![\"Four](\"https:\/\/www.furman.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/218\/2025\/11\/062624_EES-Research-Water-Sample_48-768x608.jpg\")
Christian Anderson \u201926 and Max Ferrier \u201925, sitting, work with Greg Lewis, professor of biology, left, and Brannon Andersen, the Rose J. Forgione Professor of Earth, Environmental and Sustainable Sciences testing methane levels in local streams as part of a research project on July 3, 2024. Photo by Nathan Gray, Furman University.<\/p><\/div>\n
For one of these accolades, Owen Withycombe<\/a>, a multimedia content creator, braved a chilly October night in 2022 for five hours to capture a once-in-a-lifetime image of the northern lights. He walked Furman\u2019s campus that night watching weather reports and updates on the geomagnetic storm making the arctic phenomenon visible in South Carolina, looking for the perfect angle to capture this celestial event<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cI had no idea if this shot would turn out well. It\u2019s a long exposure shot, which means you are stabilizing the camera in some way and opening its shutter for a few seconds,\u201d Withycombe said. A 20-second exposure let just enough light in to capture what few could spot that night; Withycombe was stopping strangers on campus \u201cjust to make sure they\u2019d take a second and appreciate it.\u201d<\/p>\n He and Nathan Gray<\/a>, also a multimedia content creator, take more than 100,000 images a year for Furman, and only a fraction of them make it through editing and publication on social media, Furman Magazine, Furman News stories and various university publications.<\/p>\n One of those photos was Gray\u2019s award-winning shot of students Christian Anderson \u201926 and Max Ferrier \u201925 taking water samples from a local stream during a research project in 2024<\/a> with Brannon Andersen, of earth, environmental and sustainability sciences, and Greg Lewis, professor of biology. The shot focuses on the student-faculty relationships Furman fosters, and research that can take students out of the classroom and into the field.<\/p>\n Graphic Designer and Illustrator Chris Turner brought some whimsy into this admissions publication mailed to prospective students visiting campus by adding a custom pocket to house a Dining Hall cookie (yum!).<\/p><\/div>\n \u201cPhotography, for me, is always about adding a little whimsy and being playful,\u201d Gray said. \u201cThe reflection on the water, the hanging vines, the symmetry all felt very playful to me and allowed me to balance artistry with the marketing goals of the university.\u201d<\/p>\n![\"An](\"https:\/\/www.furman.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/218\/2025\/11\/Visit-Piece-576x768.jpg\")