Stephen Katz – The Virginian-Pilot

2023 VPA Photo Award Winners

Billy Schuerman, Kendall Warner, Stephen Katz — Mon, 06 May 2024 17:36:16 +0000

The photo staff at The Virginian-Pilot and Daily Press was honored with 19 total awards, including seven of nine first place spots at The Virginia Press Association awards ceremony. The Virginian-Pilot earned more than 70 awards in total at the conference.

Thank you to the residents of Hampton Roads for opening their homes and lives to allow important stories to be told.

Third place personality or portrait photo: Vietnam veteran Jerry Gandy served as a PBR captain during the Vietnam War. He was awarded two Bronze Stars and two Purple Hearts for his time in service. As seen Thursday, April 13, 2023. (Stephen M. Katz / The Virginian-Pilot)

First place pictorial photo: The Blue Angels give a preview of what’s to come during the weekend air show at Naval Air Station Oceana in Virginia Beach on Friday, Sept. 15, 2023. (Kendall Warner / The Virginian-Pilot)

Second place sports feature, second place open photography: Norfolk tides players celebrate near the pitchers mound after defeating the Durham Bulls 7-0 to win the International League Championship series on Sept. 28, 2023, at Harbor Park in Norfolk, Virginia. (Billy Schuerman / The Virginian-Pilot)

Third place picture story or essay: Moe Hayward poses with accessories during a Neon Bear Glow Party at MJ’s Tavern in Norfolk, Va. on Saturday, June 17, 2023. The Virginia Bear Contest auctioned off a crocheted bear at the Glow Party, with all proceeds donated to the LGBT Life Center. (Tess Crowley / The Virginian-Pilot)

Third place general news photo: Commanding Officer Aaron Berger is splashed with water by his daughter Juliette Berger, age 3, after the Final Flight of Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron 22 from Naval Station Norfolk in Norfolk, Virginia on Feb. 15, 2023. The custom to dump water on the pilot is a tradition for squadrons after the final flight. (Billy Schuerman / The Virginian-Pilot)

Second place general news photo: Ayo Handy-Kendi leads a traditional Libation Ceremony on Buckroe Beach in Hampton, Va. on Friday, June 16, 2023. The ceremony was held to seek ancestral blessings and guidance for a “Redemption Voyage” to several African countries. Handy-Kendi, 71, has been conducting these ceremonies since age 25 and is a certified Breath Sekou. The Libations Ceremony is considered one of the oldest African ceremonies used to celebrate life and ancestors, using water or grains as a sacrifice. (Kendall Warner / The Virginian-Pilot)

First place sports feature photo: A Woodside cheerleader crosses her fingers in hope while Woodside Mykel Jenkins (3) attempts a free throw in the fourth quarter. Woodside defeated Patrick Henry 54-52 in the boys Class 5 basketball state championship at the Stuart C. Siegel Center in Richmond, Virginia on March 11, 2023. (Billy Schuerman / The Virginian-Pilot)

First place sports news photo: A cowboy comes close to being trampled by a bull during Saturday, April 15, 2023, afternoon’s first-ever rodeo at Virginia Beach’s Oceanfront. (Stephen M. Katz / The Virginian-Pilot)

First place photo illustration: A 1936 photo of the 400 block of Granby Street is held up against the current streetscape in downtown Norfolk, Va. on Thursday, March 2, 2023. (Kendall Warner / The Virginian-Pilot)

Third place sports news photo: William & Mary’s Hollis Mathis, defended by Richmond’s Trae Tomlinson, just misses a long pass across the field during Saturday, November 18, 2023, afternoon’s football game in Williamsburg. (Stephen M. Katz / The Virginian-Pilot)

Third place breaking news photo: A firefighter controls a hose from the top of a ladder as the Virginia Beach fire department continue to work a fire in the 2600 block of Atlantic Avenue at the Virginia Beach oceanfront, July 11, 2023. (Billy Schuerman / The Virginian-Pilot)

Third place feature photo: A great egret nestling walks through Lisa Barlow’s car. 16 great egrets were rescued after a storm the previous night impacted their nesting area in Portsmouth, Virginia on June 26, 2023. (Billy Schuerman / The Virginian-Pilot)

Second place breaking news photo: Rescue workers continue to look for the driver of the tractor-trailer that drove off the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel on June 22, 2023. (Stephen M. Katz / The Virginian-Pilot)

First place breaking news photo: A firefighter checks on a home damaged by a storm that rolled through the Great Neck area of Virginia Beach, Virginia, on April 30, 2023. (Kendall Warner / The Virginian-Pilot)

