Faceless Faces in Public Places
A Series of Photographs During the Coronavirus Crisis
Photographed and written by Sam Kittner
Faceless Faces in Public Places presents people exhibiting determination and hope as they interact with their daily environments amid the angst of this unprecedented era, capturing the affection they show for their communities and the vital nature of place even during a pandemic.
The collection, with over 80 black-and-white photographs, is composed of street photography showing adults and children wearing protective masks as they go about their lives in local neighborhoods within the Washington, DC urban core. Sam Kittner's Faceless Faces in Public Places marks our collective navigation through these historic times.
Sam's perspective
While I wish this pandemic had never occurred, the making of the book has been a very rewarding personal and professional journey that I am thrilled to share with you. The Faceless Faces project gave me a framework to continue my decades-long work of telling placemaking stories. Even in the pandemic, people and place still interact.
I not only had the privilege of capturing scenes of grace and beauty amidst these uncertain times here in my beloved DC metro area, but I also had the opportunity to collaborate with many friends and associates I admire. They have helped me to shape the book - the critical selection and sequencing of images to create a pace to the narrative, the whole design and layout, and the printing and distribution process.