Photographers’ favorites – News

Photographers’ favorites 2025: Behind the viewfinder

Phyllis Graber Jensen and Theophil Syslo — Thu, 18 Dec 2025 20:58:15 +0000

Whenever the �ֲ��ý photography/video team of Phyllis Graber Jensen (director of photography and video) and Theophil Syslo (multimedia producer) come back from assignment, they bring back hundreds if not thousands of images and sometimes, hours of video.

These are gifts for the editorial team, images that show the texture of campus life, introduce us to students we haven’t (yet) met, and create connections well beyond the parameters of the �ֲ��ý campus. Because our work is collaborative, the photos you see on our website and social media are often selected by a team of people in the �ֲ��ý Communications and Marketing office.

As we close out the calendar year, it is our tradition to step back from that collective selection process and ask Phyllis and Theo to tell us what their favorite 10 images (or videos) were from 2025. (Phyllis would interject right here to say, these are “some of our favorites, not all of our favorites.”) Because it’s hard to choose. In the captions they tell us the story behind their work, including what they were feeling at the time they captured these images. Reading about their process is so fun, but our favorite part of photographers’ favorites is learning why these photographic works mattered to this talented, dedicated duo.

The Ultimate Event

Phyllis Graber Jensen says:

These students were going wild, and I wondered why.

The annual Farewell Celebration for Seniors and Faculty was everything it’s meant to be. Heartfelt and joyful, seniors celebrated side by side in Gray Athletic building with the faculty members who’ve helped shape their journeys at �ֲ��ý.

But this group was focused on a laptop. That’s because Daniel Snider ’25 (green cap) and his �ֲ��ý Orange Whip ultimate frisbee teammates were streaming the Division III Ultimate championship.

It was easy to see why Snider couldn’t miss it. He helped lead �ֲ��ý to its first-ever berth in the previous year’s national tournament and was named winner of the 2025 Donovan Award — Ultimate’s highest honor for skill, spirit, and leadership.

“This event was special,” said Snider, a French and Francophone major from Belfast, Maine, “because we were able to be around each other as friends, rather than just as students and professors. Saying goodbye isn’t easy — but I’m grateful for everyone who made �ֲ��ý such a meaningful place.”

I’m grateful, too, for the chance to share some of that meaning.

Phyllis Graber Jensen/�ֲ��ý College

Rainy Day Reunion

Theophil Syslo says:

When I saw this scene developing I thought to myself, “Do I capture this now, with everyone walking toward me, and risk the child changing their behavior, or do I allow them to pass by me and capture them walking away?” Historically, I want to see faces, but photographically, that umbrella on the ground is just as good as any face. For me, the child’s gesture and casual umbrella use was enough to stop and wait for this frame to play out. I did my best to “keep it cool” as I did not want to break mine or the child’s focus. As I made my way past the family, I calmly took a knee, turned around, and made my frame and had a laugh. Happy reunion.

Theophil Syslo/�ֲ��ý College

Look Up

Phyllis Graber Jensen says:

I noticed this Quad Walker from a distance. His behavior distinguished him from me and the countless others who cross campus with smart phones or mirrorless cameras — less so with our mind’s eye — intent on memorializing what we see.

The way he was looking up in awe at the beautiful fall foliage reminded me of the simple but profound advice �ֲ��ý Commencement honorand Gwen Ifill offered 2012 graduates. “Look up,” she suggested.

“It’s so much simpler to look down. Your feet are down there, our screens are down there. But our fears are down there too. If you look up and away from the fear you will see the destinations you are headed toward, and you will see the opportunities. If you look up, you will see the chance to speak and to act on behalf of the discouraged and the diminished. … If you look up you will see that a �ֲ��ý degree is the beginning of your life’s education but not the end.”

Her words, not mine, but they represent a blueprint for life worth keeping.

Phyllis Graber Jensen/�ֲ��ý College

A Moment in Gomes

Theophil Syslo says:

Morehouse College student Junias Lunsford-Peaks ’28, foreground, writes in a notepad while sitting in a pew in Gomes Chapel ahead of the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day Keynote presentation on Jan. 20, 2025. A painting of the Rev. Peter J. Gomes ’65 is seen through the main door nave hanging on the entrance lobby wall. MLK Day on �ֲ��ý’ campus has so many layers. What’s always stood out to me are the individuals, the participants, and especially the students who have chosen to be there. I like the color temperature and color palette, the daylight in the foreground and amber in the background. I like the attire; I really like the tie and bowtie. I like the bricks and polka dots. I like the focus, the idea, and the moment. I really like whoever propped the main door open because this was the first time I saw this opportunity.

Theophil Syslo/�ֲ��ý College

Floating Over the City

Phyllis Graber Jensen says:

The 2025 Lewiston-Auburn Balloon Festival is a community celebration centered on hot air balloons, and typically attracts 100,000 visitors. The festival features more than 20 food stands, live entertainment, 13 balloons, and a parade. This year’s theme, “The Rise of the Balloons,” perfectly characterizes the scene I documented..

Messages from Home

Theophil Syslo says:

The project started with me sending a half dozen emails around campus looking for a vintage phone that might work for this project’s purpose, creating a “phone booth” for families to send messages to their students during drop-off day. Once we found the “red hot” phone, I started looking for a way to install lavalier microphones inside the mouthpiece. Unfortunately, the mics were slightly too big. In the end, I actually just set a microphone next to the phone instead of inside. I also set up multiple static cameras and held one camera on a monopod. As I finished clicking the last camera into its tripod plate, I wondered, “Will parents show up this morning for this video project?” Fortunately, enough did, and we produced what you see above. I found this project to be a fun example of flirting between the lines of performative and authentic.

�ֲ��ý photographers’ favorite images of 2024

�ֲ��ý News — Fri, 13 Dec 2024 15:24:38 +0000

Many of the 20 photos in this year’s edition of �ֲ��ý Photographers’ Favorites made the cut for self-evident reasons, like how they capture intimate moments of friendship, the intensity of athletic competition, or soothing nature.

Some come to the list, our 11th annual, a bit sideways.

Director of Photography and Video Phyllis Graber Jensen earned her first �ֲ��ý photo credit 30 years ago. For her, seeing a surprise through the viewfinder, like a U.S. Naval Academy officer standing at attention during a �ֲ��ý squash match, yielded one of her favorite photographs of the year.

For multimedia producer Theophil Syslo, a photograph can be a favorite mistake, such as the unexpected result of trying to create an abstract moment from a fireworks show.

Combined, their perspectives and talents create this surprising, imperfect, and ultimately human visual presentation of what we love about our college and community.

Love Letter to Lewiston

Phyllis Graber Jensen says:

Early in August, I traversed downtown Lewiston — my hometown for the last 32 years — to photograph the visual explosion of public art on display. Some of what you see these days has been created through commissions to well-known artists such as muralist Arlin Graff or sculptor Charlie Hewitt. Other artwork, like painted utility boxes, reflects homespun community spirit.

Whatever the art or artist, you’ll be tempted to stop in your tracks — as I was when I noticed this pedestrian as she bopped her way past Co-Lab Create, a communal art space on Lisbon Street. In her step, I see energy and optimism. The building’s exterior artwork was created by muralist Jared Goulette, who blended between 20 to 30 colors, “playing with the liquid,” to create “A Splash of Color,” 20 feet tall by 50 feet long. Just another one of the many reasons to love Maine’s second-largest city and all that it offers.

Phyllis Graber Jensen/�ֲ��ý College

Hands-On Defense

Theophil Syslo says:

Sports action shot. Stop action. Heads up. Tight/telephoto. A �ֲ��ý women’s basketball defender goes for the ball but grabs a head — a swing and a miss. I wish I could remember if this was called a foul or not.

Either way, it’s a great demonstration of why you aren’t allowed to wear jewelry like face or nose rings in basketball — this could be a much fiercer and bloodier photo. The number one reason I chose this photo as a favorite this year is because it reminds me of being a kid and making funny faces by distorting my nose with my fingers. It makes me giggle.

Theophil Syslo/�ֲ��ý College

One for the Books

Phyllis Graber Jensen says:

Phyllis Graber Jensen says:

These paired photos show �ֲ��ý rowers walking boats and gear down the hill from the Traquina Boathouse to the Androscoggin River on successive days in October. On the first day, Oct. 17, the rowers were all set for a gorgeous early morning practice, not long before their big fall regatta, the Head of the Charles in Boston.

Unfortunately, morning fog — beautiful in its own way — interfered. Head coach Peter Steenstra tried to wait out the thick soup, but it didn’t dissipate. So he sent the grounded athletes back to campus and rescheduled the workout for the afternoon. I wasn’t able to be there, so I returned the next morning for a second chance, when I duplicated a photograph at the hillside location for an entirely different sun-splashed moment.

Paws, Laugh, Repeat

Theophil Syslo says:

What’s your favorite dog quote? If you know me, you know why I’m including this photo in my favorites — because it’s my favorite. I’ve said it before: If a photo can make you laugh, it’s worth sharing. Nothing makes me giggle more than listening to a talkative dog try to argue his way into a port-a-potty. (In this case, during a soccer game at Russell Street Field last September.)

If you pair this photo with a serious quote, like Gandhi’s “the greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated,” the humor only gets better.

Theophil Syslo/�ֲ��ý College

Birthday Snowscape

Phyllis Graber Jensen says:

What do you do when it snows nearly a foot on your birthday? If you’re Amelia Wallis ’24, you enjoy a snow party on the Historic Quad with your �ֲ��ý buddies. “It’s an amazing day to celebrate with friends,” said Wallis, whom you can spy in her aqua blue jacket, seated at the head of a snow horse they created, which followed the snow fort they dug from a big pile of snow left by Facility Services plows.

If I remember correctly, I had stumbled across this scene while out looking for a snowstorm feature. I am often invited to photograph student celebrations, such as senior thesis bindings, organizational dinners, or performances. But this was unexpected, a gift for a lucky photographer.

Phyllis Graber Jensen/�ֲ��ý College

Theophil Syslo says:

Not to steal Princess Jasmine’s best line, but it really is a whole new world, or new perspective. It wasn’t too long ago the only opportunities for access for content creation like this would be through balloons, kites, airplanes, and helicopters. Drones are a great new tool that producers like myself are excited to use to help push the story.

Theophil Syslo / �ֲ��ý College

Moonstruck

Phyllis Graber Jensen says:

I usually feel celebratory on the first day of July but less so on the last day of the month when I anticipate summer winding down, even when it isn’t. Last July 1, I set out in search of early morning (5:12 a.m.) sunlight, and focused on the Puddle, where, as expected, I found a beautiful scene. But as I climbed the stairs between Lane and Pettengill halls, I looked up and spotted this full-bodied, cratered moon, floating above a stream of quickly moving clouds. I swooned in expectation of a wonderful summer.

