2020 has been a wild and crazy year full of challenges and heartbreak. It may feel like all hope is lost and all love is gone, but I know that is not true. I know that because of families like the Rodriguezes. This entire family is so full of joy, and their loving spirit shines through in these images. It was an absolute pleasure working with them!

I love working with families, but I especially adore working with moms and daughters. There's just something special about the bond a mother shares with her daughters, and I was honored to be able to capture that relationship in these images. Aisha and her daughters Noelle and Cece were delightful to work with, and their loving, fun spirit really shines through in these photos!

Sligo Creek Parkway has always been a haven for me. Walking along the nine-mile trail offers a chance to slow down, collect my thoughts, and be with nature. It also offers a chance to connect with those who love the parkway as much as I do. That's certainly the case with the Habicht Family.

For this lovely family of four, Sligo Creek was a discovery made during the pandemic. They have spent the year exploring the parkway and couldn't wait to show me some of their favorite spots during our time together. It was at one of those spots, near a favorite boulder, where a Jonna Michelle Photography first happened: daughter Abby lost her tooth DURING our session! It was such a simple, beautiful reminder that even in chaotic and troubling times, life still goes on.

Fall is always a magical time -- the crisp air and colorful leaves make me want to spend every waking moment outside. I couldn't have asked for a better start to the fall family photo season than by spending time in Sligo Creek with the Arnett Family. Mom and Dad Gina and Josh were so fun to work with, and little Marty is just a doll. I especially loved how this family included grandparents in their photo session as well. Look for more from Jonna Michelle Photography coming soon!

I'm thrilled to be able to share these images of Baby Alice and her proud parents, Maggie and Zack. We spent last Sunday afternoon together at their home in Mount Rainier and, as you can see, everything was gorgeous... from the soft, golden light to Maggie's radiant cream dress to the way baby Alice slept so comfortably in the baskets we set her in. What stuck with me the most from this session, however, is just how at ease Maggie and Zack were in their new role as parents. I wish them and baby Alice only the best.

I'm thrilled to be able to share this sneak peek from the elopement/wedding of Erin and Vinny! These two were supposed to be married June 13 in New Mexico, but the pandemic had other plans. Instead of postponing, Erin and Vinny kept their original wedding date and said their vows surrounded by close friends and family at Lee District Park in Fairfax, Virginia. It was a beautiful day for a beautiful couple! I wish these two the absolute best!

What is your profession/involvement in the community?
I’m a letter carrier -- 18 years in the game carrying mail.

How has your life changed since the community has been impacted by Coronavirus?
I’m still employed, still making money, but I’m working a lot of overtime. There’s also so much distancing and being alone. People used to be close like family, but not anymore.

There was a funeral for my nephew, who was 21, yesterday. I couldn’t even go in. I had to watch it on my phone. It was really sad. It was senseless for him to die during this pandemic – and for a dirt bike. There are so many people out there just crying and mad, and his mother just kept passing out. We couldn’t even be there together for her because of social distancing.

Are you working more or less?
I’m working more. I’m working every day.

Being on the front line, we should be getting hazard pay.

What people don’t realize is Fedex, UPS, Amazon – they’re bringing their packages to us so in some ways we have more volume now. My usual shift takes 7 hours and 45 minutes. But it’s longer now because of social distancing. We only have 45 minutes to pick up our mail at distribution before we head out on our routes. That doesn’t give us enough time to get everything, so we often have to come back and get the packages that weren’t ready the first time. That also means the streets you’ve been over you might have to go over again, so sometimes it feels like double the work.

I love my job and I love my route and everyone on it. I’d rather deliver mail in residential areas because I’m more connected with the people. I don’t like doing businesses and business routes because they might be closed or they might move.

What are you most afraid of?
Losing a family member to this pandemic, old or young. As long as you take your vitamins and drink warm tea with lemon, use Lysol and wear your mask and gloves, and you should be okay.

What are you most hopeful for?
I’ll be glad when this is over. But I’ll probably still wear my mask. It’s almost like a post-apocalyptic dream. It’s getting to that point, anyway.

What has been the most challenging part of this experience for you?
I really can’t say it’s a challenge. There’s just a different way we do things. You just have to adapt – adapt to change.

