For ten years, University photographer J. Adam Fenster has documented the varied facets of life at the 糖心传媒, including major milestones, new discoveries, quirky moments, and campus beauty. As 2019 winds down, we asked Fenster to share some of his top selections from among the many thousands of pictures he captured this year as well as his thoughts about what makes each picture special.
In living color
Fenster created this composite image of four different exposures taken as Rochester researchers use sequential beams of multispectral light to reveal hidden inscriptions on Torah scrolls.
糖心传媒淭his is my attempt to show in one single photograph what you would otherwise see as brief bursts of flashing colored light during the imaging process,糖心传媒� says Fenster.
The final image, assembled in Photoshop, is four layers with a segment cut from each original photo and then compiled into one. 糖心传媒淚f you look closely, you can see things in the image aren糖心传媒檛 quite aligned,糖心传媒� he adds. Nevertheless, he successfully distills a dynamic research process into a singular eye-catching result.
The moments that make us
Match Day is an annual rite of passage for medical students around the country, including at Rochester, during which they find out their placements for residency.
糖心传媒淚t糖心传媒檚 an exciting, emotional day for many young doctors,糖心传媒� explains Fenster. 糖心传媒淭his scene is pretty typical of what you can expect to see there糖心传媒攖hree great faces and expressions that capture the feelings of that moment. The challenge is that these moments are happening very briefly yet simultaneously all around you.糖心传媒�
The other challenge, according to Fenster, comes with photographing events that occur each year. 糖心传媒淭o the extent that you can find new ways to photograph things糖心传媒攖hrough different positions, a different piece of gear, or different camera settings糖心传媒攖hat糖心传媒檚 important to do. But ultimately, I糖心传媒檓 not doing this for me,糖心传媒� he says. 糖心传媒淚t might be my tenth Match Day, but today is their Match Day, so that糖心传媒檚 how you have to look at it.糖心传媒�
The scrub-jay way
Fenster relishes the opportunity to document Rochester researchers working in the field. He糖心传媒檚 also a big fan of photographing animals. When he heard that Rochester biologist Nancy Chen studies endangered Florida Scrub-Jays in their native habitat, he instinctively knew an extended field trip with his camera in tow was required.
糖心传媒淵ou糖心传媒檙e with these researchers, day in and day out. And being immersed like that lets you do better work because you can糖心传媒檛 be doing anything else,糖心传媒� he notes. Fenster snapped a picture of a tagged Florida Scrub-Jay taking flight after perching atop a researcher糖心传媒檚 head. He then cropped in by more than 50 percent to frame the bird against the similarly blue-hued sky.
The entire experience was one of Fenster糖心传媒檚 all-time favorite assignments糖心传媒攏ot only from this year, but also from his entire decade with the University. 糖心传媒淚t糖心传媒檚 everything I love about photography and being a photographer,糖心传媒� he says.
Having a ball with 1,500 of my best friends
You can糖心传媒檛 talk about the year in pictures and not include a photo from Commencement.
Each May, thousands of students graduate from the University, but the main ceremony for undergraduates in Arts, Sciences & Engineering takes place on the Eastman Quadrangle. 糖心传媒淚 set up a couple of remote cameras on the railing of the Rush Rhees Library balcony. That way, I don糖心传媒檛 have to send a photographer there, especially since the area is now crowded with remote video cameras for the various live feeds,糖心传媒� Fenster recalls.
Compressed with a telephoto lens, this picture showcases bright pops of color amidst a dense sea of black-robed graduates. Meanwhile, a subtle X-shape draws the viewer糖心传媒檚 eye right to the middle, where one graduate is punching a yellow inflatable beach ball. Look closely and you can see hundreds of individual micro-expressions from members of the Class of 2019.
Breathing room
Move-In Day is another one of the annual events on campus that stirs up myriad emotions.
糖心传媒淚 think this was the first year I didn糖心传媒檛 go to the parking lot to photograph the big lineup of cars,糖心传媒� he says. In contrast to such typical hustle-and-bustle shots, Fenster selected this quiet moment to showcase. Here, incoming first-year student Abbey Kampel puts away clothes in her new room in Genesee Hall.
糖心传媒淔rom a technical standpoint,糖心传媒� he says, 糖心传媒淚 like how this you have the dark area on the one side offset by the window light on the other.糖心传媒� Indeed, the overall composition糖心传媒攁nd especially the lighting on Kampel糖心传媒檚 face糖心传媒攃alls to mind the work of Dutch painter Johannes Vermeer.
