Photographer publishes book featuring pictures of a socially distant Roanoke for charity

Photographer: “It’s weird to see...the place I love so much shut down like this”

ROANOKE, Va. – The only thing Ethan Edghill loves as much as his camera is his hometown of Roanoke.

“This is home. This has always been home," Edghill said. “I can take photos that look like New York City and photos of the mountains, and they’re only 10 minutes away.”

When COVID-19 silenced the Star City, the photographer decided to document the moment in order to help others survive the tough times.

Edghill’s photography book, “There Will Be A Time," was published last week. Half of the proceeds will go to Get Us PPE, which provides personal protective equipment to healthcare workers.

“If I had to lose somebody close to me because we couldn’t afford to get masks or couldn’t afford to get gloves, that’s unacceptable."

Edghill shot pictures of a socially-distant Roanoke for the book last month.

“It was just really sad and weird to see the town I grew up in, the place I love so much shut down like this," Edghill said.

Edghill said he sold out his initial run of 50 books within hours of publishing, with some books shipping as far away as Australia. He hopes the book inspires others to give back and stay hopeful.

“We don’t know when this bad time is going to get better, but it will get better," Edghill said. “We can’t forget where we came from to get to better.”