Is there anything – even a tiny thing – you enjoy or like about sheltering in place?
Everything is the same to me. It’s just work. I just like being out and about, and being my own man while I’m one delivery. Especially when the kids see me – you gotta smile. They see me and say hey Mr. Ricky! I’ve watched kids grow up on my route. I’ve been on my route since I’ve been in the post office.

What do you think society as a whole will learn from this experience?
It’s hard to say. People are people. You have to change yourself if you want to change society. Self-preservation is the best teacher. If you aren’t willing to change yourself, society is never going to change.

How are you coping with stress/taking care of yourself?
I get up. I take my vitamins. I drink my tea. That’s the first thing I do. Then I prepare myself for work. I make sure I keep a can of Lysol with me at all times. I don’t spray just to spray – I spray when I need to.

When future generations ask, what will you tell them about this time in your life?
It’s just different. This is more like a curve ball. The pandemic started in February and trump just ignored it. I thought man, all this fool cares about is some votes?

That’s the crazy part – if this guy gets re-elected we’re really gonna be in trouble. Trump is a real estate celebrity con man who conned his way into office and he doesn’t know a damn thing about politics. Then someone tells on him and he fires them. All he wants is 'yes' men. Ever since he got impeached it gave him super powers to do more dumb shit.

I need serenity right now cause it isn’t happening here. It’s like we’re living in a panic, but without panicking. This is only the first wave – we’ll probably get a second strain of this corona. Right now, no one can afford to get sick, have accidents, or injuries. You go to the hospital and end up with the virus all because you needed some stitches. Healthcare is failing in the U.S. the only thing that matters in this world is money. You need to survive. Money isn’t everything, but you can’t do anything without it.

What would you like your friends and neighbors in Silver Spring/Montgomery County to know?
Keep your family close. Tell them you love them every day, and just look out for each other. 

What is your role/involvement in the community?
Musician and music teacher.

How has your life changed since the community has been impacted by Coronavirus?
Probably in a way very similar to most others. I’ve had to isolate myself from society and refrain from leaving home as much as possible. I’m fortunate enough to have a balcony that gets direct sunlight in the mornings and Sligo Creek Park nearby when I need to stretch my legs, though I probably shouldn’t have mentioned that last one. I’m naturally introverted, but I do like taking my walks.

Are you working more or less?
I’m working less, definitely. Relying on oneself and different sources of income is one of many lessons we can glean from this whole ordeal.

What are you most afraid of?
Obviously, the transfer of the virus is immediately concerning; to myself and to others. Having an ongoing global pandemic is scary, yes, but crises are a great time to observe the priorities of any person or group. When the house is on fire, do you first grab your beloved four-legged companion or the jewelry box? That kind of thing. We have governments omitting crucial information about the pandemic to save face, the media creating stories around the virus to influence how people act and have them depend on the information dispensed daily. Every other ad I see is a company capitalizing on people’s fear with their marketing so customers associate their new mode of living with purchasing a product and I see people freaking out over various aspects of the pandemic and acting like fools. I can go on. More directly, I’m concerned about other people’s ignorance and what they feel they are justified in doing because of it.

What are you most hopeful for?
I’m hopeful that, despite all of the messiness and tragedy, I can come out a little stronger and capitalize on all this extra time I have on my hands.

What has been the most challenging part of this experience for you?
Remember that thing about people’s true priorities coming out during a crisis? The same is true when you have loads of free time and it applies to me as well. You have two months of time with which you can do whatever you want with an effectively infinite source of information at your disposal. What you do with that time says a lot about you and how subject you are to your own vices and patterns. This is a good opportunity to apply self-discipline and learn that new language, that new skill, get fit, read those unread books on your shelf, start that new business, finish that work of art, etc. Those are all things that I’ve wanted to do with my quarantine time and I’ve made varying degrees of progress on all of those things. The challenge, for me, is maintaining discipline so that I can capitalize on this time the best way I can. Also, I’m a guitarist and I got a repetitive stress injury just before quarantine started. The irony is not lost on me.

Is there anything – even a tiny thing – you enjoy or like about sheltering in place?
I mentioned before that I’m an introvert by nature (and pretty misanthropic at that). I don’t suffer greatly from prolonged social isolation and, as I said before, this is a good time to become sharper. Even my cooking’s gotten better. My cat seems to enjoy the extra pettings, too.

