Student Snapshots of 2025 A few of W&L’s student photographers who work with the Office of Communications and Public Affairs look back at some of their favorite photos from 2025.

Office of Communications and Public Affairs
December 30, 2025

The student photographers who work in the Office of Communications and Public Affairs share photos of life on campus from their point of view each week as part of our Scene on Campus photo gallery. They cover events and speakers, document key moments and give us a window into their world as students, including the people and places that make life at W&L so special. As 2025 comes to a close, they shared some of their favorite photos of the year with us.

Ryan Doty ’26

Majors: Chemistry and creative writing
Hometown: Tipton, Michigan

If there’s anything to know about me as a photographer, it’s that I love a good nature photo and everything about the springtime. So, naturally, I had to include one that involved both. This was taken just outside of Village Apartment C, heading toward main campus via the grandstand side of Wilson Field. Redbud trees are one of my favorite varieties due to their heart-shaped leaves and blooms that proliferate across the old wood, and they carry this gentle symbolism of renewal. I like to think of spring as a re-emergence from a difficult time in life, so getting to shoot some newly budding leaves glowing in the sunlight felt like I was experiencing this renewal and re-emergence in real time.

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This photo was taken on campus, near Grace Episcopal Church, just a few weeks ago. Snow was coating the ground, and when I came upon a bunch of what appears to be holly, I wanted to capture the feeling of the winter season and the holidays. There were quite a few shots that I took here, but the stillness of the snow is what drew me to this specific photo: It combines with the movement of the branches and light snowfall to create that quintessential winter atmosphere, like when someone gets to witness snow for the first time. There’s a certain joy and quiet calm in this picture that I particularly enjoy.

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This photo was taken at the GAB concert in March of 2025 on Cannan Green, specifically, of my friend Tom Son ’25 singing with his band, 38th Parallel. I had never taken photos at a music event before, especially of a singer/band, so this was a wonderful opportunity to explore photography that was out of my comfort zone. I was able to circumvent the student crowd and walk all around the perimeter of the stage, which enabled me to take this particular shot. It feels like an image from an intimate yet vibrant concert, and I was able to explore being a concert photographer for a half hour, which was a special moment for me.

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A notable aspect about photography is that you’re often shooting for a specific event, moment, feeling or purpose. However, my favorite kind of images are those taken during a quiet walk, or under a peaceful reminiscence of your life, with no particular goal in mind. For this photo, I was enjoying an evening walk around the west side of campus and was struck by the rooftop of Evans Dining Hall silhouetted against a subdued sky with a singular contrail. Evans Hall is particularly special to me – it was the first building I entered and explored at W&L nearly four years ago as a prospective student – so being able to sit in this moment and appreciate the memories from this time was quite the full-circle moment, and I believe I captured what that experience of nostalgia and appreciation felt like in this shot.

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This photo was taken by the tennis courts and the Fechnay Grandstand, above Wilson Field. There’s nearly always a flock of birds perched in the stadium lights, and at a moment’s notice, they’ll all take flight. I love that I could only capture this photo at this specific moment, and that it includes elements I wouldn’t normally associate with a captivating photo (the stadium lights facing away from the birds, for example), but that leads into why I like this one. It subverts my expectations and makes me reconsider the role an emotional atmosphere can play in an image’s appeal. It also reminds me of my best friend, who is a huge bird enthusiast and is like a brother to me, so this photo holds a special place in my heart.

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Aby Joyner ’28

Majors: Strategic communication and creative writing
Minor: Studio art
Hometown: Newbury, Massachusetts

This photo is so dear to me because I felt I captured the essence of the spirit of these lovely people and the joy they shared. I saw them dancing and thought, “I must capture this pure happiness.” And the amount of fulfillment I felt when I saw what I had photographed made my heart overflow with joy. I really like how I got their faces in focus, but their interlocked hands are blurry and show the movement that was happening in real life. You can see how present they are, which I also love.

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I love this photo because it is of Leah Naomi Green (visiting assistant professor of writing and environmental studies) listening to poetry being read. You can see how much peace she has in this moment, and I just loved how clearly moved she is by the poetry she is listening to. It is such a raw and beautiful moment.

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This photo is also from the Poetry Harvest event I helped put together as the head of the Poetry Club on campus, and the genuine joy of these professors made me so happy. They love what they do, which I feel is such a core part of what makes W&L so special.

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I love how I captured the friendship between India Balkaran ’27 and Riley Mitchelson ’27. This photo just brings me joy.

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I walk across this bridge a lot. Many people do not just stop to look at it. I love the way I framed this image and the little people walking by in comparison to the big sun. The way it peered through the clouds was so striking to me, and usually it is really hard to capture something like the sun, but I felt I did a good job here. It captures the beauty of the nature that surrounds us at W&L and how lucky we are that this is what day-to-day life looks like.

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Bella Ferrate ’26

Major: Business administration
Minor: Japanese
Hometown: Salem, Virginia

This photo was taken on one of the first warmer days of the year. Even with a lingering chill, the Colonnade felt reenergized with people studying, talking and sitting in the sun. The Colonnade is one of the best places to study when the weather improves, and I thought that this image captured that shift in mood into Spring Term.

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I love this photo because of the chance moment behind it. I was walking across campus when I noticed this couple in my peripheral vision and quickly took the shot, assuming the moment had already passed. Later, while going through my photos, I realized I had captured something unposed and genuine: a brief, quiet interaction that felt perfectly in step with the early signs of spring.

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Still in full bloom late into the year, these flowers immediately caught my attention, sharply contrasted against the dark brick of the University Chapel behind them. I remember taking this photo around noon when the light was sharp and bright. These flowers were some of the only elements in the shade, softened by the gentler light around them.

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This photo was taken during an artist talk for Moffat Takadiwa’s “Recoded Memories” in the Watson Galleries. I thought the sculptures were already compelling, but the presentation from assistant professor of art Sandy de Lissovoy added important context about their cultural roots in Zimbabwe. In the image behind the speaker, you can see a close-up of the sculpture production, which was featured alongside photos of the many people who contributed to the artwork.

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The new Williams School building stands out for its large windows and abundance of natural light. By early November, the fall colors were at their peak, and this angle seemed to capture them all at once. The red bushes in front of the first-year residence halls added a burst of color, while the windows of the Williams School reflected the bright, changing leaves near the President’s House.