NATCHEZ — Sam Gause has joined The Natchez Democrat as a photographer.

A native of Phoenix, Gause graduated from the University of Phoenix in 2013 with a degree in journalism.

Gause previously worked at the Jackson Citizen Patriot in Jackson, Mich., and as an intern at The Commercial Dispatch in Columbus.

While working at the Citizen Patriot, the Michigan Press Photographer’s Association awarded Gause third place for general news photography during its annual awards program.

He was also ranked first regionally and third overall nationally at the Hearst Photojournalism Competition, and was given the Story of the Year award for multimedia at the competition.