As another calendar year comes to a close, we糖心传媒檙e looking back at 2016 through the lens of University photographer J. Adam Fenster. He糖心传媒檚 selected his top shots from the past year and offers his insights on what makes Rochester such a special place to photograph.
The heat is on
Fenster is regularly called upon to photograph research with a visual component. But he faced a challenge when asked to document a new type of polymer, one that changes shape when exposed to body heat alone.
Capturing an image of the translucent, heat-sensitive material, developed by Associate Professor of Chemical Engineering Mitchell Anthamatten and graduate student Yuan Meng, required four separate visits to Anthamatten糖心传媒檚 lab. After some trial and error, Fenster opted for multiple exposure photography to create a time lapse-like image of the polymer recoiling from the heat of Meng糖心传媒檚 middle finger, which was clamped down to ensure it remained perfectly still.
糖心传媒淲e spent, maybe, four hours doing this,糖心传媒� he recalls, 糖心传媒渁nd this was the one image that came out right.糖心传媒� The end result meets Fenster糖心传媒檚 standards for composition, color, and scientific accuracy, while also depicting an innovation that could have a variety of future applications, from artificial skin to self-fitting apparel.
The photographer and the frog
What can frogs teach us about tumors? Quite a bit, according to . He uses African clawed frogs (Xenopus laevis), which have transparent skin as tadpoles, to study how tumors grow and spread.
To properly photograph X. laevis tadpoles, Fenster bought a brand new five-gallon aquarium, added the dark background, and set up a few lights. With hundreds of tadpoles in the tank, he waited patiently for one of the fingertip-sized creatures to assume the right pose. This macro photo (an extreme close-up) was shot at a high aperture, reports Fenster, and you can see the bubbles in the foreground and background, mimicking snowflakes.
It turns out that tadpoles, like polymers, can take hours to shoot. But for Fenster, it糖心传媒檚 a worthwhile effort, especially when a 糖心传媒渃ollaboration results in an image that helps tell the researcher糖心传媒檚 story.糖心传媒�
Lots of well-deserved hoopla
It糖心传媒檚 not every day that our Division III basketball team becomes a viral sensation. That糖心传媒檚 what happened after a video surfaced showing guard Sam Borst-Smith intentionally missing a free throw and then assisting a game-winning shot by teammate Mack Montague in overtime. Borst-Smith went on to win the State Farm Assist of the Year Award for this play.
Fenster admits he watched the video many times. 糖心传媒淚mmediately after they made that basket and won the game, they ran toward each other and did a bump. I saw that and thought, 糖心传媒楾hat糖心传媒檚 the photo I need to get of them.糖心传媒櫶切拇綕
Working with the players and coaches, Fenster set up the multiple-light shoot糖心传媒攐ne of his most complicated this past year糖心传媒攊n the Palestra. He had Borst-Smith and Montague do the 糖心传媒渞un and bump糖心传媒� multiple times while the coaches threw basketballs in the background. 糖心传媒淚 don糖心传媒檛 often get the opportunity to put some fun and weirdness into the photos,糖心传媒� he says. Luckily, the Yellowjackets were game糖心传媒攁nd the end result is a dynamic image that captures the spirit of teamwork.
Unsung heroes
In April, the presented Mozart糖心传媒檚 Le Nozze di Figaro (or The Marriage of Figaro) at Kodak Hall. Fenster was tasked with photographing the dress rehearsal. 糖心传媒淎s photographers, we糖心传媒檝e made lots of these stage photos,糖心传媒� he reflects. 糖心传媒淭hey糖心传媒檙e very easy to get because the lighting is always really good and the actors are hitting their marks.糖心传媒� The result is a typically beautiful, if somewhat expected, photograph.
