Essential is a pandemic series project where I photographed those who were still working during quarantine. All photos were taken from a safe distance.

 

The photo of Christina and Ben was the first photo I took for my essential worker series, and was taken before Massachusetts issued the state-wide mask mandate. Christina and Ben are baristas at my local coffee shop / ice cream parlor. They were one of the few local businesses to remain open during the shutdown. Although the safety protocols changed the nature of the business, it was still a massive comfort to grab my morning coffee and see friendly faces. It gave life a sense of normalcy when everything was changing so rapidly.

 

The photo of Dickerman Playground truly shows how much changed during the months that Massachusetts was shut down. What was once a space where the community gathered to play and socialize was now off-limits, smothered with orange fencing. Children could not understand why they had to stay inside and why they could not see their friends. The community that once gathered there needed to find a new way to maintain bonds: zoom calls, animal crossing visits, and online gaming platforms.