From the Eagle’s Eye, a rotating student photography exhibit on the fourth floor of Maloney Hall, accepts submissions based on a new theme every semester. The Spring 2018 exhibit’s theme is “gratitude,” and the submissions were all extraordinarily touching and personal. Many of the pieces included a note about the picture—who it was taken of or why it’s important. Students who have no background in photography are also encouraged to submit their pictures, with the hope that the exhibit will allow viewers to get a glimpse of everyday Boston College life.
The exhibit contained pieces with subjects ranging from nature, to family and friends, to volunteer cohorts. It truly illustrated just how diverse gratitude can be.
In a stunningly simple picture submitted by Lori Niehaus, MCAS ’18, two monkeys gently hold on to each other while looking out into the green, leafy horizon. The tender serenity exemplified in the monkeys’ stance instantly puts the viewer at ease. The photograph illustrates how important it is to enjoy the simplicities of nature.
Another nature-themed highlight was a picture of BC in the fall submitted by Jennifer Arruda, CSON ’19. The photograph encapsulates the bright reds and golds of the New England foliage. The message accompanying the photo was simple:
“I love fall in New England,” Arruda wrote. “I captured this on my way to class a few weeks ago.”
It is an important reminder to open our eyes and absorb the beautiful world we live in. Students should put down their phones and look up to the sky and around them to fully take in BC’s stunning campus, or else the time will pass right before their eyes—even the brightest fall foliage only lasts but a few days.
A picture submitted by Kassandra Phillips, MCAS ’18, depicts the shadowed outline of a girl looking up at the brilliantly green and orange Northern Lights. The entire photograph is dark except for the glowing sky. The photograph was taken in Iceland—a country not many get the chance to travel to. In the caption, Phillips wrote that she was “so thankful to get the opportunity to see something so amazing.”
Many students submitted photography taken on service trips or while studying abroad. These pictures were touching, as they often involved students interacting with the youth of an underprivileged country. Others were centered on unique landscapes that can’t be replicated or found anywhere in the United States.
An impressive shot from abroad was submitted by Sadiq Ervin, LSOE ’19, and featured a young child standing over a large crowd of pigeons. Ervin’s caption read “[pigeons] are much more beautiful outside of street corners and train platforms,” illustrating the sheer beauty of nature when one takes the time to truly examine it. This candid photograph looks professional—the child’s shadow is cast perfectly in a space without pigeons and the large group of birds contrasts with the water in the background.
Some of the pieces were organized strategically throughout the reception area. For example, two pictures with a strikingly bright blue as the main color were positioned next to each other. The photograph on top, by Kerri Evans, SSW ’20, was a close-up of beautiful bluish-purple flowers. Directly underneath it was a picture of a baby crawling in the grass by Ivelisse Mandato, MCAS ’20. The baby had large, clear blue eyes and was wearing a blue shirt and socks. The different shades of blue in these two pictures complemented each other, and the placement of the two pieces almost presented them as one whole.
There are 14,125 different ways Boston College is being experienced at this very moment. From the Eagle’s Eye strives to exhibit these different personal journeys. By displaying work of students from different walks of life, in different years of schooling, with different levels of photography skills, From the Eagle’s Eye effectively illuminates BC through the unique lives of its students.
Featured Image by Sam Zhai / Heights Staff
