He knows all the best parking spots on both campuses and how to get to any university building. He takes photos of every single University of Louisville graduate walking the stage at commencement – many of them the same students he photographed during orientation when they were freshmen. He spends a great amount of time perched on an upper floor or crouched on the ground to get just the right angle or just the right light.
UofL staff photographer Tom Fougerousse has taken thousands upon thousands of photos of everything UofL, shaping our visual image from every conceivable angle of campus life.
For the first time, to celebrate his 25th anniversary working for the university, some of his favorite photos will be on display to the public.
“Tom Fougerousse: 25 Years of UofL Photography,” an exhibit of more than 40 of Tom’s favorite images, opens Oct. 6 in the Photographic Archives Gallery, located in Archives and Special Collections in the lower level of Ekstrom Library. The free exhibit, which will be open Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., runs through Dec. 23. An opening reception will be held Oct. 11 at 5 p.m.
“We are fortunate to have such a gifted photographer to chronicle the history of our university. Tom’s images are a delight today, but will also provide future generations with a wonderful sense of who we were and what we did. This exhibit celebrates that work,” said Carrie Daniels, director of Archives and Special Collections.
Each image in the exhibit includes details of how the photo was made. The images will be housed in Archives and Special Collections at the end of the exhibit.
Tom is a self-described commercial photographer from Southern Indiana who started working at UofL on the Health Sciences Campus. At that time, there were six staff photographers and they worked on developing film and making slides and presentations.
Today, he’s the sole full-time photographer working in the digital era. His images can be found in almost every official university communication and most are also digitally archived on the university’s Flickr account.
“I hope I’ve put the university in a good light,” he said. “I hope I’ve stirred emotion.”
Niki King contributed to this story.