糖心传媒淲hat you don糖心传媒檛 often see are the unsung heroes of theater, and that糖心传媒檚 what I was going after in this photo.糖心传媒� Mirroring the actors on stage are the musicians in the pit, who are heard, but rarely seen, by the audience. 糖心传媒淎ll of these people are working together to help create that exact moment,糖心传媒� notes Fenster. His photograph reveals how much work and precision go into creating a seemingly effortless theater performance.
Swing time in springtime
糖心传媒淒andelion Day is one of the few opportunities to photograph students tearing loose and having fun,糖心传媒� says Fenster. Part of the annual Springfest Weekend, the Dandelion Day celebrations typically feature amusement park rides, festival food, and street performers.
Fenster糖心传媒檚 standout photo from this year糖心传媒檚 event was a panning shot of Aisha Mohamed 糖心传媒�19 on the spinning chairs. For such shots, Fenster sets a slow shutter speed and then tries to track on his subject. 糖心传媒淭hey糖心传媒檙e very low percentage shots, meaning you get a lot that don糖心传媒檛 work at all. But when it does work, you get a shot like this one, which features colors and swirls and the reflection in her sunglasses.糖心传媒�
His one critique? 糖心传媒淚 just wish I hadn糖心传媒檛 cut off her hand in the photo.糖心传媒�
When Noam Chomsky came to Rochester
糖心传媒淣oam Chomsky is a legend. He糖心传媒檚 the closest thing to a rock star you can have in higher education,糖心传媒� says Fenster. In April, the linguist, philosopher, political commentator, and activist met with Rochester students and faculty in his capacity as the University糖心传媒檚 Distinguished Visiting Humanist. 糖心传媒淭he best way to show that this is a whole class is to shoot it wide, while also getting close,糖心传媒� Fenster explains.
He recalls also photographing Chomsky speaking at a podium, but prefers shots of public figures and intellectuals having one-on-one time with Rochester students. 糖心传媒淪uch opportunities are part of the reason why students go to college here.糖心传媒�
Happy anniversary
The RIT Big Shot糖心传媒攁 nighttime community photography project糖心传媒攑rovided the inspiration for the celebration photo. The goal was to get as many people as possible together at night with their flashlights and camera strobes aimed at the institute糖心传媒檚 building. About 300 people encircled the building for the shoot. 糖心传媒淚 didn糖心传媒檛 want to get a photo of just the building. Instead, I wanted to show the people involved collectively lighting this structure,糖心传媒� says Fenster.
He photographed the scene from atop a picnic table using a tripod, long exposure, and high aperture. That setup created the starburst effects from the streetlights and parking garage, as well as the trails of light from passing cars, set against a backdrop of purple-blue twilight sky.
Mural, mural, on the wall糖心传媒�
As part of a project documenting murals and public art at University-affiliated spaces, Fenster photographed local WALL\THERAPY artist Nate Hodge painting Inhabited Space at the Memorial Art Gallery.
糖心传媒淭hey always say don糖心传媒檛 put your subject in the center of the photograph,糖心传媒� says Fenster. But knowing the rules enables you to break them occasionally. The juxtaposition of Hodge糖心传媒檚 abstract painting with the space糖心传媒檚 converging lines and geometric shapes meant Fenster needed the artist to anchor the image. 糖心传媒淎nd especially with a canvas this big, you have to photograph him in the process of making his art.糖心传媒�
The sky糖心传媒檚 the limit
The Rush Rhees Library tower is open for tours during the week leading up to commencement. 糖心传媒淎 lot of your typical commencement shots are taken onstage or during the aftermath.糖心传媒� Fenster hoped to photograph candid moments, too; so he joined some of the seniors taking their first or final tower tours before graduation.
