Stranded in Astoria, OR

Okay so this shoot had a rocky start.

I was halfway to Astoria, somewhere around Naselle, when I got an email saying they actually wanted nighttime vibes for the photos. I pulled over, turned around, and went home because I was absolutely not sitting in Astoria until sunset in the summer. That's like, 9pm. I have things to do.

We rescheduled for Friday night, Rick was going to come with me, and then we found out our friend Isaiah was in town. Isaiah travels around in a van, writes poetry, works at festivals. Very cool lifestyle. We only get to see him a couple times a year so we called him up, grabbed him and his girlfriend last minute, and just... brought them to my photoshoot.

Honestly it worked out perfectly. Static food shots are fine but give me a table full of actual people eating flaming cheese and suddenly everything is more fun to photograph. More hands, more energy, better photos. We ended up sipping Aquavit, eating said flaming cheese, and at some point someone picked up one of the instruments they have scattered around the space and it just kind of devolved from there in the best possible way.

Stranded is genuinely one of the cooler bars I've photographed. The whole place is built around salvaged pieces from Astoria's history, including a 1931 bar that anchors the room like it's always been there. The cocktail menu is mezcal and Aquavit forward, the food is Nordic inspired and built for sharing, and the vibe is moody and weird and completely its own thing. You can show up dressed up or in whatever and feel equally at home.

The flaming cheese is not optional. The musical instruments are apparently also not optional if Isaiah is there.

If you're in Astoria go to Stranded. You'll probably stay longer than you planned and I mean that as a compliment.

xoxo Chelsea