Each year, J. Adam Fenster takes thousands of photos in his role as University photographer. We asked him to select his favorites and tell us what makes each one a compelling snapshot of learning and living at Rochester.
3D, or not 3D, that is the question
As part of a Rochester Review feature story on the medical applications of 3D printing, Fenster shot this striking image of a 3D-printed human skull with 3D-printed craniofacial bone graft substitutes. The photo went on to grace the cover of the magazine糖心传媒檚 May/June issue.
Fenster decided to photograph the skull and other anatomically correct organs using black Plexiglas and a black backdrop for consistency, a technique he used previously on a shoot with leaf-tailed geckos. 糖心传媒淚 feel very fortunate to have editors that allow me to pursue independent photo stories. It糖心传媒檚 fascinating to see what our researchers are doing with cutting-edge technology.糖心传媒�
Born to run
was participating in a brain imaging study at the University糖心传媒檚 Neuroimaging Center when the functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) revealed a mass on the lower part of her brain. The scholar-athlete underwent major surgery and recovery before eventually returning to the track and field team.
In this photo, Lockard is training in the field house at Goergen Athletic Center. 糖心传媒淚t糖心传媒檚 a panning shot, which means you set a low shutter speed that allows the background to blur and you hope to get enough detail in the subject,糖心传媒� explains Fenster. The end result is reminiscent of a watercolor painting. But in addition to the technical aspects of photography, 糖心传媒渋t糖心传媒檚 the story that drives a lot of the best pictures, and Laura let us tell her remarkable story.糖心传媒�
Of sopranos and straws
Eastman School of Music alumna Ren茅e Fleming 糖心传媒�83 (MA) is one of the world糖心传媒檚 most acclaimed opera singers and sopranos. In spring 2017, Fleming returned to her alma mater to teach a master class, during which she had soprano Daniela Camilleri sing through a straw to help improve her technique.
糖心传媒淚t can be hard to get a good photo from these master classes,糖心传媒� admits Fenster. 糖心传媒淏ut Ren茅e was great with the students and luckily I was able to capture this endearing moment.糖心传媒�
A match made in medical school
One of the biggest annual events in聽medical schools聽across the country is聽Match聽Day, when medical students learn where they will be placed for their residency programs. Fenster photographed School of Medicine and Dentistry students Brittany Black (left) and Leslie Anderson during this emotional and pivotal moment in their medical careers.
糖心传媒淭here are always authentic reactions on Match Day糖心传媒攗sually tears of joy at achieving your dreams,糖心传媒� Fenster says. 糖心传媒淢eanwhile, in the background you have other people celebrating or getting ready to embrace. You can糖心传媒檛 make this kind of picture without getting in close.糖心传媒�
Directorial debut
This year marked the first time a current undergraduate student directed a play for the International Theatre Program. Backstage at Todd Theater, director Aishwarya Krishnamoorthy 糖心传媒�17 (right) worked with Tori Powers 糖心传媒�18 (left) and Sara Crane 糖心传媒�20 on the spring production of Sam Shepherd糖心传媒檚 Buried Child.
糖心传媒淭hey say you糖心传媒檙e not supposed to center your subject in the photo,糖心传媒� says Fenster. Yet he suspected this particular photo could be used effectively as a double-page spread in Rochester Review because the printed magazine糖心传媒檚 gutter space would create a symmetrical mirroring effect. That糖心传媒檚 exactly what ended up happening, and the final result is a consummate backstage dressing room shot.
Capturing commencement
The Arts, Sciences and Engineering commencement ceremony on the Eastman Quadrangle is a rite of passage for undergraduate students in the College, one that Fenster documents each May. 糖心传媒淯sually it糖心传媒檚 one of the other photographers, but this year I was the one who got the shot: the lead photo of our commencement coverage.糖心传媒�
The image also demonstrates what photographers call 糖心传媒渓ayering,糖心传媒� a technique where they fill the frame糖心传媒攆rom left to right, front to back, top to bottom糖心传媒攕o the entire image tells a story.
225 miles on the Erie Canal
The Genesee Brewing Company, based in Rochester, is one of the largest and oldest continually operating breweries in the nation. As part of a modernization project, the company had several 60-foot-tall fermentation tanks shipped from Albany to Rochester on the Erie Canal.
Fenster waited on the Moore Road bridge near the River Campus in Genesee Valley Park and photographed the barge en route to its destination using糖心传媒攁ppropriately enough糖心传媒攁 fish-eye lens.
Light bright
In June, the Memorial Art Gallery debuted 糖心传媒淎rgentum: Double-Positive,糖心传媒� a new light sculpture by Jim Sanborn. The installation features two perforated bronze cylinders that light up at night and project text onto the fa莽ade and surrounding landscape at MAG.