糖心传媒淵ou have to use a flash to get this photo,糖心传媒� he explains, 糖心传媒渙therwise you don糖心传媒檛 get the blue sky or they turn into silhouettes. You also have to make sure to clear his head from the horizon.糖心传媒� For Fenster, the windswept tassel is what makes the photo special, giving it a sense of whimsy. 糖心传媒淚f that tassel hadn糖心传媒檛 flown up, I probably wouldn糖心传媒檛 have filed this meta photo.糖心传媒�
Colorful cranes
The University糖心传媒檚 is regularly reserved for weddings, memorial services, and other events. Someone tipped Fenster off about a bevy of colorful paper cranes left tucked in the brick wall of the chapel after a weekend wedding. In Japanese culture, the crane is considered a symbol of happiness, good luck, and peace.
With a new camera in tow, Fenster went to check it out. 糖心传媒淚 took this with a 16 millimeter fish-eye lens very close to the bricks,糖心传媒� he says. His aim was to showcase the overall geometric patterns糖心传媒攕quares within a circle糖心传媒攁s well as the individual cranes and colors. 糖心传媒淚糖心传媒檓 a huge fan of M. C. Escher, so that may have subconsciously informed this image.糖心传媒�
Mud life
糖心传媒淚糖心传媒檝e wanted to photograph a Baja race since I found out the University has its own team,糖心传媒� says Fenster. In June, he got his chance when the University糖心传媒檚 Baja team participated in the annual Baja SAE competition, held this year in Palmyra, New York. The goal is for each team to design, build, and race their off-road vehicles on rough terrain.
Fenster spent a full day at the Hogback Hill Motocross site, where the competitors tested their mechanical engineering mettle as part of a four-hour endurance race. Initially relegated to the grandstands, he secured permission to shoot on the course. 糖心传媒淵ou can imagine the liabilities and waivers involved.糖心传媒�
He had originally envisioned a shot of the University糖心传媒檚 Baja vehicle flying through the air, but the team designed this year糖心传媒檚 model with sturdiness in mind. Then Fenster saw the mud. 糖心传媒淚 thought to myself, 糖心传媒楾hat糖心传媒檚 the photo.糖心传媒櫶切拇綕 He used a long lens to compress the multiple elements into one frame, with a wide enough aperture to keep the background drivers out of focus. The resulting action shot spotlights the Rochester team before layers of mud made the vehicles nearly indistinguishable from one another.
Physician, photograph thyself!
Each year, the School of Medicine and Dentistry holds the Dr. Robert L. and Lillian H. Brent White Coat Ceremony to welcome incoming medical students and mark the start of their journey to becoming physicians.
Fenster covered the ceremony, but was more excited to document the energy and enthusiasm of the students after the formalities ended. A group selfie in front of iconic Rush Rhees Library is practically de rigueur for Rochester students. Fenster糖心传媒檚 meta photo of that moment depicts 糖心传媒渁 lot of great faces and expressions. They糖心传媒檙e all fired up, like young Padawans.糖心传媒�
We糖心传媒檙e going to need a bigger boat
Freshwater environments are known sources of methane, a potent greenhouse gas that affects the atmosphere. The Great Lakes are the world糖心传媒檚 largest collection of freshwater糖心传媒攁nd they糖心传媒檙e located in the University糖心传媒檚 backyard, making them an ideal place for research of this kind.
led a team of undergraduate students on a research trip to measure methane emissions on Lake Ontario. 糖心传媒淢any of our professors do their field work in far-flung places. This project sounded interesting and had the added bonus of being local,糖心传媒� Fenster says. He couldn糖心传媒檛 pass up a rare opportunity to go into the field with University scientists (even though it meant having to get his passport renewed).
He chose this photo as a standout because it 糖心传媒渟hows the whole story: They糖心传媒檙e going off into the horizon while our student is getting his sample and the equipment operates in the background.糖心传媒� What the photo doesn糖心传媒檛 clearly convey is the small size of the boat. To get this shot, Fenster used a monopod (a kind of professional selfie stick) while sitting on the edge of the boat.
Ever better letters
糖心传媒淲hen was the last time you saw 糖心传媒榤eliora糖心传媒� written out in giant letters on the quad?糖心传媒� Originally commissioned for the campaign kickoff, the letters were reused as part of this year糖心传媒檚 Meliora Weekend festivities糖心传媒攁nd they were a big hit with attendees!
