University photographer J. Adam Fenster shares his favorite images that he made this year. Plus, a look back at 2024 in video.
For J. Adam Fenster, the key to making compelling photos is checking around the edges or fringes of an assignment, finding where the action isn糖心传媒檛 necessarily supposed to be taking place. And he would know糖心传媒擣enster has been the 糖心传媒糖心传媒檚 lead photographer for more than 15 years, capturing moments ranging from the intricate to the iconic.
As 2024 comes to a close, we talked with Fenster about his favorite images of the year糖心传媒攖aking a look at what happened over, around, and through the University and beyond.
Enter stage left
McKenna Young 糖心传媒�26, Grace Van Der Meer 糖心传媒�25, and Nora Rooney 糖心传媒�25 of prepare for their performance at a welcome concert for attendees of the 2024 American College Dance Association Northeast Conference, hosted by the , in Feldman Ballroom.
糖心传媒淚 was a photojournalist for years,糖心传媒� says Fenster, 糖心传媒渁nd the general wisdom was to arrive early and stay late. And sometimes the photo isn糖心传媒檛 always in the most obvious spot. This was the warm-up area, away from where the performances were happening. As soon as I walked in, I saw this composition. There糖心传媒檚 great symmetry and natural light, and I like how they糖心传媒檙e connected to one another by their hands. And three is always a cool number to have in an image. I think this photo is more interesting than any of the action photos I made that day.糖心传媒�
Waiting to exhale
Each year on Match Day, thousands of medical students across the country find out where they糖心传媒檒l be spending the next four years for their residency. .
Fenster says you糖心传媒檒l often hear photographers talk about layers. 糖心传媒淭his is layered front-to-back and side-to-side. I think I put the camera over my head to get this photo, and that angle allows the viewer to see more of those layers. I had never made an interesting photo of the 糖心传媒榖efore糖心传媒� of Match Day, as it糖心传媒檚 usually about the joy and excitement that comes a few moments after this photo. So it was nice to capture the anticipation for a change.糖心传媒�
Another dimension, another dimension
A student tests out a virtual reality (VR) headset in Mary Ann Mavrinac Studio X, located within Carlson Library.
糖心传媒淚 spent the morning at Studio X and I made hundreds of photos that day,糖心传媒� recalls Fenster. 糖心传媒淭his was a staged shoot; they kept bringing in students to populate the space. This photo is total eye candy. It糖心传媒檚 colorful, it糖心传媒檚 punchy, and you糖心传媒檝e got the thirds thing going on, compositionally, with the vertical color blocks in the window.糖心传媒�
Sky糖心传媒檚 the limit
In April, Rochester was in the path of totality for an all-too-rare total solar eclipse. Despite the overcast sky, the day yielded memorable images, with a University community ready to celebrate.
In Fenster糖心传媒檚 words, he couldn糖心传媒檛 have gotten this photo without a lot of help. 糖心传媒淭here was so much build-up to the eclipse糖心传媒攕o many expectations. I had five cameras working that day. And then the clouds rolled in.糖心传媒�
What might be mistaken as a drone shot was actually taken from the roof of the University糖心传媒檚 Brooks Crossing Apartments. 糖心传媒淚 kept thinking 糖心传媒業糖心传媒檓 not going to get a good photo today.糖心传媒� At the last minute, I called the Department of Public Safety and asked to get up to the roof at Brooks Crossing. There, I set up a tripod and programmed the camera糖心传媒檚 intervalometer (a feature used for remote shutter release) to make a series of images every few seconds for the duration of the eclipse while I was back on campus capturing the scene on the quad.糖心传媒�
In concert
An ensemble performs for inmates in the rehabilitation unit at the Monroe County Jail. This is believed to be the first time live music has been performed within the jail walls糖心传媒攁nd it糖心传媒檚 also the first time the Eastman School has brought musicians there.
糖心传媒�This was one of the most moving experiences I糖心传媒檝e had working on an assignment for this institution,糖心传媒� says Fenster. 糖心传媒淭he juxtaposition between the musicians, the inmates, and the guards was striking for me, and there was something incongruous about hearing such beautiful music in such an unlikely place.
糖心传媒淔or photographers, access is everything, and sometimes you need to ask for a little more than what event organizers are initially willing to provide. Before the concert, I asked the head guard if I could climb a staircase to get this elevated angle, which makes the image possible from a compositional standpoint and shows the important context.糖心传媒�
Lighter than air
As part of Senior Week, members of the Class of 2024 enjoy a picnic on Wilson Quad.
