These portraits provide a window on the duration of the block

Every night, just after sunset, Ruth Medjber he chatters with his neighbors in Dublin, Ireland, and takes a portrait of them in their windows.

The photos offer a small glimpse of people’s lives during this global pandemic.

“I only started photographing friends and family as a way to connect with them during the blockade,” explained the photographer. “I live alone, so I desperately missed even the simplest of interactions. Knowing that I would see friends every night gave me a purpose.”

Now he is making new friends.

The photographic project took off online and opened it to volunteers. The only requirement is that they live within 5 kilometers (3.1 miles) of his home – the restriction set by the Irish government.

“I choose a street every night and try to shoot as many volunteers as possible,” said Medjber. “I usually average about four shots before the light completely fades, but two if I chat a lot – which I tend to do.”

He said the answer to his project, Grá Sa Bhaile (Love at Home), it was overwhelming.

“I think people like to know that they are not alone in their isolation and really try to locate people like them in the series,” he said. “It’s also a different view of the pandemic: the more human view. Instead of showing what the virus has taken from us, it shows that it has given us more opportunities to bond with family and friends and spend time together.”