COVID Family: Instagram Portraits
#ShotoniPhone #NoFilter #CovidFamily
Ongoing portrait series of our family during the pandemic.
When COVID-19 hit San Francisco, our lives moved inside, and became quite small. It was only our family of 4 plus 2 cats inside our house, in our backyard, park, or on walks. I started documenting portraits with my iPhone, and posting on instagram. This is a chronological order selection of some of the photos. We were very lucky to survive, others in our community did not.
March 26, 2020 One of our first neighborhood “Pandemic Walks”. -Before masks were suggested. My husband, Michael Epple is a cinematographer, and normally works outside the home. -Our children’s school is shut down March 13, 2020. At this point we are hoping this will be done soon, but some fears are setting in for the future.
March 28, 2020 Social Distancing rainy walk in Glen Park —-The city parks were less busy in the rain
May 27, 2020 The shutdown is getting to my son. —-He would not step foot into a classroom again until Aug 2021. —-Our family supported the shutdown, and pushed for teachers to be in line for vaccinations.
July x, 2020 My daughter’s first pandemic birthday. She has no friends or extended family over. We play in the backyard in a baby pool, and she gets the toy horse she asked for, and ate cake.
August 15, 2020 She looks through the fabric of her tutu —-She did not learn to swim this summer, due to COVID
August 19, 2020 The air is smokey from LNU wildfire burned 363,220 acres. August Complex 1,032,648 acres, so we are inside all day. The smoke turns the light orange.
Sept 9, 2020 The sky over San Francisco turns dark orange from wildfires and fog. —-My daughter is doing schoolwork at home, with air filtration.
Sept 26, 2020 In the morning light. He will be homeschooled through the rest of this 4th grade year. —-We finally start receiving behavior help, and virtual mental health help through the school. —He starts an outdoor camp after school 3 days a week, masked. —-These things greatly improved our situation.
Feb 12, 2021 She is brushing her new teeth. —-The routines are relentless. With online school continuing she had a “pod” with another special education family. 3 days a week she socializes with 2 other children. This allowed my husband and I to work, while our oldest does online school at home. —-She will not learn to read this year, due to the lack of support for her dyslexia, and will have to repeat second grade.
April 15, 2021 Self portrait whilst having drinks, out with friends in an outdoor parklet, built for the pandemic. —-I received my second dose of the vaccine4 days later. I have been working a full-time job covering the climate crisis, on the computer, from my kitchen since the shutdown. —Virtual school board meetings have become blood sport.
June 12, 2021 First visit to grandparents house since pandemic. They live 2 hours away. She is hiding in the pantry. —-Both sets of grandparents went over a year without seeing the children in person.
October 12, 2021 Yawn and stretch in the morning light
October 23, 2021 Volunteer day at the local urban farm —The children will be vaccinated in 2 months
March 14, 2022 Flossie in her light
June 1, 2022 Our first pandemic flight. At SFO waiting, worried we will catch COVID in the current Omicron surge. —-At this point no one in our family had caught COVID
July 4, 2022 Celebrating Frederick Douglas with some sparklers and neighbors —I have just tested negative after 11 days of COVID, caught whilst masked at a school board meeting.
Aug 8, 2022 Waiting for her brother to go off to camp, with a “Get Better” card she made for a family friend who has COVID
Aug 13, 2022 Wolfie in his morning sunbeam