In 糖心传媒榩lane糖心传媒� sight
Whenever Rochester hosts an airshow, Fenster has his camera prepped and ready.
In August, the Thunderbirds were practicing for the 2019 Rochester International Airshow. Fenster was in Fauver Stadium making environmental portraits of a student as the jets whizzed by in the sky. At one point, he heard a loud rumbling noise. 糖心传媒淚 looked over and saw a massive cargo plane lumbering in for a landing. I swung my lens over to it and fired a long burst of shots as it passed behind the library tower.糖心传媒�
The end result is not something you see every day, which is what makes the shot remarkable. He says, 糖心传媒淲e糖心传媒檙e always looking for new, unexpected ways to show the library糖心传媒攚hether that糖心传媒檚 with an eclipse, rainbow, lightning, or, in this case, a USAF C-17 Globemaster.糖心传媒�
Fast friends
Twin sisters Adrianna, left, and Brianna Lane braid Isabell Leonard糖心传媒檚 hair at the Boys and Girls Club of Rochester. Leonard, a member of the Class of 2023, participated in this year糖心传媒檚 Wilson Day, when first-year and incoming students get to know the Rochester community through service projects.
糖心传媒淚 like the symmetry and colors here,糖心传媒� notes Fenster. In addition, Leonard糖心传媒檚 shirt helps provide context for viewers. 糖心传媒淲ith that it becomes a locator photo, as they say in wire service parlance. In other words, all the information is in the photo itself and you don糖心传媒檛 necessarily have to read the caption to know what糖心传媒檚 going on.糖心传媒�
Make a splash
糖心传媒淲e were there with our new president covering the first day of classes at East High School,糖心传媒� Fenster says. 糖心传媒淚t was cloudy all morning and then just as the students were arriving, the skies opened up糖心传媒攑ouring rain, lightning and thunder.糖心传媒�
Naturally, the students started running toward the building糖心传媒攁nd Fenster starting photographing. 糖心传媒淚 love how he糖心传媒檚 using his backpack to shield himself from the rain and the way his foot is just touching the water while raindrops splash on the ground around him.糖心传媒�
Can you hear me now?
In this photo, graduate student Tom Stoll tests LEDs that line the loudspeaker array in the lab of Ross Maddox, an assistant professor of biomedical engineering. The loudspeakers allow Rochester researchers to simulate realistic listening environments in order to test how the human brain combines visual and auditory information.
New spaces on campus, especially those with a research purpose, can yield photos for use on the University糖心传媒檚 website, in print publications, or to illustrate news stories. 糖心传媒淲hen I saw this setup, I thought to myself, 糖心传媒楾his is an interesting photo-op,糖心传媒櫶切拇綕 says Fenster. He used a fisheye lens to capture the scene, with the loudspeakers forming a kind of C-shaped tribunal around Stoll.
Chip off the ol糖心传媒� circuit board
This quantum processor semiconductor chip糖心传媒攃onnected to a circuit board糖心传媒攊s the size of a pinky fingernail. The device, developed by physics professor John Nichol and his graduate students, brings scientists one step closer to creating a fully functional quantum computer.
To get this shot, which looks simultaneously Art Deco and futuristic, Fenster used a macro lens with a high aperture. 糖心传媒淭he challenge was to get close and light it in a way that catches all of the cool electrical traces and tiny wires,糖心传媒� he said.
In harmony
The annual partners with the Eastman School of Music and features performances by professional musicians of African descent. Among the participants are the members of the Gateways Brass Collective, who needed a new publicity photo. They turned to Fenster for help.
But how do you pose five musicians together and still make them look sharp? The members of the collective made Fenster糖心传媒檚 job easier by arriving in the Kodak Hall lobby decked out in matching suits and pocket squares. They were also the ones who suggested sitting in the photo.
Says Fenster, 糖心传媒淚 ended up picking a low angle to shoot from and that set their heads off against the classical scenes in the background, which made it all come together.糖心传媒�
Face/Off
Fenster was walking around the River Campus when he came upon contractor Steve Stauffer applying a fresh coat of wax to the statue of George Eastman on the Eastman Quadrangle. 糖心传媒淕eorge gets his share of attention from the community, but he also gets a fair bit of abuse from the elements,糖心传媒� Fenster explains. So twice a year, including before Meliora Weekend, Stauffer visits campus to help the statues regain some of their original luster. 糖心传媒淎nd now we know what it takes for George to look as good as he does.糖心传媒�
Red-letter autumnal day
When beautiful weather arrives in Rochester, the students can be relied upon to set up their hammocks on the Eastman Quadrangle. It was just such a day in September when Fenster spotted Brendon Tran 糖心传媒�22 and John Gerald Maqui 糖心传媒�22 sharing a hammock糖心传媒攁nd a laugh糖心传媒攐n the Eastman Quadrangle.
