Portraits of COVID 19 by Justin Anantawan

Quarantine has been difficult.  As a fashion photographer, I am used to doing three to four shoots a week with model-new faces.  However, with the Canadian government ordering citizens to self-isolate, most businesses including model agencies have closed - and consequently, my supply of models has dried up.  For a couple of weeks I was attempting to keep myself busy by working out twice a day, baking (I had baked sugarless chocolate chip cookies and low-fat banana bread), occasionally getting high, binge eating junk food, watching Mukbang videos and writing.

It was not enough to keep me from entering a deep state of boredom and depression.  I had recently returned from Kenya where I was scouting models, doing photojournalism and working in HIV testing.  I was enjoying my work and had a purpose.  However, because of the pandemic, I had to drop it all and return home.  Transitioning from my purposeful life in Kenya to a meaningless life in Canada has hard.  And I have worried about my friends in Kenya who are on the brink of a lockdown, are receiving almost no support from the government and are anticipating food insecurity. 

This week, to prevent myself from losing my mind started going to downtown Toronto and Hamilton to photograph and interview people about their experiences with the pandemic.  As a photojournalist, I felt a responsibility to bear witness to COVID 19 and share people's stories – especially people marginalized in society such as folks experiencing homelessness and drug dependency.  

I also participated in food outreach in Toronto, handing out food packages to the homeless who are especially struggling with the outbreak, because of the shutdown many social services and shelters are overcrowded.

I drove into Toronto and Hamilton on three separate occasions, arming myself with gloves, hand sanitizer, sanitizing wipes (I disinfected myself and my photo equipment before and after every trip).  On the day I went to Toronto for food outreach, I brought with me paper bags filled with cheese sandwiches, orange juice, granola bars, and bananas.  The highways were eerily devoid of traffic jams even during the normal rush hours and I had no problem finding parking.  

Walking through the cities on foot, I thought I had landed in ghost towns, almost all stores and restaurants closed, signs on their windows promising to open up again when the pandemic was over.  There were only a handful of pedestrians walking the streets and most of them had expressions of sadness or worry on their faces.  Interestingly, the homeless were more visible than usual - while people with homes have the luxury of staying indoors, these people had nowhere to go and were wandering the streets or sitting idle on lonely sidewalks.  Many were wearing face masks which have become an icon of the current situation, the media inundated by images of health care workers and laypeople wearing them.

Here are some portraits of people who were willing to tell me their stories: 

Raymond (right) and Chris (left) are homeless in Toronto.  They say that COVID 19 has made life more difficult for the homeless community.  For example, they depend on panhandling on the street to receive food and money donations.  Since most people are quarantining themselves at home, there are almost no pedestrians to give them help.  It has been more difficult for them to access shelters, drop-ins and respite centers as they have either been closed, overcrowded or they are limiting the number of people coming in.  Furthermore, with most places like coffee shops and restaurants being closed, they do not have access to washrooms where they can wash their hands.  Raymond believes that the government is not doing enough to help the homeless in Toronto but understands that they have a lot to deal with.  Chris is can be seen in this photo wearing a face mask he bought from a local hardware store.   

They have protested the virus and found an emotional/artistic outlet for their current struggles through graffiti.

Darwish is a street musician in Toronto.  He immigrated to Canada from Iran in 1984 and makes money playing the Persian Tanbur, a stringed instrument.  He tells me that the COVID 19 outbreak has affected his work as passersby, not wanting to hold money in their hands due to the risk of infection, are not carrying pocket change.  Due to social distancing, the streets of Toronto are almost devoid of pedestrians.  For the past couple of weeks, he has been in self-isolation but decided to come out today because staying indoors all day was beginning to negatively impact his mental health.  Furthermore, he has been saddened by reports from his homeland (Iran is currently experiencing a major outbreak) that his friends and family members are either in hospital or have died from the virus.  He is hoping that his music can bring some peace and joy into a world that is presently filled with fear.  A devoted Zoroastrian, he prayed yesterday for two hours for the people that are being affected by this pandemic - he does not blame God for what is happening.  In these photos, he can be seen wearing an eye mask over his mouth as a way to protect himself as he has no access to a face mask.   

