I’ve played with quite a few photographic genres the past few years. I had decided that portrait photography is not really my "thing". I admit, I prefer subjects that can't tell you how they feel about the result. And, I absolutely LOVE landscapes… city scenes… architecture… nature….

Bridges Across Manhattan

This past summer, though, I felt like I was in need of some new creative energy. I took several online workshops and began exploring ideas. Leave it to National Geographic to be my driving force. I signed up for a workshop with Nevada Weir, a travel photographer renowned for documenting remote corners of the world. I think of myself as a travel photographer. So, it sounded right up my alley (even though my alleys are not nearly as remote as Nevada’s)! Nevertheless, I knew I could learn from her. I realized that a portion of her workshop would focus on people. That's OK, I thought. I occasionally include people in my travel photographs. After listening to Nevada discuss her work (and seeing her photographs), I realized that people are extremely important to - and a large part of - how she captures culture in her travel photography. I would love to do better at documenting culture. Maybe I needed to re-consider photographing people.

Well, Nevada has a knack for getting up close and personal with people – in their homes, in their personal spaces, and in remote locations. I’m sure her National Geographic credentials help, but she had to earn those. She also pointed out that COVID19 has impacted her adventures of late. How could I practice during the pandemic? I began thinking about my encounters with people since these strange times began. I live in a city condo and walk my dog outside several times a day. I see people averting their eyes from each other much more often and simply avoiding any type of social connection. With all of the division over wearing masks, it occurred to me… does social distancing necessarily have to mean social disconnecting? I believe in wearing masks and keeping a responsible distance, but I think it’s important to remember that behind those masks, we are all still human. I believe it is possible to still “see” each other and connect, even while wearing masks and keeping a physical distance. After all, it was Shakespeare who once said, “the eyes are the windows to your soul”.  Thus, I had both my inspiration and the idea for my new project: 
 

Anne (That's me!)

“Humans Behind the Face Mask”.

In thinking about how to proceed, it occurred to me that it would be similar to a previous project that I worked on a few years ago, where I set a goal to photograph 100 strangers when out and about. Click on the "100 Strangers" link to learn more about the project. Know that I initially began the project as a way to improve my photography skills. I quickly realized that the most difficult part of the project was how to approach a stranger and to help that person be comfortable with a few impromptu photographs. I never completed the project. A broken foot sidetracked it after a little over 50 people. It occurred to me that this would be a chance to reach that original goal of 100 strangers, but with a new purpose in mind.

"100 Strangers" Project

"100 Strangers"

"100 Strangers"

I went out with my camera several times this past weekend, and realized it will take awhile to get back into the swing of things. I plan to post one human at a time. It might be daily. It might be weekly. It’s a work in progress, after all. We'll see. I plan to photograph at least 50 strangers, but I will likely showcase many more humans behind those face masks, as I would love to include friends and acquaintances who are willing to participate. You’ll just have to guess which photos are of strangers and which are of friends. I’m not revealing any names, but here's my first participant!

First "Human Behind the Face Mask"

Do you see her smile?

Follow me on Facebook and/or Instagram to see how the project develops. I’ll be posting photos on my web site as well. Finally, I’d encourage you to wear those masks and keep that social distance…  but don’t disconnect!

#HumansBehindtheFaceMask #HBFM