First place general news photo: Families of the victims of 2019’s mass shooting at the Virginia Beach Municipal Center, including Sarah Gayle Leonard, daughter of Mary Louise Gayle, hold a press conference insisting answers to long sought after questions Tuesday, January 10, 2023. (Stephen M. Katz / The Virginian-Pilot)

Second place pictorial photo: Tyris Winter, of Los Angeles, photographs friend Mariah Robinson, of Atlanta, at the large inflated silver balls on the beach during Something in the Water at the Oceanfront on Saturday, April 29, 2023. (Stephen M. Katz / The Virginian-Pilot)

First place slideshow or gallery: The Saltwater Cowboys swim ponies at 10:15 a.m. during slack tide from Assateague Island to Chincoteague Island on July 26, 2023, in the 98th annual Chincoteague Pony Swim on the Eastern Shore of Virginia. The swim takes three minutes to complete. This photo was part of a staff entry into the category. (Tess Crowley / The Virginian-Pilot)

Photos: Hampton Roads witnesses partial solar eclipse

Billy Schuerman, Kendall Warner, Stephen Katz — Mon, 08 Apr 2024 19:55:12 +0000

Spectators across Hampton Roads craned their necks toward the sky for a chance to see the the annular solar eclipse as it sped across North America on April 8, 2024. Residents in the area had the opportunity to see around 80% coverage of the sun.

The events occur every one to three years somewhere around the globe, but are often only visible from Earth’s poles or from the middle of the ocean.

Photos: Warm weather snap hits Hampton Roads

Kendall Warner, Stephen Katz, Billy Schuerman — Fri, 26 Jan 2024 21:32:34 +0000

People around Hampton Roads took advantage of the unseasonably warm weather as air temperatures soared into the mid-70s on Friday, January 26, 2024.

The Virginian-Pilot and Daily Press Year in Photos 2023

Billy Schuerman, Kendall Warner, Tess Crowley, Stephen Katz, L. Todd Spencer — Mon, 01 Jan 2024 17:36:22 +0000

Every year, The Virginian-Pilot and Daily Press photojournalists create thousands of images. We met with families and administrators after a shooting at Richneck Elementary left teacher Abigail Zwerner in the hospital. We documented the joy of seeing loved ones for the first time in months as they returned from deployment.

The job is all encompassing of the humanity of this region. One day we are photographing the spectacular visuals of Something in the Water, and the next we are walking the debris field of a tornado that ripped through a section of Virginia Beach.

We watched from the dugout as Nick Vespi delivered the final pitch to secure the International League Championship series. We stood up to our knees in the mud in Chincoteague for the annual pony swim.

We climb high and low, move left and right, and work our best to tell the stories that matter of the people and place of Hampton Roads.

Reaching out to those in need in Virginia Beach

Stephen Katz — Fri, 01 Dec 2023 14:36:54 +0000

The Virginia Beach Housing Resource Center’s outreach team looks for homeless encampments off Virginia Beach Blvd.

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The Virginia Beach Housing Resource Center’s outreach team looks for homeless encampments off Virginia Beach Blvd.

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Photos: Warhill blanks Churchland 31-0

Stephen Katz — Sat, 18 Nov 2023 05:03:58 +0000

#2 Warhill defeated #3 Churchland 31-0 in the Class 4 Region A semifinal on Nov. 17, 2023 at Wanner Stadium in Williamsburg, Virginia.

Photos: Fall Colors around Hampton Roads

Billy Schuerman, Kendall Warner, Stephen Katz — Tue, 14 Nov 2023 19:32:54 +0000

Trees around Hampton Roads are filling with hues of orange and yellow as temperatures drop in late autumn.

Photos: Election Night Watch Parties 2023

Kendall Warner, Billy Schuerman, Stephen Katz — Wed, 08 Nov 2023 04:22:38 +0000

Candidates in the Hampton Roads area held election night watch parties on Tuesday, November 7, 2023.

Photos: Election Day 2023 in Hampton Roads

Billy Schuerman, Stephen Katz, Kendall Warner — Tue, 07 Nov 2023 15:56:02 +0000

Voters made their way to cast their ballot in local elections around Hampton Roads on Nov. 7, 2023.

Photos: Hampton Roads Supporting Israel

Stephen Katz — Wed, 11 Oct 2023 00:54:13 +0000

As the war between Israel and Hamas grows deadlier, grief, anger and worry wash over the hundreds of supporters gathering in the parking lot of the Tidewater Jewish Community Center in Virginia Beach for the Community Solidarity Gathering for Israel on Tuesday, October 10, 2023.