�ֲ��ý photographers’ favorite images of 2023

�ֲ��ý News — Wed, 13 Dec 2023 17:33:51 +0000

A picture says a thousand words. But how many words describe the process of photographing an entire community as told from the eclectic perspective of the visual artist?

For �ֲ��ý Communications and Marketing photographers Phyllis Graber Jensen and Theophil Syslo, more than you’d think. Try: “weird,” “funny,” “symmetrical,” “historic,” “vicariously” — and, of all things, “beast mode.”

Those are just some of the words they used to describe some of their favorite photographic moments from 2023, the images tell stories that speak of fear, fascination, and the fun, funky vibe running through �ֲ��ý when Bobcat energy is in full gear. Of course, 2023 also ended up a time of tragedy and profound sadness and grief following the Lewiston mass shootings. Graber Jensen and Syslo documented that, as well.

When considering the memorable photo moments of the past year, Syslo summed it up this way: “What we do is enter people’s lives and their hearts to celebrate humanity. At the end of the day, it’s the people’s lives that I’ve touched who have touched me that will be important.”

A Stacked Image

Phyllis Graber Jensen says:

This photograph reminds me of how I feel every time I play Wordle. I’ve got a nice winning streak going, but there’s no guarantee that I won’t lose today. Or tomorrow. Or the day after. What you accomplished yesterday has no bearing on what you’re able to achieve today.

I’ve photographed the Great Falls Balloon Festival for decades, and every year I manage to squeeze out what I consider to be an acceptable image that achieves something last year’s did not. But there are no guarantees that I’ll emerge a winner. So each August, I set out to cover an early morning launch with a bit of disbelief and trepidation. Unlike the Wordle challenge, the balloon festival test is a subjective one. And I’m the judge who decided that the 2023 version was another win for me.

Phyllis Graber Jensen/�ֲ��ý College

Delightful Daughter

Phyllis Graber Jensen says:

Accompanied by her parents, Arthur McAfee and Anita LaRue-McAfee, women’s swimming and diving captain Dylan McAfee ’23 walks the gauntlet of applauding teammates who were on hand for Senior Day festivities before a meet against Tufts at Merrill Gymnasium’s Tarbell Pool.

This is not a new situation for me to photograph, but this particular moment jumps out at me. It’s the joy in the faces of the parents and child, and the enthusiastic response portrayed by the clapping hands of the other swimmers that tugged at my heart. As the mother of a daughter, it reminds me of the delight children can provide their parents at any age.

Phyllis Graber Jensen/�ֲ��ý College

Filing the Files

Theophil Syslo says:

This photo shows Alan Wang ’24 posing for a portrait during his Purposeful Work internship at the Maine State Archives. What made this engagement exciting was Alan’s willingness to share and explore.

The best photographs are the ones where the creator and the subject are working together toward the end product. I scheduled an hour for it, but I thought, “I like your enthusiasm and excitement,” so we tried a couple of spots.

He had a complete willingness to share and participate and to explore the space together as I photographed him, which was nice. Not everyone is willing to give that time. Alan wanted to give the time and he wanted to participate.

Theophil Syslo/�ֲ��ý College

Frozen in Time

Phyllis Graber Jensen says:

I have to give myself a motivational pep talk every time I walk onto an icy Lake Andrews to photograph the . It’s a pageant, and a cold one, that leaves me numb, sometimes speechless, even though I’ve experienced it repeatedly. When I say “experienced,” I mean that vicariously, of course, because I remain grateful each winter that it’s them, not me who jump half naked into a frigid body of water. There’s always something to show for their and my respective efforts, however, like this collective moment of self awareness as this trio paused “frozen” for eternity, to pose for the camera in midair. Shown (from left) are Jared O’Hare ’23, Chloe Arons ‘23, and Chris Euston ’23.

Phyllis Graber Jensen/�ֲ��ý College

Strike a Pose

Theophil Syslo says:

Trashion Show, another distinctive �ֲ��ý event. Every year fall colors remind me of the impending awesomeness of �ֲ��ý students and their creative ways of designing attire and modeling it. Here Adelle Welch ’25 models the “Swan 2.0” designed by Grace Acton ’24, a homage to the Swan ball gown designed by the mid-20th century designer Charles James.

Welch’s energy specifically reminded me of the vibes you would get from fashion photographers like Richard Avedon, who photographed for fashion magazines like Harper’s Bazaar and Vogue during a 50-year career that began in the 1940s.

Not everyone can go on a stage, not everyone can model trash on a runway, not everyone can pose for a picture like this. This person showed up with some gestures and poses and did it confidently, without thinking or pausing.

Theophil Syslo/�ֲ��ý College

Girl Power

Phyllis Graber Jensen says:

I love the symmetry as this group of three �ֲ��ý varsity volleyball players line up to demonstrate an underhand serve to a young girl during National Girls and Women in Sports Day last February. Shown are (from left) Ellie Asada ’26, Ami Evans ’26, and Chrissy Chu ’25.

What I love about this event held in the Gray Athletic Building is that it’s an annual celebration of women’s athletics at �ֲ��ý that promotes the recognition of the 1972 Title IX legislation that changed my life and the trajectory of countless other girls who love to play sports.

Phyllis Graber Jensen/�ֲ��ý College

Healing

Phyllis Graber Jensen says:

Nine days after the Lewiston mass shootings, Tree Street Youth, joined by many other organizations and members of the �ֲ��ý community, led an outpouring of support called “Love Lewiston Day.” Activities included sharing remembrance ribbons, writing thank you cards and signs, and dispensing “free hugs” — part of a social movement that offers hugs to strangers as random acts of kindness.

Here the heartfelt embrace offered and received was with two individuals who had worked side by side that day: Abdurahman Abdi (left), age 13, and Starr Bradley ’25 of Houston, a part-time Tree Street staffer, who supports the Lewiston after-school program and mentors teens.

I stopped by Tree Street that brilliantly sunny afternoon to catch a few moments with �ֲ��ý students and alumni who participated in the activities, either as staff, volunteers, or visitors. In this case, the power of the hug shared by Abdi and Bradley was palpable.

Phyllis Graber Jensen/�ֲ��ý College

You Do You

Theophil Syslo says:

When Phyllis and I document the college and its people, we seek authentic, real-life snippets of what you do, who you are. In this case, Rishi Madnani ’23 is doing something different: He’s striking a pose for the camera, in a very confident way.

He was the senior speaker at Commencement. I liked this photo moment because he shows nice situational awareness. Contrapposto. Framed. His perfectly framed flashing deuces are highlighted by his draped garnet.

He’s walking toward the camera, versus walking away from the camera. I can’t think of a better beginning. I see him taking his first steps to his young career or his new life or his new beginning. I don’t really look at it as his last day on campus. Visually, he’s stepping on a shadow, but into the light.

Theophil Syslo/�ֲ��ý College

No Worries

Phyllis Graber Jensen says:

I spent the better part of March 6, 2023, photographing the newly elected �ֲ��ý president, Garry W. Jenkins, as he arrived at �ֲ��ý for his first official visit. His husband, Jon Lee, accompanied him. The photo opportunities included posed portraits around campus, visiting Admission’s Lindholm House, hanging out on Alumni Walk with President Clayton Spencer and the �ֲ��ý Bobcat, and, finally, his formal introduction to the community in Alumni Gymnasium. These situations had been carefully planned and itemized in an official schedule. But one event was impromptu.

At 2:58 p.m., the president-elect emailed me that he and Jon had forgotten to let me know they planned to head over to the College Store at that time. “No worries if you are busy,” he wrote. I rushed over to find the pair shopping for �ֲ��ý swag and meeting the store’s staff. Trailing them around the store, I witnessed this moment when they discovered a rainbow silicone phone wallet. Nice for them. Perfect for me. It was a good foreshadowing of their willingness to be in front of — and behind (for their respective Instagram accounts) — the camera this past year.

Phyllis Graber Jensen/�ֲ��ý College

�ֲ��ý photographers’ favorite images of 2022

�ֲ��ý News — Thu, 15 Dec 2022 14:16:15 +0000

“This magic moment, so different and so new,” sang Ben E. King and the Drifters in 1960.

A selection of magic �ֲ��ý moments of 2022 comprise this end-of-the-year photography list — a tradition now in its ninth year — which shares some of our photographers’ favorite images, both stills and video, of the year.

Some of these images represent a fraction of a moment. The shutter on Phyllis Graber Jensen’s Canon EOS-1D X Mark II clicked open for just 1/8000th of a second to freeze the moment of sports ecstasy for field hockey player Paige Cote ’24.

On the other hand, Theophil Syslo had his Canon 5D Mark IV running for 12 minutes and 28 seconds as he wound his way through the Commencement procession, capturing a historic academic moment (and a spot of spontaneous faculty applause for a colleague) on video.

Not surprising, “moment” comes from the Latin, specifically the word momentum, meaning “motion” or “a short time,” according to the highly regarded Online Etymology Dictionary, which advises users that a “moment” has duration, while an “instant” does not. Whatever the shutter speed these �ֲ��ý moments that photographers captured and shared in 2022 have the power to endure. As the song goes, Forever ’til the end of time. Magic.

Back for More

Phyllis Graber Jensen explains:

After the short walk home at the end of the day on Friday, March 18, I glanced at my phone. A student, Sanika Shah ’22, had sent me a note. Apologizing for the late notice, she said that a “Holi on the Quad” celebration would begin at 4:30. Could I photograph it?

Phyllis Graber Jensen/�ֲ��ý College

I looked at my phone: It was already 4:30. Mentally, I had just about crossed the threshold from work to weekend. But since I straddled that line and lived close to campus (an occupational hazard), I decided to go back.

I have photographed this Hindu celebration before, and it’s never less than full-blown bountiful joy. Two years of COVID curtailed the usual in-person gatherings, making this one especially joyous. This picture of Miranda Eisenman ’25, Phil Han ’25, Krishna Kakani ’25, and Hark Lally ’22 is one of my favorites.

Mom Knows Best

Theo Syslo explains:

Put me outside capturing video of students in the field, and I’m content. Put me on the water, and I’m happy as a clam.

In fall 2021, I traveled to the coast, to the University of Maine’s Darling Marine Center on the Damariscotta River, of Essie Martin ’22. This brief clip is my greeting Martin on the dock and commenting on her hat.

I first photographed Martin in 2018 during the annual Trashion Show. She has accomplished amazing things since then, including earning a highly competitive Harry S. Truman Scholarship. Throughout it all, she’s been genuine, enthusiastic, and determined.

Approaching the dock that day, I saw that she was wearing a pinkish cap. “Oh no,” I thought. Hats create notoriously bad shadows on the face. And, I thought, wouldn’t �ֲ��ý garnet look better against the greens and blues of the ocean, trees, and sky?