A portrait of Caitlyn (right) and Collin (left).  I met them as they were out buying some essentials in Toronto’s Koreatown before going back into quarantine.  I asked them where they bought the masks and they responded that they had found them on Amazon.  They bought the masks for the Burning Man event which takes place in the desert.  The masks would have been used to protect their lungs from sand and dust but now had a new use amidst the current pandemic.  

Caitlyn was wearing a pair of skeleton gloves which eerily complemented the current situation.  She told me that they didn't offer much protection but decided to wear them anyway.

I met Jim while walking around downtown Hamilton.  He was sitting near a playground that had been cordoned off by the city to prevent children from congregating and spreading the virus.  He told me that he came from a family of 17 siblings and had been homeless for two decades.  He also had a history of drug addiction but had stopped using meth nine months ago.  He explained to me that the homeless and drug-using communities of Hamilton were being hit hard by the pandemic as shelters had become overcrowded and many drop-in centers and social services had been closed due to social distancing measures.  He is currently battling cancer but has had to stop going to the hospital for chemotherapy as it cannot treat him due to the constraints of the pandemic.

This is a portrait of muralist Michaela Buchanan in Hamilton.  She was spray painting a legal mural wall white so that she could start fresh with a design of her own.  She told me that she had been in self-isolation for two weeks but decided to come out to spray paint because the weather was nice.  Lately, she had been feeling anxious and depressed about the pandemic so she was spending her indoor time teaching herself new art forms.  For example, she had recently started tattooing oranges with a tattoo machine.  She normally lives in Toronto and works at a restaurant, however, she moved back to Hamilton when the restaurant closed.  She is hoping that life will return to normal soon and that she can go back to working towards her goals.  However, she is happy that she has been learning about the beauty of stillness.  In this photo, she is wearing a face mask that normally protects her from spray paint fumes – however, in this current pandemic, the mask carries new meaning.   

This is a photo of Jen one of the outreach workers at The Common Table a drop-in program at Christ Redeemer Church. The program supports the poor living in downtown Toronto with services such as meals, counseling and nurse check-ups.  Since the beginning of the pandemic, she and other volunteers have been giving out pre-packed lunches to clients at the church following health guidelines set forth by the government.  As well, they have been sending teams out into the neighborhood to give out meals, clothes, and toiletries to those in need.  As many social support systems in Toronto have been shut down due to COVID 19, vulnerable persons such as the homeless and people using drugs have seen an amplification of issues such as food insecurity, lack of shelter, difficulty accessing health care, and inadequate sanitation.  The Common Table is trying to stay open as long as possible to help the community.  However, they are starting to feel the pressure of financial constraint as the pandemic has caused a decrease in donations.

I was walking around Toronto handing out food packages when I met Mike, a senior citizen who is living in social housing.  He relies on panhandling for money and food and has been struggling more because most people are staying home – there are no pedestrians to give him donations.  However, he told me he is grateful because he feels he is better off than other people.  We talked for a few minutes (from a two-meter distance) and he told me he saw long line ups outside of grocery stores and food banks, which are also struggling.  Before I continued on my walk, he thanked me for the food package, told me “God Bless” and to have a wonderful day.

This is “Birdman” Ross Ward, an artist who sits along Yonge Street carving birds out of wood which he sells for $10.  He does this to help pay his bills as his hearing loss has made him unable to work in construction anymore.  He has been making these wooden birds since he was 14 or 15 and has made more than 40,000 of them.  Lately, due to the COVID 19 pandemic, he has been struggling to make money as there are few pedestrians walking the streets.  He is one of the thousands of Torontonians, especially self-employed and contract workers, who are feeling the financial brunt of the current situation.