Dive

When I got sober, I had to find a way to square my relationship with the local dive bars. Having worked in the service industry in Portland for almost 20 years, you could say I’ve been institutionalized; and as anyone who has worked in the industry will tell you, the dive bar becomes more then just a place to get drinks after work. It is the working folk’s church, a place to decompress and relax, where the service mask can drop and we can commiserate about life. These places are populated coworkers and industry comrades; people you’ve worked with in the past or may some day soon. It’s the industry’s Town Square and Union Hall combined. It’s also one of the last places that the brolagarchs can’t touch us; I’m sorry but your local dive’s bartender ain’t getting replaced by a kiosk anytime soon. I love the people in this industry and had to square the need to get sober with the desire to still be present in the spaces we congregate. Thankfully, I’ve been able to look to other sober folks in the industry for guidance and I no longer feel out of place being sober in those spaces. Anyway, in my effort to square that circle, I decided to start a photo project to address all those conflicting feelings. It’ll be a long time before it’s done but I’ll be collecting the ongoing work here.

The Nest, Canon A-1,  Kodak Portra800 at 1600

Mississippi Pizza and Pub, Canon A-1, Kodak Portra800 at 1600

The Nest, Canon EOS3, Kodak Ektar100

Sandy Hut, Canon EOS3, CineStill800t

The Nest, Canon A-1, Kodak Porta800 at 1600

The Nest, Canon EOS3, Kodak Ektar100