About Landon Shackelford

Landon Shackelford is a journalist and photojournalist based in Washington, D.C., currently completing dual degrees in Media Arts and Design (Journalism) and International Affairs at James Madison University.

His work explores the intersection of politics, identity and place, documenting the people and communities that shape the American experience. From the White House briefing room to rural Appalachia, Pride celebrations, and communities across Ghana, Landon is drawn to stories that examine belonging, resilience and the relationships between people and the landscapes they inhabit.

He works regularly as a photojournalist for The Washington Blade, AKSM Media and the Daily News-Record, and serves as Photo Editor of The Breeze, James Madison University's award-winning student newspaper. His reporting has contributed to multiple Virginia Press Association awards and helped The Breeze earn the 2024 Associated Collegiate Press Newspaper Pacemaker Award.

In 2024, the Society of Professional Journalists featured his work in an exhibition on queer photojournalism in Charlottesville, Virginia. That same year, he studied at the University of Ghana (Legon), where he freelanced for the Ghanaian Times while documenting life in communities on the outskirts of Accra. The resulting work was later exhibited at The Union Gallery.

Raised in a military family, Landon spent much of his childhood moving between places, an experience that fostered an enduring curiosity about people, culture and the meaning of home. That perspective continues to shape his long-form documentary projects, which focus on overlooked communities and the everyday moments that reveal larger social and political realities.

He is a recipient of the Jim Acosta Scholarship for Media Excellence and the George Johnson Scholarship.