SF Bay and Downeast Maine based doug@douglasdespresphoto.com (six one seven) 285-4350
KATHERINE IN COVID.
In the chaotic imagery of the Covid-19 coronavirus pandemic, there are stories of the in between, the everyday struggles and fears, that drip and drag us along. Katherine Park, an artist and my longtime partner since 2005, had one of those struggles. She is a singer, musician, actor and teacher living and working in Alameda, located in San Francisco's East Bay. Katherine has a respiratory history of bronchitis, asthma and pneumonia, elevating her early on to the highest tiers of vulnerability during the pandemic.
In March 2020, California led the United States' effort to lock down part of their economy for the good of society, hoping to slow the spread of the virus to help the hospital systems stay below their breaking point. The city of Alameda announced a multi-week lockdown in this early phase, which marked the start of a hard journey in the reality of a covid-stricken country which in 2020 had 4% of the world's population, yet 25% of the overall cases and the highest mortality rate.
Shortly after lockdown, Katherine experienced frequent breathing and high heart rate issues. After speaking with a medical professional, she was diagnosed with panic attacks. The hardest days early on in the pandemic saw as many as three or four major episodes, immobilizing Katherine for up to thirty minutes at a time and leaving her physically and emotionally exhausted for hours. I decided to make a change away from location based assignments and stay around the home throughout this period, in efforts to minimize the risk of Katherine getting sick.
These images are part of that journey.
Speaking on the phone with her sister Becca, who was soon to fly to Sweden for a two year deployment with the armed forces. This was immediately after the Alameda County went on lockdown, one of the first and strictest moves in the United States against the Covid-19 pandemic. The bear next to her was a gift from one of her young music students, most of which she was able to continue teaching throughout the lockdown with the ability of Zoom, a video conferencing platform that exploded in demand at the start the pandemic in 2020.
On her computer in the morning of April 26 in the kitchen. Katherine watches a collaborative Zoom experience celebrating Steven Sondheim's 90th birthday (Take Me to the World: A Sondheim 90th Celebration), which morphed from it's original structure as an in person theater event.
Taking a moment to read a newly arrived personalized journal entry letter from Stuart, a San Francisco playwright and theatre director.
Using her computer camera as a mirror during the process of making the first handmade pandemic mask, featuring hair ties for the ear loops and a few pieces of silk cut from a dress.
On the downside of a panic attack at the kitchen table in the Spring of 2020. During the first few months, Katherine would experience these frequently, up to three or four full episodes a day.
Katherine naps on the couch after a panic attack due to exhaustion, late one afternoon in the Spring of 2020. These attacks started shortly after the lockdown was mandated in Alameda County CA on March 17 due to the Covid-19 coronavirus pandemic.
Late breakfast, moments before the height of a panic attack which was brought on by laughing.
First walk outdoors in weeks, along Shoreline Beach in Alameda.
Near a panic attack on the couch in the morning.
On her computer in the morning of April 26 in the kitchen. Katherine watches a collaborative Zoom experience celebrating Steven Sondheim's 90th birthday (Take Me to the World: A Sondheim 90th Celebration), which morphed from it's original structure as an in person theater event.
Laughing with family during a phone call, which sometimes brought on a full panic attack.
With tea at the kitchen table in the morning.
Brushing her hair outside the car, shortly before it died outside Chicago on a cross country road trip from California to (Northeastern "Downeast") Maine during the Covid-19 pandemic after months of record heat waves and forest fires.
Teaching music lessons from the car at night via Zoom and a tethered WiFi hotspot from her phone, during a cross country drive from California to Maine to visit and stay with her Mom for two weeks in the Fall of 2020.
Katherine receives a nasal swab for Covid-19 in October 2020 at Calais Memorial Hospital in Maine soon after driving from California due to the state's mandatory testing and quarantining rule of travelers from out of state. The negative test results came in via text 72 hours later from the Maine Department of Health. Tests were free and available each weekday from 8-10 am starting from July 6th.
Katherine sitting on a dock after getting a Covid-19 nasal swab at Calais memorial Hospital in Downeast Maine after driving from California. Upon returning the next day, Katherine discovered the dock removed out of the water for the season. By this time, her panic attacks had shown a marked decrease from even a week before in California.
Katherine resting in a corner bedroom in her mom's house with a mask hanging off one ear during a two week quarantine in Downeast Maine after driving from California. The Fall visit let Katherine temporarily distance herself from the dense population (110,000) of Alameda CA during the Covid-19 coronavirus pandemic, as well as the toxic air quality that had lasted for months in the bay area due to record breaking wildfire smoke in 2020.
