Porch Portraits | A Portrait of Kirkwood — Chanda Williams Photography

When the shelter in place order took effect back in March, life as we knew it stopped. Family photo sessions on my calendar got postponed indefinitely and I found myself home, rotating between home projects, reading the news, and trying to help my kids navigate learning through the computer.

Something had to give.

Something had to give for my own sanity, but I also wanted a way to give back to my community during a scary and isolating time. I also noticed a beautiful pulling in with the people I have been lucky enough to be stuck at home with, and that silver lining felt worthy of documentation.

And so began a personal project that lasted over two months long and involved over 350 of my neighbors: A Portrait of Kirkwood.

Looking back on this time is surreal. We were all scared and confused, and if we were lucky enough to live with other people we were able to pull in and connect. It was so nice to be able to give back to my community by doing something I love to do.