As a professional portrait photographer, I’ve developed a strong sensitivity to people’s expressions and demeanors. Since the quarantine, I’ve noticed a shift in the way we communicate: namely, with a sudden lack of empathy. Whenever I’ve ventured out into the world to pick up an essential item, I’ve seen it in people’s eyes: They’re scared and untrusting. They dart back and forth in an attempt to avoid the awkwardness and fear that come with fighting something invisible and not fully understood. The “enemy” has become anyone and everyone.

My girlfriend and I were at my mom’s place in Woodstock, NY, when the pandemic hit. We live in New York City but decided to shelter in place together upstate. We’re so lucky to have each other and to be in such a beautiful natural setting—my mom’s an artist, and we’re able to wander through the woods by the house and share the cabin she uses as her studio. But still, I wondered about the people in town and what life there was like.

These images—each of which I shot exactly six feet from my subject—explore the impact social distancing has had on our ability to relate to each other. I’m attempting to extend a visual bridge over the metaphorical moat in order to capture and reconnect with the humanity that we all still share, despite our physical separation. —Christaan Felber