Love In The Time Of COVID: Photographer Captures Lockdown Couples

NEW YORK, NY — It's love in the time of coronavirus, just in time for Valentine's Day.

Photographer Britt Shacham Bernstein, a student at the International Center of Photography, has found a novel way to deal with the almost year-long COVID-19 lockdown — by taking portraits of couples that met during the pandemic.

For her project, Bernstein enters into new couples' living spaces – always taking coronavirus safety precautions – and takes photos of couples at home.

"I had the idea at the beginning of quarantine since I began to see many of my friends get into relationships," Bernstein told Patch. "Interestingly enough, many of those friends have been wanting to get into a relationship for some time and haven't found the right one, or things haven't stuck."

The portraits give the impression that no photographer is in the room with the couple, allowing the viewer to catch a glimpse of love blossoming despite a global pandemic.

Bernstein cites former photographers who inspired her with their ability to "infiltrate very intimate moments without being seen, without their presence being felt in the photograph."

"What's more intimate than the bed a couple shares?" she added.

Bernstein’s portraits so far are exclusively of couples that have met since March. Soon, she plans to photograph and interview couples or individuals who ended relationships during the period and even those who lost partners to the virus.

Additionally, she is interested in taking pictures of romantics that are still searching for their significant others.

When it comes to why she thinks so many people have seemingly started or ended relationships during the beginning of the pandemic, Bernstein does have a few ideas.

"I think people were forced to face their reality; what they have, what they don't, and what they'd like," Bernstein said. "The lockdown and shutdown of all the other distractions that come with everyday life allowed people to take a step back, observe, understand, and take a meditated step forward, which could just mean going with the flow."

Bernstein also mentioned the commonality of dating app introductions in the couples she's photographed so far.

It's a tool that countless New Yorkers have used more frequently since the beginning of the pandemic, including Queens resident Sarah Puckett — who said the app world game of swipes and matches helped her escape the mundane world of coronavirus.

Puckett found her pandemic match - a guy who “outlasted” the other potential beaus, she said with a laugh - around March 20 after a swirl of texting and FaceTime “dates.”

They eventually met in person and started dating, but this sped-up intimacy unraveled on July 1st – by text.

“About 20 minutes later he Venmo’d me $15… and said, ‘Sorry for ending things that way, here’s some beer/snack money,’” Puckett said.

It's an abrupt virtual end that has become an unfortunate reality of pandemic dating.

Bernstein, who grew up on the Upper West Side after moving from Israel at the age of 12, is planning to complete the series and submit it as her final project in her one-year program at the International Center of Photography. That is due in June.

For those who have experienced love or loss since March 2020 and want to learn more about the project or be considered for a portrait, Bernstein can be reached at Bshacham21@students.icp.edu.

Patch reporter Matt Troutman contributed to this report.