colorful greenery at the lower Uris Library entrance with people looking at Cayuga Lake in the background during sunset

‘This Beautiful Place of Nature and Learning’: Through Garrett’s Lens

Take a trip back to your alma mater with these evocative images by a Class of ’25 alum—who shot thousands of photos as a student

By Beth Saulnier

“The second I stepped on the campus, I was absolutely in awe of the natural environment,” says Garrett Spillerman ’25. “Every season is unique—it’s an all-year-round, beautiful place that’s always changing.”

During his four years on the Hill, Spillerman captured thousands of images of that splendor—using photography as a way both to chronicle his Big Red experience and to manage the everyday stresses of student life.

The resulting oeuvre depicts the Cornell campus at its loveliest—be it displaying fall foliage, spring’s joyful florals and bright greens, or the more austere allures of winter.

Garrett Spillerman smiles while wearing a blue collared button-down and backpack near Sage Hall

In fact, his images of the Hill’s chilliest days—along with the many sunsets he snapped—often seem the most evocative.

“Even the cold winter has its beauty—whether it’s the ice formations in the gorges, or the bare trees, or that wet snow that sticks to everything,” says Spillerman, who’s Zooming with Cornellians from his childhood bedroom, where his work lines the walls.

“While winter might seem long, the seasons themselves are pretty quick—and your time at Cornell moves so fast. I simply can’t believe it’s over for me already.”

a corner of Willard Straight Hall with trees covered in snow around it

A Pennsylvania native, Spillerman fell hard for photography at age 10, when his grandparents gifted him a rudimentary digital camera. For his bar mitzvah service project a few years later, he took nature photos, had them printed in large format, and mounted them in pediatric cancer wards.

“Hospital rooms have those fluorescent lights and white antiseptic walls,” says Spillerman, who plans to attend law school in fall 2025. “It became this beautiful thing where I could bring the outdoors inside.”

As a comm major in CALS, Spillerman took an even deeper dive into photography—practicing the art almost daily, as he captured myriad scenes on campus and beyond, including Cayuga Lake and nearby state parks.

While winter might seem long, the seasons themselves are pretty quick—and your time at Cornell moves so fast.

His senior spring, he even used a collection of his photos as the final for an academic course: taking the popular class (taught by Corey Earle ’07) on the history of Cornell, he jumped at the chance to create a digital scrapbook as his end-of-semester project.

“Nature is something that I think a lot of people take for granted,” he observes. “But going to a school like this, in this location—having this tremendous opportunity to be in this beautiful place of nature and learning and community, and being able to showcase what we get to see every day—that’s really, really cool.”

view of the Andrew Dickson White statue, the Arts Quad, McGraw Tower, and surrounding buildings against a sunset sky

Given that many of Spillerman’s images have an otherworldly quality—with saturated hues and ethereal lighting—viewers may be surprised to learn that he eschews filters and does little or no postproduction, beyond the occasional crop.

He shoots with an iPhone—whose cameras have, of course, become increasingly sophisticated over the past decade. And since he always has it in his pocket, it allows for innumerable moments of photographic serendipity.

“Something I struggle with a little bit,” he admits, “is knowing when to take a picture, and when to take a deep breath and just savor the moment.”

Scroll down for an album showcasing some of Spillerman’s favorite campus photos!

