Words and Photo by Joshua Swan

Rochester created—and has maintained—a very special place in my heart. Ever since my family and I moved here 15 years ago, I have grown more and more thankful for the life I’ve cultivated here. Rochester is not the largest city, but it is not the smallest either; I’ve found a wonderful balance between. It’s large enough to feel the buildings tower over you, and small enough to go to one of the Great Lakes in less than 15 minutes. That is one of my favorite things about Rochester: the variety at our fingertips. The cityscape contrasting to our beautiful parks—concrete to chlorophyll. 

This picture was taken at the annual Lilac Festival at Highland Park. My love for flowers and the outdoors has been passed down by my mother. Ever since I was a little kid, exploring has been my go-to activity for the day. Now I go out and explore with a camera. When I was strolling the paths at Highland, I was immediately captivated by the vibrant contrast between the pink petals and the deeply saturated green leaves. After trying a couple different angles, I found the one I liked the most: the photo  feels light but dense at the same time. I wanted the shallow depth of field to craft a composition that felt as if it “fell off the frame.”