糖心传媒�Any time you have backlit bubbles, it糖心传媒檚 worth going after,糖心传媒� says Fenster. 糖心传媒淚t糖心传媒檚 got a nice springtime feel to it.糖心传媒�
Point of pride
Xavier Green gets a hug from his father, Bobby, during Rochester糖心传媒檚 174th Commencement ceremony in May. The event marks the conferral of academic degrees for all undergraduate and graduate students.
For Fenster, 糖心传媒淭his is the essence of Commencement. As photographers, we糖心传媒檙e always looking for emotion. Hundreds of these moments happen throughout the day, but they糖心传媒檙e so brief you糖心传媒檙e not always able to catch them. This was during the processional before anything was happening on the stage. It糖心传媒檚 another example of finding the fringes of the action. I also had enough time to run and get their names.糖心传媒�
Taking flight
Myzomela cardinalis, known locally as kikito, is pictured in flight near Kirakira, the provincial capital of the Makira-Ulawa Province in the Solomon Islands. Rochester Professor and Chair of the J. Albert Uy explores the ecology and genomics of hybridization in this species, using a combination of genetic and genomic approaches with field observations and experiments.
糖心传媒淗ow much time have you got?糖心传媒� laughed Fenster, when asked how he made this photo, taken during a research trip to the Solomon Islands in June. 糖心传媒淚 asked myself, 糖心传媒榃hat糖心传媒檚 the photo here? It糖心传媒檚 got to be a bird in flight.糖心传媒櫶切拇綕
Things you should know: It took Fenster two days to travel from Rochester to the Solomon Islands, five flights each way, and several vaccinations. He photographed the birds糖心传媒攚hich are very small, about the size of hummingbirds糖心传媒攆or only about two out of seven days of active photography. His flight home was delayed, allowing him a few extra hours on the day of his departure to go out one final time with Uy, who set up a decoy and a speaker playing myzomela calls, to make this shot, which landed on the cover of the fall 2024 issue of Rochester Review, distributed to approximately 150,000 alumni, friends, and supporters of the institution globally.
糖心传媒淚 think it works to tell a story. I made over ten thousand photos during this trip. If I had to pick one, this is probably it. It was an incredible opportunity, an incredible trip. It糖心传媒檚 great that the Office of Marketing and Communications sees the value in making these kinds of images, in documenting the research being done by Rochester researchers around the world.糖心传媒�
Letter best
The CGI Rochester International Jazz Festival, of which the University is a sponsor, celebrated its 21st season in June. The event featured numerous musicians from the Eastman School of Music community糖心传媒攃urrent students, faculty, staff, and alumni糖心传媒攁s well as students and faculty from the Eastman Community Music School, and concert spaces at the Eastman.
糖心传媒淭his was late in the day and I was waiting for something to happen,糖心传媒� shares Fenster, who had made numerous photos already of performers onstage. 糖心传媒�The light became more horizontal, and the colors were getting more and more saturated. And then I noticed this little girl playing among the giant letters just off Gibbs Street, near Eastman. It was along the edges of the event, among crowds of people.糖心传媒�
All that and a bag of (sensor) chips
Led by Benjamin Miller, a Dean糖心传媒檚 Professor of with joint appointments in , , , and , Rochester researchers are developing microchips with brain and lung tissue to study viral neuroinflammation.
The takeaway here, according to Fenster, is, 糖心传媒�Experiment if you have time.糖心传媒� He says, 糖心传媒淚 was working on finding a groove using different camera angles and different light angles. This is the only photo in the gallery that I lit myself. The wafers are semi-opaque and have a weird iridescence that only occurs when lit from a particular angle.糖心传媒�
Blue-light special聽
First-year graduate student Alina Neveroska uses blue light and a special dye to check for corneal abnormalities in the eyes of post-doctoral student and test subject Krish Prahalad after an experiment session in the lab of Michele Rucci, a professor of .
糖心传媒淭he research itself involves contact lenses in someone糖心传媒檚 eye, which are attached to a tiny copper cable,糖心传媒� says Fenster. 糖心传媒淭his was actually at the end of the shoot, and this photo has nothing to do with the experiment they were conducting. They糖心传媒檙e checking to make sure those crazy contact lenses didn糖心传媒檛 scuff up his cornea. So, I糖心传媒檓 wrapping up, putting gear away, and I saw that. It糖心传媒檚 not why I was there, but to me, it was cooler than anything else I photographed while I was in the lab.糖心传媒�
A fresh coat
The School of Medicine and Dentistry糖心传媒檚 Class of 2028 received their white coats at the annual Dr. Robert L. & Lillian H. Brent White Coat Ceremony in August. Above, Austin Hansen gets a kiss from his wife, Eliza, as he holds their 14-month-old daughter Maggie after the ceremony.