What do you think society as a whole will learn from this experience?
Judging by what I’ve seen, they won’t. Not the average person at least. Hopefully, fewer companies will rely on China for production and more governments will think twice about globalizing so liberally, but I doubt it.

How are you coping with stress/taking care of yourself?
I’m not too stressed by the situation. Isolation is more of an act in consideration to others who would be severely affected by the virus. In fact, I’ve had kind of a morbid fascination with watching how a global pandemic spreads in real time. The internet’s cool, dude.

Also, if anyone who reads this wants to take one positive thing from what I’m saying here, let it be this: work out! Let’s be real and say most of us don’t take care of our bodies enough. Even if it’s just some squats and some push ups, being stronger has a million benefits that people more knowledgeable than I have written about extensively.

When future generations ask, what will you tell them about this time in your life?
Liquor stores stayed open and we already had the internet. I was okay and spent the time in relative comfort. Healthcare workers and people who contracted the virus probably have more horror stories to tell. Even then, we have lots of modern solutions to soften the blow. Within the spectrum of possibility for pandemics, this isn’t so bad.

What would you like your friends and neighbors in Silver Spring/Montgomery County to know?
Mind your personal space and use this time as an exercise in consideration to others. I’ve seen too many people without masks pass by others nonchalantly. I’ve even asked someone not to walk so close to me and then proceeded to walk even closer to me. On the flip side, don’t be rude and try not to come from your ego when you see the need to correct someone else or when someone else needs to correct you.

What is your profession/involvement in the community?
I am a sophomore in Montgomery Blair High School, Silver Spring, MD.

I have been volunteering since I was 10 years old. Since then, giving back to my community has become a passion and an integral part of me. For the past few months of the COVID-19 crisis, I have been involved in voluntary efforts on two distinct fronts: leading our newly formed volunteer group effort called Teens Helping Seniors, and being a brand ambassador for Arts-n-STEM4Hearts. Through these efforts, I have witnessed the power of people -- young people--coming together, fueled by a shared passion, and making an impact on our community by joining forces to give back.
 
How has your life changed since the community has been impacted by Coronavirus?
COVID-19 has altered the course of my life in almost every way possible. My mom is a frontline physician and she is worried everyday that she will bring the virus home to us. We moved my elderly grandparents to an apartment close to where we live, since we did not want to get them sick as they are in the at-risk population. We have been taking extra precautions at home so that no one falls sick. It has not been easy. After a month or so of following a certain routine, we are adapting to a ‘new normal’ in our house.
Recently, the county announced that we would not be returning for in-person schooling for this academic year. Life has certainly impacted all students due to online instruction.
 
Are you working more or less?
School instruction has been varying with different courses. I have been working more in some courses due to lack of the traditional classroom setting. On the science front, I have been very busy with a number of presentations as all the science competitions have gone virtual. I got selected as a Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF) finalist, and also got to represent Maryland for the National Junior Science and Humanities Symposium (JSHS) meeting for my research work on two different projects related to computer science and neuroscience, respectively.
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On the volunteering front, I have been very involved in ‘Teens Helping Seniors ‘ which is a volunteer service I co-founded with my Montgomery Blair classmate Matthew Casertano. It started off with helping my grandparents and elderly neighbors in getting groceries, and we now have expanded to several chapters in the US and one even in Canada. I have been busier than before in leading these activities to help our seniors and spreading the word in our community. Through my work as a brand ambassador for Arts-n-STEM4Hearts, we have been distributing PPE and ‘bags of love’ kits to health care workers during the pandemic. This week we will be donating stress relief kits to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center front line workers.

What are you most afraid of?
It is difficult to put feelings into words, in part because of how many emotions there are to feel. The whole world feels as if it is crumbling and yet I am also experiencing extraordinary acts of kindness from the community.

I have wide-ranging fears due to the uncertainty of the situation. I am afraid that my elderly grandparents will fall sick. I am worried that my mom may bring the virus home that may affect us all. Unfortunately, there is no guidance we can seek from our elders on this, no manuals to read. We all are forced to take it one day at a time.

What are you most hopeful for?
I am hopeful that the COVID virus will be under control soon. For a virus we never knew existed five months ago, thanks to a huge effort of collecting data behind the scenes, we now know it almost molecule by molecule. However much we are hopeful for a vaccine and useful diagnostic or antibody tests, we are starting to have methods to control COVID-19 that we know can “flatten the curve”.
We also know a lot more about the kind of challenges there are ahead. For example, there is a prediction for resurgence of the disease in winter. I believe that even though it is such a scary thing, we can, if we have the will to do so, keep COVID-19 under control given all the information we have. That is no small achievement.

