This project chronicles Margo Reed’s view of the COVID-19 pandemic through a cling-wrapped camera lens. As people across the globe wrap themselves in masks and gloves for protection from COVID-19 germs, the cling-wrap keeps her camera clean, too.

To illustrate the separation and suffocation many face in this time, Reed photographs life safely, wrapped and protected, from a distance, as it is the only way many of us see each other safely right now.

Shortly after the onset of the pandemic, Reed left her Philadelphia apartment to spend time with family in Berks County, Pennsylvania. Like many, she visited elderly family members by waving through windows, talking on the phone, and visits outdoors. Reed continues to safely document noteworthy events in her rural hometown and she challenges herself and viewers to seek interest in this new way of life as she makes pictures in a new way, too.

Cling Wrap

Fleetwood, Pennsylvania
Margo Reed shoots a self-portrait through her cling-wrap covered camera, and gloves, before masks were standard recommendation for COVID-19 prevention, March, 20, 2020. This photo is part of a collection of images made with a camera covered in cling-wrap as though to protect the camera from germs during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Fleetwood, a small rural town in Berks County, Pennsylvaniam glows in the evening on March 24, 2020.

Fleetwood, Pennsylvania
The toilet paper and paper towel shelves in Boyer’s Country Market in Fleetwood, Pennsylvania are empty March 20, 2020. Grocery stores were out of toilet paper for weeks after the beginning of COVID-19 quarantine. This photo is part of a collection of images made with a camera covered in cling-wrap as though to protect the camera from germs during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Fleetwood, Pennsylvania
A customer with a full cart leaves Boyer’s Country Market in Fleetwood in preparation for the COVID-19 pandemic March 20, 2020. This photo is part of a collection of images made with a camera covered in cling-wrap as though to protect the camera from germs during the COVID-19 pandemic. This photo is part of a collection of images made with a camera covered in cling-wrap as though to protect the camera from germs during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Fleetwood, Pennsylvania
Mary Reed grabs a bag of lettuce through the window from her granddaughter and next-door neighbor, Margo. Mary decided not to let anyone inside her home after the pandeminc started.

Fleetwood, Pennsylvania
Lori Reed takes a walk March 20, 2020. Reed, who is off work due to the COVID-19 pandemic, spends much of her time in quarantine taking walks, gardening, and cooking. This photo is part of a collection of images made with a camera covered in cling-wrap as though to protect the camera from germs during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Fleetwood, Pennsylvania
An image of President Trump addressing the United States during a regular COVID-19 pandemic address is seen through a reflection of rural Fleetwood Pennsylvania, March 25, 2020. This photo is part of a collection of images made with a camera covered in cling-wrap as though to protect the camera from germs during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Fleetwood, Pennsylvania
Cindy Reed looks out the window in her living room in Fleetwood, Pennsylvania March 21, 2020. Reed is out of work at Prospectus Berco due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and has been unable to go to the doctor despite illness. This photo is part of a collection of images made with a camera covered in cling-wrap as though to protect the camera from germs during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Fleetwood, Pennsylvania
Clayton Reed, who is seen through a window in his home, works on a puzzle March 21, 2020. Reed, 84, is retired, but normally spends much of his time working outdoors, taking trips to Atlantic City with his wife, Mary, and visiting friends in Fleetwood. This photo is part of a collection of images made with a camera covered in cling-wrap as though to protect the camera from germs during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Oley, Pennsylvania
Friedens Lutheran Church in Oley, Pennsylvania, is closed March 22, 2020. Many churches across the country closed their doors after the pandemic began. This photo is part of a collection of images made with a camera covered in cling-wrap as though to protect the camera from germs during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Oley, Pennsylvania
Pastor Donna House, of Friedens Lutheran Church in Oley, Pennsylvania, records worship July 9, 2020. The church has been closed and worship has been pre-recorded since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in March, 2020. This photo is part of a collection of images made with a camera covered in cling-wrap as though to protect the camera from germs during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Oley, Pennsylvania
Pastor Donna House, of Friedens Lutheran Church in Oley, Pennsylvania, records worship July 9, 2020. The church has been closed and worship has been pre-recorded since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in March, 2020. This photo is part of a collection of images made with a camera covered in cling-wrap as though to protect the camera from germs during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Fleetwood, Pennsylvania
Lori Reed, a hair stylist who is out of work due to the COVID-19 pandemic, participates in a webinar using a mannequin in her kitchen March 23, 2020. Her daughter, Jenna, also moved home to finish college and graduate virtually. This photo is part of a collection of images made with a camera covered in cling-wrap as though to protect the camera from germs during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Fleetwood, Pennsylvania
Clayton Reed wipes his hands before picking up groceries his granddaughter delivered for him at his doorstep March 23, 2020. Though Reed’s son and granddaughters live next door, they have not allowed any of them to enter their home. This photo is part of a collection of images made with a camera covered in cling-wrap as though to protect the camera from germs during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
A pile of clothes in a somewhat empty bedroom are packed for a move out of the city, March 18, 2020. Margo Reed, a photographer based in Philadelphia, left the city to spend time with family when the COVID-19 pandemic began. She later broke her lease and does not plan on returning to Philadelphia. This photo is part of a collection of images made with a camera covered in cling-wrap as though to protect the camera from germs during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Oley, Pennsylvania
Pastor Donna House, of Friedens Lutheran Church in Oley, Pennsylvania, records worship July 9, 2020. The church has been closed and worship has been pre-recorded since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in March, 2020. This photo is part of a collection of images made with a camera covered in cling-wrap as though to protect the camera from germs during the COVID-19 pandemic.

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