To my delight, the pink hat was actually a faded �ֲ��ý geology cap, one of Martin’s two majors (biology being the other), and it looked great on the water that morning. Shout out to Essie’s mom for the great advice.

Flying Friends

Phyllis Graber Jensen explains:

I enjoy various elements in this photograph of Nathan Huynh ’23 (left) of San Diego and Jack Cantor ’23 of Chevy Chase, Md., on a longboard. There’s the cacophony of October colors, the feeling of the sun’s warmth, and the closeness of their friendship. I had noticed them riding together, and asked them to repeat the exercise a number of times.

Phyllis Graber Jensen/�ֲ��ý College

I wanted to play around with panning, a photographic technique that creates a sense of motion though a slow shutter speed, which blurs the background as the photographer follows the subject, which remains sharp. It’s usually hit or miss. In this case, I can tick off all the boxes for a successful image. But in the end, the sweetest ingredient is their collaboration.

Michael’s March

Theo Syslo explains:

Parts of this clip were used in a . One highlight was historic: Phillips Professor of Economics Michael Murray’s final Commencement leading the academic procession as the mace bearer, an honor accorded the senior member of the faculty.

In the clip, you can see how I’m moving here and there, tracking the procession, keeping my eye on the prize (and getting a few hellos from �ֲ��ý colleagues). Then, around the 44-second mark, Michael’s colleagues break into spontaneous applause.

It’s fun to capture a historic moment like that. When I watch this clip, I think, “versatility.” And see that vignetting at lower-left in the frame? That’s an oops moment, a half-attached lens hood. I err; therefore, I am human.

Web Design

Phyllis Graber Jensen explains:

After parking my car behind Lane Hall one September morning, I noticed a spider web on foliage along Lake Andrews. The rapidly fading morning fog had enveloped the web, backlit by the rising sun. Nice. But how, I asked myself, to illustrate it most graphically?

Phyllis Graber Jensen/�ֲ��ý College

We have a macro lens and extension tubes on our office equipment shelf, so now was the time to put them to work.

I headed into Lane, grabbed the gear, and returned to the scene, where I leaned in and out to obtain the focus I needed to land this picture. Posting the image on Instagram, I included a quote attributed to Turkish playwright Mehmet Murat ildan. “Sometimes when you lose your way in the fog, you end up in a beautiful place! Don’t be afraid of getting lost.”

Up and Away

Theo Syslo explains:

This unedited clip is from a video telling about the to kick off Winter Carnival last February.

It was a blast — I was running up and down the slopes capturing video. Being able to watch happy �ֲ��ý students is a blessing, especially after the COVID curtain got raised a bit more last year, allowing large, in-person events to return.

In the clip, from the skis in the foreground to students in the background in the chairlift — you can see them moving happily to the music that filled the night air. I worked this scene for a couple minutes (couldn’t stay still too long for fear of turning into a popsicle). It worked and made me happy. And after a great shoot, you get to go back and have a great edit!

Not Forgotten

Phyllis Graber Jensen explains:

We all have our rituals. And if one of yours is to stop by a cemetery to visit the grave of a loved one, you might identify, as I did, with Victoria Wyeth ’01, seen kissing the tombstone of grandparents Andrew and Betsy Wyeth, in Cushing, Maine, this October. She also left those two pumpkins, in the spirit of the Wyeth family’s love of Halloween.

Phyllis Graber Jensen/�ֲ��ý College

On this day, Wyeth was leading a field trip to the coast for the First-Year Seminar, “Inventing New England: The World of the Wyeth Family,” which she co-taught with Professor Emerita of History Margaret Creighton.

I remember how, after my mother died, one of her childhood friends said that the best way to keep her memory alive was to tell her stories. And that is what Victoria does, telling stories around the world about the artists in her family. You don’t have to see her kissing their stone to realize how much she loves them.

‘Peace Begins With Us’

Phyllis Graber Jensen explains:

It’s no exaggeration to say that I photograph these two individuals all the time. The multitalented Miguel Angel Pacheco ’24 of Caracas, Venezuela, is a ubiquitous campus presence, one day feeding the scrum during a �ֲ��ý rugby match, the next parading around Gray Athletic Building on stilts modeling an outfit for the Trashion Show.

Phyllis Graber Jensen/�ֲ��ý College

And James Reese, associate dean for international student programs and a beloved mentor and guide for decades, is everywhere and anywhere.

But it’s rare to find them in the same frame, which is what happened here on Sept. 21, 2022, when a group of Davis United World Scholars at �ֲ��ý celebrated United World College Day in front of Roger Williams Hall. This spontaneous moment with Pacheco and Reese speaks vividly to the day’s theme: “Peace Begins With Us.”

Direct About It

Theo Syslo explains:

This unedited clip shows Noah Pott ’22, director of 35mm: A Musical Exhibition, and his cast in the dressing room of Schaeffer Theatre before the play’s premiere.

When telling a visual story, what folks seek should align with what they hear. In my interview with Pott, he spoke so warmly about the people he works with, and I think that is driven home with this scene of this dressing room pep talk.

, you don’t hear Noah’s words in the group huddle, but visually you know he’s endeared himself to the team, and he is thankful to them. I think reflective pieces of content like this are a great opportunity to revisit something from another view to appreciate it even more.

As I Lay Me Down

Phyllis Graber Jensen explains:

Sometimes you can do my job even lying down. On yet another beautiful October afternoon, I headed to the Androscoggin River in Greene to photograph �ֲ��ý rowers.

Phyllis Graber Jensen/�ֲ��ý College

As he always does, head coach Peter Steenstra welcomed me to hop onto his chase boat, where I assumed a new position: stretched out on and propped up by the boat. As Peter chased the rowers up and down the length of the river, I photographed reclining the entire time. The water, the rowers, the setting sun: All were perfect, as if I was on the Androscoggin riviera.

Laughs in the Library

Theo Syslo explains:

This clip still makes me laugh. I was walking by Ladd Library on one of the first few days of the academic year, working on a video of , when I saw an academic moment unfolding through the windows: students reading/studying. Very studious, indeed.

When they saw me, I asked through hand signals — thumbs up or thumbs down — if they were cool with my capturing video. Immediately following their thumbs up, this all happened. I used a bit of this clip in a video capturing the high energy, and hilarity, that the opening of the college year always brings.

Act and React

Phyllis Graber Jensen explains:

Two words can bias (and diminish the energy of) almost any college photographer: “panel discussion.” I had already enjoyed photographing various events surrounding the 2022 �ֲ��ý Film Festival, and it was now the final day, a Sunday. My last assignment was covering back-to-back discussions featuring actor and filmmaker John Turturro and the actor, film producer, and stage director John Shea ’70. And they didn’t disappoint.

Phyllis Graber Jensen/�ֲ��ý College

I could have as easily chosen to share the photograph of Shea kneeling to kiss the Schaeffer boards, done to show his appreciation for where he got his acting start. But instead I went with this one, in which Turturro pretends to be acting in a big-budget actioner, reacting to the unseen monster or monsters that would be added to the film later, thanks to the wonders of CGI.

He described that type of acting as a “sketch” compared to more intensive and creative work that, like a painter, allows him to create fuller works of art. His electric gesture and expression made my day.

Post Goal

Phyllis Graber Jensen explains:

When it comes to photographing field hockey, I operate on instinct. That’s a nice way of saying I am not always sure what’s happening.

So at first, I wasn’t entirely sure who had scored the goal that Paige Cote ’24 of Auburn, Maine, is jumping for joy about. But I do understand jubilation, a favorite word of newspaper photographers in my day, when I see it. So I followed Cote with my long lens, capturing frame after frame, determined to figure it out afterward.

Phyllis Graber Jensen/�ֲ��ý College

Behind Cote, the new signage festooning the Campus Avenue Field adds visual oomph to the storytelling of the moment. (And, as I learned later, Cote was reacting to her shot getting tipped into the net by a teammate — her sister, Anna Cote ’25!)

Sweet Detail

Theo Syslo explains:

As part of festivities celebrating the Lunar New Year last February, the Asian Students Association hosted a game night. One game had students using chopsticks to pick up and drop as many candy Skittles as they could into a take-out box before time runs out. For some reason, it reminded me of the children’s game Hungry Hungry Hippos.

I like the photo because it’s two-dimensional. Graphic, harmonious, yet chaotic. A photographer works all the angles, and in this case I would call this image a detail photo. I think it’s a sweet detail.

Theophil Syslo/�ֲ��ý College

Red and Blue State

Phyllis Graber Jensen explains:

My annual ritual of photographing the sugar maple outside Hedge Hall typically involves heading to the building’s third floor and leaning out of a window. This October, I didn’t exactly abandon that path, but discovered an alternative.

Phyllis Graber Jensen/�ֲ��ý College

I had noticed a striking Instagram post of the tree by Professor of French and Francophone Studies Kirk Read, whose office on the third floor of Roger Williams Hall overlooks this scene. Hmm. I stopped by Read’s office, and he invited me to photograph through his window — and return if I wanted another crack at it. The next morning, the light was divine, so back I went. The strolling students filled the bill for composition and companionship. It takes a village. Thanks to all.

Upon Reflection

Phyllis Graber Jensen explains:

At the beginning and end of every work day, I enter and exit Lane Hall from the parking lot side of the building. That means I see this vista, across Lake Andrews to Olin Arts Center, several hundred times a year. Honestly, it’s not always an interesting scene.

Phyllis Graber Jensen/�ֲ��ý College

But quantity does offer opportunity for quality, and this dusk was clearly worthy. Interior lights burning through the window and a solitary walker dwarfed by Olin’s brickwork — all of it reflected in the water, all punctuated by fall colors — creates a memorable view, and photograph.

Rising in the Poles

Theo Syslo explains:

This photograph of pole vaulter Liam Evans ’22, taken during the Maine State Classic on April 23 using a 300mm lens, really struck a chord. In the bend in the pole captured in a precise moment, I see chaos and order working harmoniously together to accomplish a single goal.

It’s pretty cool what we can do with cameras, not just today but even yesterday. I get excited to think about where we can go tomorrow.

Theophil Syslo/�ֲ��ý College

Waiting on a Photographer

Phyllis Graber Jensen explains:

“What are you doing in the tree?” I asked Eliza Brower ’23, a politics major from Seattle, Wash. She was sitting in the blooming magnolia tree next to Hathorn Hall. Without missing a beat, she replied, “I’ve been up here for days waiting for you to pass by.”

Phyllis Graber Jensen/�ֲ��ý College

Needless to say, her response appealed to my vanity and sounded entirely reasonable. This tree, like its neighbor, the Hathorn Hall maple, pays yearly dividends, and inflation is never an issue. It’s always gratifying for me to discover a new situation or way of seeing. That’s what happened here.

