PORTLAND MAINE
Black & White Archive
By Nick Gervin
All photographs made by Nick Gervin, all rights reserved, copyright © Nick Gervin 2026
CITIZENS 01
Renys, Congress St. 4/07/2015
Monument Sq. Memorial Day 5/26/2014
Preble St. 2/11/2014
Cumberland Ave. 5/14/2015
Congress Square 8/06/2014
Kennebec St. 8/06/2014
Monument Square. 6/06/2014
Person faints in food line, Oxford St. 3/31/2016
Stabbing Franklin Towers, 11/02/2015
Bernie Sanders Rally, Cross Insurance Arena 7/06/2015
Compassion March, Monument Sq. 3/22/2014
Deering Center 8/20/2020
Brown St. 6/05/2015
Governor La'Page gets booed of stage, USM 12/08/2015
Congress St. 6/06/2014
Preble St. 3/24/2016
Person jumps from window, Maine Medical Center 3/29/2016
Eastern Prom. 7/05/2014
Pine St. 5/15/2014
Oxford St. 6/22/2016
Foto Podcast 018 - Nick Gervin
Capturing the Grit & Soul of a City
Michael Howard and Nick Gervin
Feb 26, 2025
In this episode, we sit down with Nick Gervin, a documentary photographer from Portland, Maine, whose raw and unfiltered work captures the unseen side of city life. Nick shares his journey from overcoming two traumatic brain injuries to using photography as a tool for recovery and self-expression. We dive deep into his decade-long project, Portlanders, his thoughts on documentary photography, the role of flash in his work, and how skateboarding shaped his visual style. Plus, we talk about his latest project, Mainers, where he’s expanding his lens beyond the city to capture the essence of his home state.
If you love honest, compelling storytelling through photography, this episode is for you.
CITYSCAPES 02
One Monument Sq. 4/23/2014
Libby Town 3/18/2020
Bayside Neighborhood 11/04/2015
Congress Sq, looking east. 3/31/2014
West view of Congress St. from atop of 1 Monument building 4/23/2014
Franklin St. viewed from the Franklin Towers 6/20/2016
Outer Congress St. 8/14/2022
Former Joe's Smoke Shop 10/30/2014
Former Veterans Bridge 1/01/2012
Monument Square 4/23/2014
Portland Co. demolition 4/27/2019
Preble St. 3/01/2022
Bayside neighborhood 6/20/2016
Former Veterans Bridge demolition 10/18/2012
Old Port roof tops 6/08/2014
Bayside neighborhood 1/06/2021
Saint John St. 4/05/2016
Time and Temp building 12/05/2013
Portland St. 10/05/2020
Portland Water District, 7/04/2023
Fore river 2/23/2022
Seen from S. Portland Greenbelt pathway 8/04/2023
WORKERS 03
Hood Plant, outer Congress St. 2/02/2016
Hood Plant, outer Congress St. 2/02/2016
Portland Water District 2/04/2016
Hood Plant, outer Congress St. 2/02/2016
Ecomaine, Blueberry Rd. 5/24/2024
Construction of the Hiawatha building, Congress St. 6/20/2016
Public Works 1/26/2016
Ecomaine, Blueberry Rd. 5/24/2024
Hood Plant, outer Congress St. 2/02/2016
Portland Water District 2/04/2016
Ecomaine, Blueberry Rd. 5/24/2024
Engine 6 responding to a call 7/04/2016
Portland Water District 2/04/2016
Ecomaine, Blueberry Rd. 4/26/2024
Ecomaine, Blueberry Rd. 5/24/2024
Congress St. 9/09/2015
Ecomaine, Blueberry Rd. 5/24/2024
Avon St. 8/24/2015
Shipyard Brewery Hancock St. 1/22/2016
Shipyard Brewery Hancock St. 1/22/2016
My flash strikes the night.
Connected, yet alone.
A vibe that I have no words for, so I walk and photograph, one more block.
The wailing of the midnight bus delivering a soul as the chains spark off the sleeping streets.
A familiar turf.
A story for every brick that kicks up out of place.
The cry of the morning gulls.
The golden dawn breaks, casting the crawling darkness into the corners of my mind.
The struggles within us all, laid out on the cracked cobblestones.
Broken glass, pins and needles of pain among the beautiful gardens.
A vibe that I have no words for, so I walk and photograph, one more block.
Just one more strike of light and then I can rest my eyes under a dying tree on the West End and wither away to twigs and bone.
Connected, yet alone.
-Nick G.
SUB-STREET 04
Cover 1
Cover 2
Cover 3
Cover 4
Cover 5
Cover 6
Undisclosed location 5/09/2015
Undisclosed location 5/23/2014
Undisclosed location 7/14/2012
Undisclosed location 7/14/2012
Undisclosed location 2/05/2013
Undisclosed location 7/17/2022
Undisclosed location 2/05/2013
Undisclosed location 7/14/2012
Undisclosed location 3/20/2016
Undisclosed location 3/20/2016
Undisclosed location 2/04/2016
Former Press Herald tunnel. 4/23/2014
Undisclosed location 7/17/2022
Undisclosed location 7/17/2022
BAYSIDE FLOODWATERS 05
Chestnut St. 8/13/2014
Somerset St. 9/30/2015
Elm and Preble St. 9/30/2015
Somerset St. 9/30/2015
Forest Ave and Marginal Way 8/13/2014
Elm St. 9/30/2015
Elm St. 9/30/2015
Somerset St. 9/30/2015
Somerset St. 9/30/2015
Somerset St. 9/30/2015
Elm and Somerset St. 9/30/2015
Numerous cars were stranded in several feet of floodwater Wednesday in the low-lying areas near the intersection of Franklin and Somerset streets after a storm dropped 5.6 inches of rain on Portland in a matter of hours. In terms of magnitude, the storm fell just shy of the deluge – the fifth-worst in Portland history – that dumped 6.4 inches on the city on Aug. 13, 2014, and also caused major flooding in Bayside and other city neighborhoods.
-Portland Press Herald -Staff writer: Kevin MillerOct 2, 2015OLD PORT 06
Fore St. 1/09/2016
Union St. 1/29/2016
Exchange St. 7/05/2015
Old Port alley 1/09/2016
Wharf St. 10/31/2015
Fore St. 10/31/2015
Fore St. 6/27/2015
Union St. 10/31/2015
Fore St. 10/31/2015
Union St. 1/01/2016
As photographers, we often focus on what we see, forgetting to follow our feelings. This deeper connection to our emotions, and a willingness to surrender to the present moment, is key to creating truly impactful images that transcend time and can tell meaningful stories.
-Nick G.
PORTRAITS 07
Portrait 001
Portrait 002
Portrait 003
Portrait 004
Portrait 005
Portrait 006
Portrait 007
Portrait 008