“Furloughed Friendship” is a portrait series exploring the loss of connection with the friends in my community during the Covid 19 lockdown.

Shooting the portraits through the protective barrier of their window panes the glass begins to speak of friendship put on hold, of the distance imposed on us, a protector from illness, and on occasion as a mirror of the world that we look out onto and are, to varying extents, deprived of.

Not being able to communicate with my subjects due to the sound barrier of the shut window means that there develops a stillness, a concentration and a different kind of connection arises between us.

Often however, despite this connection I end up feeling more alone as I look in on a family unit and their personal space. The feeling of solitude is heightened when there are strong reflections on the glass. The subjects cannot possibly anticipate what I am seeing and the act of photographing people I love with trees reflected in their stomachs, clouds in their heads or blossom superimposed on their chests becomes a private moment to savour, entrancing, empowering even.

Perhaps, as is the case with this lockdown period, in which many have found great positives as well as much sadness, the very act of photographing my friends in this way has losses and gains that I am still discovering and exploring.

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