Natchez — Eric Shelton has joined the staff of The Natchez Democrat as a photographer.

Shelton is a 2009 graduate of the University of Southern Mississippi with bachelor of arts degree in photojournalism and a minor in English.

He is a native of Columbia.

Prior to joining The Democrat, Shelton was a staff photographer at the Texarkana Gazette in Texarkana, Texas.

He also completed an internship with the Associated Press in Boston during the summer of 2009.