John McGinn ’18 also contributed to this story.

Renowned photographer Platon will be visiting campus on Thursday, October 30 as part of the Distinguished Speaker Series at Malvern Prep.

Platon is most commonly known for his portraits of actors, presidents and world leaders, including Vladimir Putin on the cover of Time Magazine in 2007. His presentation will be themed on the anecdote, “Every picture tells a story.”

According to his website, he has taken portraits for Rolling Stone, New York Times Magazine, Vanity Fair, Esquire, GQ and the Sunday Times Magazine.

He has been invited to be a keynote speaker on leadership at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Chanel, Nike, Yale University, Oxford University, Wharton University, the National Portrait Gallery in London and International Center of Photography in NY. Now, when he visits the Duffy center, he will add Malvern to the list.

Platon was selected by the Head of School after Mr. Talbot attended a presentation by the artist at SEI in Oaks, PA. Mr. Talbot stated in his blog Teaching Excellence, “Platon exemplifies the student-centered approach to learning that distinguishes Malvern.”

Platon’s visit has sparked competition on campus. In anticipation of the event, Malvern has started a photo contest where students submitted two photos expressing the brotherhood we experience as fellow friars.

This isn’t the first student-learning project that sprung from the Distinguished Speaker series. Last year, a group of students and a group of parents participated in a program on leadership in the Duffy Center. The participants shared their work with Mr. Adam Bryant, a New York Times columnist and bestselling author.

“The project taught me essential leadership skills and how to work well in a group. It was really cool to work with such a distinguished author and learn from his experiences,” said Tommy Pero ‘17, who participated in the Bryant project last year.

All are invited to come to Platon’s talk in the Duffy Center on October 30. It is a unique opportunity to gain some insight on photography and get a true sense of the school theme of ‘creation’ this year. Tickets are available at www.malvernprep.org.