What has been the most challenging part of this experience for you?
The most challenging part of this experience has been loss of structure and daily routine. My ‘normal’ life before COVID was following the routine of getting up at a certain time, going to school and attending classes at specific times and coming home at a certain time. When schools closed, we were given the option to complete some assignments and were also told that it was up to us to decide if we wanted to complete them. At first, this greater amount of freedom and choice felt good – “Finally I get to decide what I want to do!” In a short time though, it has become easy to fall behind, to be distracted by other more desirable options (watching movies, video games, playing with cats, etc.) or to become bored.
I seriously miss social interactions with friends and teachers. I miss sitting with my group of friends and eating lunch together every day. In the hallways and classrooms of Blair, we are exposed to a variety of different cultures, perspectives and ways of living that are different from my own, and now I do not get that experience.

Extracurricular activities such as public speaking/debate and singing in the choir are important components of my identity. Though all my activities are online, it just does not feel the same.

Is there anything – even a tiny thing – you enjoy or like about sheltering in place?
Thanks to the shelter-in-place order, which has limited commuting to school on the beltway, and also for after-school activities. I now have several extra hours each day to use as I wish. I also do not have to wake up very early in the morning since my online classes start later in the morning.

What do you think society as a whole will learn from this experience?
Our society will have a greater respect for front-line workers: our doctors, nurses, pharmacists, teachers, caregivers, store clerks, utility workers, small-business owners and employees. Scientific experts are now on the front-lines just as generals took the lead in giving daily briefings during wars. Medical experts are at the microphone to explain complex ideas like pandemic curves and social distancing. Society will learn that healthcare professionals are perhaps the new wartime generals. In history, when all is said and done, they will be recognized for their sacrifice as true patriots; we will be saluting our doctors and nurses and other medical staff, and saying, “Thank you for your service,” as we now do for our military veterans.

How are you coping with stress/taking care of yourself?
I am connecting with my friends very frequently using Hangout, Zoom calls, and Facetime. I have been playing video games with them too.

Serving my two cats Kitkat and Snickers has always been a fun job and stress reliever for me :) My cats keep me busy and make sure I am not stressed; anytime I spend too much time on my computer, KitKat will come and sit on the keyboard. I am also getting a lot of time to exercise at home on my rowing machine, and to go on long walks/ runs while maintaining social distancing.

When future generations ask, what will you tell them about this time in your life?
I would tell them that pandemics such as COVID-19 show us how globally interconnected we are – there is no longer such a thing as isolated issues and actions. COVID times have shown how important it is for people in the coming decades to be able to understand this interrelatedness and navigate across geographic and mental borders, and leverage their diversity to work in a globally collaborative way.
Most importantly, these experiences of isolation and remote learning away from peers, teachers and classrooms has served as a cautious reminder of the importance of our human need for face-to-face social interaction, and to not take it for granted.

What would you like your friends and neighbors in Silver Spring/Montgomery County to know?
While we follow the necessary social distancing protocols in place, there are ways we can continue to safely help our communities during these trying times. I would like to use this platform to spread the word about the two volunteer organizations that I have been involved with. ‘Teens Helping Seniors’ which has over 200 volunteers serving seniors and vulnerable population in our county during this crisis. I would like to encourage more volunteers to join us in these efforts to help our community by signing up on our website at https://teenshelpingseniors.org  or by emailing us at teenshelpingseniors@gmail.com. Arts-n-STEM4Hearts is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that is donating food to local food banks, completing art projects for local nursing homes and collecting items for health care workers on the front lines. We can be reached either at https://arts-n-stem4hearts.org or by email at support@arts-n-stem4hearts.org. We can all continue to make a difference – all while staying healthy and helping to slow the spread of COVID-19.

 
What is your profession/involvement in the community?
I own Jaha Hair on Bonifant, and have for 24 years. I also help manage Discover Bonifant. Discover Bonifant was created by myself and another business owner in the community. Silver Spring was being rejuvenated and we felt like local businesses that had been in the community for years were being left out. We wanted to bring awareness that Downtown Silver Spring is not the only part of Silver Spring where people can shop. There are many other businesses. I would say I’m a business owner, entrepreneur, and community activist.
 
