For more than 5000 years, people have used portraits to memorialize, document, and revere others. Even before ancient Egyptian’s formalized the technique, humans were painting themselves on cave walls and, in the process, creating a record of what was important to them. From royals to CEO’s, celebrities to politicians, the portrait has often served as a marker of who matters to a culture. Beyond a mere record, portraits showcase and define power, status, style, and beauty. The photograph democratized portraiture, making it accessible to anyone while the cell phone and the now ubiquitous selfie further empowered individuals to make portraits of themselves directly. The proliferation of the self portrait has made the formal portrait, once again, a practice reserved primarily for people in power.

Juggalos are no stranger to having photos made of them. For 25 years, their annual music festival The Gathering of the Juggalos has been a popular destination for photographers (myself included) looking to capture the beautiful debauchery and the anarchic, judgement-free ethos of the event. Their demented clown face paint, colorful attire, and anything-goes attitude makes for a compelling image. While many photos of Juggalos exist, few aim to document them as individuals worthy of anything more than spectacle. Inspired by the work of Richard Avedon’s ‘In The American West’ and Michael Joseph’s ‘Lost and Found’, this series looks to leverage the formal portrait to make a statement about the ongoing impact and appeal of The Gathering and the family of Juggalos who, once a year, make the trek there to find acceptance and community that has often been withheld by the outside world.

Photographed over the course of several days before and during the 2025 Gathering of the Juggalos, this series is a document of and an homage to a community and its people.

A special thank you to everyone who shared their time and stories with me. And a huge thank you to my pal and fellow photographer Marisha Camp who teamed up with me to make this possible. Be sure to check out her efforts here. Further thanks to Meghan Kerr for her design contributions and steadfast support and love. See more of Meghan’s work here.