Fenster recalls spending time securing access to the rooftop of the apartments across from MAG, initially thinking the best shots would come from a higher angle. Instead, his favorite shots were taken 糖心传媒渓ow and close糖心传媒� during the blue hour.
糖心传媒淧hotographers talk about the golden hour and blue hour,糖心传媒� explains Fenster. 糖心传媒淏lue hour occurs during twilight when the sky is deep blue for a few minutes, but there is still some ambient light reaching your subject. This is a bit late in the blue hour, but if you wait any longer it all goes to black糖心传媒攁nd the sky is a key element in this photo.糖心传媒�
Spread your wings and fly, firefly
Fenster jumped at the chance to accompany Rochester biologists conducting field research along Tionesta Creek in Pennsylvania. 糖心传媒淭here aren糖心传媒檛 too many other locations in the world where you can see this kind of firefly activity and this many species. It was magical.糖心传媒� The researchers went on to sequence the genome of the Big Dipper firefly while learning more about the genes that produce the firefly糖心传媒檚 characteristic flashes of light.
This image is a composite of multiple exposures layered on top of each other, a photography technique Fenster was able to try for the first time as part of this assignment. 糖心传媒淭his photo was gratifying because it turned out the way I糖心传媒檇 envisioned, helped tell the story, and I learned something through the process of making it.糖心传媒�
New horizons
Each summer, K糖心传媒�8 students from the Rochester City School District participate in . The six-week summer enrichment program offers instruction in reading and math, mentoring and a ninth-grade job skills program, workshops for parents, and family events year round.
Here, the narrowing panels of the backlit parachute draw your eye toward the subject. 糖心传媒淜ids are always fun to photograph because they糖心传媒檙e not self-conscious. They just get lost in their play,糖心传媒� Fenster says. While the playfulness of this photo seems to belie the seriousness of the program糖心传媒檚 efforts, Fenster believes a photographer糖心传媒檚 job is to find the best visuals to illustrate the larger story. 糖心传媒淚f an image like this is what makes people stop and read the piece, then we糖心传媒檝e succeeded.糖心传媒�
Front and back
Fenster photographed Eastman School alumnus Thapelo Masita 糖心传媒�17 in a 糖心传媒渘ice, intimate moment糖心传媒� warming up on the cello backstage at Kodak Hall before a rehearsal for this year糖心传媒檚 . The festival brings together classical musicians of African descent for a week of workshops and free performances.
糖心传媒淚 like this photo because there are two things going on: You have this discrete backstage area, and then another musician leads you onstage and to the front of house.糖心传媒�
Partial eclipse of the sun
The great American eclipse糖心传媒攄uring which the moon blocked out all or parts of the sun糖心传媒攐ccurred on Friday, August 21. Although Rochester was not in the path of totality, viewers still convened on the River Campus to witness this rare astronomical event. Passing clouds obscured the eclipse at times, but also enabled Fenster take this shot.
糖心传媒淭he best pictures I ended up getting of the eclipse itself were because of the clouds, which make the shot more interesting. Otherwise it糖心传媒檚 just a bright sliver in a black sky.糖心传媒� Fenster糖心传媒檚 only regret? 糖心传媒淭here was no way to get Rush Rhees Library in the shot as well.糖心传媒�
Crisscrossing the quad
A new set of large, freestanding letters spelling 糖心传媒淢eliora糖心传媒� debuted on the Eastman Quadrangle during Meliora Weekend 2017.
糖心传媒淓very other photo you see of this during Meliora Weekend is people posing on or against the letters.糖心传媒� Instead, on Friday morning Fenster encountered the men糖心传媒檚 cross-country team running toward, over, and through the letters. 糖心传媒淭hey came as a big phalanx, so it was definitely a right-place, right-time kind of photo.糖心传媒�
Our very own city of lights
In October, Fenster had the opportunity to take his first-ever aerial photographs of the University campus and the city of Rochester. He snapped over 3,000 photos with the above being his top shot. Taken from a single-engine Cessna aircraft, the photo shows downtown Rochester in all its glory during the elusive blue hour. Fenster was inspired by the work of photographer , who uses the latest in camera technology to depict nighttime city streets that end up looking like circuit boards.
Putting the 糖心传媒渆ye糖心传媒� in bionic
A URMC team implanted an , or 糖心传媒渂ionic eye,糖心传媒� into the right eye of a patient earlier this month. The three-hour procedure was the second of its kind ever undertaken at the Medical Center. It was also a rare opportunity for Fenster to document the action in an operating room.
糖心传媒淭his photo ties back to the first in this series,糖心传媒� notes Fenster. Although radically different in terms of style, 糖心传媒渂oth show how our researchers are using the latest technology to advance the medical field.糖心传媒� The image also reminds Fenster of the , in which modern photographs feature compositions similar to those of Renaissance paintings.
