Sober Fest 2025.

Three Years of Sobriety

I spent the afternoon photographing Sober Fest at Broadside, surrounded by music, community, and people who understand what it means to rebuild your life one day at a time. Just a few days later, I would hit another milestone, three years sober.

That number still feels surreal sometimes.

Three years ago I made the decision to choose clarity over chaos. At the time I was just trying to find a way out of a place I didn’t want to live in anymore. I didn’t know exactly what life would look like on the other side, only that something had to change.

What many people don’t realize is how much photography has played a role in keeping me on this path.

When I’m behind the camera at a show, something inside me settles. The cravings, the pressure, the old patterns; they all go quiet. I’m focused, present, locked in on the music and the energy happening in front of me.

Concert photography became more than a hobby. It became structure, purpose, and a reason to keep showing up.

Walking into a venue with my camera in my hand gives me something drinking never did: a sense of responsibility, a creative outlet, and a real connection to the people around me.

And Sober Fest this year felt like the perfect example of that.

The lineup was absolutely stacked — Jason Ricci, Anders Osborne, and Ivan Neville & Friends — some of my favorite musicians in the city. Being able to photograph artists like that on a day connected to my sobriety anniversary felt surreal in the best possible way.

Three years ago I was trying to pull myself out of a place I didn’t want to be anymore.

Now I’m standing in front of a stage doing what I love, camera in hand, surrounded by music and community, capturing moments instead of trying to escape them.

It really doesn’t get much better than that.