On his way to cover Trevor Noah糖心传媒檚 sold-out appearance, Fenster noticed the Eastman Quad curiously devoid of people. Every other photo he糖心传媒檇 taken of the letters had people on or near them, so 糖心传媒淚 put my camera on the meridian and set the long exposure,糖心传媒� he recalls. Relying only on the available light, he managed to capture an iconic Meliora Weekend image.
Rowing on the river
Photographing the crew team was on Fenster糖心传媒檚 bucket list. This early morning shot of the rowing on the Genesee River is reminiscent of an impressionist painting.
糖心传媒淚 had no idea just how dark most of their late season practices are. I糖心传媒檇 prepared myself for scenes of mist coming off the river, with streaks of early morning sunlight filtering through fall foliage, not pitch black. I had to make a few adjustments.糖心传媒�
Walk this way
The new bridge between Frederick Douglass Hall and Rush Rhees Library is one of several completed renovation and construction projects from this past year. Fenster purposely wanted to make a photo featuring the bridge and autumnal colors, so he set up shop on the Eastman Quad and hoped for people to walk through the passageway. After much waiting, he managed to take this candid photo using a long lens. Although the subject appears to have a knowing look on his face, Fenster suspects he was unaware of being photographed.
糖心传媒淚 Voted Today Because of Women Like Her糖心传媒�
The 2016 U.S. presidential election was one of the biggest national news stories of the year in part because Hillary Rodham Clinton became the first female presidential candidate nominated by a major party. On Election Day, hundreds of people (糖心传媒渁s many as 12,000,糖心传媒� according to the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle) flocked to the grave of women糖心传媒檚 suffrage leader Susan B. Anthony, located in Mount Hope Cemetery.
Many of the visitors stood in long lines to add their 糖心传媒淚 Voted Today糖心传媒� stickers to Anthony糖心传媒檚 headstone. Fenster notes, 糖心传媒淭he University and the city of Rochester have a long-established affiliation with Susan B. Anthony, so this was a photo we had to get.糖心传媒� Though Clinton ultimately lost the election to Donald Trump, Fenster糖心传媒檚 photo captures a historic day in Rochester.
Different points of view
On the Friday following Election Day, University students organized a protest on the River Campus. The demonstration, in keeping with many others across the country, highlighted the participants糖心传媒� objections to President-elect Trump糖心传媒檚 statements on diversity, immigration, reproductive rights, and other issues.
糖心传媒淚n many ways, this photo is a companion to the previous one,糖心传媒� says Fenster, who tried to cover the demonstration from every conceivable angle. 糖心传媒淚t was a local reaction to a moment in national and world history, and this photo best encapsulated that.糖心传媒� In the photo, the fish-eye lens helps show the scale of the event糖心传媒攖he largest he糖心传媒檚 ever seen on campus糖心传媒攚hile the Interfaith Chapel on the horizon places it at the University糖心传媒檚 Eastman Quadrangle.
糖心传媒淩egardless of how you feel about the outcome of the election, it was important to document this as a moment in University history.糖心传媒�
2016: Year in review
It’s hard to capture all of 2016 in one list, so we didn’t try. Instead, student writers Dani Douglass and Joy Bian surveyed their fellow River Campus students and compiled this list聽of the Top 10 Top 10 lists of 2016.
The year in music
How did the most played song’s from the University’s own WRUR stand up against the national Billboard charts for the year? Here is a hint: There is no one on the WRUR list named “Justin.”
