Two covers and 15 years: How a portrait of Nancy Pelosi brought my career full circle

November 17, 2011, was an unusually exciting day in my young career as a photography assistant. Working in a creative field meant I didn’t usually wear a button-down shirt and tie on the job, but that blustery autumn afternoon was different. I was at the U.S. Capitol in the large, ornate office of House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi.

I had just finished setting up the lighting for photographer Tim Coburn on a magazine cover shoot. As Pelosi entered the office right on time, her aide reminded us that she had only a few minutes for photos on an otherwise packed day. As she moved through the planned portrait setups, I stood off to the side near her desk, taking behind-the-scenes photos with my BlackBerry.

Mike Nelson was a photo assistant on The Advocate's cover shoot with Nancy Pelosi in November 2011.Mike Nelson

Over breakfast that morning, I had been reading the news when The Hill reported that it had obtained a letter from then-presidential candidate and Republican Texas Gov. Rick Perry challenging Pelosi to a debate. Now I was standing in the office of the most powerful woman in Congress, and there, on her wooden desk, was the same letter I had read about only hours earlier.

I was at the epicenter of news and power, and it was intoxicating. Yet the real significance of that day would not reveal itself for nearly 15 years.

Related: Nancy Pelosi on AIDS, trans rights, the legacy she resists claiming — and why Democrats must ‘win big’

The assignment that brought me back

The evening of June 22 this year was a typical warm and muggy Mid-Atlantic summer night. I was packing for my flight home to Los Angeles after a three-week visit with family in Northern Virginia when my phone buzzed with a text from equalpride Politics and News Editor Christopher Wiggins. I had photographed new headshots for him three days earlier, so I assumed he was sending retouching notes on his selections.

“Sorry for the late text, but with you traveling tomorrow I wanted to make sure you got it,” the message started. “I’m working on a potential cover story interview with Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi for the September/October print issue of The Advocate. If this comes together and they approve a photo shoot, would you be interested in shooting it?”

It was one of the easiest yeses of my career. This would be my fourth cover for The Advocate in three years, after I had already photographed two other trailblazing politicians for the magazine: former Vice President Kamala Harris and Congresswoman Sarah McBride, the first out transgender member of Congress. The opportunity to photograph another historic political figure was not something I was going to pass up. In the weeks that followed, we discussed where the shoot might take place. Would I fly back to Washington on short notice to photograph Pelosi in her office after the interview, or would I drive from Los Angeles to San Francisco to photograph her during a congressional recess? Either way, the turnaround would be tight.

Then, on July 8, came the news I had been waiting for: I would be doing the shoot in her D.C. office. I was given a 10-day window for the interview, and that window was set to open only five days later. I quickly booked my travel, and three days later, I was at LAX, boarding an early-morning flight to Washington. As the plane took off, climbing through the thick marine layer into the beautiful sunrise above, I couldn’t help thinking about my younger self nearly 15 years earlier, paying his dues and dreaming of being exactly where I was now.

Back in Nancy Pelosi’s office

On the morning of July 23, I drove up Interstate 395 into Washington through rush-hour traffic. After parking in a garage a few blocks from Capitol Hill, I loaded a cart with rented photo gear and set out on a sweaty trek to the Longworth House Office Building. Despite the security checks, Christopher and I arrived more than 30 minutes early. By the time we stepped into Pelosi’s office, I had cooled down and collected my thoughts.

Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi discusses her view of the Capitol Dome with photographer Mike Nelson.Christopher Wiggins for The Advocate

Pelosi greeted us warmly, and she and Christopher sat down on one side of the office to begin their interview. For the first 10 minutes, I took behind-the-scenes photos of their conversation. This time, I wasn’t using my BlackBerry. I had my Canon DSLR — the camera that would soon capture Pelosi’s portraits. With 30 minutes remaining in the interview, I began setting up for the portrait session. I had to move quickly but quietly, positioning the backdrop and light. I pulled a beautiful chair from a sitting area for the shoot; its texture and color offered a nice contrast with the muted magenta suit Pelosi was wearing.

Photographer Mike Nelson captures The Advocate's cover photo of Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi during a photo shoot in her office in the Longworth House Office Building in Washington, D.C., on July 23, 2026.Christopher Wiggins for The Advocate

As the interview ended, Christopher ushered Pelosi over to my portrait setup. I like to put my subjects at ease before a shoot, so I told her that I had assisted on a photo shoot with her all those years earlier and that it was now a privilege to be the photographer behind the camera. As she settled into her seat and checked her makeup, she smiled at the story. The next 10 minutes passed in a blur as I directed her gaze and took photo after photo.

Speaker Emerita Nancy pelosi views photos of herself on photographer Mike Nelson's laptop.Christopher Wiggins for The Advocate

When we finished, I invited her to look through the images on my computer.

“I see the vision,” she said.

I had heard her use that line with other photographers I had worked with, but hearing her say it to me carried more weight than she could have known. Soon, I was packing up my gear, and Pelosi was heading out to catch a train to New York.

The cover I had forgotten

As I write this, the magazine cover is six days from its release. So, as any insecure artist might, I searched to see whether Pelosi had appeared on the cover of The Advocate before — and how my work compared.

The February 2012 cover of The Advocate featuring Nancy Pelosi.

The cover of the magazine’s February 2012 issue popped up, and my mouth fell open. I quickly opened Facebook and searched through my old photos until I found one of myself with Pelosi, then the House minority leader, at the end of our shoot nearly 15 years earlier. She was wearing the exact same outfit and necklace she wore on the cover. Digging deeper, I found the opening two-page spread.

“Photography by TIM COBURN," the story read. Could it truly be?

Photographer Mike Nelson with then House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi in 2011 during a photo shoot for The Advocate.Courtesy Mike Nelson

The 2011 assignment had not been just any cover shoot. It produced the only other Advocate cover featuring Pelosi. Somehow, over the intervening years, I had forgotten which publication the shoot was for.

I immediately texted Christopher to tell him. “OMG! Stop it!!” was his response, which was not far from my own reaction. And then: “Would you want to write a short essay about shooting the cover and this coming full circle?”

Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi with Mike Nelson in the Longworth House Office Building on July 23, 2026.Christopher Wiggins for The Advocate

So here I am. The dots are connected. A moment that began nearly 15 years ago has come full circle, and I have written my first essay since college. This was a story worth telling because life has a funny way of working. Through much of it, you wonder where it is taking you. You wonder whether you are doing what you are meant to do, when you are meant to do it. You wonder whether you are on the right path.

And then there are moments when life tells you: Yes, you are exactly where you should be.

This was one of those moments.

I see the vision.

Go behind the scenes of our Nancy Pelosi interview, with exclusive quotes and photos, by becoming an Advocate member. For as little as $5 / month, you can support The Advocate's journalism and get access to our members-only email newsletter. Join by Friday, August 21, to get this special members-only coverage in your inbox!

This cover story is part of OUT’s Sept-Oct 2026 print issue, on newsstands Sept 1. Support queer media and subscribe — or download the issue through Apple News+, Zinio, Nook, or PressReader starting Aug 20.

Opinion is dedicated to featuring a wide range of inspiring personal stories and impactful opinions from the LGBTQ+ community and its allies. Visit Advocate.com/submit to learn more about submission guidelines. We welcome your thoughts and feedback on any of our stories. Email us at voices@equalpride.com. Views expressed in Voices stories are those of the guest writers, columnists, and editors, and do not directly represent the views of The Advocate or our parent company, equalpride.