December 15, 2023

The photographer’s favorites

Photographer Adam Atkinson has taken thousands of photos over the course of this year. Here, he shares some of his favorites—and the stories behind them

Three people stand and smile at the Phillies stadium.

Three people stand in front of a courthouse in NYC.

Documenting students’ experiences during winter externships is one of my favorite times of the year. Getting to see the great opportunities the members of our Lafayette College community are providing to our students is truly wonderful. In these first two images, David Buck ’86, an executive vice president for the Philadelphia Phillies, and David Hammer ’92, assistant district attorney in Manhattan, are seen hosting externships.

The Leopard statue, covered in a thin layer of ice.

The first day of classes in the spring semester included some flurries that quickly melted; and while the rest of us got to go inside and dry off, our leopard remained in all elements, standing guard.

Anna DiFelice with a dropper of liquid; in the liquid drop, you can see her reflection. I am always super impressed by our scholarship winners, and this shot of Anna DiFelice ’24, recipient of a Goldwater Scholarship, was one of my favorites from this year.

Students celebrate a basketball victory. Football players ring a bell

This past year was epic for our Division I athletes. Several of our teams went to Patriot League Championship games, and our football team won!

Saylor the puppy runs toward the camera.

President Nicole Hurd welcomed a new four-legged member to our Lafayette family this year—you might have remembered the naming contest that was held in April. By popular demand and with open arms, we welcomed Saylor to campus.

Three students work to perfect their structure for the steel bridge competition.

Omar Soto ’23, Chris Good ’23, and Declan Drummond ’23, members of the steel bridge team, are hard at work getting ready for the steel bridge competition.

Paul Barclay sitting. Paul Barclay, professor of history, has been conducting research at the historic Easton Cemetery. This portrait was taken to highlight the great work he is doing.

A student with a hammer, getting ready to "ring" a rock.

I recently got to attend a geology field trip to Ringing Rocks State Park with David Sunderlin, professor of geology. I knew I wanted to get a photo of someone ringing the rocks, and this was perfect!

A bee on a bright red flower. A project on food insecurity was featured in our new alumni magazine, and while I was capturing photos from the project, I noticed this bee being particularly photogenic right in front of me.

A football player exists the tunnel on to the field.

I’m pretty quick to confess that I am not the world’s best sports photographer. I don’t have that sixth sense of the game that makes a sports photographer great at what they do. However, I do have a strong sense for storytelling, and I pride myself on capturing something different. So in this instance, I decided to be somewhere unique for the tunnel shot and came away with an image I am very happy with.