Connections through the camera: Mac student’s photography project helps foster online community

For William Liu, taking photos is not just a hobby, it’s become an essential part of his university experience.

The second-year Bachelor of Health Sciences student, who is originally from White Rock, B.C., is the creator behind @MacPresence, an Instagram account that features portraits of McMaster students on campus.

Liu, who lived in residence during his first year and didn’t know anyone at Mac before moving to campus, says the photography project was a good way to meet people while attending school virtually.

“One of the main reasons why I wanted to do this was to push myself out of my comfort zone,” says Liu.

He approaches strangers on campus and asks them if they want to be featured on the account – a conversation starter that has allowed him to meet new people he might not have otherwise.

“I was very, very nervous going into my first approach, but I think that, being uncomfortable, as cheesy as it sounds, is the way to grow, right?” says Liu.

Liu wants the Instagram page to reflect McMaster’s diversity, presence and community.

He credits the many international students he lived with in residence last year for expanding his worldview.

“You come to university and you meet so many diverse people from different backgrounds,” says Liu. “I just love meeting people and understanding the world better, that way, through their lens.”

And while campus was a quiet place when Liu launched the project, he says he wanted to show that there was still a community of people here studying and working.

Liu says he was initially inspired to create an online community during his first-year Health Sciences Inquiry course with Shahad Al-saqqar, a self-directed course that challenges students to build a community or demonstrate how they contribute to a community.

“What I envisioned what that this [page] would get pretty big and people would start identifying each other and getting to know each other,” says Liu, who’s hoping that he can pass the project on to another student when he graduates.

Until then, he says he is grateful for the connections the project has brought him and the positive reception he has gotten from his peers.

“It’s fascinating what people think about and their different perspectives and views,” says Liu. “There’s so many people around us and everyone has their own story.”