{"id":355052,"date":"2018-12-14T14:20:01","date_gmt":"2018-12-14T19:20:01","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/?p=355052"},"modified":"2019-01-02T14:47:17","modified_gmt":"2019-01-02T19:47:17","slug":"2018-the-year-in-pictures-355052","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/2018-the-year-in-pictures-355052\/","title":{"rendered":"2018: The year in pictures"},"content":{"rendered":"

As the University photographer, Adam Fenster sees\u2014and subsequently documents\u2014more than the average person at Rochester. And as in years past, he picks some of his favorite photos and gives us a behind-the-scenes look at what makes each one special.<\/p>\n

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\u00a0\"portrait<\/strong><\/p>\n

Remembering Dean Burgett<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Paul Burgett\u2014musician, scholar, teacher, and University leader for over half a century\u2014died this year at the age of 72. Although this portrait was taken in 2014 for a profile<\/a> in Rochester Review<\/em>, Fenster chose to include it among this year\u2019s photos as a tribute to the larger-than-life person many of us knew simply as Dean Burgett.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was during this profile\u2014covering his classes and ‘The Fiery Furnace\u2019 speech, making his portrait\u2014that I began to get a sense of who Paul was as a person and educator,” Fenster recalls. \u201cThere really is no one else like him. He touched a lot of lives.\u201d<\/p>\n

For his portrait, Burgett chose the Welles-Brown Room. Fenster lit him with a soft box while allowing a window just outside the frame to provide subtle illumination on the bookshelves and the right side of Burgett\u2019s face. \u201cThe result is a dark, contrasty image that allows Paul\u2019s warmth to shine through.\u201d This portrait was used on the memorial service program and website<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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\"overhead<\/p>\n

Grounded in (augmented) reality<\/strong><\/h3>\n

In this photo, chemical engineering students congregate around a table that uses an interactive augmented reality platform to let students simulate the reactions in a chemical plant<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Fenster heard about the table and went to scout it out. \u201cAs soon as I saw it, I realized this definitely calls for an overhead photo. So, I took my monopod, stuck my camera on it, and got the shot.\u201d<\/p>\n

The only light is from the table itself and the doorway. Fenster had to wait for the opportune moment when the students were interacting with the technology and each other. \u201cOtherwise, it just looks like coffee mugs on a glowing table. The human element is what helps to fully illustrate this new and different technology.\u201d<\/p>\n

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\"close<\/p>\n

Telling shells<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Fenster photographed items from the University\u2019s former natural history museum to promote the Ward Project, a new initiative that enables scientists, historians, and archivists to recreate the inventory of Henry Augustus Ward, a faculty member at the University from 1862 to 1875.<\/p>\n

Pictured here is an item from Ward\u2019s inventory: the skeletal shell of Dasypus novemcinctus<\/em>, also known as the nine-banded armadillo. \u201cI like this photo because it’s all about texture, lighting, and repetition. You\u2019ve got a color photo that looks black and white. It checks a lot of boxes aesthetically for me.\u201d<\/p>\n

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\"Hillary<\/p>\n

I\u2019m with her<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Louise Slaughter, who died in March, represented the Rochester region in Congress for more than 30 years. During that time, she worked tirelessly to fund and support research initiatives at the University.<\/p>\n

More than 2,000 guests\u2014including family, friends, and government officials\u2014gathered to celebrate her life<\/a> during a memorial service held in Kodak Hall at Eastman Theatre. Among the speakers was former first lady and secretary of state Hillary Clinton.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor something like this,\u201d notes Fenster, \u201cyou don\u2019t want it to be all about Hillary\u2014it\u2019s about Louise, after all\u2014but Hillary\u2019s still a part of it. You want a photo that shows the whole scene, so that means shooting the same scene but in different ways, with a different focus, using different exposures.\u201d<\/p>\n

Fenster has shot in Kodak Hall countless times and credits his experience as a photojournalist for teaching him to cover his bases. He says, \u201cEditors drill it into you: move around, get to different locations if you can, give the client multiple options.\u201d<\/p>\n

