Daniel Sarch

Herb Smith, a music educator at Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) holds his trumpet in front of a mural at Cobbs Hill Park, in Rochester, N.Y., on October 25, 2020. Smith instructs multiple jazz ensembles, is a professional jazz and classical trumpet player in the Rochester area, as well as playing in the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra (RPO).

Helen Peavey smiles on her 104th birthday at the St. Francis Rehabilitation and Nursing Center, in Laconia, N.H., on July 1, 2025. (Daniel Sarch/The Laconia Daily Sun photo)

Mileika Dávila, a manager of Los Maniaticos, a 35 person Puerto Rican car group, poses for a portrait on Jan. 23, 2022. Cars are fitted with customized speaker systems that play Reggaeton music for events and competitions. This cultural practice comes from Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic, but is illegal in the United States as it draws noise complaints from local residents.

Jaylen Wims, 17, sits in his home in Rochester, N.Y. on Feb. 22, 2022. Wims lives in Rochester, but is transported to Pittsford Sutherland High School by the Urban Suburban organization. They bring inner-city students to suburban school districts to enhance their educational opportunities. “They have a better education system,” said Wims. “More resources than a city school would be able to provide for me.”

(From left) Ryder, Katie, and Tucker Davis help to run Mountain View Lavender Farm, located just outside of McEwensville in Northumberland County, on June 9, 2021.

Liam Guthrie, 22, president of the RIT Fencing Club holds up his saber at the Student Life Center at RIT in Henrietta, N.Y., Nov. 15, 2022. Guthrie is a double major of Game Design and Development and History. “I’m a very competitive person,” Guthrie said. “I am especially excited to fence against other good fencers because I think that close, competitive bouts are the most fun parts of fencing.”

John Hart II stands in a Hampton Inn hotel room after being displaced from his home due to a house explosion at 1010 N. Weinbach Ave., in Evansville, Ind., on Aug. 11, 2022. The Hampton Inn is hosting a few families unable to return to their homes. Hart narrowly missed being hit directly by the explosion after walking back into his home to retrieve a mask. His partner (declined to be photographed) was not home at the time. “We’re alive and that’s all that matters,” Hart said.

Kenzo Morris looks in awe at the sun shining through the woods while he sleeps outside in the cold for three full days in Laconia, N.H., on Nov. 10, 2023. Morris is raising awareness of homelessness in Laconia, and raising money for a mobile outreach trailer.