Emily Patrick

epatrick@citizen-times.com

Asheville readers of the New York Times might have done a double take Saturday morning. A snowy Asheville street scene was pictured on the front cover of the national newspaper, photographed by local resident and recent UNC Asheville graduate George Etheredge.

Several other Etheredge photographs were published in digital slideshows throughout the New York Times website. National publication is a significant career event for any freelance photographer, but Etheredge is 24-years-old, and he graduated from UNC Asheville in December.

Etheredge said the weekend's snowstorm was a welcomed career opportunity. The editors called looking for photos of the extreme weather event.

"I actually didn’t sleep that night because I was really nervous," he said. "It was my first assignment.”

For the cover, New York Times editors selected an unusual shot of the mannequins in the front window of Bellagio Everyday staring at snow-covered Biltmore Avenue.

“I think they picked it because it was different from the normal snow photo of someone playing in the snow, and I thought it was a funny scene," Etheredge said.

Etheredge connected with New York Times editors while at the Eddie Adams Workshop in Liberty, New York in October. The tuition-free workshop for 100 students connects emerging photographers who demonstrate particular merit with publications all over the world.

This summer, Etheredge will travel to the newspaper's headquarters in New York City for a 10-week internship. He said he's not sure whether he wants to pursue a career as a photojournalist, but the internship will be a way to find out.

Look for Etheredge's upcoming Living Portrait series in the Citizen-Times.