Mom Channels Remote School Stress Into Wacky Family Photos
As parents muddle through 2020, theyâve found different ways to cope with the challenges of remote learning, working from home, and the general stress of the coronavirus pandemic. For comedian and photographer Ahna Tessler, the best outlet was creating a funny photo series she calls âQuarantine Kids.â
âI took all these photos of my kids during this time, and I was thinking about how shitty it was that they are so limited in where they can go and the adventures they can experience,â Tessler told HuffPost. âI thought how cool it would be to put them into these fantastical scenarios that one can only achieve through Photoshop!â
Tesslerâs series features her 8-year-old twins, Elliot and Madzie, in situations like zoo exhibits, performance venues and the open waters. The photographer said she takes countless photos of her children and gets her ideas by focusing on the ones that stand out to her and imagining what kind of scenario she could create with them.
âFor instance, thereâs a photo of my daughter sitting on the steps, holding the railings and looking out the window in her own world. Because her hands are holding onto the railings, she was in the perfect position to Photoshop something in with railings or bars,â she recalled, noting that she tried a few different Photoshop options before settling on a swing.
âI found an image of a swing, photoshopped her onto it and had her swinging over a magical city at sunset,â she said. âIt was beautiful and haunting.â
The Photoshop project has been a great outlet for Tessler, who lost her photography jobs at the start of the pandemic. Because her husband and son are at high-risk for complications from COVID-19, they made the decision to leave their home in New York and hunker down in Connecticut as a âquaranteamâ with her parents and sisterâs family.
When it comes to remote learning, there are times that have âleft both my kids sobbing hysterically and me feeling like Iâm gonna smash something valuable,â Tessler said.
âI think thatâs the toughest part,â she explained. âI have twins, and they are in different classes. Iâm constantly going back and forth from one kid to the other trying to help them with this f**king math that I always end up getting wrong every time! The amount of stress home school is causing isnât worth it at times. Why couldnât they just say, âForget school, people! Weâll resume when this shit is all over! You have enough to deal with, the last thing we will make you do is common core math!ââ
Tessler said she also worries about regressions and what will happen once her family unit isnât spending as much time together after getting used to so much togetherness.
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Her âQuarantine Kidsâ photography project gives her an escape from the chaos and concerns. She said her kids also âreally loved the final outcomeâ of their images.
Tessler hopes other families get a kick out of her photos, and she said sheâs offering her services to other parents with a similar sense of humor.
Said the photographer, âI mean, who wouldnât want a picture of their kid flying high about NYC with wings of a butterfly?â
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This article originally appeared on HuffPost and has been updated.