Go Ahead and Jump

Phyllis Graber Jensen explains:

Around noontime on Commencement Day, I breathe a sigh of relief. The tension that I experienced in the morning, the feeling of being responsible for capturing moments that do justice to the day, begins to disintegrate. The ceremony is over. The academic recessional, which departs Coram Library as a tight parade, spreads out near Hathorn Hall, like a river spreading into a bay, as students search for families.

Phyllis Graber Jensen/�ֲ��ý College

Soon I’ll head to my Lane Hall office to begin editing, but until then I remain vigilant. Sure enough, there, on the Hathorn steps, were seniors Amina Mohamed (left), a double major in neuroscience and history, and Sandia Taban, a politics major, jumping for joy for another photographer. All I had to do was position myself, point, and shoot.

�ֲ��ý photographers’ favorite images of 2021

�ֲ��ý News — Fri, 17 Dec 2021 16:47:59 +0000

One of the joys of this end-of-the-year list — a tradition now in its eighth year — lies in reconsidering what favorite means.

For instance, Phyllis Graber Jensen, director of photography and video for the �ֲ��ý Communications Office, accompanied biology students on a rainy-day trip to Wolfe’s Neck Farm for what turned out to be a muddy, mucky, feces-filled assignment. But you’ll see one of those images in Phyllis’ favorite images of the year.

Meanwhile, multimedia producer Theophil Syslo came back from a new student orientation exercise in August talking about the dramatic number of bugs interfering with his video production. It sounded awful, like a Hitchcock movie. But that clip made Theo’s year-end list of his favorite behind-the-scenes video clips.

For our photographers, “favorite” examples of their work can mean a lot of things. You’ll see technical expertise here, joyful glimpses of behind-the-scenes action that capture �ֲ��ý students and their commitment to their work, their sport, or their lives as scholars.

But maybe more than anything, you’ll see the images that captured an unforgettable experience. That seems very in keeping with the entirety of 2021, a year that made a very deep impression.

Don’t Despair

Phyllis Graber Jensen says:

OK, technically, I made (photographers like to use this verb to signify agency) this picture in 2020 (8:42 p.m. on New Year’s Eve, to be exact).

But physically and mentally, I had already moved onto and into 2021. Mid-pandemic and without celebratory plans, my husband awaited me in a warm home as I tooled around a frigid Main Street in Lewiston, looking for…what? Something to signify the end of a, shall we say, troubling year? Charlie Hewitt’s 30-foot-long, eternally lit aluminum sculpture on an exterior wall of �ֲ��ý Mill No. 5 — framed by holiday lights — seemed a natural for Instagram, whose insatiable appetite I feed on a daily basis.

Phyllis Graber Jensen/�ֲ��ý College

And perhaps at that moment, looking into the abyss, I felt hopeful or at least wanted to feel that way. Reflecting on the photograph in �ֲ��ý Magazine, I wrote: “Finding hope allowed me to sidestep the hurdles of cynicism and despair; abandoning hopelessness vaulted me into the land of common cause.”

But in hindsight, maybe it was too much color, too much light; what filmmaker Michael Moore calls “hopeium.” At the end of another year, I need to remind myself that hope is an essential I can’t afford to live without.

The Shadows Know

Theophil Syslo says:

This clip shows three �ֲ��ý friends — and their shadows — futzing around during a break in a rehearsal last May for a senior thesis dance choreographed by Erick Gredonia ’21. I like how simple, candid, and human they are.

Maybe I also like that it’s exactly what I would be doing in that position. Erick performed in his dance, but he’s not seen here — he was elsewhere in Schaeffer Theatre, working with the stage crew on sound and light positioning. But what I saw here reflects the energy I felt while in his presence.

Follow the Green Orb

Theophil Syslo says:

If a tree falls in the woods and nobody is around, does it make a sound? If ‘nothing’ is happening, is it a moment? That’s what I was pondering as I shot some frames as a new pitcher warmed up during a softball game between �ֲ��ý and visiting Tufts.

In other words, what you’re seeing is not a “real” pitch. In fact, you might say that the pitches tossed during a pitching change are one of the most “non-moment” moments in all of sports. No other sport interrupts their games the way a pitching change does. And I also thought, “Great! This is something I can write about for Photographers’ Favorites!”

Theophil Syslo/�ֲ��ý College

Uncorked

Phyllis Graber Jensen says:

In a pandemic year where I was able to photograph very few rituals of �ֲ��ý students, I felt lucky to be there when Riya Nakum ’21 marked the completion of her senior thesis by uncorking champagne on the shore of Lake Andrews. Nakum, who had lived in Adams Hall for three of her four years at �ֲ��ý with her closest friends — “amazing and intelligent women of color” — found comfort in the daily view from her Puddle-side room.

So it was fitting to bind her senior thesis, examining the experiences of women of color college students in academia, in a setting that “witnessed my evolution as a student and a woman of color and influenced the way I framed my thesis.”

That her thesis was accepted for presentation at a national psychology conference added another reason to celebrate. Nakum’s joyful moment felt liberating, even just to witness.

Phyllis Graber Jensen/�ֲ��ý College

Oh, Snap!

Theophil Syslo says:

This clip shows Deon Custard ’21, a double major in theater and English, following along as the actors in the play he was directing — a modern interpretation of Twelfth Night — go through one of their typical warmups in Schaeffer Theatre. Deon’s finger snap at the end seals the deal for me. He’s so present: outside the circle but part of the circle.

I like how something simple like this can be so telling of a person. In the completed video, the sequence is set up by a wide shot of the stage, shot from the wings, then followed by a tight shot of Deon’s reaction.

Monitor Musician

Theophil Syslo says:

�ֲ��ý had two Commencement ceremonies in 2021, one for each half of the class, to reduce the crowd density on the Historic Quad. During the morning ceremony on May 27, a photograph of honorary degree recipient Rhiannon Giddens was displayed on a large monitor as her degree citation was read.

I’m not sure why this image feels compelling to me. Maybe it’s not just one thing. The pop of color, or maybe it’s the exposure, or layering within the frame? Or could it be the compression from using a long lens? Or the frame within the frame? Maybe it’s because musician Giddens is maskless, or maybe the curl of her fingers? Maybe it’s the nature of the day, or maybe it’s summer!

Theophil Syslo/�ֲ��ý College

That’s My Hand

Theophil Syslo says:

I enjoy photographing field hockey, even though I’m not entirely sure what’s going on at all times. But I do know that when you capture the moment when a player steps on her opponent’s hand while they’re trying to pick up their stick, it’s going to make the short list for Photographers’ Favorites. Beyond feeling the frame’s “Ouch!” I enjoy the repetitiveness in the use of triangles within the frame.

When photographing ball sports, you tend to need three things: two faces and a ball. Face: check! Ball: check! Face: ouch! Hand: double ouch!

Theophil Syslo | �ֲ��ý College

A Little Bit of Narnia

Phyllis Graber Jensen says:

If I could translate this picture into a personal state of mind, I would use these adjectives: peaceful, focused, undisturbed, and beautiful. It’s one of those early-morning scenarios when almost no one else is around, and I can focus on isolating certain elements however I like. Nobody else’s expectations come into play. I rarely see the world this way; I’m too easily distracted. It’s a pity. But I’m grateful for the opportunity when it arises, or when I make room for it.

Phyllis Graber Jensen/�ֲ��ý College

Complete Focus for the Incomplete Pass

Theophil Syslo says:

I was very satisfied when I made this frame of a �ֲ��ý receiver reaching for the ball (alas, it fell incomplete) during the football game between Williams and �ֲ��ý on Oct. 23 at Garcelon Field.

We shoot sports with a telephoto lens, which create dynamic images but create a couple of challenges. One, the subject can sometimes overfill the frame. Second, the lens creates a shallow depth of field, so even with autofocus, it’s not guaranteed that you’ll always achieve tack-sharp images.

I was photographing the game from the North end zone, near the Village. Generally, it’s easier to shoot action that’s going across your field of view. When a player is coming right at you, it’s harder because the focus keeps changing. Hitting this sequence in focus and in the frame, I gave myself an immediate pat on the back.

Theophil Syslo/�ֲ��ý College

What, Again?

Phyllis Graber Jensen says:

I’ve incorporated one version or another of this shot since we unveiled Photographers’ Favorites in 2014. Here’s the basic recipe: In mid-October, head over to Hedge Hall, climb to the top floor, raise high the window screen, wait for someone to walk by and voilà, it’s done.

Only this year was different. A temporary fence that surrounded the construction site next door at Dana Chemistry Hall, which is being renovated to focus on science teaching, prevented traffic across the leafy carpet. Instead, I had to recruit a team of students who suddenly appeared frame left to enter Hedge for class and ask them to detour. I pride myself on producing candid moments, but sometimes, I’m willing to set the table.

Phyllis Graber Jensen/�ֲ��ý College

Eye Candy

Phyllis Graber Jensen says:

Look what I saw through the looking glass. First, an explanation of what you’re seeing: exhaust stacks on the roof of Carnegie Science Hall reflected in the windows of the Beacon, a glass curtain wall on the new Bonney Science Center, right across Campus Avenue.

Upon looking up, my eyes opened wide at the scene’s distorted color, pattern, and sculptural shapes. Bonney will doubtlessly provide many new opportunities for those who work in this striking treasure; I grabbed this one for myself. As one of its new faculty occupants commented: “Eye candy!”

Phyllis Graber Jensen/�ֲ��ý College

Sunshine State

Theophil Syslo says:

When the photo shoot is the Trashion Show, I have a good reason to be excited: It’s fun! And witty. And this photo shows why. A trio of first-year students created this outfit, and when asked to strike a pose, the two designers — Adelle Welch (left) of Livingston, Mont., and Izzy Borah (right) of Needham Heights, Mass. — pretend to be blinded by their model, Maria McEvoy of Missoula, Mont.

The joke, of course, is that McEvoy’s dress is made from discarded Sun Chip bags. Nicely done! You might wonder why I set the “studio” up in a less-than-perfect way. That’s because the Trashion Show is such an authentic presentation of �ֲ��ý student life, and that felt more in line with the event’s aesthetic. In other words, everything doesn’t have to be perfect!

Theophil Syslo/�ֲ��ý College

Bugging Out

Theophil Syslo says:

As much as you think you can plan for every contingency, there’s always something. On Aug. 26, which was Opening Day for the Class of 2025, it was bugs, from a hatch around campus of some kind of flying insect. While interviewing students who are Junior Advisors and Residence Coordinators, the bugs were all around, including pit stops on the camera lens.

But the students were troupers, giving me great quotes about supporting new students while bugs were in their faces. This short sequence highlights some of the bugginess. I think it’s great. I mean also a bit horrible, but great.

Staying Strong

Holy Cow

Phyllis Graber Jensen says:

How to describe? Après la fecal grab? Leah Puro, a staff member at Wolfe’s Neck Center in Freeport, displays her hand (gloved, thankfully) in the facility’s organic dairy barn, where she had pulled a sample of cow excrement from a test subject. She’d just handed off the specimen to a group of �ֲ��ý students enrolled in the immersive biology course “Biological Research Experience: Molecules to Ecosystems,” when she held her hand up for the camera.

