Earlier this year, COVID-19 disrupted the lives of people all over the world. As a fine art photographer, my business felt an immediate impact from the pandemic – as was the case with my neighbor, Rachel Scott Everett, who runs her own creative studio (EVERGIB) with her husband. Inspired by a social distancing gathering, we joined forces to document the lives of people in our neighborhood, collecting stories of fears, hopes and lessons learned.
As weeks turned into months, the project expanded to feature people in different neighborhoods, reflecting the diverse community and perspectives that make up Richmond, Virginia. During this time, the challenges of the pandemic were met with the global rise of protests over George Floyd’s killing, bringing the topic of racial and social inequality front and center. What began as a project to unite people through shared experiences of sheltering in place has evolved into a powerful documentation of this historic time in our city and the world at large.