©Jordan Gale, Long Distance Drunk

Long Distance Drunk is a collection of images that explore overlooked spaces and moments across America. From Deep Water Press, Jordan Gale has put together a series of images without a clear connection taken during his time working as an assignment photographer. The images bring the viewer in with their clear movement and emotion, showing spaces of the in-between. The monograph feels like you are on assignment along with Gale, exploring the quiet hotels, nights downtown, and everyday homes. The lack of color also places this in the liminal, where the viewers both feel the isolation Gale experiences, not being part of these spaces yet existing on the peripheries. Long Distance Drunk explores these intermediate spaces between belonging and isolation through American culture.

©Jordan Gale, Long Distance Drunk

Jordan Gale (b. 1993) is an American photographer based in Portland, Oregon, specializing in editorial and narrative photography. His work often examines human relationships, community and current events. He has been published by The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Guardian, The Atlantic and New York Magazine, among others. His work has been recognized by organizations such as The VII Foundation, The Alexia Foundation and The Society of Publication Designers. He has also exhibited various projects internationally at festivals such as New York’s Photoville, Fotofestiwal in Lodz, Poland and Head On Photo Festival in Sydney, Australia.

Follow Jordan on Instagram at: @jordangalephoto

Follow Deep Water Press on Instagram at: @deepwater_press

©Jordan Gale, Long Distance Drunk

Long Distance Drunk

Long Distance Drunk, began as a simple exercise, to try and construct some story from varied commissioned editorial photos that never saw the light of day. That exercise then took on more personal photographs and evolved into a question: what can the amalgamation of these unrelated images reveal about myself, the photographer? There have been times over the years when I feel as though I have neglected my life that exists far from these images. I have felt a semblance of being a stranger in my own world, feeling more comfortable on the road, in some small town, chatting up a stranger in an attempt to make a photograph.

For the past six years, I’ve had the privilege of being able to travel the United States, making pictures. Since discovering photography, my main desire has always been to find, engage and depict the most intimate elements of humanity, to capture some emotional truth shared amongst us all. Perhaps this collection of images really grabs at the irony within this pursuit. Because, when the dust settles, I have to ask myself: what’s next, what now? “Long Distance Drunk” is a portrait of myself, asking, “what now?”

Too often, I come home from a trip to an unmade bed, partially covered with a disheveled pile of clothes that didn’t make it into the suitcase. The charger I forgot is still plugged into the wall on the right side of the bed. There’s a sense that I’ve ignored something important, but I can’t quite put my finger on what it is exactly. It reflects poorly on me, making me feel anxious. Inevitably, this anxiety turns to restlessness as I unpack luggage and camera bag. Sometimes I ask, “What’s the point?” I’ll unpack these dirty clothes, put my camera batteries on the charger, then sit and worry about whether this latest invoice will be paid in time for rent next month. I’ll ultimately look out the window and hope that tomorrow I can grab my camera, repack these bags, forget my phone charger one more time, and do it all over again. Ultimately, Long Distance Drunk is a road trip between places. It’s a visual journal that seeks to create a fleeting feeling. A sense of neither here nor there, while also forming a portrait of myself and in many ways, America.

©Jordan Gale, Long Distance Drunk

©Jordan Gale, Long Distance Drunk

©Jordan Gale, Long Distance Drunk

©Jordan Gale, Long Distance Drunk

©Jordan Gale, Long Distance Drunk

©Jordan Gale, Long Distance Drunk

©Jordan Gale, Long Distance Drunk

©Jordan Gale, Long Distance Drunk

Epiphany Knedler is an interdisciplinary artist + educator exploring the ways we engage with history. She graduated from the University of South Dakota with a BFA in Studio Art and a BA in Political Science and completed her MFA in Studio Art at East Carolina University. She is based in Aberdeen, South Dakota, serving as an Assistant Professor of Art and Coordinator of the Art Department at Northern State University, a Content Editor with LENSCRATCH, and the co-founder and curator of the art collective Midwest Nice Art. Her work has been exhibited in the New York Times, Vermont Center for Photography, Lenscratch, Dek Unu Arts, and awarded through the Lucie Foundation, F-Stop Magazine, and Photolucida Critical Mass.

Follow Epiphany Knedler on Instagram: @epiphanysk