The research topic was lofty, examining how a seaweed supplement might decrease the high levels of methane cows burp out, but it involved getting messy. One thing I noticed while editing the photograph: Her mask mirrored her gloves in a colorful way. Therein lies the beauty of the moment. For me.

Phyllis Graber Jensen/�ֲ��ý College

�ֲ��ý photographers’ favorite images of an unfavorable 2020

�ֲ��ý News — Thu, 17 Dec 2020 17:46:12 +0000

This annual year-end presentation of �ֲ��ý images is typically referred to as our photographers’ “favorite” images. But like you, we kinda cringe at putting “favorite” and “2020” in the same sentence.

But even during a pandemic, we do play favorites: �ֲ��ý and �ֲ��ý people. From that angle, here are some of our favorites: photos from Phyllis Graber Jensen, and behind-the-scenes video clips from multimedia producer Theophil Syslo, from an unfavorable year.

Swabs, swirls, and mortality

Phyllis Graber Jensen: This fall, we limited our photography to mostly outdoor situations, doing our part to ensure physical distancing and the safety of our community.

An exception was this picture — showing Henry Morjikian ’22 of Pelham, N.Y., doing his COVID-19 swab test — which was part of a larger shoot to document COVID-related operations, including the testing center at Underhill Arena.

Phyllis Graber Jensen/�ֲ��ý College

Throughout the fall, �ֲ��ý required that each student be tested twice weekly. Employees had the option of being tested twice a week.

Like any medical procedure, swabbing one’s nose for a COVID-19 test is a personal experience. So I didn’t just walk in on Henry; he gave me permission, as did the medical assistant who observed the test.

I can’t tell you exactly what he was thinking during his test (I didn’t ask), but I know what it has felt like for me. With each of three deep swirls in each nostril, I felt that I was confronting my destiny and mortality.

It all sounds melodramatic, sure. But the relief I experience each week when I receive an email — within 24 hours — of my negative test results reminds me that, hyperbole or not, we are all living on the edge.

Celebrate

Theophil Syslo: Filmed for a video piece about the 2020 Sankofa presentation, this unpublished clip shows the curtain calls and spontaneous dance celebration following the student-produced event, held annually the evening of Martin Luther King Jr. Day.

I could easily have shared any clip from the performance — it was all so good — but I feel that this scene best captures the creative community that powers the annual show, and that great “we did it!” feeling at the end.

The students felt good, and so they danced.

Morning Routine

Phyllis Graber Jensen: When I wake up in the morning, one of the first things I do is glance out my east-facing bathroom window to see what’s up with the weather.

The best light of the day is at dawn and dusk. On this early mid-October morning, I saw a fog-filled vista and made the split-second decision to make a run to campus. Once you see what you want, if you don’t immediately jump, it’s gone.

Phyllis Graber Jensen/�ֲ��ý College

My own two feet are not as swift as my 13-year-old Toyota (let’s just call me lazy). I jumped into the car, shot up Campus Avenue, and hung a right onto College Street. Like an angler who knows the best fishing spots, I know where the best sunrise opportunities are at �ֲ��ý.

Passing the Chapel and peering across the Historic Quad, I saw a lovely scene that exceeded my expectations. The magic was palpable. I had to get out of the car to make the photograph. But it was worth it.

Staying in Key

Theophil Syslo: Last February, my colleagues and I prowled around Olin Arts Center for three days, interviewing, filming, and photographing students and faculty members.

This clip shows Mathieu Moutou ’22 of Vacoas, Mauritius, in an Olin practice room, playing the piano. When you hear piano sounds like this, .

It’s a simple video sequence, but I like it. From what I understand, piano is not his main instrument — the violin is. So his fiddling on the piano, just blowing through those chords, is way beyond most of us. The clip feels so fun.

Remotely Possible

Phyllis Graber Jensen: Sheltering at home in March, I noticed that photographers were using Facetime to create remote portraits during the pandemic. For me, it meant possibility. I could continue to do what I enjoy so much: photographing students.

A Facetime portrait is just what it sounds like: You open a Facetime session with someone, and together you decide on a portrait location. Pressing the white display button creates a short video clip, from which you can select still images.

I approached a few seniors, offering them an opportunity to choose their environment and reflect on the meaning of these last weeks in their unanticipated displacement.

Phyllis Graber Jensen/�ֲ��ý College

I photographed Andrew Garcia Bou ’20, in his Eastchester, N.Y., bedroom. Andrew had worked with me on digital-asset management for three years. He dedicated himself to the task and provided me with regular progress reports each time he departed our office. Other than his interdisciplinary major and standout performances as a varsity golfer, I knew little about him.

As he sat in his bedroom — and I in my kitchen — Andrew suddenly became three dimensional to me as he talked about his shortened senior year and his future plans, his disappointment and hope. I’d like to think that this picture communicates some of what he generously shared with me that day.

Uff da!

Theophil Syslo: During the pandemic, we’ve been very careful about engaging in projects involving close contact with students, faculty, and staff.

When we do, we follow the protocols that everyone is quite familiar with, including being outdoors. This clip, filmed for a profile of Vanessa Paolella ‘21, editor of The �ֲ��ý Student, shows her delivering papers around campus. It also suggests how much “fat” there is on video clip: This sequence is five minutes long, and I used maybe 10 seconds of it in the final video.

Sometimes it feels like creating b-roll for a project mostly involves trotting along with a camera in front of my subject, as is happening here.

I should’ve said, “Yes” to Vanessa’s question, “Should I walk slower?” You can hear my “Uff da” — a common upper Midwestern term — after following Vanessa, herself a standout cross country runner, through her paces.

As you can sense from this clip, Vanessa has a strong sense of purpose, which she brought to her excellent work as editor.

Arise, Bobcat

Phyllis Graber Jensen: After the pandemic sent most students home from campus in March, we took a break on Instagram for several days. This was one of our first return attempts. “What to say and how to say it?” I wondered.

As with other notable �ֲ��ý landmarks, I regularly pass and photograph the bronze Bobcat. So I didn’t have particularly high expectations for anything different at sunrise on my walk to Merrill Gym on March 30.

But I noticed the sunlight wrapping around the cat and decided to align the sun with the sculpture’s mouth. Make of it what you will. The caption read: “Looking for cat photos? Here is ours. The stalwart Bobcat at sunrise.”

Phyllis Graber Jensen/�ֲ��ý College

Light Touch

Phyllis Graber Jensen: In mid-winter, the afternoon sun floods the large south-facing windows of Olin Arts Center, creating dramatic shadows on the lobby’s white walls.

So I was elated when I entered Olin, walked down the hallway, and noticed, amidst these shadows, Associate Professor of American Studies Myron Beasley and Ollie Penner ’22 of Pasadena, Calif., a double major in art and visual culture and American studies.

Phyllis Graber Jensen/�ֲ��ý College

I quickly asked permission to photograph them, trying to minimize my disruption of their engagement. Then I decided to use a colorful staircase to frame the conversation.

Normally, I like to choose a frame where the student and professor gaze at one another. But in this case — the pair were discussing summer internships and art spaces — I appreciate Beasley’s moment of reflection, along with the use of his iPhone as a research tool. And I love how Penner, pen in hand, is intently focused on his teacher.

These faculty-student exchanges make up a vital part of the �ֲ��ý experience; and you discover them only when you go out and search.

Life Line

Theophil Syslo: �ֲ��ý had been doing remote learning for only a couple weeks when I joined two virtual Village Club Series events, each featuring �ֲ��ý student performers.

It was early April, and students were really struggling, feeling so disconnected from each other. You could feel students just trying to reach out to each other, like grabbing for a life jacket when treading water in the deep end of the pool.

Performers came from everywhere, from New Zealand to a coastal Maine island. In this clip, Drew Collins ’20 flips pancakes with friends at their remote getaway while doing a followup interview with me.

While I hope that creating stories about �ֲ��ý students from Zoom video doesn’t become the norm, it was rewarding to stitch together this film. You can see the ache of the students’ separation, and the joy of being “together.”

In the Mood

Phyllis Graber Jensen: “There’s still work to be done, and so the door to Hedge Hall opens once again.” That’s how I captioned this Instagram photograph.

Feeling low at the end of a February day, I gave myself five minutes to make an Instagram post — my version of the technical challenge on The Great British Baking Show.

Hedge’s incandescent glow attracted my attention, and the figure walking through the entryway provided the small thrill I needed to exit my mood. Cheers to light.

Phyllis Graber Jensen/�ֲ��ý College

Count On It

Theophil Syslo: In this clip, captured for a student profile, Julia Gutterman ’20 leads members of the Robinson Players in “Count to 20,” a warm-up exercise that helps everyone get into the ensemble vibe. One person says “one” to start, then a different person says “two,” and so on. If two people say the same number at the same time the game starts over, which happens here.

While only a small part of the clip made it into my final project, I like it because it shows a transformation: The students are individuals, at first, having arrived at rehearsal from all over campus, having done all sorts of things.

But as they play the game, and get silly, they come together, like a team. You can feel it.

‘Our Last Time’

Phyllis Graber Jensen: �ֲ��ý moved to remote learning in mid-March due to COVID-19. Anticipating the range of student goodbyes, I set out on March 16 to explore campus and found tender farewells at Lake Andrews, the bus stop outside Chase Hall, and here on Garcelon Field.

I entered Garcelon from Central Avenue and climbed the grandstand. From there, I photographed Alex Gailey ‘22 of Berkeley, Calif., and Christina Boudreau ’21 of Milton, Mass., saying their goodbyes.

I hesitated before walking onto the field. I had the picture, but not their particular narrative, the timeless “marriage of words and images” that would enrich their final representation. But was it worth wrecking whatever they had going on?

I descended the staircase. “He’s going to be abroad next year,” Christina told me. “This is our last time together on campus.”

Phyllis Graber Jensen/�ֲ��ý College.

‘Walk with Me’

Theophil Syslo: In this clip, Ian Khara Ellasante speaks the last couple of lines of their poem, “grandfather: a dialect of water.” The poem is about a beloved grandfather, a man that Ellasante describes as “the epitome of integrity and tenderness, of grace, strength, and compassion.”

grandfather sit with me
tell me
i want to know what is over there to see
let me look at you he would say
river banks are not meant to hold
cry with me walk with me

You can hear Ian’s love for their grandfather in the words, and see the love in Ian’s face.

It was dramatically windy at the river that afternoon. I was nervous about capturing the audio. But Ian was right there with me, doing multiple readings in different places along the river of their beautiful poem. I am grateful to Ian for allowing me to feel a sense of collaboration on this project.

The poem earned Ian, an assistant professor of gender and sexuality studies, first prize in a sponsored by the literary magazine New Millennium Writings.