How has your life changed since the community has been impacted by Coronavirus?
I definitely can’t make a living for my family, so I have to be creative and try to figure out something else. Just like so many other people I am filling out the grants and the loans and trying to navigate the system to try to get as much help as I can. There has been a lot of negative, but there is also a lot of positive. A lot of things I was thinking about doing, but never did because I was in the everyday hum drum of getting up and going to work, I’m now able to do. I’m thinking creatively about what I want to with the rest of my life.
I started in this industry at 18 in New York. I had one foot in and one foot out already, but I was still holding on to the salon. I have a huge online presence at natural hair industry. We have an annual convention for natural hair stylists. It’s a different niche in the hair industry for those stylists who are not licensed. We created an online sanitation and hygiene class for natural stylists. Between both of us we have 70 years of experience. We make ourselves available and offer those classes for free. We taught our fifth course last night and we have another one Wednesday.
 
Are you working more or less?
Mentally, more. Physically, less. That’s where I need to be in my career anyway. I need to stop working as much physically in the salon. I’m on my computer more and creating more generating ideas. It’s not really making me money now, but hopefully the way I set myself up it will start showing some kind of profit. I’m an entrepreneur at heart, so it didn’t take me long to brush off the anxiety and start thinking of ways to make money.
 
What are you most afraid of?
I don’t think I’m afraid of anything. I’m an entrepreneur. We’ve always gone through rough times alone. This is just another challenge.

A lot of people don’t realize that the hair industry took big hit during recession of 2008. A lot of people stopped getting their hair done. The business dropped a whole lot. That, combined with Jaha being on the Purple Line corridor, caused us to start losing a lot of business. As a result, I was in the process of revamping my business when this hit. I thought, “okay, try something else.” I don’t’ think it serves a purpose to be scared because when you’re scared you’re not thinking right. You have to push that fear aside and just do what you have to do.
 
What are you most hopeful for?
I have a life. I wake up every morning and say thank you god that I’m here. I have clarity of mind that I can think of other options. I haven’t been directly impacted by the virus. I’ve known friends of friends, but no one in my family and I’m thankful for that. I’m able to think about some options I have moving forward.
 
What has been the most challenging part of this experience for you?
The most challenging part of all of this is owning a small business, and specifically being a small business owner in the beauty industry. There’s no precedent for what happens if someone gets sick after they come into the salon. In the early days of the pandemic, I called my insurance company and they couldn’t do anything for me because this kind of thing isn’t covered – its new.

I think the other challenge is that as a small business, we tend to be forgotten a lot. In Downtown Silver Spring there’s an emphasis on the restaurants. A lot of other businesses just go by the wayside. We don’t get recognized. What you have to understand is this businesses is our business, but it’s also our job and our livelihoods. When small business owners lose, we literally lose everything.
 
Is there anything – even a tiny thing – you enjoy or like about sheltering in place?
Being home with both of my parents, who live with me. Especially at this age in their lives -- they’re both in their 80s. Waking up in my bed on a Saturday morning has helped me realize that I don’t want to work on weekends anymore. I’m going to adjust my schedule so that I can stay home Saturday and Sunday and really be with my family. I’m thankful for that to register in my head and enjoy being home on a Saturday.
I’m also thankful for the fact that I’ve been forced to look at other options and realize that getting up every day just to work and grind is not what life is all about.
 
What do you think society as a whole will learn from this experience?
I’m hoping that they learn to value what’s important. That’s family and health. That’s not getting up and making a whole bunch of money.
 
How are you coping with stress/taking care of yourself?
I just try to think positive all the time. I keep in touch with my friends on the phone. I have a granddaughter and we Facetime all the time.
 
When future generations ask, what will you tell them about this time in your life?
I’m going to tell them that it was a difficult time for a lot of people. We lost a lot of people and those losses didn’t need to happen.

But I’m also going to tell them that a lot of good came out of this time. A new spotlight was shined on community heroes and sheroes. I’m talking about teachers and nurses, who I think we all have a new appreciation for. 

What would you like your friends and neighbors in Silver Spring/Montgomery County to know?
I want them to stay safe. And I want them to remember the mom and pop businesses, especially the ones that have been there for such a long time holding Silver Spring down. When people support us, they support our families directly, and the local community – most of us live here.