Wade Spees has worked as a news photographer since the 1970s, after graduating from Carson-Newman College with a B.S. in physics (the department had a darkroom). He started at the Bluefield (WV) Daily Telegraph covering a region rich in coal mining, mountain lore and people wanting, or at least willing, to have their stories told -- and shown. Wade and his wife Anne were drawn to the Lowcountry, and thankfully a spot opened with the Charleston newspapers in 1980. Since then, engaging the reader while credibly reflecting the subject has been his goal at The Post and Courier -- and freelancing for The New York Times (1981-2003) -- and for South Carolina Sea Grant Consortium's quarterly Coastal Heritage (1992-2011).