He holds a BA degree in political science from Duke University in Durham, as well as an MFA degree from the School of Art and Design at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor.
Heagins has taught photography and art history at colleges and universities, including the Southern Illinois University, Carbondale; the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor; Saint Augustine University, Raleigh; the Durham, Arts Council; and the Center for Documentary Studies, Durham.
His work can be found in the collections of the Smithsonian Photography Imitative, Washington, D.C.; the North Carolina Museum of Art, Raleigh; and the Casa de Africa, Havana, Cuba, among others.