Final Introductions

Phyllis Graber Jensen: I have taken dozens of photos like this one, of an athlete sprinting through a team introduction line. The women’s lacrosse team does it well, with raised sticks and pre-game high spirits. It’s fun to photograph, but over time, the games tend to merge in the mind. Not this time, though.

Just before the 4:30 p.m. start of their March 10 game, the �ֲ��ý coaches and players learned that it would likely be their final home game, due to the expanding pandemic.

Ultimately, it was the last spring game, period — and the last time team captain Caroline Kerrigan ’20 of Falls Church, Va., would take the field in a �ֲ��ý uniform. For the record, �ֲ��ý defeated the University of Southern Maine, 20-1.

The next day, the NESCAC canceled the spring sports season. Two days after that, �ֲ��ý announced its decision to move to remote learning for the balance of the academic year.

Phyllis Graber Jensen/�ֲ��ý College

The Puddle’s Revenge

Theophil Syslo: Covering the . But I’ve had my share of challenges. In 2019, I lost a GoPro while .

In 2020, I decided to stay away from the water and try to create some eye-popping portraits along the shoreline, using a background stand and seamless paper. I thought I’d be safe from accidents, but then the backdrop ripped and gave way — it was no match for rambunctious puddle-jumpers. Next time I’ll go all MacGyver with more gaffer tape. Third time’s a charm?

With an annual event like the Puddle Jump, we try to stretch our creative muscles — which sometimes means pulling a muscle! Our goal: to present to our audiences something that’s as creative as our students.

Edging Closer

Phyllis Graber Jensen: Appearances deceive. This photograph of two masked people kneeling before a pile of dirt in a field, one with a knife, might suggest something nefarious. Nope. It’s just another day of environmental studies fieldwork.

Doing such fieldwork at Pettengill Farm, a historic saltwater farm perched on an estuary of the Harraseeket River, environmental studies professor Holly Ewing had stopped to discuss soil samples with Sophia Miller ’21 of New York City. The course was “Soils,” which digs into the science of dirt.

Phyllis Graber Jensen/�ֲ��ý College

Ewing, the Christian A. Johnson Professor of Interdisciplinary Studies, uses the knife to scrape the side of the soil pit to expose a clean surface for examination. It’s “dull as a butter knife,” she said.

Dull or not, the knife added a kick to distinguish the photograph from business as usual. And it’s a nice visual companion to what made the trip memorable for me: 40 mosquito bites. Yes, I counted.

‘May It Be So’

Theophil Syslo: An in-person Commencement was a casualty of the pandemic. The Class of 2020’s graduation was a virtual production, featuring video segments recorded in the weeks prior to the May 31 event.

This clip, captured on May 11, shows a physically distanced recessional from the Coram Library porch with President Clayton Spencer, Dean of the Faculty Malcolm Hill, and Multifaith Chaplain Brittany Longsdorf.

The plan was to pair the scene of the recessional with the sounds of the Hathorn Bells, similar to the in-person version. (In the clip, you can hear me say, “You’ll hear bells toll,” to which Spencer says, “For whom?”)

Using a phrase from the old world of acetate film, the clip ended up on the cutting-room floor. Instead, we ended the video with the closing words of Longsdorf’s benediction, in which she had described the beauty and richness of “sacred �ֲ��ý days and nights,” followed by a montage of photographs set to the steel-pan music of a typical Commencement.

It was my job to produce the video. In the weeks after the college went to remote learning, I had created several projects featuring seniors, using Zoom and other remote-capture technology.

In any typical year, so many players work together to create a successful �ֲ��ý Commencement; in this most atypical year, we had to envision . Creating a virtual Commencement with other �ֲ��ý staff was our way of trying to help our seniors and their families find happiness and completion in such a difficult moment.

Arm in Arm

Phyllis Graber Jensen: I admire Perla Figuereo ’21 and Lebanos Mengistu ’21.

From their initial days on campus, when I photographed them bowling with new classmates in Bobcat First, they’ve developed into thoughtful, forceful, and compassionate campus leaders.

Perla is a double major in theater and in rhetoric, film, and screen studies from the Bronx, N.Y. Lebanos is a double major in politics and Africana from Somerville, Mass. Together, they’re co-presidents of �ֲ��ý Student Government.

Phyllis Graber Jensen/�ֲ��ý College

Asking them to physically distance for this portrait, I was surprised when they extended their arms to create the required 6 feet — I hadn’t seen that trick before. Though the gesture was pandemic-related (and helpful to the photographer), those outstretched arms personify strength in connection and community.

‘I Know How to Spell!’

Theophil Syslo: Though this clip never made it into my profile of Sam Findlen-Golden ’20, it captures a funny moment involving another student that I had profiled, Maddie Hallowell ’20.

Here, the Robinson Players are rehearsing a scene for their production of The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee. The play involves improv, with audience members taking part.

Maddie is helping out, playing an audience member. So the cast can rehearse the song that’s sung to departing bee contestants, she has just intentionally flubbed the word “extinguish.”

I knew that Maddie would return to her seat after the scene, so I planted myself nearby. As the clip ends, Maddie says to friends, “I know how to spell ‘extinguish’!” It’s a charming moment that reflects what I know about Maddie: She’s present and reactive in the moment. And funny.

Momentous Occasion

Phyllis Graber Jensen: The busy first floor of Ladd Library is rarely quiet. And in March and April, it can be raucous at times as seniors bind theses with friends, a �ֲ��ý tradition that grows stronger by the year (even as digital submissions become the norm).

English major Jonathan Farrell ’20 of Middletown, Conn., did a yearlong creative writing thesis, advised by Lecturer in English Jessica Anthony ’96, writing a series of short stories in which the characters cope, in different ways, with loneliness.

Like so many seniors, Jonathan felt a desperate need for closure as the college transitioned to remote learning in March. Though his thesis wasn’t quite done, he and a group of friends gathered in the library on Saturday morning, March 14, to bind it, shortly before he left campus.

Phyllis Graber Jensen/�ֲ��ý College

I have other photographs of this event, ones showing Jonathan surrounded by his buddies — his rock-climbing friend, Steve Shea ’22 of Wilson, Wyo., helped him do the traditional binding —and popping a champagne cork on the Library Terrace.

But this quiet moment, as he looks toward his out-of-the-frame friends, amazed that he has concluded this long, gratifying journey, and grinning widely in anticipation of the crowning moment, says just as much.

Just say yes: �ֲ��ý College photographers’ favorite images of 2019

�ֲ��ý News — Thu, 09 Jan 2020 13:37:25 +0000

“What? Are you crazy?!”

On a sunny and warm April afternoon last year, �ֲ��ý photographer Phyllis Graber Jensen chided herself for declining an invitation from �ֲ��ý rowing coach Peter Steenstra to join him on a boat ride on the Androscoggin River to review his team’s workout.

She was at the boathouse to do team photos, and didn’t think she had the right lenses to shoot rowing. But she quickly reconsidered and hopped aboard. “Sometimes, it’s not too late to change your mind,” she says.

In our sixth annual edition of photographers’ favorites, Graber Jensen and fellow �ֲ��ý Communications photographer Theophil Syslo share 22 images that they love from 2019 — many of which reflect the “just say yes” mindset of these talented photographers.

Horn Blower

Phyllis Graber Jensen: On a late afternoon in January, I was wandering the Olin Arts Center looking for an Instagram feature when I encountered Julie Jesurum ’22 of Weston, Mass., departing the concert hall after a rehearsal with the �ֲ��ý Jazz Band. Swallowing my disappointment at the missed opportunity — happens all the time — I asked if she would mind playing for a few additional minutes in service of �ֲ��ý social media.

She agreed, and we headed to one of the first-floor practice rooms, which, small and spare, don’t add much to a photograph. Plus, I was without a flash. But there were three elements in my favor: Julie, her trumpet, and a Canon 35mm f/1.4 lens, the last of which allowed me to achieve shallow depth of field.

After a few minutes of trying different perspectives, we arrived at this moment, fingers depressing keys, a visual and audible gift from the musician.

Phyllis Graber Jensen/�ֲ��ý College

Ball at Rest

Theophil Syslo: This photograph shows a lacrosse ball resting in a puddle atop the Garcelon Field turf during a March game against Middlebury. It reminds me of my early curiosity about photography, exploring light and shape and using water and oils to create abstracts in one of my first darkroom classes.

It’s ironic, and maybe a bit humorous, that during a sporting event you could’ve seen me with a giant camera lens — perfect for getting tight shots of blazing fast action — pointed at the ground, at a motionless ball no less.

Theophil Syslo/�ֲ��ý College

Window on the Upper West Side

Phyllis Graber Jensen: I love New York. It’s my hometown, so the pleasure intensifies when I visit. This fall, I photographed Jane Costlow, Clark A. Griffith Professor of Environmental Studies, as she presented a paper at a New York University conference, part of my series about Jane’s 34th and final year of teaching at �ֲ��ý.

This image shows Jane at breakfast with a longtime friend, Ellen Chances, who is a Princeton professor of Russian literature and the daughter of the late �ֲ��ý economist Ralph Chances and Natasha Chances, who was well-known in Lewiston for her piano teaching.

Whenever Jane’s in New York, the two get together at the Utopia diner (they love the name) on the Upper West Side, where they catch up and rejoice in each other’s company, something that you can see immediately in this image. I sat at an adjacent table with a view of Amsterdam Avenue at the 72nd Street subway station. I was able to photograph at some leisure by ordering tea and toast so the manager wouldn’t chase me out. Scenes from Seinfeld.

Phyllis Graber Jensen/�ֲ��ý College

Fish and Tell

Theophil Syslo: Sometimes the story behind the photo is better than the photo. In this case, I think they’re both rather awesome, reminding me of the beauty and art found in nature and in life.

Eric Stirling ’97 is the proprietor of West Branch Pond Camps in Maine’s remote Piscataquis County, and he brings understanding, history, care, and knowledge to what he does, all of which made me appreciate the time I spent visiting him and his family.

His confidence that he could land a trout on his first cast off the dock after I asked, “Are there any fish in the pond?” was picture-perfect. It was the old proverb made literal: “Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day; teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.”

This perspective resonated on a new frequency for me as I visited and photographed Stirling and his camp, where there is no cell phone signal or internet. I could see that his son, who had been there watching us the whole time, was absorbing his father’s way of life and outlook.

Theophil Syslo/�ֲ��ý College

Comfort with Discomfort

Phyllis Graber Jensen: When photographing students on their summer internships, I also do brief interviews. On a trip to Washington, D.C., I photographed and interviewed Ellijah McLean ’20 of Providence, R.I., who had a Purposeful Work–funded internship with PeerForward, a nonprofit that connects low-income students to college and careers through positive peer influence.

