Whether working separately or together on their Manic American project, Dan Meade and Rob Bellinger have spent most of the last decade trying to discern what it means to be an American. This has been a cross-platform and participatory study: they have traveled tens of thousands of miles, written essays, shot documentary photographs and videos, performed original music, and slow-smoked barbecue for hundreds.

But this study started with, and remains grounded in, photography. A cross between travel and street, the Manic style of photography aims to capture the essence of a person in his or her element. Over time, as Meade and Bellinger’s travels throughout the country expanded, common themes became more prevalent: particularly workers exhibiting their innate dignity, natural landscapes bearing the mark of human hands, and the interaction between people and their environment.

Meade and Bellinger’s photographs have been included in exhibits put on by the New York Photo Festival (Brooklyn, New York), United Photo Industries (Brooklyn, New York) and Högkvarteret (Stockholm, Sweden). Their photos have also appeared in magazines such as Geist and Capricious, have been syndicated on websites across America and the United Kingdom, and are featured in the book Memphis Barbecue: A Succulent History of Smoke, Sauce and Soul by Craig David Meek.

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