Who Is Lisa Nichols?

Lisa Nichols is a Manchester, Connecticut based food photographer who travels throughout the state on assignment for various publications.

In addition to shooting for publications, she runs two businesses: food photography at Bread & Beast Photographer and wedding photography at RootsPhotographyCT.com.

During the current COVID19 pandemic, she has been working on two personal photo projects:

Take-Out Only which focuses on how the pandemic is affecting the food service industry and Thank You Notes, documenting the displays of gratitude to first-responders and the people who made them.

Interview

Lisa sat down to chat about her project, Take Out Only, a couple of weeks back. Please give this podcast a listen.

Take Out Only, The Project

Here are a few photographs from Lisa Nichols' project, Take Out Only:

Where Can You Find Lisa Nichols?

Find Lisa Nichols on Instagram:

Personal Work | Bread & Beast | Roots Photography

Enjoying The Podcasts?

With Lisa Nichols' podcast, I'm at number 15 now. I'm definitely getting better at both asking questions and putting the shows together. If you are enjoying the podcast would you do me a favor and drop me a 5-star rating and a short review of what you learned from one of the shows.

While I say Lisa Nichols is the first food photographer on Tiffinbox that wasn't 100% true! One more food photographer for you check out – Simi Jois!

A Photo Project During A Pandemic

When Eric Francis told me about “Isolation In The 402”, it immediately made sense. Unlike the popular #thefrontstepsproject which we have all now seen, Eric's work has both depth and breadth in some very nuanced ways.

Like Paul Gero, who I interviewed a couple of weeks back about his project in Wisconsin, Francis is also on a mission to document his community.

He wants to photograph as many families and individuals as possible in his area code: 402, during this time of self-isolation and social distancing. Hence the name for his project, “Isolation In The 402.”

Eric uses only Fujifilm gear and limits himself to one or two camera bodies and lenses. Most of the lighting you see in some of his portraits (scroll down) is either a porch light or day-light. Listen to the podcast, below, to learn more about his gear.

All the photographs are intentionally in black & white. As I saw Eric post portrait after portrait on his Facebook wall, I repeatedly stopped to read his posts too. Francis displays a sense of respect and curiosity to get know how each of his subjects is feeling on the day on the photo shoot.

Chatting With Eric Francis

Eric and I chat and text each other often. I know I wouldn't have converted to a Fujifilm photographer if it hadn't been for Eric's patient instructions. And yes, we can talk shop all day. When I asked if I could interview him about his project, he wasted no time in scheduling the call. Lean in and listen to how “Isolation In The 402” took shape and where he hopes to take it:

Photographs From The Project

Other Photographers Documenting Life Now

Paul Gero and Eric Francis both mentioned Matt Mendelsohn's project, Not Forgotten: The Yorktown Seniors of 2020. Take a look. If you know Matt, please let him know I would be honored to interview him for what appears to be a series now of chats with photographers about personal photography projects during the COVID-19 pandemic.

If you know of other photographers who are creating a body of work during this time, please have them contact me on Facebook.

The Photojournalist

Paul Gero, a Wisconsin portrait photographer, was at one point a newspaper photojournalist.

You may remember that I featured Paul's work on this site here and here.

His journalism instincts are kicking in again. During the current COVID-19 pandemic, Paul has embarked on a neighborhood family portrait project.

And, yes, he is observing all relevant “social distancing” guidelines, as outlined by his state government.

Portrait Project

I had the honor of speaking with Paul last week about his project, “Portraits In The Time Of Corona.”

If you are wondering if the title echoes Gabriel Garcia Marquez' work of fiction, it does.

A Few Photographs

Here are a few images from Paul's project:

Other Portrait Projects

Several other photographers, across the country have either started to work on a similar idea or are about to embark on one as soon as it is safe to do so:

Sree Sripathy says she will be photographing the Indian community in the Bay Area.

Cara Soulia was featured on NBC for her project called and hashtagged #thefrontstepsproject

CBS News carried a segment about a Twin-Cities photographer who offers complimentary porch step portraits.

While most of the initiatives have been positively received, some feel photographers should wait till the “stay-at-home” guidance in most of the states are lifted before venturing outdoors and interacting with people again.

So, tell me, what would you do? Would you go outdoors and photograph families from a safe distance or would you rather hold off on any portrait sessions until everyone is safe to move about the country?

Update

Paul has wrapped up his project and launched a book of all the portraits he was able to create in his community.

RJ Kern is ranked as one of the top 50 wedding photographers in the US. But that's just one genre of photography that he rocks. He is a passionate artist who pursues personal projects at every opportunity.

“I've gone from a coffee shop show to two solo gallery shows and a group exhibition in less than a year … all after deciding to invest in my art long-term and not pour my money into an MFA (I applied, got rejected last year) and put it into my personal work.”

In this interview for Tiffinbox, we sat down to talk about what inspires him to do personal work. Lean in and listen closely to how RJ phrases his off-season work. I think you will find it interesting. It's not so much that it is something he can do or will do sometime in the future, but he HAS to do it right now!

Check out his personal work here. Learn more about his animal portraits here. His series of couples in love at Burning Man is something else. Lastly, learn from RJ about how to develop a photographic style.

Do you pursue personal projects? Would you think of photographing sheep and goats as a personal project? If you think the concept and the quality of the work is amazing as I do, click the comments box below and leave RJ a note. I am sure he would appreciate it.

David H. Wells is more than a photojournalist. He is a teacher, an avid blogger and even after years of experience creating powerful photo essays or personal projects, he is still an enthusiastic student learning the medium of video to further his goals.

Over the years of running into him at conferences or workshops he is teaching, David and I have become friends. So, when I heard he was teaching a course called “Create Powerful Photo Essays and Personal Projects,” on CreativeLive, I wasted no time to contact him via Twitter and then email to set a date and time to chat about it.

Here is the link to the personal project David mentions in the video that he is currently pursuing in India.

Are you pursuing a personal photography project? Have you completed a photo essay you want published here on Tiffinbox? If so, I want to know about it. Comment below with a link or more information. I might choose to interview you.

Lastly, don't hesitate for even a second to take David's course on CreativeLive, if you are interested in creating a photo essay or a personal project. You get to watch for free while CreativeLive is broadcasting it live from Seattle. In the event you miss it, you can always buy the course, download it and watch it in its entirety whenever you want.

I have added this course to my calendar and I'll be watching and learning from a photojournalist who not only talks the talk, but walks the walk when it comes to producing a body of work that speaks of the larger issues humanity faces. I hope you will join me in checking out “Create Powerful Photo Essays and Personal Projects.”