He talked about being an African American student in a mostly white environment: “I grow most when I’m incredibly uncomfortable, but you have to be comfortable with being uncomfortable,” he said.

For a portrait, he suggested we go to the rooftop of PeerForward’s office, which is in the former Uline Arena, famous for, among other events, the Beatles’ first U.S. performance, in 1964 (when the venue was known as the Washington Coliseum). Now it’s also remarkable as the place where Ellijah, on his 21st birthday, lowered his head as I paused to switch lenses on my camera body. I pressed the shutter and he looked up, ready to continue.

Phyllis Graber Jensen/�ֲ��ý College

Anticipation

Theophil Syslo: When I’m shooting an assignment, something completely unrelated will sometimes capture my attention. This was one of those cases. I was near Lake Andrews working with Phyllis Graber Jensen to photograph the Bobcat mascot when suddenly a disturbance in the water caught my eye.

Joining the usual mallards and gulls on the Puddle were a few hooded mergansers (I’d seen many in my newspaper work in South Carolina). The Bobcat shoot done, I hustled back to our Lane Hall office, grabbed the longest glass we had, plus an extender, and returned to the Puddle.

I visualized what I wanted: something unpredictable. After sitting and floating for a time, one merganser began to search the shoreline. Then it dove once, and again. I tried to anticipate where it would resurface each time, prefocusing my lens on a spot.

It dove, surfaced where I anticipated — with a crayfish in its beak! — but then a seagull swooped in to steal the bounty. It was all over in a second.

Theophil Syslo/�ֲ��ý College

Getting Goofy

Phyllis Graber Jensen: I’ve known Ethan Miller ’99 since his student days, when I photographed him and Matt Schlobohm ’00 as they staffed an environmental summer day camp in Auburn. Now he’s a member of the college’s environmental studies faculty, and I know him as a teacher, scholar, and community citizen who lives on an agricultural collective in Greene, where I photographed him for Doug Hubley’s story about his new book and living sustainably.

One activity that day was harvesting medicinal herbs, and Ethan suggested I try one plant in particular, Spilanthes. I popped a bud into my mouth and felt an explosion of sensation that shocked me with its intensity. Wow. And the next thing I knew, serious and gentle Ethan had shut his eyes and placed flowers onto his closed eyelids. “Just me being goofy,” he reported. He ended up with tingly eyes and a tinge of regret.

Phyllis Graber Jensen/�ֲ��ý College

Table Leaves

River Dream

Phyllis Graber Jensen: On April 25, I drove out to the Traquina Boathouse in Greene to take pictures of the rowing teams. I decided to travel “lens light” and brought only one moderate wide to short telephoto zoom lens, along with some strobe lights in case I needed them.

After photographing the men’s and women’s teams, rowing coach Peter Steestra invited me to go out on the water with him as the athletes squeezed in a last practice before the annual President’s Cup, the Bobcats’ signature home regatta vs. Bowdoin and Colby, three days hence. “No, thanks,” I replied. “I don’t have the right equipment.”

By the time I reached my car, I had come to my senses. “What? Are you crazy?” I thought. Even without a camera, I’d be nuts to turn down an opportunity to spend time on a gorgeous stretch of the Androscoggin River on a warm, sunny afternoon.

I turned on a dime and trotted back to the dock, where Peter offered me a second chance. “It’s a dream,” he said of the team’s home and the day’s delightful conditions. Sometimes, it’s not too late to change your mind.

Phyllis Graber Jensen/�ֲ��ý College

Light Work

Theophil Syslo: Immersing myself in a lively �ֲ��ý classroom fuels my fire and helps support my goal of contributing to something greater than myself. (This was a Short Term course taught by practitioner Elly Rostoum ‘07 about intelligence work, so I also love the idea that I can now use the words “CIA” and “documentation” in the same sentence.)

I like how the light is at play, beaming through the tall windows of historic Hathorn Hall with a brilliant softness, unlike the artificial light that unkindly bathes students and faculty in other classrooms. I also like the photograph’s readability — the animated faces and lively gestures of the students and teacher — the spectrum of the conversation and moment frozen in time.

Theophil Syslo/�ֲ��ý College

Pasta Downpour

Phyllis Graber Jensen: Here’s another event I attend every fall: the kickoff for AESOP, the fabled three-day student-led trips during Orientation. Traditionally, the program’s trip coordinators introduce themselves in an official welcome at Lake Andrews’ Keigwin Amphitheater, then scores of AESOP trip leaders, dressed in crazy costumes, descend upon the gathering of unsuspecting first-years to pelt the coordinators with all kinds of substances.

This year, I heard they would be toning it down a bit, so I wondered what to expect. The leaders lined up behind the coordinators — Erni Whitaker, Grace Warder, and Peter Griffin — and doused them with a mix of water, pasta, eggs, and glitter. The camera stopped the action in a way that I never really saw through the camera’s viewfinder. It was a happy discovery when I edited the shoot to find this moment.

Phyllis Graber Jensen/�ֲ��ý College

Sunrise, Sunset

Theophil Syslo: Some photographs grow on you over time: The longer you look at them, the more you see. As my eyes swim through this frame, I begin to notice small silhouettes of humans along the rock formations. Who are they? What are they doing? Where are they going?

They’re �ֲ��ý’ newest students, participating in an AESOP outdoor trip during Orientation to Hermit Island Campground in Phippsburg, Maine, near the �ֲ��ý–Morse Mountain Conservation Area.

In a larger context, they’re also young adults beginning the first chapter of their new lives. We all think about beginnings and endings, how our day begins and how our day ends, what’s coming and what’s happened. As the sun set, we shared ice cream and stories, and I felt their anxious optimism for tomorrow and the coursework to follow.

Theophil Syslo/�ֲ��ý College

High on the Hammock

Phyllis Graber Jensen: Two things I never thought I’d see on campus when I started working at �ֲ��ý in 1995: students talking on cell phones, and students lounging in hammocks. Now, both are ubiquitous, the latter far more photo-worthy.

At the first hint of mild weather in any season, hammocks appear like clockwork with their occupants studying, snuggling, or sleeping. You’d think you were on a hammock farm. Novel at first, they’re now as common as squirrels or water bottles.

Although I enjoy hammocks and their swingers, I can only photograph so many of them. What drew me to this hammock was its height, its occupant appearing enthroned royally above Alumni Walk, like a Prince of Sway. His sock-covered feet, no shoes in sight, are gravy.

Phyllis Graber Jensen/�ֲ��ý College

Child’s Eye View

Theophil Syslo: I like how this photograph reflects a moment: a simple gesture between �ֲ��ý student-athletes and a child. The child is 6-year-old Brayden Austin, who was an honorary captain of this year’s football team. As his mom said, “He may not understand the ins and outs of the game, but he knows how amazing it is to be a part of the team.”

I wanted to show what it might’ve felt like from Brayden’s perspective, so I shot the photographs from Brayden’s height, follow-focusing on him while he walked onto Garcelon Field with his team for the coin flip before their game with Middlebury. To me, everything that is important in the frame is on Brayden’s face.

Theophil Syslo/�ֲ��ý College

Bobcat Bouncer

Phyllis Graber Jensen: I suppose Friday afternoons produce unexpected behavior in any workplace. This was one of those times in the �ֲ��ý Communications Office. Not to ruin it for anyone who believes in the Bobcat, but the BCO had the mascot costume on loan in our Lane Hall quarters for some upcoming photography.

And we had �ֲ��ý Magazine editor and editorial director Jay Burns, an avowed introvert yet with a penchant for performance, grab the Bobcat head and circulate through the office to celebrate another distribution of the weekly �ֲ��ýNews email digest that he masterminds. What better place for a Burns portrait in relaxation than in front of an elegant display of �ֲ��ý Magazine covers in the office’s foyer.

Phyllis Graber Jensen/�ֲ��ý College

Dodging the Image

Theophil Syslo: A student-faculty dodgeball game for a local food pantry was fun both to shoot and get creative with the frame. It was also one of those assignments where you’d like to put the lens down, pick up a ball, and jump into the game! But I couldn’t, so instead I tried to take the viewer into the mix, to experience what I was seeing and feeling.

That meant putting myself between the two teams. Were my palms sweaty? Probably — but whose wouldn’t be when that young man has on his game face while whipping the ball? I wanted my photo to reflect that I was “trying” just as hard to be good at my game, photography, as he is at flinging dodgeballs at the opposing team.

Theophil Syslo/�ֲ��ý College

Daddy Boarder

Phyllis Graber Jensen: It was all about the color. Exiting Roger Williams Hall on the Friday morning of Back to �ֲ��ý weekend, I first noticed the red pants, then the aqua skateboard, and finally the salt and pepper hair. It all felt like a disconnect, but at my age I can ill-afford having an ageist reaction to anything. Plus, this guy really looked cool and in control.

I grabbed a couple of shots from a distance but then chased after him for caption information and to ask if I could photograph him again. He was Josh Brower, a �ֲ��ý father visiting from Seattle. He set off again on the skateboard, and once he did, his daughter, Eliza Brower ’22, spotted him as she exited Commons.

She was not excited to see her dad using her board in public. Thrilled to have her in the frame, I felt a surge of schadenfreude: I was not the only parent to have embarrassed my child.

Phyllis Graber Jensen/�ֲ��ý College

�ֲ��ý College photographers’ favorite images of 2018

�ֲ��ý News — Tue, 01 Jan 2019 05:12:16 +0000

“What makes a photograph your favorite?” asks �ֲ��ý photographer Theophil Syslo. “The photo you feel is your best? And, what is ‘best’”?

Welcome to the fifth annual �ֲ��ý Photographers’ Favorites. In trying to answer Syslo’s metaphysical questions, he and his �ֲ��ý Communications colleague Phyllis Graber Jensen offer some surprising examples (a blurry football image? what’s up with that?) of how they play favorites, photographically speaking.

Here are their 20 favorites of 2018, in their own words:

The Usual, Please

It’s Tuesday before October break, and, like clockwork, sunlight illuminates the foliage outside Hedge Hall. Winter, spring, summer, and fall, my go-to perch for change-of-season pictures is now the top floor of Hedge, looking down on this maple tree. When I feel as if I can no longer make fresh images there, I’ll shut the window and call it a day. — Phyllis Graber Jensen

Phyllis Graber Jensen/�ֲ��ý College

Catching the Catch

“What’s that lens for? Looking at Mars?” Sports fans see a photographer with a huge lens and wonder how far you can see with it, how much it weighs, and what brand it is. Let’s just say it’s big and heavy (about 12 pounds), it only gets heavier the longer you hold it, and it can see pretty far. What I’m most certain of is that it’s a 400mm 2.8 Canon lens — and it’s beautiful.

