University photographer J. Adam Fenster shares some of his favorite photos from around the University during the past year.
Living on the edge: Chunlei Guo, professor in The Institute of Optics, developed a technique that uses lasers to render materials hydrophobic. In this photo, a water droplet bounces off the edge of a metal surface treated with Guo’s process to repel moisture.
“This was a technically challenging photo shoot, requiring hours of set up and practice,” says Fenster. “I have to give credit to Anatoliy Vorobyev, a senior scientist working with Professor Guo. Without his help setting up the demonstration and patiently squeezing precisely measured water from a dropper, I wouldn’t have been able to get these images.”
Dance academy: The Linda E. Sloan Studio—a brand new acting, voice, movement, and multi-purpose performance studio—opened in Todd Union in 2014.
“I think the best way to illustrate a new space on campus is to show it being used,” says Fenster. “I went to a movement class in the studio and happened to catch this shot from a low camera angle. I like how the students in the foreground frame the students in the background”
Under the Rochester sun: Sunlight streams through the atrium of the Ronald Rettner Hall for Media Arts and Innovation.
“We’re always looking for ways to showcase campus spaces. Here, the found light creates interesting shadows and contrasts in the photo,” Fenster explains.
Laser focus: Photographing in the Laboratory for Laser Energetics is a challenge. Fenster had to secure access, don the appropriate safety gear, and bring his own lights for two days of shooting.
In this photo, a technician maneuvers a diagnostic outside the target chamber of the Omega EP laser. Fenster recalls that the extra effort was worth the results: “Besides confirming that difficult shooting conditions can yield interesting photos, there is no substitute for having incredible subjects and good relationships with the people who provide access and assistance in photographing them.”
New dad, new grad: Graduation is a milestone event, which makes for many emotional moments throughout the weekend. Fenster captured this particular Kodak moment outside of Kodak Hall at Eastman Theatre. Here, Tyson Olson kisses his 4-month-old son after receiving his diploma from the School of Medicine and Dentistry.
Facing the future: More than 1,200 graduating students received their degrees during the 2014 Arts, Sciences & Engineering commencement ceremony.
“This year, we set up two remote cameras—one wide, one tight—on the Rush Rhees Library balcony,” explains Fenster, “and ended up with this vibrant, high-energy shot.”
Jazz it up: Each year, Eastman School of Music faculty, students, and alumni perform during the Xerox Rochester International Jazz Festival. At this year’s festival, Fenster snapped a photo of Tyrone Allen II ’17 playing bass on the Gibbs Street stage. Note how the stage’s railing acts as a natural frame for Allen.
Somewhere over the rainbow: In June, Fenster was at the Memorial Art Gallery to photograph President Seligman’s annual Garden Party. As he was preparing to leave, he noticed the rain and decided to wait a few minutes. That decision paid off as a perfect rainbow appeared over MAG’s Cutler Union.
Summer school: “This photo illustrates what the Eastman School does in a nutshell—music, teaching, outreach,” says Fenster. In it, Neil Varon helps a young conductor hone his craft on the Kodak Hall stage. As part of the Summer Conducting Institute, up-and-coming conductors from around the world have the opportunity to rehearse with the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra.
Light bright: Belying this image’s simplicity was a carefully constructed photo shoot—followed by a re-shoot.
“I had to go back to Duncan Moore’s lab a second time with a different plan,” Fenster says. “Turns out that when photographing these lasers, the longer the exposure, the worse the ‘laser speckle’, which results in grainy, unusable images.”
Stealing their thunder: This year’s Rochester International Air Show featured the F-16 fighter jets of the United Stated Air Force Thunderbirds.
“When the Thunderbirds are in town, we always try to photograph them ‘on campus.’ That means finding a University landmark—such as the Interfaith Chapel or Rush Rhees Library—and waiting for the jets to fly by,” Fenster explains.
Challenge accepted: “It was the summer of the Ice Bucket Challenge!” says Fenster. So naturally, he was on hand to document the University’s athletic department coaches and administrators as they completed the challenge at Fauver Stadium on a summer day.
Candlelight kick-off: Pictured is the Class of 2018’s Candlelight Ceremony, an event that takes place on the Eastman Quad during orientation week.
“The challenge with an annual event like this is to find new ways to photograph it,” Fenster recalls. This year, he used a fish-eye lens and a higher angle to capture the concentric rings of freshmen in front of Rush Rhees Tower.
Rochester’s invisibility cloak: After his first round of photographing the optical cloaking device created by John Howell and Joseph Choi, Fenster got to thinking: What if we cloaked a face?
During the next round, Fenster asked that question—and Choi gamely agreed to volunteer his own face for cloaking. The result is this stunning image, which was picked up by numerous media outlets (including NBC News) to illustrate the research.
Stepping up to the challenge: In September, Bradford Berk announced his plans to step down as CEO of the University of Rochester Medical Center in order to launch the new University of Rochester Neurorestoration Institute.
Berk suffered a spinal cord injury in 2009, but continued leading the Medical Center while also using its services. Here, he walks with help during a biweekly physical therapy session.
“It was very humbling and inspiring to see such an accomplished, impressive person actively working to overcome his injury,” remarks Fenster.
A roof with a view: From atop the Brooks Crossing Apartments on the other side of the Genesee River, Fenster captured this brand new aerial view of River Campus and the Rochester skyline.
“This was another re-shoot; our first opportunity was interrupted by rain. I like how the curve of the Genesee makes campus look a little like an island from this angle,” comments Fenster.
To infinity (box) and beyond: “It’s always fun to show the cool stuff happening at MAG,” says Fenster, “even if it is on a tight deadline.”
Late on a Friday afternoon, Fenster received a request to shoot artist Matt Elson’s Infinity Boxes, an exhibition using color, light, and mirrors to create optical illusions that envelop viewers who peer inside.
Fenster and student Miriam Grigsby ’17 went to the Memorial Art Gallery for the shoot. Here, Grigsby poses inside “Radiance” (Infinity Box #6). And if you look closely enough, you can even spot the photographer himself at work with his camera.
