Being stuck inside, homeschooling kids while teleworking and all the other realities of lockdown during COIVD-19 might not be something everyone wants to remember vividly.

But for Chanda Willaims’ Kirkwood community, it’s a moment they’ll be able to look back on forever – for better or worse.

Williams is a photographer who is used to shooting families in times of joy and new beginnings, but she also takes pride in documenting the regular moments. As social distancing became a part of everyday life, she began offering free, front porch, family photos to her neighbors.

“Happy. Safe, Loved. There’s something magical about our home – it’s the fourth ‘resident’ in this picture and envelops us in safety. I love raising my daughter here.” Photo Credit Chanda Williams

“Me, a proud homeowner. I live alone with no spouse and no kids to support. Weeks ago, my employer switched everyone to telework with no break in pay. I’m one of the lucky ones. I do not take that for granted.” Photo Credit Chanda Williams

“We are both MDs and my husband is frontline at Grady. We both have anxiety about our well-being and fear of getting others sick. That said, the kids keep it real. It’s a gift to be with them each day. They show what resilience is all about.” Photo Credit Chanda Williams

“Our family is composed of sweet queer folks. We love each other and look out for each other.” Photo Credit Chanda Williams

“The pandemic has been eye opening for our family. It’s made us appreciate each moment and try our best to live in those moments.” Photo Credit Chanda Williams

“My family was mid-move when this all happened. My husband has left for Fort Collins, Colorado about two weeks before the lockdowns started. I see a very tired and frazzled woman with a hilarious and sweet little boy.” Photo Credit Chanda Williams

“I think it’s important to document family and life in general always, and this is just a very specific kind of moment. Normally, I would be very close to a family in their house and spending a long time with them. Now, I just have little peeks into their life from far away, and I think that speaks to the moment,” Williams said.

After shooting more than 200 lockdown portraits in just a few weeks, Williams decided she also wanted to include her neighbors’ perspectives during all of this by asking them, “What do you see when you look at your portrait?”

The answers give a deeper look into how her community is dealing with the crisis. Some families are dealing with being separated, others are frontline hospital workers, and some are just trying to get by.

“I love the variation in responses. Some people see a family who is really struggling and others say, ‘Wow, I’m rocking this,’” Williams said.

The portraits also tend to redefine what “family” can mean. The subjects include single parents, fur babies, parties of one and LGBTQ roommates who consider each other their biggest support system.

When talking about the inspiration for the project, Williams said her own family’s experience in solitude moved her to get out and start shooting from a distance. She said, “I started to notice that my family was pulling together in a way that was really beautiful. My boys were hanging out more, and we were all connecting in a way that our busy lives didn’t really allow us to before.”

While Williams understands this is a difficult time for many artists, both creatively and financially, she wants to encourage people to continue to create during this time.

She admits she didn’t have a fully realized vision for the project at first but forced herself to jump in and start shooting. The response from her neighbors was overwhelmingly positive. Now, she’s averaging 10 family portraits per day and doesn’t plan on stopping anytime soon.

Engagement at WABE is powered, in part, by our collaboration with America Amplified, a Corporation for Public Broadcasting-funded initiative to use community engagement in our reporting.