For the Passionate Photographer: Photo Ops around Mudd!

I’m not sure if you’ve noticed, but Mudd hasn’t exactly topped any lists of “The Nation’s Most Beautiful Colleges.” In fact, we Mudders lovingly joke about our “wart”-covered walls quite often (all in good fun!).

As a bright-eyed and bushy-tailed photographer, I arrived on the first day of orientation with my camera tucked away in one of my many move-in bins, waiting to capture new memories. But I can’t say I had much hope that my beloved Canon would ever leave that sequestered spot, especially not for something like architectural photography. 

Somehow, I proved myself wrong!

The first time I truly took out my camera was near the end of first semester, as a sort of “parting photo session” with my friends. The snow on the mountains was particularly bright that day, so we went out for a quick jaunt on the sidewalk along Foothill Boulevard (on the north side of campus) to get a clearer view. For me, it was a 2-in-1 deal—I got to capture the mountains in all their wintery beauty, and I took some wholesome candid pictures of my friends! To me, candids feel like the most natural form of photography. But landscape photography is one of my favorites as well, and I highly recommend that little path along the street for the ultimate glimpse of the gorgeous snow-capped mountains. Plus, Mt. Baldy is only a 20-minute drive away from campus if you want an even better view!

I’d been taking photos for our school newspaper, the Muddraker, for a few months. But at that point I’d only used pictures from my phone, because it’s pretty difficult to constantly lug around a big DSLR camera. But after trying my camera out the first time, I felt like I’d broken some kind of spell. I was free to take any pictures I wanted, and I made a goal to paint our campus in the best light possible.

This spring semester, I’ve started taking more photos for Mudd’s social media. You can probably find me enlisting my friends for candid photos in the small orange grove on the west end of campus, making my way through campus right before golden hour to capture the people playing sports on the lawn, or running up to the third floor of Shanahan just in time for a particularly beautiful sunset. These are just a few of the amazing spots for photo ops around campus, and there are so many more beyond this to discover.

So for all those wondering whether photographers can thrive on Mudd campus, the answer is a resounding yes. And if you ever hear someone tell you to “act candid,” even if it’s an oxymoron—don’t hesitate, just do it! You never know; maybe one day, you’ll be lucky enough to find yourself featured on the cover photo of the latest Harvey Mudd Instagram post.