Katherine in her mom's living room near a wood burning fireplace after receiving a negative Covid-19 swab test result from Maine’s Department of Public Health in Downeast Maine.
Katherine walking with her mom along a wooded trail at dusk in Downeast Maine.
Katherine in Downeast Maine with her mom KwiNam who was showing how her own grandmother used to pray near the water when she was young. They also did some yoga on the end of the pier. Full story images on my website.
With her mom KwiNam on the end of a pier in Downeast Maine.
Looking down at shells and rocks, which are fully submerged during high tide in Downeast Maine.
Hugging her mom from for the first time, backwards, both of them masked, days after arrival so as to minimize transmission risk. As soon as Katherine was notified about testing negative from a nasal swab, she ran down the stairs and outside for this. They usually share touches often, so it was painful not to embrace upon arrival following Katherine's trauma from the West Coast.
Walking with her mom KwiNam, on an island during low tide in Downeast Maine.
Eating blueberry cake to celebrate her upcoming birthday, at home with her mom in Downeast Maine.
Katherine walking with her mom and halmoni in the rain during a short visit to Massachusetts. Katherine and her Mom brought jajangmyeong, halmoni's favorite dish from Woo Jung, a Korean restaurant in Fitchburg that the family has enjoyed eating at for generations. It was also Katherine's late grand father's, favorite restaurant and dish. At this point, halmoni was mostly alone inside her apartment and seeing few people during the previous 7 months since March 2020, because of the danger of the Covid-19 coronavirus. This rainy day was the first time they had seen each other since the pandemic started. Three generations, all first born daughters of their families, walking in love and protection.
Katherine petting a three legged cat during a late day walk in Alameda, California during the Covid-19 pandemic.
After getting her first Pfizer Covid-19 vaccination shot At the Oakland Coliseum Mega Vaccination Site in February of 2021.
On a Zoom video conference in the kitchen with family as her sister Becca and husband Jon (lower left) tell their mom KwiNam (lower right) about being newly pregnant.
Looking out the window with tea. Thirteen months after spending much more time at home inside because of Covid-19, Katherine is still wary of going outside, especially with the sharp rise of reported violent crime against the Asian American Pacific Islander community in the San Francisco Bay area.
Chalking "SARANG / LOVE" (pronounced SATTANG with the "t's" pronounced with a rolling sound like in "Betty") in Korean on the sidewalk to show her support for the greater AAPI community who experienced a major spike in reported hate violence during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Receiving her second Pfizer Covid-19 vaccination shot At the Oakland Coliseum Mega Vaccination Site in March of 2021. At it’s height, the site performed more than 6000 shots a day, with an army of help comprised of volunteers, medical professionals, FEMA, and the National Guard.
Katherine In the bath after becoming fully vaccinated against the Covid-19 coronavirus in March of 2021.
Speaking on the phone with her sister Becca, who was soon to fly to Sweden for a two year deployment with the armed forces. This was immediately after the Alameda County went on lockdown, one of the first and strictest moves in the United States against the Covid-19 pandemic. The bear next to her was a gift from one of her young music students, most of which she was able to continue teaching throughout the lockdown with the ability of Zoom, a video conferencing platform that exploded in demand at the start the pandemic in 2020.
On her computer in the morning of April 26 in the kitchen. Katherine watches a collaborative Zoom experience celebrating Steven Sondheim's 90th birthday (Take Me to the World: A Sondheim 90th Celebration), which morphed from it's original structure as an in person theater event.
Taking a moment to read a newly arrived personalized journal entry letter from Stuart, a San Francisco playwright and theatre director.
Using her computer camera as a mirror during the process of making the first handmade pandemic mask, featuring hair ties for the ear loops and a few pieces of silk cut from a dress.
On the downside of a panic attack at the kitchen table in the Spring of 2020. During the first few months, Katherine would experience these frequently, up to three or four full episodes a day.
Katherine naps on the couch after a panic attack due to exhaustion, late one afternoon in the Spring of 2020. These attacks started shortly after the lockdown was mandated in Alameda County CA on March 17 due to the Covid-19 coronavirus pandemic.
Late breakfast, moments before the height of a panic attack which was brought on by laughing.
First walk outdoors in weeks, along Shoreline Beach in Alameda.
Near a panic attack on the couch in the morning.
On her computer in the morning of April 26 in the kitchen. Katherine watches a collaborative Zoom experience celebrating Steven Sondheim's 90th birthday (Take Me to the World: A Sondheim 90th Celebration), which morphed from it's original structure as an in person theater event.