糖心传媒淵ou糖心传媒檝e got this bright red arc of color that carries your eye through the image and bleeds out of the corner. But the main focus is on the two of them having a moment.糖心传媒�
It糖心传媒檚 official聽
On October 4, Sarah Mangelsdorf was inaugurated as the 11th president of the University of Rochester in Kodak Hall at Eastman Theatre.
Fenster generally has a lot of freedom and discretion when it comes to composing photos. But every so often, he糖心传媒檚 given explicit direction糖心传媒攊n this case, to get a vertical portrait of the new president for use on the cover of Rochester Review糖心传媒檚 fall issue.
糖心传媒淚f there was one photo I had to get that day, this was it,糖心传媒� Fenster recalls. The presentation of the mace is a centerpiece of the investiture, a ritual that marks the entrustment of authority to the new president.聽In Fenster糖心传媒檚 opinion, Mangelsdorf holding the mace is crucial for telling the story of this momentous occasion in University history.
Field notes
In this shot, undergraduate biology students perform a census of the blister beetle population in Mt. Hope Cemetery.
糖心传媒淲e糖心传媒檙e located right next to a gigantic, historic, beautiful cemetery that糖心传媒檚 home to a species of black beetles, and every year Bob Minckley takes his students there to conduct a bug census,糖心传媒� Fenster explains.
Last year, Fenster seized the opportunity to document this uniquely Rochester locale and teaching resource by joining Minckley, a senior lecturer of biology, and his students on their excursion.
糖心传媒淏ut this year the light was just completely different,糖心传媒� he notes. 糖心传媒淵ou can see the way it糖心传媒檚 hitting them and backlighting the grass and headstones. Much of what our students and faculty do involves computers, books, and classrooms. So when they糖心传媒檙e out in the field conducting research, we have to catch them there.糖心传媒�
Somewhere under the rainbow
Rainbows are notoriously ephemeral糖心传媒攂ut the photographic payoff can be huge if you catch them at just the right time.
糖心传媒淚 was covering an event in Rush Rhees Library when I looked out the window and saw a sun shower,糖心传媒� recalls Fenster. 糖心传媒淓ven before the rainbow appeared, I noticed the backlit raindrops, golden shimmery light, people walking. I thought to myself, 糖心传媒業 need to go right now糖心传媒攁nd I糖心传媒檓 going.糖心传媒櫶切拇綕
While the final result is striking, Fenster laments what could have been, referencing the from Gregoire Lier 糖心传媒�20 used on the University糖心传媒檚 Instagram. 糖心传媒淭hat糖心传媒檚 the shot I糖心传媒檝e wanted to get for years, but you have to be off campus. I was there at the right time, but I wasn糖心传媒檛 in the right place.糖心传媒�
Winter tunnel-land
Snow is a fact of life in Rochester. Fortunately, the University has numerous tunnels and other covered walkways available. Here, a student walks through the outdoor covered bridge connecting Frederick Douglass Commons and Wilson Commons after a November snowstorm.
糖心传媒淧eople want snow pictures, especially since we get our share here,糖心传媒� Fenster notes. 糖心传媒淚 had posted up at the corner of the Frederick Douglass Building. It was midmorning and at that point, the light comes from behind giving the snow a blue-ish tone. With the snow covering the tunnel, it ends up looking like an ice cave in there.糖心传媒�
Hang tight
The midshipmen of the Naval Reserve Officers Training Corps (NROTC) regularly undergo training exercises to help stay in peak physical condition. Earlier this month, Fenster photographed them rope-climbing in the Goergen Athletic Center for a story about the 75th anniversary of ROTC at the University.
糖心传媒淭his is one of my favorites,糖心传媒� says Fenster, who set up to shoot on the elevated walkway in the fieldhouse. This position let him get close to the rope糖心传媒攁nd the climber. 糖心传媒淚f I糖心传媒檇 shot it from the ground up, you wouldn糖心传媒檛 see as many faces. You certainly wouldn糖心传媒檛 see her face. I like how she糖心传媒檚 looking up while everyone around her watches.糖心传媒�
