Lifestyle
How the pandemic led this documentary photographer to make her work more collaborative
Nitya Kansal (left) and her husband, Arvind Kansal (right), pose in front of their home in Cupertino, Calif.
Art inputs by Nitya Kansal/Ashima Yadava
hide caption
toggle caption
Art inputs by Nitya Kansal/Ashima Yadava
Ashima Yadava’s project Front Yard captures a moment in time where we all were seeking connection. In 2020, the pandemic gave Yadava the time to reflect, and so she looked to photography. She turned to her community, reaching out to her entire network, wanting to make portraits of them from their front yards, at a safe six-foot distance.
“I, just on a whim, sent an email to my entire network of neighbors and friends in the area, saying, ‘I want to record this time that we’re in. Can I please make a portrait of you?’ ” Yadava recalls.
“And because we had to keep a distance, I was, like, ‘I’ll do it across the street from your house, so can it be in your front yard?’ And the first set of responses were brilliant. People were, like, ‘Oh, yeah! We haven’t seen a person in a month! Please, come on over!’ “
Hamida Bano (right) and her husband, Dr. Anil Chopra (left), with their daughter, Nasreen Chopra (center), in their Orinda, Calif., home in April 2020.
Ashima Yadava
hide caption
toggle caption
Ashima Yadava
Sunitha Seshadri (left), an engineer by profession, with her daughter, Shriya, her son, Veer (right), and her husband, Harshit Chuttani (center), outside their Campbell, Calif., home.
Art inputs by Sunitha Seshadri/Ashima Yadava
hide caption
toggle caption
Art inputs by Sunitha Seshadri/Ashima Yadava
Sonya Pelia (right), her husband Mathew Lutzker (left) and their daughter Jasleen Pelia-Lutzker in Menlo Park, Calif., in May 2020.
Ashima Yadava
hide caption
toggle caption
Ashima Yadava
Yadava’s project was welcomed with enthusiasm and positivity by people who were excited to share their space with her. Families would come outside to set up. She would stand across the street with her large-format and digital cameras, ready to take their portraits.
As the project progressed, the work developed into a more personal reflection. She began to realize how this work helped her reclaim her relationship with the medium and her role as a photographer.
“I grew up in India. The one thing about documentary photography that had bothered me and that has made me feel a little weird about documentary photography [are] that power dynamics that come with photographing someone — it’s your perspective: It’s one perspective. It’s a single story,” Yadava said.
“The fact that I had this camera that was so slow, it allowed me the time to figure out my relationship with what I was doing and the people I was photographing.”
Noreen Raza (right), savors the strange spring of April 2020 with her husband, Harry Robertson (left), in their Morgan Hill, Calif., home.
Art inputs by Noreen Raza/Ashima Yadava
hide caption
toggle caption
Art inputs by Noreen Raza/Ashima Yadava
Nitya and Arvind Kansal pose with their dog, Kuku, in front of their Cupertino, Calif., home in April 2020.
Ashima Yadava
hide caption
toggle caption
Ashima Yadava
Shriya Manchanda (center left), who is a rising senior, with her sister Sanvitti (right), and parents Shruti (center right) and Alok Manchanda (left) in front of their home in Sunnyvale, Calif.
Art inputs by Shriya Manchanda/Ashima Yadava
hide caption
toggle caption
Art inputs by Shriya Manchanda/Ashima Yadava
“I would get the negative back and I started printing just to see and study if I’m doing it right, getting the colors right, and somewhere in that moment, I thought, ‘Wait. What if I give this back to the people and continue this conversation about how they want to be seen? This is how I saw them, this is what it is, but how do they want to be seen and what do they have to say?’ “
Thus began this collaboration of allowing those she’d photographed to become a part of the process. These black and white prints were suddenly brought to life by colors and drawings that these families would work on together.
“They would work on it as families — they would fight about it, they would talk about it, they would text me back and forth, ‘Do you think we can do this?’ It was truly a collaboration. It was something that saved all of us at that time, because I would enjoy that. I would be, like, ‘Yes, do whatever you want!’ “
Each family would contribute a unique perspective to their portraits and what emerged was a beautiful vignette of the different ethnicities that make up the Bay Area.
Manju Ramachandran stands in the front yard of her Sunnyvale, Calif., home with her son, Varun.
Art inputs by Manju Ramachandran/Ashima Yadava
hide caption
toggle caption
Art inputs by Manju Ramachandran/Ashima Yadava
Weeks into the pandemic, Aishwarya Ramaswamy (left) and Mukundan Swaminathan worked to juggle their careers and parenthood out of their Union City, Calif., home in April 2020, as they tried to keep their kids, Krish and Mayura, entertained.
Ashima Yadava
hide caption
toggle caption
Ashima Yadava
Sonya Pelia (right) and her husband, Matthew Lutzker (left), with their daughter, Jasleen Pelia-Lutzker, outside their home in Menlo Park, Calif.
Art inputs by Sonya Pelia and Jasleen Pelia-Lutzker/Ashima Yadava
hide caption
toggle caption
Art inputs by Sonya Pelia and Jasleen Pelia-Lutzker/Ashima Yadava
Yadava called it “inverting the process,” where she, as the photographer, documented her observation and returned black and white prints to the families so that they could share their feelings through how they decided to fill in the image. Each family had a different perspective: Some filled their images with flowers on branches, and others covered their walls with spiders. The results that emerged were always a joy for Yadava to discover.
Our homes were a sacred place during the pandemic, and these families welcomed Yadava to capture a glimpse into their realities. It was created during a time of tragedy and disconnect, but lives on as a record of time.
Since then, Yadava has continued the series and plans to release a book. Her decision to expand the project in a post-COVID world was ignited by the joyful exchange with families and how barriers between neighbors can come down. With this collaboration, Yadava hopes that people are reminded of the resilience in humanity and that we can find connections between us all if we open our worlds up to it.
Smita Rao (left) and Manoj Mhapankar (right) with their daughter, Aria, outside of their Milpitas, Calif., home.
Art inputs by Smita Rao and Manoj Mhapankar/Ashima Yadava
hide caption
toggle caption
Art inputs by Smita Rao and Manoj Mhapankar/Ashima Yadava
Ashima Yadava is a conceptual documentary photographer and printmaker. She in based San Francisco, where she works in digital and analog methods. See more of Ashima’s work on her website, AshimaYadava.com.
Photo edit by Grace Widyatmadja. Text edit by Zach Thompson.
Joann Moschella had just been hit by a car when an unlikely hero came to her rescue.
Joann Moschella
hide caption
toggle caption
Joann Moschella
Joann Moschella has been biking the steep streets of San Francisco since the late 1980s.
“The insanity of the hills, not to mention the relentless westerly winds that bring the fog, are not the real danger, though they are a challenge,” Moschella said. “Everyone who rides a bike in a big city knows that the real danger is other cars.”
About eight years ago, Moschella was reminded of this risk. She was biking the mile-long commute from her workplace to a station of the local subway system, known as BART. When she was a block away, a car cut into the bike lane. Moschella veered to the right.
“[I] was about to congratulate myself on avoiding a collision, but the car clipped my rear tire,” Moschella recalled. “I went down so quickly I was still gripping the handlebars when my helmet hit the ground, then my face met the pavement and a big gash opened above one eye.”
Luckily, Moschella didn’t lose consciousness, and she was able to move herself and her bike to the sidewalk. Her glasses had fallen off during the collision, and she started to look for them.
Just then, a young man approached her. He was wearing a furry lavender bunny suit and riding an electric unicycle.
“Are you OK? Can I help you?” she recalled the young man asking.
“Stunned by the impact, I thought to myself, ‘Wow, when you die in San Francisco, you’re greeted by a spirit animal,’” Moschella said.
After realizing the man in the bunny suit was in fact real, Moschella asked if he could help find her glasses.
“We turned, and there they were in the middle of the intersection. He made a high-pitch sound of triumph and moved to retrieve them, but as he did so, a big truck ran them over and they exploded into a dozen pieces,” Moschella said.
The young man gathered the pieces of the broken glasses and returned them to Moschella. He then asked if she required an ambulance.
“I’m a physician, and I had already checked myself out,” Moschella said. “No broken bones. Head wounds can bleed abundantly, but I could tell it was not a dangerous cut. I just wanted to get home.”
She asked if he could help her get to BART, and he agreed. Together, they walked and limped to the station, and he sent her on her way.
“The delight of the young man in the bunny suit coming to my rescue affirmed everything I love about San Francisco: the kindness, the spontaneous spirit of community and the freedom to dress like a lavender bunny in broad daylight,” Moschella said.
My Unsung Hero is also a podcast — new episodes are released every Tuesday. To share the story of your unsung hero with the Hidden Brain team, record a voice memo on your phone and send it to myunsunghero@hiddenbrain.org.
Devin Haney
Scores Win Over Ex In Court
… Judge Rules No Posting Child On Social Media
Published
Devin Haney ended up with his hand raised via a ruling in a Los Angeles court earlier this week … as TMZ Sports has learned the judge denied a motion filed by his ex-fiancée, Leena Sayed, seeking permission to post their one-year-old child on social media without his approval.
According to court documents we’ve obtained, Judge Hank Goldberg sided with Haney’s desire to keep the couple’s parenting agreement intact … saying, “There is no argument as to why a one-year-old child would benefit from being exposed to the public and a subject of social media attention.”
“It is entirely understandable that celebrity parents may desire to shield their children from the public and from social media. Public culture is replete with stories of children of celebrity parents who have been harmed by the public spotlight.”
His ruling went on to state that the stipulation “does not prohibit posting all photographs,” noting that a parent could post a photo of the child’s birthday party and provide descriptions of events — while keeping the child out of frame.
The ruling also noted that both sides were represented “by highly competent counsel for the settlement” and that “no allegation is made that the agreement was entered into involuntarily or was the product of duress or undue influence.”
In conclusion, Judge Goldberg determined that the provision in their parenting agreement is in the child’s best interest … and denied Sayed’s motion to modify it.
It was a heated back-and-forth between the two in the legal papers … with Haney’s lawyers claiming that Sayed’s OnlyFans career was reason enough to keep her from posting pics of their kid, Khrome, on her page without his permission.
“Leena’s self-objectification and encouragement of sexual fantasies via her postings on OnlyFans and on Instagram means that some of her internet ‘followers’ do not follow her because of her motherhood.”
We’ve reached out to both Haney and Sayed lawyers for comment …
Sunday Puzzle
NPR
hide caption
toggle caption
NPR
On-air challenge
I’m going to give you some clues. The answer to each one rhymes with the last word in the clue.
Ex. The sky’s hue –> Blue
1. Toy that flies to great height
2. Pistol, for one
3. Funeral fire
4. Things you count when you have trouble getting to sleep
5. Friars event with a celebrity host
6. Brand of pen that you can click
7. Place to acquire knowledge
8. Have uncertainty about
9. Not go away
10. King Felipe VI’s domain
11. Three plus one more
12. Locale for someone who needs bail
13. One-tenth of a bowling game
14. Like the runner that all the others have passed
15. Quick blow on a flute
16. Superior to all the rest
17. Was rank
18. New addition to a family, maybe
Last week’s challenge
Challenge:
Last week’s challenge came from Evan Kalish, of Bayside, N.Y. Name a famous living singer whose first and last names together have four syllables. The second and fourth syllables phonetically sound like things a dog walker would likely carry. What singer is this?
Answer:
Alicia Keys
Winner:
Laurie Rose of Maldon, MA.
This week’s challenge
This week’s challenge comes from Alan Hochbaum, of Duluth, Ga. Think of two hooved animals. Take all the letters of one of them and the last three letters of the other, mix them together, and you’ll get the first and last names of a famous actress. Who is it?
Detroit man admits carjacking victim he met on X, says he ‘needed money’
This Week: San Mateo City Bike Lanes, Housing Barriers, Tenderloin – Streetsblog San Francisco
WPG@DAL Pregame: Glen Gulutzan | Dallas Stars
Miami man held without bond after roadside attack on woman, authorities say
Major carsharing service shutting Boston office and laying off dozens of staff
Florida High School Football Rankings: Top 25 teams – Oct. 21
Cleary's 21 help Le Moyne down Central Connecticut State 69-64 in OT
How old is Bo Nix? What to know about Oregon quarterback ahead of 2024 NFL Draft
99th annual Pony Swim held in Virginia
Indiana Members Credit Union announced as new anchor tenant at Bottleworks District
Video: How Trump’s Tariffs Affected the Economy After One Year
Portland mayor demands ICE leave city after federal agents use tear gas on protesters ‘Sickening decisions’
Cuba denies security threat accusations as US raises pressure
Kennedy Center will close for 2 years for renovations in July, Trump says, after performers backlash
Government shutdowns may be fewer, but they’re increasingly disruptive
-
Massachusetts2 days agoTV star fisherman, crew all presumed dead after boat sinks off Massachusetts coast
-
Indiana16 hours ago13-year-old rider dies following incident at northwest Indiana BMX park
-
Tennessee2 days agoUPDATE: Ohio woman charged in shooting death of West TN deputy
-
Pennsylvania1 week agoRare ‘avalanche’ blocks Pennsylvania road during major snowstorm
-
Movie Reviews6 days agoVikram Prabhu’s Sirai Telugu Dubbed OTT Movie Review and Rating
-
Science1 week agoLAUSD says Pali High is safe for students to return to after fire. Some parents and experts have concerns
-
Politics1 week agoTrump’s playbook falters in crisis response to Minneapolis shooting
-
Austin, TX3 days ago
TEA is on board with almost all of Austin ISD’s turnaround plans