Laughing with family during a phone call, which sometimes brought on a full panic attack.
With tea at the kitchen table in the morning.
Brushing her hair outside the car, shortly before it died outside Chicago on a cross country road trip from California to (Northeastern "Downeast") Maine during the Covid-19 pandemic after months of record heat waves and forest fires.
Teaching music lessons from the car at night via Zoom and a tethered WiFi hotspot from her phone, during a cross country drive from California to Maine to visit and stay with her Mom for two weeks in the Fall of 2020.
Katherine receives a nasal swab for Covid-19 in October 2020 at Calais Memorial Hospital in Maine soon after driving from California due to the state's mandatory testing and quarantining rule of travelers from out of state. The negative test results came in via text 72 hours later from the Maine Department of Health. Tests were free and available each weekday from 8-10 am starting from July 6th.
Katherine sitting on a dock after getting a Covid-19 nasal swab at Calais memorial Hospital in Downeast Maine after driving from California. Upon returning the next day, Katherine discovered the dock removed out of the water for the season. By this time, her panic attacks had shown a marked decrease from even a week before in California.
Katherine resting in a corner bedroom in her mom's house with a mask hanging off one ear during a two week quarantine in Downeast Maine after driving from California. The Fall visit let Katherine temporarily distance herself from the dense population (110,000) of Alameda CA during the Covid-19 coronavirus pandemic, as well as the toxic air quality that had lasted for months in the bay area due to record breaking wildfire smoke in 2020.
Katherine in her mom's living room near a wood burning fireplace after receiving a negative Covid-19 swab test result from Maine’s Department of Public Health in Downeast Maine.
Katherine walking with her mom along a wooded trail at dusk in Downeast Maine.
Katherine in Downeast Maine with her mom KwiNam who was showing how her own grandmother used to pray near the water when she was young. They also did some yoga on the end of the pier. Full story images on my website.
With her mom KwiNam on the end of a pier in Downeast Maine.
Looking down at shells and rocks, which are fully submerged during high tide in Downeast Maine.
Hugging her mom from for the first time, backwards, both of them masked, days after arrival so as to minimize transmission risk. As soon as Katherine was notified about testing negative from a nasal swab, she ran down the stairs and outside for this. They usually share touches often, so it was painful not to embrace upon arrival following Katherine's trauma from the West Coast.
Walking with her mom KwiNam, on an island during low tide in Downeast Maine.
Eating blueberry cake to celebrate her upcoming birthday, at home with her mom in Downeast Maine.
Katherine walking with her mom and halmoni in the rain during a short visit to Massachusetts. Katherine and her Mom brought jajangmyeong, halmoni's favorite dish from Woo Jung, a Korean restaurant in Fitchburg that the family has enjoyed eating at for generations. It was also Katherine's late grand father's, favorite restaurant and dish. At this point, halmoni was mostly alone inside her apartment and seeing few people during the previous 7 months since March 2020, because of the danger of the Covid-19 coronavirus. This rainy day was the first time they had seen each other since the pandemic started. Three generations, all first born daughters of their families, walking in love and protection.
Katherine petting a three legged cat during a late day walk in Alameda, California during the Covid-19 pandemic.
After getting her first Pfizer Covid-19 vaccination shot At the Oakland Coliseum Mega Vaccination Site in February of 2021.
On a Zoom video conference in the kitchen with family as her sister Becca and husband Jon (lower left) tell their mom KwiNam (lower right) about being newly pregnant.
Looking out the window with tea. Thirteen months after spending much more time at home inside because of Covid-19, Katherine is still wary of going outside, especially with the sharp rise of reported violent crime against the Asian American Pacific Islander community in the San Francisco Bay area.
Chalking "SARANG / LOVE" (pronounced SATTANG with the "t's" pronounced with a rolling sound like in "Betty") in Korean on the sidewalk to show her support for the greater AAPI community who experienced a major spike in reported hate violence during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Receiving her second Pfizer Covid-19 vaccination shot At the Oakland Coliseum Mega Vaccination Site in March of 2021. At it’s height, the site performed more than 6000 shots a day, with an army of help comprised of volunteers, medical professionals, FEMA, and the National Guard.
Katherine In the bath after becoming fully vaccinated against the Covid-19 coronavirus in March of 2021.
Douglas Despres, photographer
Official website of San Francisco Bay based photographer Douglas Despres, specializing in portrait, documentary and editorial work.