🎙Friends, Family, and my Fellow Californians:

I am so excited to share my personal photojournalism project with you, COVID IN CALIFORNIA. 🦠📸🌴

For the majority of us, Covid has been a loss. Whether that’s the physical loss of someone you love, the loss of time with people that you love, or other lost opportunities, we all have mourned in some way over the past several months. In a state with some of the strictest lockdowns, I think Californians have felt more isolated than ever. For me, the ongoing stay-at-home orders and social distancing leave me craving human connection. I imagine that many others feel this same way - we, as humans, are wired to connect. 🫂 When everything else in life is stripped back, all that’s left are the people we know and love. At the end of it all, it is these relationships that determine the quality of our lives.

One of the most meaningful relationships in my life was with my great grandmother, Ruth Channon, who lived to be over a hundred years old. What kept her going? PEOPLE. Her legacy still remains strong because of the relationships that she built throughout her lifetime. She KNEW everyone because she WANTED to know everyone. Connecting and caring for people was her MO. From the janitor at her retirement home, to the mailman delivering her packages, to Coach John Wooden, she knew everyone’s name and story, and they knew hers. The best way I can describe her life is a century of love. I guess you can say that being an extroverted empath is in my blood. 🥰

Because this pandemic is such an important part of our history, I am compelled to capture the heart of this unique human experience. I believe in the power of human connection and have always loved telling stories through my photography, so this project truly aligns with me, both personally and professionally. As our memories of the Covid-19 pandemic fade over time, let the stories of Covid in California be a reminder that we are always in it together. Let us be reminded that we need each other and that life is only as good as the relationships we nourish. ♥️

If you or anyone you know would like to be featured, please direct message me on social media or shoot me an email - I’d love to share your story with the world! 🌎 

And, if you haven't done so already, please follow along this journey with me on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter - and share it with your community! The whole point of this project is to connect humans during a time of so much uncertainty.

Much love, health, and happiness,

Robin Randolph