Students find 'a sense of place' through photography (8 photos)

Earlier this year, Grade 12 photography students from St. Mary’s College were tasked with capturing a sense of place through their photography.

Several hundred photos later, the class hosted an exhibition of its work at Mill Market.

Two of those photography students - Austin Irwin Shae McLurg - were on hand Saturday morning at the bustling market to answer questions and take feedback from the public.

“The most challenging aspect for me personally was to really bring out the sense of place, not to be taking a photo of just a building or just a room - to really have a story behind each photo,” said McLurg.

Students took feedback from peers and teachers, and did research on all the places in Sault Ste. Marie they visited while taking the photos.

McLurg, wanting to “bring a new look” to a piece of the Sault’s history, decided to use the old general hospital site on Queen St. East in order to tell a story about his hometown.

“I knew it going in because I live really close to it, so I see it all the time, I’ve biked near it,” McLurg said. “I’ve always been fascinated with abandoned place, and I’ve always felt with the hospital it was a big part of the Sault, and we’ve all moved on from it.”

“I wanted to dive into its history and what it is now, and really show [what] it’s become and bring a new look to what once was a really proud hospital [it] was.”

The photography class decided on two sites for its exhibit - Mill Market and the Centennial Branch of the Sault Ste. Marie Public Library - to show the public a number of scenes of Sault Ste. Marie, seen through different perspectives.

“Some people chose the locks, or Lake Superior,” McLurg said, while passersby at the Mill Market glanced at the photos on display. “We set up here today to try to open the community’s eyes to these photos, instead of them just being for our class.”

While opening day for the photography exhibit provided the public with a small sample, the full exhibit can be seen from June 11-15 at the library downtown.

The public is also encouraged to provide feedback in writing at the exhibit, or by leaving comments on the student group’s Instagram account,@smc_photography.