The Amish Project Portraits
I had the pleasure of photographing Princeton senior Caitlin Durkin to promote her performance in The Amish Project by Jessica Dickey. After seeing her stunning wardrobe, I was inspired by Vermeer’s Girl with a Pearl Earring—its soft light and stillness felt like the right mood for a story this powerful.
Princeton senior Senior Caitlin Durkin ’25 poses for a portrait to promote her one-person show, The Amish Project by Jessica Dickey.
Producing the poster art for The Amish Project was a delicate challenge—one I welcomed. The student actor, Caitlin Durkin, was performing a one-woman show, portraying six characters in the aftermath of a tragic 2006 school shooting in Nickel Mines, PA. Graphic designer Tracy Patterson and I wanted the visuals to match the emotional weight of the piece: raw, respectful, and compelling.
I collaborated with the student and my colleague to plan a portrait session that would serve multiple needs—poster design, social media, and web content. We shot both indoors with controlled lighting to highlight the solo performer, and outside during golden hour to capture a quiet, contemplative tone. The rural feel of the campus location helped echo the Lancaster County setting.
The final poster focused on a single, striking image of the protagonist. It was simple, but strong—touching on themes of resilience, forgiveness, and loss. Outtakes from the shoot didn’t go to waste: an outdoor portrait was featured in the event’s press release and web listing, while alternate indoor shots were repurposed for social media promotion.
This shoot reminded me that sometimes the most powerful portraits come from restraint—just one person, one story, one light.
Princeton senior Caitlin Durkin portrays six characters in Jessica Dickey’s compelling drama, The Amish Project, exploring the aftermath of the 2006 shooting at an Amish schoolhouse.
