On Assignment: Dr. Annie Andrews for NYT
All photos made April 2, 2026 in Aiken, South Carolina
Photos and words by Sean Rayford
I recently photographed Dr. Annie Andrews for an assignment with the New York Times. The story, “The Doctor Will Seek Your Vote Now - Dozens of Democratic doctors are running for office in the midterms, including some spurred by opposition to Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and his anti-vaccine stance,” ran on April 18, 2026.
Andrews, a pediatrician from Charleston is vying for the seat held by Republican Senator Lindsey Graham. According the SCDP website, her opponents in the June 9 Primary include Brandon Brown and Kyle Freeman.
The portrait above didn’t run but if you’d like to know how I worked it into this assignment, keep reading.
As Dr. Andrews met with and made photos with people after her speech, I went outside and identified a nearby location with natural light that we could work quickly in. Busy people are limited with their time. As the line dwindled I told her media liason that I was ready to make portraits as soon as she got through the line. But that light was fading fast and an important ingredient in the process.
Editors at the Times have expressed a preference for naturally lit portraits for the types of assignments I shoot. Because the story was about multiple candidates the portrait was less important and probably why it didn’t run in the story.
I had a spot picked out and a basic idea ready and led Dr. Andrews and her team outside of the venue at 6:44 pm. She was joined by her bodyguard and media liaison. Around 6:45 pm we started making portraits and by 6:49 I was done. I could have made more photos but the portraits weren’t a focus and she had her interview scheduled with the reporter after our session.
I grabbed the reporter inside who was interviewing voters and told her they were ready. My assignment was done (outside of captioning, digital delivery and invoicing) but I stuck around to watch a reporter from the Times interview a senate candidate.
