Cold Snaps

Last week’s winter weather prompted a flurry of creativity as staff and students sought to capture Wellington’s natural and architectural beauty on camera.

Head of Classics, Simon Allcock, was out early after the first snow-fall and took a striking photo of the G.W. Annenberg at dawn. Wellington’s new performing arts centre features a glass-panelled stairway, designed to blur the boundaries between the inside and outside space, a feature that creates the effect of floating when the building is lit from within. Simon’s photograph captured this brilliantly, and the image quickly caught the attention of the Wellington Community who expressed their approval on various social media channels: the image attracted hundreds of ‘likes’ on Instagram and Facebook and set a trend on Twitter. The Wellington beauty contest had begun.

Dr Guy Williams, Head of Sixth Form, was next to try his hand. His image of the G.W. Annenberg, taken later in the day, depicts the building standing resolute amidst a frenzied snow shower. The Wellington Library got involved, tweeting a majestic shot of Copenhagen with a ‘snowy mane’, and there was a fabulous post by the Orange featuring a Lowry-esque picture of the great snowball fight on Bigside. For a long time, it was student Arjun Naha (L6, Hg) who led the race on Twitter: his ‘stunning’ image of the Combermere Quad at first light drew envy from staff and multiple ‘likes’ from viewers.

But that was until English teacher, Sarah Donarski, paused by Swan Lake after Saturday lessons and captured the ultimate Wellington snow scene. Her portrait depicts North Front looking magical in the distance, snow-capped and glowing in the sunset, the icy waters of Swan Lake completing the ethereal scene. A retweet from the Master, Julian Thomas, catapulted this brilliant piece of photography into the social media stratosphere, securing Sarah’s place in the photographic hall of fame.