George W. Adams, engineer, fine arts conservator and photographer, died on March 2 of complications from lung cancer, in his home in Cambridge, Md. He was 64.

Born in New Haven, Conn., in 1944 to the late Alexander and Lucy Dunlap Smith Adams, his early career as a professional engineer in naval architecture was interrupted for a satisfying interlude as reporter, feature writer and photographer on marine topics for the Vineyard Gazette. He resumed his work as an independent mechanical engineer, consulting with clients that included the Suez Canal Authority. He was awarded several patents and awards during this period.

In 1988, Mr. Adams became a partner with his wife, art conservator Christiana Cunningham-Adams, in their firm, Cunningham-Adams Fine Arts Paintings Conservation, which specializes in wall and ceiling painting conservation. Applying sophisticated engineering expertise, Mr. Adams developed innovative techniques used in the discovery, assessment, documentation and restoration phases of this work.

Their projects included restoration of the Jules Guerin murals in the Lincoln Memorial, consultation on planning the restoration of the frescoes at the ancient Roman site of Stabiae, and the Aaron Douglas wall painting cycle at Fisk University in Nashville, for which the firm was awarded the National Trust for Historic Preservation 2004 Preservation Award. In 1996 Mr. Adams and his wife, under contract with the Architect of the Capitol, launched a long-term rediscovery and restoration of the Brumidi Corridors in the Senate wing of the nation’s Capitol, freeing the richly painted and frescoed walls and arched ceilings from as many as 15 layers of obscuring overpainting.

In the course of this work, Mr. Adams developed a reputation for professional photography. In 1991, he decided to “shift the lens” towards the marshes and wildlife near his home in Cambridge, Md., a passion that traced back to growing up near the coastal Connecticut saltmarshes. His large-format prints reveal his sensitivity to light, particularly the “grey days, soft lights and limited palettes” that he felt “often reveal more than vivid sunsets.” He has had one-man shows in galleries in Annapolis and Salisbury, Md. As an active volunteer at the Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge in Cambridge, Mr. Adams surveyed the refuge marshes to monitor and map changes in the health and diversity of the vegetation.

His last work was consultation with the National Park Service on the design of the lighting at the Lincoln Memorial for President Barack Obama’s televised celebration of Abraham Lincoln’s 200th birthday.

He is survived by his wife, Christiana Cunningham-Adams, his sister Harriet F. Adams of Washington, D.C., brother Elliott D.S. Adams of Sharon Springs, N.Y., nephew Kit Transue of Somerville, Mass., and niece Dr. Emily Transue of Seattle, Wash.

A memorial reception and exhibition of his work will be held in Gallery 1683 in Annapolis, Md.