Ever wondered what campus is like in the middle of the night? Or what’s happening in the early-morning hours, before classes start and students start emerging from their residence halls? Or wondered about that light on in a building when everyone else has gone to bed? (Don’t worry—it’s definitely a workaholic, not a restless ghost.)
To answer those questions, University Marketing photographer Josh Biggs thought up an ambitious concept—photograph the campus through all of its cycles in a single day. He talked to The NAU Review about the 24 Hours of NAU project and how all of the Lumberjack community can explore campus along with them.
What is the 24 hours of NAU project?
The 24 Hours of NAU project is a multi-faceted photo project that will attempt to capture as many aspects of our campuses as possible in a 24-hour period. It kicks off at sunrise on Oct. 5 and goes through the night on Oct. 6.
We’re very excited to create the most documented day in the history of the institution, with so many photographers, subjects and stakeholders taking part. Our photographers will be fanning out to all corners of NAU, even out in the field and in communities, catching the types of moments that happen every day on our campuses.
Why are we doing it?
We get a lot of opportunities in University Marketing to showcase the breadth of the impacts that NAU makes. This project takes a different approach by actually showing the density of those impacts in a single day. Each photo in the project will have a time stamp and will be part of a greater story that will illustrate the regularity of all the amazing moments that are constantly happening at NAU.
Also, we are not just showcasing students and faculty. We’re also focusing on staff and community partners that are essential to the NAU identity.
What’s going to happen on that day?
We’re not going to be getting much sleep! No, really—we’ll kick off capturing some of the early risers on campus, shooting practices and drills in the early morning light. Then as campus wakes up, we’ll be in all the spaces that students, faculty and community members are in. Once the lights go off on campus, we’ll be in the residence halls, libraries and dining areas where students, staff and faculty gather.
Where can I follow the project?
The story will be posted on the NAU Instagram channels in mid-October. Images will also be available to faculty/staff at the University Marketing photo portal, with the keyword 24HONAU.