“I was walking the streets in Northern India many years ago and stumbled on these two teenagers in the park laying together. Sometimes I feel like I live in a world of self-serious imagery and was always proud this image felt sincere, universal, and tender.”

“I met Dhani and his family last summer staying with them for three nights deep in the mountains in Olivella, Spain, just south of Barcelona. The house runs on complete solar power and all we really had were each other’s company, music, and the scenery. I’ve remained in touch with them and hope to one day reunite with them once the dust settles from the virus.”

“I took this picture during a two-month experiment of going offline in a Greek meditation community. During that time, I felt some of the inner noise clear out and I connected with people in a way I had never experienced before. The silence and solitude we are experiencing around us right now, though somber, makes me think of this time. I wonder if it could be an opportunity to clear out some of the noise around us, look inside ourselves and consider what meaningful human connection really is.”

“I spent a lot of time last summer walking around Coney Island. I saw him stretching and asked if I could take a photograph. He said ‘Yes, but make me look good.’ I never got the chance to ask his opinion. Looking at this picture in the context of now, it makes you appreciate all the fleeting moments we share with others and the memories we hold onto of them.”

“My friend, Kanada, and I went out near the springs in Austin to take photos before she left for her new life journey. We arrived and it was empty except for one area and we both felt confusion and sadness seeing the springs dry. We were able to find this one spot still with water and it brought forward a symbol of hope in my heart during these confusing and dangerous times. The water isn’t all gone…just a little low, and it can all come back and even stronger than before.”

“Nature and beauty are the things helping me survive mentally right now.”

“Over the years, I have been compiling a collection of hand photographs, which feels especially poignant at this moment. On this day, Mariska told me that her extra eyes protect her. I found her self-awareness inspiring, and I hope the image relays the importance of taking care of yourself and others.”

“This photo makes me think that spring is on its way—something to look forward to. Thinking beyond the quarantine. The warm, long, sunny days that will make everything better.”

“I made this photo during a trip to a commune. The window sill is from the kitchen of a young woman named Hannah, who uses plants that she grows and forages to make medicine and healing balms. I have been thinking of how essential human collectivity is to our survival, and how incredibly valuable it is to support one another and the earth. It becomes obvious how much we all need each other during times of crisis.”

Alive After Five, Anaconda, MT (2017), Jacq Harriet

“I took this photo almost four years ago while swimming in a lake at sunrise with my two best friends. I look at it now and can feel the closeness we shared, the warm mud, water, air, the passage of time, the continuation of things, and it all feels pleasantly simple.”

“It is frighteningly radical to care for each other—so we have to make it our second nature.”

“In this time of isolation, I am lucky enough to share that time with the people I love; my partner, Jackie, and cat, Frankie. I should share more photographs of them.”

“In Marrakech, I asked this man if I could take his portrait, and without prompting him he raised his arms and made a series of wild, heart-wrenching expressions. This unexpected, visceral and ultimately fleeting moment shared between him and I reminds me how surprising and vulnerable the human condition can be, and to be as tender toward others as I can, especially in the role of photographer.”

“Companionship has the ability to bring comfort in the midst of the uncertainty. The palpable tenderness keeps me wishing for warmer days, where we all can come together again.”

“This picture feels important and relevant. The most obvious point is that it’s a spring flower, outside taller than the rest, and is a pair held up by one stem. It’s like ‘alone together,’ you know?”

“This photograph helps me appreciate all that I had taken for granted.”

“I find some comfort in this little house I passed on a walk two summers ago, tucked away in a village in Scotland. I wish I were there now, and look forward to the day when I can go back.”