Most of the pictures I make are candid and that has certainly been the case in recent years. I live in a small town and although I am in great health I am now of an age where I am considered “higher risk” for Covid-19.  Shortly after things started to really get worse I decided I didn’t want to just sit around because I couldn’t get close to people to make pictures the way I normally do. I would make a series of photographs near my home that showed empathy, grit and determination by the people that live here.  And why not; the daily flood of images filled with angst and grief was overwhelming. 

I began my project in March and ended it on Memorial Day weekend, as things were for better or worse to begin to open up the following week. Most of the photographs would be devoid of people, but there might be some if they could be made in a safe way.  Using my Plaubel Makina medium format fixed lens rangefinder camera made sense to me.  Simple and great image quality for a singular look and feel.

I exposed a lot of Tri-X with the plan to limit my portfolio to 20 images that would depict the story I wished to tell. After proofing and printing I am happy with the outcome, and I feel a lot better about people, or at least those that live nearby me. At a time of such divisiveness and selfishness, when the very social fabric that holds America together is being torn apart on a daily basis, finding and making these pictures renewed my faith that there still is hope because of the goodness that exists in so many of us. Because of this, as much as the pictures themselves, this project has been a true gift to me.

Now it’s time to move on to something else … but whatever I do going forward, the experience I had during those several months will always be with me.

Take a look at these pictures in Gallery 4. I hope you enjoy them.

Stay safe,

Michael