Chapel Hill Magazine photographers, past and present, reflect on standout shots, memorable assignments and the stories behind their work
Briana Brough
2008-2018
“I loved getting to photograph the community where I was born and raised during the 10 years I worked at Chapel Hill Magazine and her sister publications. It’s awesome to see the way the company has grown and flourished as it continues to celebrate everything that makes our home the Southern part of heaven.”
July/August 2013
Working with other local creatives was always one of the best parts of my job. I had a ball with author Daniel Wallace, who was game for anything – including jumping in the pool fully dressed!
2013 Visitors and Relocation Guide
I always tried to capture images that showed the vibrancy of our little town – whether it was a “magic hour” shot of the Franklin-Columbia street intersection or a fashion shoot at the 140 West Plaza sculpture on the next page – by playing with light in downtown Chapel Hill.
September/October 2013
I had the honor of photographing some of the most iconic people in Chapel Hill over the years [but] none more so than Mildred Council, also known as Mama Dip. One of my earliest memories is eating with my family at Dip’s Country Kitchen in its original space on Rosemary Street. I still dream about Mama Dip’s chicken and dumpling.
September/October 2013
Fashion shoots were always a full team effort, and it was so fun coming up with a concept, finding the models and working with local boutiques to put together looks that showed off the best of what our local stores had to offer.
May/June 2013
One of my favorite shoots was with Leo Gaev of Leo Gaev Metalworks, who creates incredible architectural and artistic metal installations. Fun fact: Years later, Leo married my sister-in-law, local architect Heather Ferrell, so now we’re family!
January/February 2018
Chapel Hill is home to so many amazing, kind people, but we’re also no strangers to tragedy. When East Chapel Hill High School student Kenzie Ruston was killed in a plane crash just one day before her 18th birthday in 2016, her Bouncing Bulldogs teammates honored her with a memorial at their newly built gym. I captured this image of her teammates jumping with her to honor her memory in the pages of the magazine.
Beth Mann
2018-2020
November 2019
It was an honor to get to photograph former Chapel Hill mayor Howard Lee fifty years after his historic election as the first Black mayor of Chapel Hill. But what I loved most about this shoot was learning the rich history we were celebrating. Mayor Lee originated Chapel Hill’s bus transit system during his tenure as mayor, so it was lovely to bring him back into the modern version of what he created to celebrate this milestone.
September/October 2018
An amazing team of stylists, artists and retailers came together to create a stunning style feature for our fall 2018 issue. Alexandria was a phenomenal model, and this shoot allowed me to explore and play in a realm I hadn’t often visited – that of high fashion!
September/October 2018
Bill Smith is legendary in the world of Southern cuisine. So it’s fair to say that I was nervous when I asked him if he would prepare his famous shrimp and grits not in the traditional plating from Crook’s Corner, but in my own personal cast-iron skillet. I had a vision for the cover, and I wanted the stark contrast of his creamy grits with the dark pan. But in his classic cool-guy way, Bill was unfazed by my request and delivered a 10/10 presentation. Best of all, the cast iron kept the food warm until I got home and dropped it off with my husband to eat for dinner while I went off to another shoot! Lucky duck!
January/February 2020
This was a tricky shot to get just right. At the time, I’d been working on incorporating a new technique into my repertoire – digital double exposure. The warm, invitingly dark vibes of B-Side Lounge seemed like a perfect place to experiment, and I feel like the end product captures the feel of the lounge really well. It was a good reminder to me to continue to learn and grow and have fun with photography.
July/August 2020
I picked this image of Kalina Acevedo, a nurse at UNC, because I really enjoyed the entire series of covering essential workers during the pandemic because it shined a light on the people who are integral to our society. At the time, I was in the middle of transitioning to a new career and getting my nursing degree. I now work in the same hospital where Kalina does, on the same unit, so we get to work together. That image will always be special to me because it represents the peak of my career as a photographer but also the beginning of my next career as a labor and delivery nurse.
July/August 2018
This shoot was a blast to put together, and I love the result. Penny Kay at The Fragrance Shop in Carrboro picked some awesome scents to feature, which allowed for a creative use of essential ingredients alongside their end products. Fun all around!
John Michael Simpson
2021-present
September/October 2024
This shoot became my favorite cover for Chapel Hill Magazine. The colors and desserts captured the upcoming fall season perfectly. Aliesha Genevieve Vinar opened her space for the shoot, and we had a wonderful time on an overcast summer day.
September/October 2025
On the day of the shoot, there was a miscommunication with the venue about the timing, and we had time to kill before we had access. One of the members of Chiroptera knew of a fun rooftop spot nearby. We captured a lot of great shots on the roof. If that miscommunication never happened, I don’t think we would have captured this shot.
March/April 2023
I photographed Joe Branan of Joe’s Wax in his family’s kitchen making his candles. He walked me through the whole process of candle-making while we photographed, then shared a mango-coconut candle with me that still sits on my desk at home.
March/April 2023
We photographed Priyav Chandna of MyChessTutor in his kitchen with a backdrop set up behind him. The fun part of the shoot was choosing the placement of the pieces on the board. We shared our vision for what we wanted to capture, and he gamed out different arrangements that made sense for a match and were visually interesting.
March/April 2023
I’ve always wanted to try this technique for this photo. This was shot with a sheet of plexiglass between two stands for artist Meghan Rosenthal to paint on.
March 2021
This shot of the Skurky family at home is from one of my first shoots for Chapel Hill Magazine. We had a great time while capturing their colorful home for a feature story, but the most memorable thing about it was that they were so kind and a joy to be around.
September/October 2022
What people don’t know about this shoot with Amir Lyons and Corey Clay Jr. of King’s Lemonade is that it lasted about 10 minutes. The sky above was so dark and thundering as soon as I arrived. We ran as fast as we could to set up all of the props in their backyard for the photo. There was no telling how much time we were going to have to shoot. The weather began to sprinkle for about 30 seconds and turned into an instant downpour.
