Shavyonne Vick holds her one-year-old son Kash Wilson at Chesapeake City Park on Saturday, Jan. 7, 2023. Vick was 7-months pregnant with Kash while incarcerated and had to have an emergency c-section when her and her son's life were at risk due to the medical care she received. Vick spent 19 months in jail on a murder charge, for which she was acquitted after a two-day trial and 25 minutes of jury deliberation. 

Jackson Wyatt, 7, watches the action during the Bulls and Barrels Beach Rodeo at the Virginia Beach Oceanfront in Virginia Beach, Va. on Saturday, April 13, 2024.

John Kupfer, 94, sits in his home surrounded by a fraction of the Christmas collection curated by his late-wife Marian at their home in Virginia Beach, Va. on Friday, Sept. 13, 2023. Marian passed at 89 and spent most of the later part of her life traveling with her husband and creating her extensive Christmas collection. The collection grew so large that most of it stayed up year-round in their home.

Nicole Harp sits for a photo with one of her dogs, Ziva, in her studio at her home in Norfolk on Wednesday, Dec. 20, 2023. Harp is an artist who creates Soul Paintings by reading the energy from people and animals, alive or passed, and translating that into a piece of art. This image was published with the story on January 19, 2024.

Owner Jessica Madon leans on the counter in her restaurant, Fertitta's Diner, in Hampton, Va. on Tuesday, March 4, 2025. Madon has had to add a surcharge to any dish including eggs due to the recent spike in egg prices. “We probably go through 2,500 eggs a week,” she said. “We’re just trying to make ends meet, but honestly, it’s not even making a dent.”

Officer Vanessa Beltran keeps an eye on the vehicle she pulled over during a traffic stop in Williamsburg, Va. on Friday, June 21, 2024. Beltran is one of eight female officers in Williamsburg’s 45-member police department, or roughly 17% of a force that covers the city of 16,000. Last year, the department joined the 30×30 Initiative, a national effort to increase the amount of female police officers to 30% by the year 2030. In doing so, Williamsburg joined about 360 law enforcement departments across the country that have pledged to increase female representation. This story and photo published online on July 13, 2024.

Executive director Dourina Petersen stands for a portrait in her office at Chesapeake Care Clinic in Chesapeake, Va. on Friday, Feb. 7, 2025. Congressional Republicans are exploring potential changes to Medicaid that could include substantial cuts and impact places such as the Chesapeake Care Clinic, though it’s not certain whether that will happen.

Sharon Campbell Waters, 72, poses for a photo in her Chesapeake, Va. home on Friday, Feb. 3, 2023. Martin Luther King Jr.'s signature is seen in a copy of his book "Stride Toward Freedom: The Montgomery Story". The copy is owned by Waters who auctioned off another copy of the book that was dedicated to her parents who had heavy involvement in the Montgomery Bus Boycott and the Civil Rights Movement. This copy is dedicated to her grandmother.

Kursten Clark Kursten Clark, an 18-year-old Hampton native, stands for a portrait at Naval Weapons Station Yorktown in Yorktown, Va. on Tuesday, March 26, 2024. After lowering the age requirement to 18-years-old in the Navy Region Mid-Atlantic, Clark became the first, and so far the only, person to become a federal police officer as a teenager.

Robert Locklear sits in Freedom Tower on Liberty University’s campus in Lynchburg, Va. draped in his pride flag. 

I photographed Robert for the story he was writing exposing the anti-LGBTQ nature of the university which was recently was published by LGBTQ Nation. 

Robert’s story outlines how “The Liberty Way” was silently updated days after Thanksgiving break in 2021 and now read to discriminate against queer students which was made possible by a loop hole in Title IX laws under religious exemption.

https://www.lgbtqnation.com/2022/06/liberty-university-already-hostile-lgbtq-students-quiet-change-rules-make-worse/

Newport News Mayor-

Elect Phillip Jones poses for a portrait at City Hall in Newport News, Va. on Friday, Nov. 11, 2022.

Attaquin Weeden poses for a portrait while wearing regalia during the annual Monacan Indian Nation Powwow in Monroe, Va. on Saturday, June 4, 2022.

Lilianna and Angelina Thompson pose for a photo on a longhorn during Christmas in Goliad on Dec. 7, 2019 in Goliad, Texas. Lilianna and Angelina are traditional Ballet Folklorico de Goliad dancers and performed in the day's festivities. 

Drag queen Ivy Carter, based out of Greensboro, North Carolina, poses for a photo in The Glass House after preparing for a show at Hill City Pride at Riverfront Park in Lynchburg, Va. on Saturday, Aug. 28, 2021. 

Second grader Nahvia Thomas-Skott, 7, poses for a portrait after picking up her free lunch and homework packet distributed by Kalamazoo Public Schools at Eastside Neighborhood Association in Kalamazoo, Mich. on Wednesday, March 18, 2020. After announcing school would be canceled due to COVID-19, KPS started distributing free meals around the community every Monday, Wednesday and Friday to any child in need. 

Darius McGhee continues to rewrite the records book at Liberty University and in the ASUN Conference. The sharp-shooting, 5-foot-9 guard has become one of the most prolific players in program history, and quickly deflects the praise to his teammates for putting him in the position to thrive. 

Siobhan Byrns poses for a portrait with her view camera in her office at the University of Lynchburg in Lynchburg, Va. on Wednesday, Feb. 24, 2021.

Alanea Canada, 4, of Lynchburg poses for a portrait during Hill City Pride at Riverfront Park in Lynchburg, Va. on Saturday, Aug. 28, 2021.

Randall "Skeeter" Phillips, 81, poses for a portrait in the work bay of his shop at Phillips Wheel Alignment in Lynchburg, Va. on Monday, June 21, 2021. A community staple, Phillips is retiring after 50 years.

Doug Everette poses for a portrait in his "Washington Redskins" themed man cave in his home in Lynchburg, Va. on Monday, July 13, 2020. It was announced in 2020 that the name would be changed to the Washington Football Team in response to outcry of the use of the term "Redskin."

William Bruce "Bull" Ellis, 94, poses for a portrait in his home in Edna, Texas with his wife of 72-years, Pauline, 93. William and Pauline met while attending St. Joseph High School in Victoria, Texas. After keeping in touch by writing letters while William was away, the couple married March 29, 1945 when he returned home from the war.

Jesenia Campbell, 6, stands with a carton full of free food for her and her six siblings that was distributed by Kalamazoo Public Schools at New Village Park Apartments in Kalamazoo, Mich. on Wednesday, March 18, 2020. After announcing school would be canceled due to COVID-19, KPS starting distributing free meals around the community every Monday, Wednesday and Friday to any child in need.