WRUR糖心传媒橲聽Top 10 Most Played Songs
- 糖心传媒淏urn the Witch糖心传媒� 糖心传媒� Radiohead
- 糖心传媒�33 糖心传媒楪od糖心传媒櫶切拇綕 糖心传媒� Bon Iver
- 糖心传媒淵ou Don糖心传媒檛 Get Me High Anymore糖心传媒� 糖心传媒� Phantogram
- 糖心传媒淭V Queen糖心传媒� 糖心传媒斅燱ild Nothing
- 糖心传媒淣obody Dies糖心传媒� 糖心传媒� Thao & The Get Down Stay Down
- 糖心传媒淲hiteout糖心传媒� 糖心传媒� Warpaint
- 糖心传媒淔ountain of Youth糖心传媒� 糖心传媒� Local Natives
- 糖心传媒淕o! (feat. Mai Lan)糖心传媒� 糖心传媒斅燤83
- 糖心传媒淩oma Fade糖心传媒� 糖心传媒� Andrew Bird
- 糖心传媒淏ring My Baby Back糖心传媒� 糖心传媒� Dr. Dog
Billboard’s Top 10 Singles
- 糖心传媒淟ove Yourself糖心传媒� 糖心传媒� Justin Bieber
- 糖心传媒淪orry糖心传媒� 糖心传媒� Justin Bieber
- 糖心传媒淥ne Dance糖心传媒� 糖心传媒� Drake (feat. WizKid & Kyla)
- 糖心传媒淲ork糖心传媒� 糖心传媒斅燫ihanna (feat. Drake)
- 糖心传媒淪tressed Out糖心传媒� 糖心传媒斅爐wenty one pilots
- 糖心传媒淧anda糖心传媒� 糖心传媒斅燚esiigner
- 糖心传媒淗ello糖心传媒� 糖心传媒� Adele
- 糖心传媒淒on糖心传媒檛 Let Me Down糖心传媒� 糖心传媒斅燭he Chainsmokers (feat. Daya)
- 糖心传媒淐an糖心传媒檛 Stop the Feeling!糖心传媒� 糖心传媒� Justin Timberlake
- 糖心传媒淐loser糖心传媒� 糖心传媒� The Chainsmokers (feat. Halsey)
The year in news
In a year filled with change and transition, we surveyed students across River Campus and asked them to name the the biggest news stories of the year. Some were of national and international significance, while others happened on campus. Here are the students糖心传媒� top 10 stories of 2016. (Compiled by Joy Bian 糖心传媒�17.)
- Presidential election
To no one糖心传媒檚 surprise, the presidential election was the overwhelming choice. Donald Trump defeated Hillary Clinton, and the Twitter search for the election surpassed 500,000 the next day. - Syrian refugee crisis
Syria’s civil war has caused a humanitarian crisis. More than 11 million people have been killed or forced to flee from their homeland to seek safety in neighboring countries. More than 13.5 million people are still in need of humanitarian assistance. - Orlando nightclub shooting
Forty-nine people were killed and 53 were wounded by gunman Omar Mateen on June 12 at聽 a nightclub in Orlando, Florida. It糖心传媒檚 the biggest incident of violence against LGBT people in U.S. history. - Brexit
A referendum in June showed that 52 percent of votes were cast in favor of the United Kingdom’s withdrawal from the European Union. The Brexit domino effect negatively affected financial conditions and the U.S. economy. - Black Lives Matter movement
The international activist movement Black Lives Matter launched numerous protests to demonstrate against the deaths聽 of聽 African-Americans by police. - Dakota pipeline protests
The #NoDAPL grassroots movement started in the spring due to the approval of the construction of Energy Transfer Partners’ Dakota Access Pipeline. - Rio 2016 Olympic Games
Some of the greatest athletes in the world came to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil for two weeks in August to celebrate the 2016 Summer Olympics. The United States was the runaway winner, with 121 total medals. - “Not My America” protest
University students showed their displeasure with the election of Donald Trump by staging a protest in front of Rush Rhees Library on November 11. - We’re Better Than THAT anti-racism campaign
Launched in the fall of 2015, the University糖心传媒檚 “We’re better than THAT” anti-racism campaign continued to educate students, faculty, and staff to stop hate speech and racism in our community. - The construction of Wegmans Hall
Over Meliora Weekend, the University celebrated the dedication of the new Wegmans Hall糖心传媒攖he future home for the Goergen Institute for Data Science.