What I like most about this photograph is that I didn’t need to crop it much to fill the frame: just a little bit off the top. �ֲ��ý catcher Jack Arend ’20 is diving very close to me and I’m still “follow focusing” with a ginormous lens. Great catch, great shot. — Theophil Syslo

Theophil Syslo/�ֲ��ý College

Puddle Applause

Gail Dow of Lewiston, a proud member of the Class of 1960, considered taking a dip in the 2018 Puddle Jump, but after careful thought she decided to participate as an enthusiastic cheerleader instead. Three times a week, Dow swims in Tarbell Pool, which “is cold enough,” she repeated more than once. She was not going into the Puddle.

Primed for the anticipated excitement, Dow assumed her position — covered up and buttoned down on the sidelines — while her fellow Bobcats took their positions — barely covered, exuberant, and ready to plunge. The generations stood decades apart, but united by their love for water and �ֲ��ý. — PGJ

Phyllis Graber Jensen/�ֲ��ý College

Starry Eyes

Last April, local children came to campus for an Astronomy Night Extravaganza, organized by students in an introductory course taught by Assistant Professor of Physics Aleks Diamond-Stanic. At one display, two balloons, one containing a ping-pong ball and another filled with glitter, were used to explain different types of supernovae. But for this little boy, Clifford Odle, age 8, this balloon had third purpose: a cushion while listening to �ֲ��ý students explain space and looking at a poster board.

A photographer tries to see things from a different perspective, and Clifford sees the balloon as a chin rest rather than a supernova. What other things might we see differently, if we took the time to look? — TS

Theophil Syslo/�ֲ��ý College

Lit and Lighter

There’s no context for this shot — a weakness, to be sure. Just for the record, this hot-air balloon is rising from Simard-Payne Memorial Park in downtown Lewiston during the annual August launch of the Great Falls Balloon Festival. I like the fiery thrust of flame that adds vigor and color into an already energized and brilliant scene. I shot it from the roof of a local parking garage, and that’s about as high as my acrophobia permits. — PGJ

Phyllis Graber Jensen/�ֲ��ý College

Bump in the Night

Here’s a saying: Make your own luck. You can prepare as much as you want, visualize what you want to capture, and believe you’re doing what is the best — and then accidentally bump your tripod during a long, 8-second exposure and, to your surprise, create something better. The photograph I took before this frame was exactly what I envisioned; there’s absolutely nothing wrong with it.

But for me, the accidental jostling of the tripod added another element to this image of a Hathorn Hall window framed by the famed magnolia tree, and gave it an art quality that the other photographs in the sequence lacked. — TS

Theophil Syslo/�ֲ��ý College

Taking the Field

In June, after �ֲ��ý announced University of Pennsylvania assistant coach Malik Hall as the new Bobcat head football coach, he arrived for introductions and a photo shoot. I was out of town, so my colleague Theo Syslo photographed him for a series of portraits, appropriately serious for their intended purpose.

In August, not knowing much about Hall, I decided to document the Bobcats’ media day practice on Garcelon Field. Perhaps I would uncover another side of him. He didn’t disappoint, projecting his characteristic intensity and disarming joy as he moved across the gridiron in this picture. — PGJ

Phyllis Graber Jensen/�ֲ��ý College

Handily

Commencement is like the Super Bowl or World Cup of photo assignments at a college. I’ve had the opportunity to work/intern/freelance for several newspapers in my photojournalism career, all of which had me cover all types of graduations: high school, college, culinary school, police and fire training, and even a Marine Corps ceremony at Parris Island.

So, covering my first �ֲ��ý Commencement, I was all in, aiming to do something different from my normal coverage. At one point during the event, I used the power granted me as one of the college’s photographers, taking to the back of the Coram stage (discreetly of course) to make some frames from this different and distinctive perspective. — TS

Theophil Syslo/�ֲ��ý College

Down But Not Out

At this point in the Bobcats’ first home squash match of the season, Benni Magnusson McComish ’20 trailed his Bowdoin opponent but still had a chance to win. His teammate McLeod Abbott ’19 made a full-court press to help McComish win his match, though ultimately he did not. But the �ֲ��ý team did, the Bobcats’ 29th straight win over the Polar Bears. I didn’t overhear their exchange, but what I saw was hope and camaraderie under stress. — PGJ

Phyllis Graber Jensen/�ֲ��ý College

Rock ‘n’ Run

On some photo shoots, you work hard to make things as clean and symmetrical as possible. At first, that was my intention as I photographed Sam Onion ’19 training on the rock wall in Merrill Gymnasium. My goal was to make a frame that looked like he was climbing toward the ceiling.

As I looked through the viewfinder, placing him where I wanted — top center of the frame — a group of runners came trotting through. Because of this accidental moment, what could be seen as a ruined frame in my mind’s eye became a far more dynamic and layered photograph. — TS

Theophil Syslo/�ֲ��ý College

Setting for Siblings

As I passed a Kalperis Hall room on the morning of Opening Day for the Class of 2022, Anders Landgren, age 15, was taking what I am sure was a well-deserved rest after he and his sibling Lizzie, age 8, had helped big sister Anna ’22 settle into her new digs.

This is the kind of family picture — Anders lounging as the sisters bustle about— that might, as the years go by, tend to erase their collective memory of his help that morning. So I can imagine a certain nostalgia as the threesome reviews their sibling dynamic decades from now. — PGJ

Phyllis Graber Jensen/�ֲ��ý College

Bucket List

I’ll be honest: This image does not scream “rowing.” But it does feel awfully like Maine. It’s a bucket of boots at dockside at the �ֲ��ý rowing facility in Greene. When leaving the water, rowers take off their rowing shoes and don boots or other shoes to carry their boats up the riverbank to the Traquina Boathouse.

Shooting a performance offers at least two different opportunities. One is the performance itself, and anyone with basic training and appropriate gear can create cookie-cutter frames that will please most people. The other is shooting backstage, which requires extra helpings of work, trust, and discussion, with honesty and a well-placed “please” and “thank you.”

During Sangai Asia Night, a variety show celebrating Asian culture and heritage, I sprinted to the back of Schaeffer Theatre to photograph a performance, then headed backstage to make features of performers preparing for their act or coming off stage. This photograph, taken in the wings, suggests the backstage vibe, along with the layers of color and light. — TS

Theophil Syslo/�ֲ��ý College

In the Swing

When I had last photographed him, back in mid-January, Tommy Sheils ’21 was swinging on a hammock outside Gomes Chapel. Two months later, spring-like temperatures drew him outdoors once again, offering an Admission tour an optimistic glimpse of March in Maine as Sheils soaked up the sun. “It’s a beautiful day at the beach,” he said. — PGJ

Phyllis Graber Jensen/�ֲ��ý College

Flake Focus

What makes a photograph your favorite? The photo you feel is your best? And, what is “best”? Short answer: Welcome to my world. The long answer is that I thought it was important to choose and write about a photograph that otherwise would never be published in a sports photo gallery or win an award, one that might prompt questions, like “Can’t you focus?!”

Today’s cameras rock some wicked-powerful automatic focusing systems, but when it’s snowing during a football game, good luck telling your autofocus to follow the players rather than the flakes, despite its 61-point, high-density reticular autofocus sensor. For comparison, Canon’s first digital single-lens reflex camera — the EOS D30, announced on May 17, 2000 — had a three-point auto focus. — TS

Theophil Syslo/�ֲ��ý College

Slideshow: �ֲ��ý photographers’ favorite images of 2017

Phyllis Graber Jensen/�ֲ��ý College

Picturing Puck

“In photographing a performance, you may feel you’ve been given something of a head start. The various artists offer you their visions of lighting, scenery, and acting. But the photographer still has to have her own vision. This gorgeous set, designed by Judy Gailen for A Midsummer Night’s Dream, directed by Martin Andrucki, provided the backdrop for a vanishing Puck. His simple step personified this ‘merry wanderer of the night.’” — Phyllis Graber Jensen

Phyllis Graber Jensen/�ֲ��ý College

Double Fisted

“When you arrive late to a sports contest, you can often tell how it’s going even without knowing the score. Arriving midway through a tennis match last April, I could tell by their fist-pumping demeanor that Ben Rosen ’18 and Chris Ellis ’17, �ֲ��ý’ first doubles team, were in contention despite being underdogs. When the duo stunned their Bowdoin opponents with a win, the Bobcat supporters felt and shared that rush of adrenaline and pride.” — Phyllis Graber Jensen

Phyllis Graber Jensen/�ֲ��ý College

“In one of the more entertaining assignments I had at �ֲ��ý, I discovered what broomball is. I also discovered that you don’t need skates to move on ice. (Whether you can move effectively without skates is another story.) To help illustrate the movement of broomball, I used a slow shutter speed while panning in the direction these players were moving. And this was one of the few frames where all the broomball players were upright.” — Josh Kuckens

Josh Kuckens/�ֲ��ý College

Slideshow: �ֲ��ý photographers’ favorite images of 2016

Still in Motion

“Shooting in low light calls for a slower shutter speed, which can make freezing the action difficult. Here I was able to stop the movement just enough to capture detail while showing some of the dancer’s motion. The color palette was also a bit different in Olin that night for the Sun Ra concert, with striking reds, blues, and greens projected across the concert hall.” — Josh Kuckens

Josh Kuckens/�ֲ��ý College

Photographers’ favorites – News

Photographers’ favorites 2025: Behind the viewfinder

The Ultimate Event

Rainy Day Reunion

Look Up

A Moment in Gomes

Floating Over the City

Color of the Coast

That Big Grin

For the Win

Running for Awareness

Head in the Game

Saying Yes to a Dream

Ardor for Alumni

Unveiling Ali

Logo Around Town

A Freezing Anniversary

Flying through the Fog

In the Reflection

�ֲ���ý to Bluefin

Cheers for Commencement

Messages from Home

�ֲ���ý photographers’ favorite images of 2024

Love Letter to Lewiston

Hands-On Defense

One for the Books

Sparking the Imagination

An Uncommons Moment

Mirror, Mirror

Golden Friendship

Eyes on the Prize

Here Comes the Sun

Paws, Laugh, Repeat

Birthday Snowscape

Grit to Grace

Unspoken Love

Belonging in Every Layer

Man in Uniform

Fashion Meets Passion

Garry! Garry!

Picture Perspective

Moonstruck

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A Stacked Image

Eye On the Ball

‘Do, Process’

A Herculean Effort

Amusing Archer

Soar, Spin, Sway, Spring

Lamplight

Major Memories

One Sings, The Other Doesn’t

Rocky Mountain High

Secret Garden

Historic Moment

Delightful Daughter

Filing the Files

Frozen in Time

Strike a Pose

Girl Power

Healing

You Do You

No Worries

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Back for More

Mom Knows Best

Flying Friends

Michael’s March

Web Design

Up and Away

Not Forgotten

‘Peace Begins With Us’

Direct About It

As I Lay Me Down

Laughs in the Library

Act and React

Post Goal

Sweet Detail

Red and Blue State

Upon Reflection

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