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\"student<\/p>\n

Cartwheels on the quad<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Sarah Cawley \u201921, a former gymnast and current club volleyball player, performs an aerial cartwheel on the Eastman Quad in April.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen the weather\u2019s nice and I’m on my way to and fro, I’ll see a lot of activity on the quad, those \u2018slice of life\u2019 moments on campus,\u201d Fenster says.<\/p>\n

When he noticed Cawley, he recognized the potential for a different take on an otherwise typical \u201ckids on the quad with Rush Rhees Library in the background” shot. So, he asked for her permission and then got in low with a wide lens and a high shutter-speed (1\/1600th of a second, in this case). \u201cWhen you freeze the action like that, it almost looks like she\u2019s levitating.\u201d For Fenster, that unexpected element is what elevates (pun intended) this photo to year-in-pictures status.<\/p>\n

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\"student<\/p>\n

Pensive visage<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Finding those unexpected elements can be challenging with recurring or annual events, such as first-year student Move-In Day<\/a>. \u201cYou can show all the cars lining up\u2014which they do every year\u2014and that tells you what they experienced<\/em>. But I also look for moments that try to convey what they felt<\/em>.\u201d<\/p>\n

Here, Callista Zaronias \u201922 of Broomfield, Colorado, is captured peering out from the backseat of a car waiting in the parking lot. In the background, another incoming student\u2019s blurred face acts as a visual echo of Zaronias and the hundreds of other new students who descend upon the River Campus at the beginning of each academic year.<\/p>\n

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\"portrait<\/p>\n

Meet the music man<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Adrian Jackson<\/a>, a first-year viola student from Austin, Texas, stands outside the Eastman School of Music for a portrait.<\/p>\n

The first notable aspect of the photo is the location. \u201cIt\u2019s hard to photograph someone in front of Kodak Hall unless you get really far away,\u201d says Fenster. Fortunately, Jackson was game, the traffic was minimal, and the bright but slightly overcast sky created good lighting.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe other interesting thing here is Adrian himself. If you had asked me to art direct someone\u2019s outfit, I wouldn\u2019t have been able to come up with this look. The contrast of the yellow chucks with the classical instrument\u2014it makes you want to stop and read the caption to find out who this guy is and what he\u2019s about.\u201d<\/p>\n

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\"overhead<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s get in formation<\/strong><\/h3>\n

The Class of 2022 forms the University’s spirit \u201cR\u201d logo on the Wilson Quad to kick off Wilson Day, the annual day of community engagement for new undergraduate students.<\/p>\n

For years, Fenster has been advocating to get each incoming class to take a portrait together during the early days of their time at the University. \u201cCredit to Eleanor Oi and the orientation staff because this is the year we finally got it right,\u201d he says. String outlining a giant \u201cR\u201d, hundreds of students in matching shirts, and a bucket truck operated by the facilities team helped make this single still photo possible.<\/p>\n

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\"Missy<\/p>\n

In full swing<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Missy Pfohl Smith, director of the Program of Movement and Dance, was appointed this year to lead the Institute for the Performing Arts<\/a> for a three-year term.<\/p>\n

Pfohl Smith is a dancer, so the O\u2019Brien Hall dance studio was a logical choice for the location. Fenster took a series of more traditional portraits in the setting but prefers this shot because it\u2019s \u201cin the moment. She doesn’t even seem to be aware that the camera is there.\u201d<\/p>\n

He adds, \u201cYou can see how she\u2019s framed by this rectangle in the background, yet her feet and legs are breaking out of that grid. It\u2019s peak action.\u201d<\/p>\n

