草莓社区

From our newest president watching her father give an address at her inauguration to a young butterfly taken its first wingbeats from a safe perch near Roselawn, enjoy a collection of the best photos of 2017, selected by 草莓社区鈥檚 photography and videography manager Andrew Strack.

(Also check out “,” the best of our 2017 news coverage.)

Strack chose images from among the thousands taken and processed by his team, including hundreds alone that documented two major events of 2017: the spring inauguration of EMU鈥檚 ninth president, Dr. Susan Schultz Huxman, and EMU鈥檚 Centennial Homecoming and Family Weekend.

To view other photo albums from 2017 events, click here.

鈥淚 tried to focus on high-quality images that may not have been displayed in our news coverage or in other venues,鈥� he said.

The image of Huxman and her father at inauguration, he says, wouldn鈥檛 be a selected feature image for coverage, 鈥渂ut the way the two are isolated in that photo, sharing a moment that is pretty unusual in families, is extraordinary.鈥�

Other images, such as the woman participating in the color run, 鈥渃apture the feelings of the moment and of the weekend.鈥�

Two photos of the new water tower on 鈥淭he Hill鈥� behind EMU鈥檚 campus made the cut. Aware of the hill’s prominent role in EMU history, Strack set up a video camera to create a of the construction.

鈥淭he Hill is an iconic feature of student and campus life for the entirety of campus history,鈥� he said. 鈥淚t was really important to capture this new feature as part of that continuity.鈥�

From aerial landscapes to insect close-ups, the images showcase the range of photos taken by Strack and his team, which includes part-time photographer and videographer Macson McGuigan, creative director Jon Styer, and a rotating cast of interns. Former photographer/videographer Joaquin Sosa鈥檚 work is also included.

鈥淧eople often admire the equipment and comment on how much it costs, but I always say that the best camera is the one you have with you,鈥� Strack said. 鈥淲e may be going from taking a group shot to event coverage, but we are always keeping our eyes open for other creative possibilities. You always carry your camera so that if the clouds or the sunset is just right, you don鈥檛 miss taking an image of campus that would be really special to share with our global community.鈥�

Many days this fall, Strack could be seen on the campus center balcony, flying a quadcopter to collect images for the Advent video. He also flies during special events, such as homecoming and commencement.

鈥淲e have a pretty good archive of historic photos of campus taken from the air, but now that we can do it more easily, it鈥檚 fun to provide these new perspectives of our campus. People really love these photos,鈥� he said. 鈥淚t really gives you a sense of our place in the Shenandoah Valley with the nearby farms and the mountains.鈥�

View more photos at .

Also check out “,” the best of our 2017 news coverage.