photos colleges are accustomed to.

“Living in a village and due to lockdown, the challenge was finding half a dozen young people to experiment on. Fortunately, Suzy Sheardown from Tutorial volunteered some graduate students. We arranged a summer’s evening and half a dozen graduate students came along in their gowns.”

Thanks to Jet Photographic for this historic creation...

The undergraduate Freshers’ photos were taken on Tuesday 6 October, details of which are pictured here, and the graduate photos were taken on Saturday 10 October, with plenty of students using the opportunity to get their own photographs in their gowns. Socially-distanced queuing was required, and, unsurpisingly, the process was a lot more involved for the photography team.

John adds: “My staff said they much prefer using staging – it’s so much easier. Just taking the photographs was a challenge. We had to take three photographs. The first photograph was a student holding their name identifier, then we took another photograph of them pretending they were on the staging – we had to make sure some were sitting, some were standing – and then we had our traditional portrait posed with the College backdrop.

The process of stitching wasn’t exactly straightforward either, many students were quarantining for the start of term - either due to international travel or possible infection - and that process couldn’t begin until all the photographs were taken.

While it is hoped that next year’s photographs can be ‘back to normal’, we are very proud of the creations overleaf...

2020 GRADUATIONS

Following the UK-wide lockdown, the University announced that all graduation ceremonies would take place in absentia until further notice. Most eligible Fitzwilliam students - undergraduate and graduate - have taken their degrees through this process. The College will welcome back all students affected by the change of arrangements to celebrate their success as soon as it is safe to do so.

The Senate House is planning to hold a ceremony for those who graduated in absence that will replicate much of the standard graduation ceremony. Graduands will be presented by the Praelector in Latin. The only difference will be that, once presented in turn to receive the degree, they will be congratulated individually for having received the degree, instead of admitted to the degree. The Graduands also will not kneel since that is a symbol of submission to receiving the degree. It may also be the case that social distancing will still prevent some of the positions for standing or kneeling, anyway. In all other respects the ceremony will be as a graduation ceremony. Everyone will wear the gowns of the degree already received, so that Cambridge graduates receiving postgraduate degrees will wear the postgraduate hoods rather than the one for the degree which they previously received.

Dr James Aitken, Praelector