Picture Prefect

It's been great to sit down and get to know our new Head Prefect Angus. He's a brilliant young man full of great ideas and a keen eye for detail - both in the classroom and behind a camera:

Photography runs in the family - with Angus' dad working as a forensic photographer for as long as he can remember, he certainly got plenty of exposure to the art form. But Angus didn't pick up his own camera until he was in Year 8 at John McGlashan - and the college's photography course has played a big part in developing his passion (nice one Mr Jones!).

"Photography at McGlashan is huge, there are so many students doing it and it's great to see all the awesome photos the boys are taking," he says - "each of the boys has a different eye and a different set of ideas and that comes through in what they see and how they frame it".

Angus received a Visual Arts Blue Award for his photography last year, and it's easy to see why:

He explained to me that this photo was taken on holiday with the family in Cromwell when "luckily a hoarfrost set in and made the day" - that does sound like something only a photographer would say, but it also says a lot about Angus' true optimism and his ability to spot great things no matter the weather. The photo was entered in the Dunedin School Of Architecture's photography competition and won Angus the Resene Colour Award.

But it doesn't take a great location and exceptional weather to make a great shot - Angus sees amazing things everywhere on campus too. Take this photo for instance:

It was taken outside the John McGlashan Tech block, and was one of Angus' proudest shots last year, earning him a place at the Tūhara Otago Museum Photography Competition.

"It's all about what you see - it can be great to go out in nature and be in peace, or you can pick out the interesting and exciting things people are doing too" ... "As long as you have the right approach, anything can be a great photo".

And Angus sees great things in his peers as well - one thing he wants to make happen this year is starting regular school exhibitions in the ELC to encourage the boys to display their art to their peers and the public - "I'm hoping that getting more art on display will help the boys develop a shared sense of pride in their skills".

We're looking forward to supporting Angus to make it happen - watch this space!