This year’s Area Guide features the work of Jamie Merriman, the sole owner of Rustic Comfort Photography.

The photo featured on the cover had been circulating on social media after the Flat Rock Creek Fall Festival since the festival director Guy Dasher tapped Merriman to cover the event. I found the photo so powerful and striking that I made a note to reach out to Merriman to see if she would submit her work for the guide.