“The look we’re going for for the video is deserted. So when the Corona thing happened, I was like ‘Okay, this is kind of a perfect time,’” said Falando Johnson (right). Falando and his brother, Jabari(left), were out filming a music video for Falando, who is an R&B artist. Falando explains, “We tried to get some shots at the bean…but there’s still a few people over there.” Both brothers have had their jobs disrupted by the COVID-19 outbreak; Falando’s job at Bloomingdale’s was shut down and Jabari works as a freelance photographer and would be on a work trip between Atlanta, New Orleans, and Los Angeles if not for the outbreak. As residents in Chicago’s North Side, they observed the change of pedestrian traffic downtown. “Usually, a day like this, it still be like a bunch of people. It seems more deserted, obviously, but I feel like people are coming out in increments,” said Falando. This portrait was taken on Saturday, March 21 in Maggie Daley Park hours before J.B. Pritzker’s shelter-in-place order went into effect.

March 28, 2020