McGraw Hall and the Arts Quad during a heavy snow, viewed through a window pane
the Arts Quad pathway by Sibley Hall with orange and yellow trees and fallen leaves on the ground
The sky and yellow, orange, and green trees reflect off the water at Beebe Lake
view from the arched entryway of the War Memorial, looking out at the Slope, McGraw Tower, and a pink and yellow sky during sunset
Willard Straight Hall in the wintry background with snow-covered trees in front, illuminated by light posts
Yellow plants overlooking West Campus from atop the Slope with a red, orange, and yellow sky in the background
the War Memorial and entry to West Campus with snow covered trees in front
A bright purple flowering tree outside Goldwin Smith Hall
the falls by Beebe Lake viewed at night under a dark blue sky
Two bright red trees in front of Bailey Hall and Bailey Plaza
Willard Straight Hall with a blue, yellow, and red sky in the background
Sage Hall with a blue sky in the background
The ground and trees covered in snow on campus with a snowy McGraw Tower in the background
Uris Library, illuminated by its lights during sunset, with a sliver of Cayuga Lake visible in the background
wide view of McGraw Tower, Uris Library, and their surroundings during the winter on a snow-covered campus
Dozens of students sit on the Sope and watch a sunset
a portion of the Slope left to grow naturally with pink, purple, and yellow plants as well as colorful trees in the background as the leaves change during the fall
a snow-frosted Sage Chapel and its surrounding trees, with Sage Hall and other campus buildings in the background
view of Barnes Hall during a sunset with a purple and yellow sky in the background
The top of Sage Hall's spire with the hills of the Ithaca area behind
The top of McGraw Tower with lights illuminating the building against a dark blue sky
A plowed Ho Plaza pathway during the winter with trees covered in snow and McGraw Tower ahead
The Slope and a portion of West Campus viewed during a sunset with a pink and purple sky and two red trees visible
View of a sunset, featuring hues of bright yellow, orange, and purple, through rectangular window panes in Willard Straight Hall
the stone arch bridge over Beebe Lake, surrounded by fall foliage in hues of orange, red, and yellow
A view looking up a pathway from the bottom of the Slope with Morrill Hall at the top and a bright blue sky with puffy, white clouds
Spectators watch a Homecoming fireworks show at Schoellkopf Field with silver and gold fireworks lighting up the dark sky
the falls downstream of Beebe Lake surrounded by fall foliage in hues of orange, red, and yellow
The sun peeks through a tree on campus above the Slope with bright red leaves during the fall with green, orange, and yellow trees in the background
Lights shine in the windows of Sibley Hall with a blue, cloud-streaked sky in the background during the evening
A snowy, winter night on the Arts Quad with the lights from Olin Library, McGraw Tower, and Morrill Hall visible against the dark sky
The yellow, pink, and blue sky reflect off of the water at Beebe lake during a sunset with snow-dusted trees in the foreground
The quad, with Goldwin Smith Hall, Olin Library, McGraw Tower, and Uris Library illuminated against a blue sky and streaked clouds as the sun sets
high view of Sage Hall and West Campus and beyond during an orange-hued sunset
view of the Slope and the trees around it, with part of West Campus and Cayuga Lake in the background
People walk outside Goldwin Smith Hall during a heavy snowfall
A sunset over Cayuga Lake with one of the Baker residence halls visible at left among the treetops

(All photos courtesy of Garrett Spillerman ’25.)

Published June 26, 2025

Comments

  1. Greenbaum Bettsie
    26 Jun, 2025

    What a tremendous achievement for Garrett to have chronicled the seasons of life at Cornell over his 4 years! Garrett has the rare ability to appreciate, with insight and wisdom, all of these fleeting moments. Why don’t we put his stunning images in every hospital room in the entire country! This is a young man who will go far…and as his friend, I get to watch him shine…lucky me!

    Reply
  2. Lynn Medley
    27 Jun, 2025

    Absolutely stunning!

    Reply
  3. Adele Cirone Oliva
    30 Jun, 2025

    I have never seen anyone capture the true beauty of Cornell. This should be made into a photo book. Thank you for bringing me back to Ithaca!!

    Reply
  4. Roslyn Joffe
    1 Jul, 2025

    These photos are really fantastic. Thank you for sharing the beauty of the location. The pictures make me feel as if I am there in person. Fabulous.
    Love,
    Roslyn Joffe

    Reply
  5. KG O’Donnell, Class of 1977
    1 Jul, 2025

    Simply amazing! I go back every year and take pictures, I wish I had done that while I was an undergraduate.

    Reply
  6. Diane Bishop Hanson, Class of 1959
    1 Jul, 2025

    The wintry ones touched me the most. I once again felt the cold in my bones.

    Reply
  7. Sulaiman Wasty, Class of 1989
    3 Jul, 2025

    Cornell makes me Proud!

    Reply

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