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\"nighttime<\/p>\n

Star quality<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Stars and the Milky Way Galaxy light the evening sky over Lake Ontario, as viewed from the shore at Chimney Bluffs State Park. Fenster was asked to photograph the scene to help illustrate the University\u2019s \u201cRochester Effect\u201d campaign<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf you want to show a person with the stars, you need a low angle, a lot of space, and a dark area,\u201d Fenster says. \u201cCameras nowadays with their high ISOs [light sensitivity], it\u2019s almost like they can see in the dark. It didn\u2019t look that way in person, but if you expose it right, the sensor takes in all the light and allows you to see the galaxy.\u201d<\/p>\n

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\"Alan<\/p>\n

How Hitchcockian<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Allen Topolski, associate professor of art and art history, is pictured with his installation, \u201cA Common Inculcation,\u201d at PLAY\/ GROUND, an immersive art exhibition<\/a> featuring 29 artists at the former high school in Medina, New York.<\/p>\n

Fenster brought a single light with him for this outing. The silhouette next to Topolski was continually changing and at one point crossed its arms. \u201cSo, I asked Allen to cross his arms, too. He\u2019s a nice guy and was willing to work with me to realize my vision.\u201d And the final result features what looks to be a shadow or cutout of Topolski.<\/p>\n

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\"fish-eye<\/p>\n

Monet at the MAG<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Using a fish-eye lens and monopod, Fenster documented visitors to the Memorial Art Gallery\u2019s exclusive exhibition<\/a>: Monet\u2019s Waterloo Bridge: Vision and Process<\/em>.<\/p>\n

Instead of a close-up of a single Monet painting, Fenster wanted his photograph to tell the story of the whole exhibition: that is, you can take your time to compare, contrast, and contemplate eight versions of the same London scene side by side.<\/p>\n

Notice how in the photo the paintings themselves radiate with an opalescent quality. \u201cThe team at the MAG did a great job with the lighting and layout of the exhibition,\u201d says Fenster.<\/p>\n

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\"Kareem<\/p>\n

Home court advantage<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Basketball icon and activist Kareem Abdul-Jabbar visited Rochester in November to meet with students and discuss his perspective on some of the issues dividing the United States, including racism, economic inequality, and social injustice.<\/p>\n

The event itself, held in the Palestra, was at maximum capacity. Fenster snapped this shot as Abdul-Jabbar received a standing ovation from the crowd. \u201cHe\u2019s a legend, he came to our campus to speak, and we got to hear his insights firsthand,\u201d Fenster says. \u201cI even got my photo taken with him.\u201d<\/p>\n

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\"a<\/p>\n

New look at an old song book<\/strong><\/h3>\n

In this photo, librarian and archivist Autumn Haag holds the title page of \u201cFarewell Song of Frederick Douglass.\u201d The piece\u2014one of only two copies known to exist\u2014is contained within a volume of sheet music recently acquired by the University<\/a>\u2019s Rare Books, Special Collections, and Preservation.<\/p>\n

Fenster photographs his fair share of books, documents, and other items from the library\u2019s special collections. When it makes sense, he tries to incorporate an element of humanity in these photographs of inanimate objects. As Haag held up one page from the fragile volume,<\/p>\n

Fenster used a front light. But it was the backlight that proved crucial. One tiny flash from behind illuminated the all-important cover page (featuring Frederick Douglass\u2019s name) while also casting light on the sheet music that follows.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat backlighting is really where the magic comes from in this photo.\u201d<\/p>\n

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\"a<\/p>\n

Next-Gen Nobel?<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Sara Bucht, a graduate student in the Plasma and Ultrafast Physics Group, is reflected in a grating used in her lab at the Laboratory for Laser Energetics<\/a>. The smaller grating in the foreground is the one used in the 1980s by Donna Strickland \u201989 (PhD) in the work for which she received a Nobel Prize in Physics this year.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe wanted to show the contrast between Donna\u2019s original small [grating] and this big new one, and how these researchers are carrying on her work today,\u201d says Fenster. Aptly enough, at least to this writer\u2019s mind, the image successfully blends the classic 1980s aesthetic with a futuristic vibe. The end result is a photograph that is distinctly Rochester.<\/p>\n

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