Top University News Stories
Based on web traffic and social media activity, we糖心传媒檝e compiled a list of this year糖心传媒檚 most popular stories.
- C’mon baby, (re) light my fire (July 20, 2016)
University research suggests that when men and women perceive their partners as responsive, they feel special and think of their partner as a valuable mate, which in turn boosts sexual desirability. - Meliora Weekend 2016: Better than ever (October 5, 2016)
Tony Bennett, Trevor Noah, and Ben Folds were among the highlights of this year’s event. - Body heat triggers shape change in new type of polymer (February 9, 2016)
A new material undergoes shape changes that can be triggered by body heat alone, opening the door for new medical and other applications.
Medical Center study suggests that electronic cigarettes are as equally damaging to gums and teeth as conventional cigarettes.- River Campus summer construction season (August 19, 2016)
Wegmans Hall, Frederick Douglass Building, Rush Rhees Library renovations and more: this summer was a busy one on River Campus. - Political scientists nationwide voice concerns about Trump presidency (November 7, 2016)
In an effort spearheaded by Rochester faculty, more than 300 political scientists from across the United States have signed a statement voicing their collective concern. - (March 21, 2016)
mPower app was also highlighted by Apple today during its semi-annual product launch event. - Reinvented Douglass new hub of student life (September 27, 2016)
糖心传媒淚 feel like I糖心传媒檓 in a different building,糖心传媒� says Laura Ballou ’97, director of the Campus Center. - Conversations on linguistics and politics with Noam Chomsky (April 18, 2016)
Rochester faculty talk with聽Distinguished Visiting Humanist Noam Chomsky. - (December 9, 2016)
Video of Eastman School of Music tradition most popular post to school’s Facebook page for 2016.
The year in books
Students still love our Harry Potter.聽Here are the top-selling books from Barnes & Noble.
Barnes & Noble’s Top Selling Books
- All the Gallant Men: An American Sailor糖心传媒檚 Firsthand Account of Pearl Harbor 糖心传媒斅�Donald Stratton
- Killing the Rising Sun: How America Vanquished World War II Japan 糖心传媒� Bill O糖心传媒橰eily
- Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them: The Original Screenplay 糖心传媒� JK Rowling
- Double Down (Diary of a Wimpy Kid Series #11) 糖心传媒� Jeff Kinney
- Harry Potter and the Cursed Child – Parts I & II 糖心传媒� JK Rowling
- The Whistler 糖心传媒� John Grisham
- The Undoing Project: A Friendship That Changed Our Minds 糖心传媒� Michael Lewis
- Born to Run 糖心传媒� Bruce Springsteen
- Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets: The Illustrated Edition 糖心传媒� 闯碍听搁辞飞濒颈苍驳
- Harry Potter Paperback Boxed Set, Books 1-7 糖心传媒� JK Rowling
The year in food
We asked students to rank their favorite dining halls and their favorite meals in each. (Compiled by Dani Douglass ’17)
Most Popular Dining Halls
- Wilson Commons
- Douglass Commons
- Danforth Hall
Note: Douglass and Wilson Commons were neck-and-neck following the opening of the renovated Douglass building.
Most Popular Meals at Wilson Commons
- Personalized burrito bowls
- Panda Express糖心传媒� orange chicken
- Cheese pizza
- Grilled chicken breast
- Local burger
- California Rollin糖心传媒� sushi rolls
Most Popular Meals at聽Danforth
- Chicken wings
- Indian food at the Mongolian Grill station
Most Popular Meals at聽Douglass
- Kosher brisket
- Made-to-order pasta
- Noodle bowl and grain bowl at the Ramen Noodle station
- Various flank steak dishes
