2007 Naturalization Ceremony at Monticello

February 3, 2017 · by Justin Hankins

2007 Naturalization Ceremony at Monticello

Earlier this week, my old UVA compadre, Alexis Ohanian, posted a heartfelt Open Letter to the Reddit Community, discussing the role immigration has played in his own family. It’s a great piece, and I’d encourage you to read it for yourself. (Don’t skip the comments!) One thing he mentioned was the experience of witnessing people […]


Barack Obama’s 2009 Presidential Inauguration

January 20, 2017 · by Justin Hankins

Barack Obama’s 2009 Presidential Inauguration

Here are some photographs I took at the 2009 Presidential Inauguration of Barack Obama. Eight years ago I sat alongside 1.8 million people in the before-dawn darkness on the National Mall. Temperatures were in the low 20s (°F), and sitting on the ground made it even colder. It was so chilly that we were huddling […]


2015 Traverse City Winter Comedy Festival

March 3, 2015 · by Justin Hankins

2015 Traverse City Winter Comedy Festival

I just returned from the 2015 Winter Comedy Arts Festival up in Traverse City, Michigan. To celebrate the festival’s fifth anniversary, and with perfect comedic timing, Mother Nature delivered a winter punch of terrific proportions, with temperatures down to -20°F, wind chills down to -40°F, and wind gusts pushing 60 mph. Guffaw! Traverse City’s Front […]