How Duke’s Iconic Class Photo Became a 20-Year Tradition

What started with chalk lines and careful calculations now relies on robots, drones and months of planning

Duke University's 2030 class photo
Drones now capture the image of Duke University's class photo each year. Photo by Duke University Communications

Back in 2006, Duke Student Affairs had a simple request that has become an iconic tradition:

Could Duke Photography take a class photo of the incoming first-year students? And could they pose the students in enormous numerals of their planned graduation year?

It was a straightforward query that would require significant planning and teamwork.

For instance, how big do each of the numbers need to be to fit more than 1,700 first-year students? How would those numbers be sketched out on the grass to inform students where they should stand? And how on earth would they even take the photo, guaranteeing enough light and the perspective needed to capture the entire scene?

For 20 years, photographer Bill Snead has been on the forefront of ensuring the class photo was captured. This year, for the class of 2030, Snead, now a Senior Multimedia Producer at Duke Divinity School, handed over the reins – and the drone controls – to Multimedia Producer Ayanna Shepherd.

“I’m wrapping up 20 years and I think the next 20 years of class photos is in good hands with Ayanna on board as the drone pilot,” Snead said.

The early years

In the early years, former Duke Photographer Les Todd calculated the precise size of each numeral needed for each graduating class year, approximating two square feet per student. A similar concept for a class photo spelled out "DUKE" in four letters starting in 1998, so there was already an understanding of how to sketch the plan. Drawing the numbers in grids became the first step each year.

Then it would become a team effort to draw chalk outlines on the grass on East Campus near Lilly Library in the shape of each digit with the same equipment Duke Athletics used to line athletic fields. That process could take eight to nine hours, Snead said.

scissor lifts are positioned around a field for photographers
three people stand atop a scissor lift positioned on the edge of a field on Duke's East Campus

The early days of Duke's annual photo involved multiple scissor lifts that raised photographers and flash photography equipment high into the air. Photos courtesy of Duke University Communications.

Since 2019, Duke Marketing and Communications has used what Snead calls a “paint robot” that can accomplish the same task in about 20 minutes after dimensions are input by Ian Christie, Senior Superintendent for Landscape Services in Duke Facilities Management.

“It’s way easier,” Snead said.

The early photos also required five scissor lifts – platforms that could be raised from the ground 60 feet into the air. Four held flash lighting equipment to illuminate the scene, while one was for the photographer to take the photo from high above.

After Snead got his drone license in 2019, capturing the photo became even easier.

“It’s a bigger production when the lifts and lights are there – that always got everyone's attention and there's lots of oohs and aahs,” Snead said. “But from a safety standpoint, from a quality-of-photo standpoint, and then moving the focus from ‘the photographer's making the photo’ to ‘the students having the experience and the photo’s just part of it’ – that’s worked out quite well.

A collage shows a person lining a field with a chalk pail on the left while another holds an umbrella over them. The photo on the right shows a scissor lift positioned on Duke University

Bill Snead takes a selfie from high atop a lift where he will take the Duke class photo

At left, the early days of class photos required chalk outlines drawn onto a field and 60-foot lifts to raise photographers. At right, Bill Snead takes a selfie before snapping a class photo. Photos courtesy of Duke University Communications

The 20th year

Dedicated planning for the class photo begins just after graduation in May, according to Julie Schoonmaker, Marketing and Communications Director of Multimedia and Production, with three months of concentrated planning needed to work out the logistics, equipment and staffing.

This year, the one thing no one could control caused last-minute adjustments: the weather.

For the first time in the class photo’s 20-year history, the rain date was used because of forecasted storms on the planned date, Aug. 21. With the rescheduled Aug. 23 date shared on Duke Flyer screens in dining halls and on A-frame signs at the East Campus photo site, the full “2030” graduation year was filled out.

a paint robot paints lines on a field at Duke
Ayanna Shepherd and Bill Snead stand with a drone

At left, a "paint robot" outlines the numerals where students stand for the class photo, now. At right, Ayanna Shepherd and Bill Snead pose with the drone that took the 2030 class photo in 2026. Photos courtesy of Duke University Communications

“We want to make it special,” Schoonmaker said. “This is really one of the only times, other than convocation, that the full class is together in one spot prior to when they’re in Wallace Wade for commencement. So being able to play a role in bookending the entire class being together is really special.”

Shepherd, who got her drone license this year, practiced the drone’s flight path three times before the main event, following guidance provided by Snead.

the full staff of Duke Marketing and Communications who helped with the class photo
Duke Class of 2030 students wave up at the drone

At left, it takes a village to plan and execute the event of taking the incoming student class photo each year at Duke. At right, the Class of 2030 waves up at the drone that took this year's photo. Photos courtesy of Duke University Communications

“When you're there, there’s just limited time to get the shot that you need,” Shepherd said. “When the actual day came, I was pretty calm because I had practiced and I was just doing what I had practiced.”

Over the past 20 years, the methods might have changed but the spirit of teamwork to capture the image has remained the same.

“The first 20 years have been special, and I’m really grateful to be part of such a timeless tradition," Shepherd said.

Video by Duke University Marketing and Communications

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