The Year in Photos

At The Assembly, we are lucky to work with a number of photographers around the state. Their eye for detail and ability to capture just the right moment is unmatchedโ€“and really makes our stories come to life.

2025 in Photos

Some of the most memorable photography we published this year.

Roderico Y. Dรญaz made the photos for our story about how fear of immigration enforcement is affecting Siler City, which has the highest percentage of Latino residents in North Carolina. Given the concerns, we had to anonymize most of the photos. This shot of the congregation at St. Julia Catholic Church has no identifiable faces, but captures so much humanity.

Read: In Siler City, Fear of ICE Hangs Over Latino Community

Madeline Gray headed out to the swamps of eastern North Carolina with giant tree hunters this fall. This photo of Luke Ferreira taking stock of a huge overcup oak tree manages to capture both the search and the scale, all in one shot.

Read: On the Hunt for North Carolinaโ€™s Biggest Trees

Itโ€™s always a challenge to assign photography for a story where the main character is missing. Cornell Watsonโ€™s photographs of Luz Zambrano and her children so beautifully shows the impact of her husbandโ€™s absence after he was deported by Immigration and Customs Enforcement earlier this year.

Read: The Disappearance of Julio Zambrano

The auction house has a life of its own, one many of us will never experience. Mike Bellemeโ€™s photos of the Cleveland County Agriculture and Livestock Exchange in Shelby truly give you the feel of it. This shot in particular captures multiple layers of depth and activity.

Read: The Cattle Con

When the Lumbee gathered in Pembroke in anticipation of the Senate vote to finally grant the tribe federal recognition, we knew we should have a photographer on the scene. Tony Wootenโ€™s images of the joyous event show the generational impact.

Read: After Decades of Fighting, Congress Recognizes the Lumbee

See all our favorite photos from this year.

Other Year-End Lists

Our Most-Read Stories of 2025

These are The Assembly stories that made the biggest waves this year, from beach parking to cattle fraud to the state Supreme Court race.

The Nice List 2025

Here are our staffโ€™s favorite stories published throughout the year, which we are putting outside our paywall as a special gift to you.