CONNECTING HighWaY 80

AN AMERICAN PORTRAIT EXPERIMENT

This is an open-ended portrait experiment spanning the American landscape from Georgia to California. My rules were simple: let the subjects route the journey, and stay on Hwy. 80.

Beginning with Albert—a retired trucker holding a pitchfork—I asked every person I photographed to direct me to the next subject. That single string of connection ran unbroken all the way to the California coast. By pairing these black-and-white portraits side-by-side, I wanted to map the silent contrasts and unexpected quietude that exist across the underbelly of our country.

Side-by-side black and white portraits of Francisco (a lineman in safety gear) and Albert (a retired trucker holding a pitchfork), from the Connecting Hwy 80 American documentary photography series by Parker J Pfister.
A color documentary photograph of the white New Salem Baptist Church building sitting empty along the roadside, from the Connecting Hwy 80 photography project by Parker J Pfister.
Side-by-side black and white documentary portraits of a Southern man holding a shotgun and an older man in a Multi-South t-shirt holding a handgun, from the Connecting Hwy 80 series by Parker J Pfister.
Side-by-side color photographs of birds resting on telephone lines contrasted with sharp razor wire atop a wooden fence, from the Connecting Hwy 80 series by Parker J Pfister.
Side-by-side black and white portraits of an expressive man with his hands raised and a law enforcement officer in uniform wearing sunglasses, from the Connecting Hwy 80 project by Parker J Pfister.
Side-by-side black and white portraits of Jim, a retired blood mopper at a butcher shop holding a large mop, and William, a cotton farmer holding raw cotton, from the Connecting Hwy 80 series by Parker J Pfister.
A color documentary photograph of the isolated Alabama Meat Processors building along a tree-lined roadside, from the Connecting Hwy 80 photography project by Parker J Pfister.
Side-by-side black and white portraits of Travis, a cowboy and rodeo roper holding a lasso, and Keith, a butcher, cropduster, and storyteller holding linked sausages, from the Connecting Hwy 80 series by Parker J Pfister.
Side-by-side black and white portraits of Ranara, a prize chicken grower holding a rooster, and Robert, a trucker with his co-pilot dog Bella sitting on his shoulder, from the Connecting Hwy 80 project by Parker J Pfister.
Side-by-side color documentary photographs of massive industrial power plant smokestacks across a lake and a commercial power washer hanging on a gritty concrete block wall, from the Connecting Hwy 80 series by Parker J Pfister.
Side-by-side black and white portraits of David, a twice-retired general contractor holding a circular saw, and Macy, a rodeo roper in a cowboy hat holding a lasso, from the Connecting Hwy 80 project by Parker J Pfister.
Side-by-side black and white portraits of Rene, labeled as an armed mother holding a handgun, and Tommy, a Marine Vietnam veteran in a camo jacket holding a coffee mug, from the Connecting Hwy 80 series by Parker J Pfister.
A color documentary photograph featuring a long exposure of white smoke billowing from industrial smokestacks into a blue sky above a line of shipping trailers, from the Connecting Hwy 80 project by Parker J Pfister.
Side-by-side black and white portraits of Brittany, a Starbucks barista in her apron, and Matt, a journeyman lineman wearing a hard hat, from the Connecting Hwy 80 series by Parker J Pfister.
Side-by-side black and white portraits of Vaneno, a cotton farm worker in a face mask holding a bundle of raw cotton, and Andy, a pecan farmer and sniper holding a large mesh bag of pecans, from the Connecting Hwy 80 project by Parker J Pfister.
Side-by-side color documentary photographs of a lone horse grazing in a foggy field at sunset and wild turkey feathers resting on the asphalt of rural highway US 80, from the series by Parker J Pfister.
Side-by-side black and white portraits of Alicia, a park ranger in uniform, and Terrell, a saw operator holding a chainsaw over his shoulder, from the Connecting Hwy 80 project by Parker J Pfister.
ide-by-side black and white portraits of Adrian, a hatch chili farmer holding a bundle of chilis, and Chris, a floorhand in rugged work gear holding a massive pipe wrench, from the Connecting Hwy 80 series by Parker J Pfister.
Side-by-side color documentary photographs of a man in a cowboy hat walking past a building marked with a MEN sign, and a golden-hour action shot of riders at a rodeo, from the Connecting Hwy 80 project by Parker J Pfister.
Side-by-side black and white portraits of Pete, a farmhand crouching with his dog, and Katy, a barrel racer standing next to her horse, from the Connecting Hwy 80 series by Parker J Pfister.
Side-by-side color documentary photographs of a vertical methane gas flare burning under a full moon and an industrial construction crane silhouetted against a twilight sky, from the Connecting Hwy 80 project by Parker J Pfister.
Side-by-side black and white portraits of Lois, a Texas pipeliner wearing his welding hood raised, and Turner, a young cowboy and rodeo roper holding a lasso, from the Connecting Hwy 80 series by Parker J Pfister.
A wide color documentary photograph of a cowboy on horseback herding a line of cattle across a dusty desert highway under a clear blue sky, from the Connecting Hwy 80 project by Parker J Pfister.
Side-by-side black and white portraits of Chris, a smiling pecan farmhand in a cowboy hat holding pecans, and Nobody, a homeless man in a camouflage jacket, from the Connecting Hwy 80 series by Parker J Pfister.
Side-by-side black and white environmental portraits of a man in a plaid shirt holding a massive pipe wrench and a smiling man in glasses holding a collection of artist paintbrushes, from the Connecting Hwy 80 project by Parker J Pfister.
Side-by-side color documentary photographs of massive wind turbines standing in a vast agricultural field and a tall Saguaro cactus beside a desert highway, from the Connecting Hwy 80 series by Parker J Pfister.
Side-by-side black and white portraits of Matt, a lumberjack holding a Stihl chainsaw and safety helmet, and Ashlyn, a Twin Peaks waitress, from the Connecting Hwy 80 project by Parker J Pfister.
Side-by-side black and white portraits of Stephen, a photographer in a suit wearing a lucha libre wrestling mask holding a camera, and Jose, a pipeline welder in rugged protective gear, from the Connecting Hwy 80 series by Parker J Pfister.
Side-by-side color documentary photographs of a neon-lit American food cafe on a dark desert highway and a green road sign reading MEXICO ONLY beside a yellow NO USA RETURN sign, from the Connecting Hwy 80 project by Parker J Pfister.
Side-by-side black and white portraits of Marshall, a lineman foreman in a hard hat with a cigarette, and Larry, a real estate professional holding a portfolio folder, from the Connecting Hwy 80 series by Parker J Pfister.
Side-by-side black and white portraits of Tyler, a young lineman in climbing gear and a hard hat, paired with a young man in a black t-shirt looking slightly away, from the Connecting Hwy 80 project by Parker J Pfister.
A color documentary photograph of an industrial oil pump jack operating in a vast, flat rural field under a gray sky, from the Connecting Hwy 80 project by Parker J Pfister.

FEATURED DOCUMENTARY SERIES

A black and white documentary photograph of a man and woman standing in the doorway of a winterized bus camp, from The Last Days of Standing Rock project by Parker J Pfister.

The Last Days of Standing Rock

Portraits