As I wandered round the exhibition, the overwhelming feeling was awe at the slickness and sophistication of the whole enterprise. Exhibitions are run by students – but usually from derelict buildings with exhibits tacked clumsily onto exposed brick walls. This was in one of Britain’s major art museums, and was accompanied by champagne. The works were presented beautifully and crisply despite the problems presented by fitting them into the pre-existing framework of the museum – for one night only, before the exhibition moves to the Union. It should also be noted that the attendees were looking no less well put together.

I haven’t even mentioned the exhibits yet – which were of a very high standard. Importantly, the pleasantly inexplicit theme of ‘English heritage’ presented a unifying element while allowing for diversity in approach over the six projects. Works presented very different aesthetics, ranging from immediate, crisp contrasts to more opaque, abstract forms. It acted almost as an advert for the medium’s possibilities, even extending into video in one project (and on the website, www.cambridgefaces.com).

I was captivated by Crystal Ding’s work based on capturing the ‘very English’ idea of reserve: what happens when the mask slips? Her clever exploration of surely one of the central tenets of portrait photography was aided by the beautiful juxtapositions presented: a close-up face blurred beyond readability emphasised the presence of another, equally opaque despite its formal clarity, in the background. The images hinted at stories that made me wonder long after moving on.

Harry Carr and Lizzy Burden’s look at Cambridge professors and their childhood ambitions had a similarly entrancing narrative quality, and was charmingly and surprisingly intimate. Many of the images were stunningly composed - and also had the added bonus of a playful strand running throughout (I might ask my professors what they daydream about).  

Thurstan Redding’s own project stood out because it considered portraiture from a very different angle. What should a portrait look like when it’s capturing a feel or an era rather than an individual? His look at style over the last century was charming, fresh and no less visually striking - and had the greatest number of viewers poring over it.

I’m going to withhold the details of the last three sequences, because you should go and take a look for yourselves. You’ve missed out on the champagne – but not on the images, which are also shortly available for purchase on the website with all the money raised going to charity.

See 'Cambridge Faces' at the Cambridge Union 14-15 March, or visit the website - www.cambridgefaces.com. You can also read an interview with Thurstan Redding, the exhibition's creator, at http://www.varsity.co.uk/culture/4607