糖心传媒淭his is another nice family moment that took place away from the action, on the fringes of the event,糖心传媒� says Fenster. 糖心传媒淭here糖心传媒檚 a sense of release after this ceremony when the students can finally be with their families to celebrate. This photo is sort of a bookend with the one from Match Day. You don糖心传媒檛 see a lot of families regularly at institutions like this. And if you can weave that into whatever story you糖心传媒檙e illustrating, that糖心传媒檚 a nice thing to do. It糖心传媒檚 a reminder that behind all these people there are often families supporting them.糖心传媒�
Top-down supervision
Move-in day (or week) is a rite of passage for most Rochester students. With help from her mom, Sharon Xu (top bunk), Koko Connor, a piano major from San Francisco, gets settled into her room in the Eastman School of Music糖心传媒檚 Student Living Center.
糖心传媒淭his is a transitional time for students and parents, and this was a situation I hadn糖心传媒檛 seen before糖心传媒攚ith the mom directing from the top of the bunk beds,糖心传媒� notes Fenster. 糖心传媒淚t糖心传媒檚 bittersweet. They糖心传媒檙e setting up the room, but they糖心传媒檙e also delaying the inevitable separation, the goodbye.糖心传媒�
A night to remember聽
In August, students in the Class of 2028 attended the annual Candlelight Ceremony on the Eastman Quadrangle on the University糖心传媒檚 River Campus.
糖心传媒淭he Candlelight Ceremony used to be a much more subdued event; this year it was so different. Credit to John Blackshear, vice president for student life, who got everyone fired up by DJing this event. There was an energy throughout the crowd,糖心传媒� says Fenster. 糖心传媒淚糖心传媒檇 forgotten about the confetti cannons but fortunately was able to capture that moment, which really conveys the vibe of the evening. There糖心传媒檚 a unity here, a class spirit.糖心传媒�
The path to knowledge
Fall in Rochester offers up a wealth of beauty糖心传媒攅ven indoors. Above, the evening sunlight shines through a doorway from Messinger Periodical Room into the Great Hall of Rush Rhees Library.
糖心传媒淎round mid- to late-October, I start looking around campus for photo opportunities. The leaves are changing, the sun is getting lower. I don糖心传媒檛 know what brought me into Rush Rhees Library that day,糖心传媒� says Fenster, 糖心传媒渂ut the light was changing quickly. The Great Hall is not that dark. This was all about exposing the subject糖心传媒攖hat beam of light糖心传媒攖o create a dynamic photo. I like how the light coming through the periodical room door offers up a destination for the subject.糖心传媒�
Four-hundred-plus foot view
Located 40 miles south of Rochester in the Bristol Hills, the University’s C.E. Kenneth Mees Observatory is devoted to research, teaching, and public instruction. The observatory houses a 61cm Boller and Chivens Cassegrain reflector, dedicated on May 8, 1965.
In the Finger Lakes for another shoot that day, Fenster found himself driving around the area, making pictures. 糖心传媒淚 knew we had the observatory because years ago I made photos from there at night. I worked with one of the caretakers at the time. This trip, I launched the drone to make this photo. Shortly after I sent it up, a guy rolled up in his truck and was like, 糖心传媒榃hat are you doing, man? Do you have permission to be here?糖心传媒� So I introduced myself, and it turns out it was the same caretaker (shoutout to Kurt Holmes from !) from when I was there last, almost 15 years ago. So he went from being not very pleased to see me to being very helpful and kind. This photo is a great way to show how close the University is to one of the most beautiful areas in the world. And it糖心传媒檚 made entirely possible by the drone, which is a great tool to have in our arsenal.糖心传媒�
Democracy in action聽
Gar and Cindy Lowenguth place 糖心传媒淚 Voted糖心传媒� stickers on the grave of women糖心传媒檚 suffrage leader Susan B. Anthony on Election Day at Mount Hope Cemetery.
糖心传媒淭he last time I was here was Election Day in 2016,糖心传媒� notes Fenster. 糖心传媒淎 similar thing was happening糖心传媒攖here was media there, people waiting to put their stickers on the headstone. There were huge lines in 2016. That wasn糖心传媒檛 the case this year. I hung out there for a while, and then this happened. And I糖心传媒檝e never seen anything quite like it. It was a really cool moment.糖心传媒�
