Student Feature – Amber Kates
Bio: Amber Kates is a third year Photographic and Imaging Technology student with a specialization in ophthalmic photography and a minor in history. She was born in Philadelphia, and decided to come to RIT for their Biomedical Photographic Communications program due to its mixture of both science and imaging. This program at RIT has not only opened her eyes to the world of imaging in the medical field, but has also helped her develop a passion to help people through imaging. She hopes to go into a career in the ophthalmology or medical field after she graduates in May 2016. She is also involved with the Center for Orientation and Transition and the Academic Support Center on campus.
What was your most challenging assignment as a photography student?
I have had many difficult assignments that have pushed me to my limits and beyond and helped me develop the skill-set I have today. I think the hardest assignment I’ve had was the final for my Scientific Photography II class in the spring of my second year. We had to obtain a specimen that was mounted on a microscope slide and using the microscope we had to photograph the entire specimen at a low magnification and then 6 high magnification “call-outs” of various parts of the subject. I photographed a decently large mosquito, and I had to stitch, focus stack, and use high dynamic range to compile nearly 3,000 images together in order to have an image of my full specimen. It definitely tested my organizational, time management, and work ethic skills, but it was worth it to see it all come together.
What do you love about the school?
There is so much I love about this school. The endless resources available at RIT such as the equipment in the cage and in the labs have provided me with an amazing skill-set on multiple types of equipment. The overwhelming support of the students and faculty have also helped me obtain absolutely amazing co-ops which have all been eye-opening and incredible experiences for me. Without the constant push to do my best and never-ending amount of guidance from the students and faculty, I would not be where I am today.
Check out more of Amber’s work at: https://cias.rit.edu/showcase/projects/3265
**Portrait of Amber by Amanda Berlinski