Fougerousse has served as the University of Louisville’s primary photographer for over 20 years and marked his 30^th anniversary with the institution this year, having onboarded as a biomedical photographer on the HSC campus in May of 1991.

He spent 10 years in that initial role, shooting photos of doctors mid-surgery among other duties. However, medical photography began to change when digital cameras became prolific, Fougerousse said, “because doctors could then shoot their own photos.”

And so he started to think about something new, which brought him to the Belknap Campus.

“I really liked the idea of working for UofL and I enjoyed the types of shots I could do for the magazine. Back then (early 2000s), we had a lot of magazines – medical, philanthropy, all of the units had their own magazine. This gave me an opportunity to do more interesting assignments and meet more interesting people,” Fougerousse said.

He’s been behind the lens for magazine photos and everything in between since. He has been front-and-center for some of UofL’s most memorable events throughout the past two decades, such as when the first self-contained artificial heart patient in the world went home in 2001, or when dignitaries like George W. Bush. Hillary Clinton, Colin Powell, Joe Biden, Sandra Day O’Connor and Mikhail Gorbachev visited campus.

He captured Lamar Jackson’s dynamic Heisman season and maneuvered through caves to illustrate UofL’s blind cavefish research. His favorite subjects to shoot, in fact, are those off-campus research projects. He also likes the annual International Fashion Show and raiseRED events, as well as any School of Music event.

“I like getting entertained while I’m working,” Fougerousse said.

Photography started switching over to digital around 2005. At first, Fougerousse wasn’t a big fan because the quality wasn’t as good. It has since gotten much better and, in fact, there’s not much need for his negatives anymore. So, he recently donated all of them to University Archives, where they will be preserved as part of UofL history for posterity.

“I guess if you think about that, it is kind of cool,” Fougerousse said.

Fougerousse pulled some of his favorite photos from each of his 30 years at UofL and they are available in .

As we embark upon a new decade, what better time to reflect on the past 10 years at the University of Louisville, a time full of significant transformation, of research breakthroughs and sports championships, of community impact and student success. A time when we fully embraced our role as Kentucky’s premier, metropolitan research university, one that ranks at the top nationally for sustainability, for LGBTQ students, and for African American students. And one that is uniquely designated as both a Research 1 institute and a Carnegie Community Service institute.

To be sure, there is so much more to our university than rankings and milestones. It’s also important to recognize 10 years of simple, every day wins, wins earned by our faculty, staff and students. After all, these are the very people who make UofL what it is – a vibrant, resilient, innovative, inclusive place where anything is possible.

It’s been quite a decade at the University of Louisville. Here are some of the photographic highlights from UofL’s official photographer, Tom Fougerousse.

Since 2009, Fougerousse has curated his favorites. For 2018, he picked 163 total photos for his Year in Pictures album, .

Forty of Fougerousse’s favorite photos are now on display at the Photo Archives in Ekstrom Library on the UofL campus.

“My job is to capture moments in time with the happenings at the university or the people of the university because the people are the university when it comes right down to it,” he said. “I just hope they enjoy the photos as much as I do”

Fougerousse talks about his job, why he loves it and his favorite UofL photos below:

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 25^th 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 .

“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.