I have been quarantining at Stanford since March. For the past 9 months, I’ve watched campus adjust to the strict COVID-19 measures set in place by Santa Clara County and settle into the new normal that will continue into the foreseeable future.
As an MA Journalism student focusing on visual communication (photography, documentary film, VR/AR journalism), my approach to photography follows a structure that is well-reported and straightforward. I have been documenting life on campus since March through photos – this specific photo series documents Stanford life as of November 2020. Some photographs in this short photo collection depict changes Stanford enacted back in March, while others highlight recent developments.
This fall quarter – around 600 undergraduate students reside on campus. Currently, Stanford plans to bring back 4000 students for winter quarter. Most students vacated campus in March, and have not seen what Stanford looks like in its current state. This photo series additionally serves as visual preparation for students who are coming back to campus in January and may be wondering what campus life looks like.
Of course, life on campus is subject to change at any given moment given the volatility of COVID-19. However, these photographs serve as pictorial evidence of what life on campus looks like in its current state – a physical time-stamp of what was and what potentially will continue to be.
