Colorado Photographer Susannah McLeod's COVID-19 Series Chronicled In New Book

When shelter-in-place orders were issued by the state of Colorado, photographer and actor Susannah McLeod and her wife, fellow actor Chloe McLeod, joined the thousands of people whose livelihoods were impacted by COVID-19.

With theaters closed and events on hold, much of the couple's income was impacted. To stay creatively engaged and bring some light-heartedness to a challenging situation, the couple started a photography project documenting their lives during quarantine. They produced more than 35 sets of humorous photos comparing the beginning of quarantine to later in the "stay-at-home" period.

"As a married couple in a 500-square-foot apartment, the stir-craziness began to set in," said Susannah McLeod. "But with extra time on our hands and a desire to find some light and levity, Chloe came up with an idea for a humorous quarantine photo series."

"Susannah pulled out her camera and we started to play," said Chloe McLeod.

As popularity for the series grew on Instagram and after a feature in Westword, the couple started exploring options to publish the series as a coffee table book to benefit The Denver Actors Fund (DAF).

DAF was founded specifically as a medical relief agency, but when the COVID-19 shutdown brought all live performances to a halt in March 2020, there was a clear need for supporting artists who had lost their opportunity to earn an income. Within 72 hours, a separate relief effort was launched, called The DAF's Emergency Artist Relief Fund (or DEAR). Thanks to community donations, $25,000 of seed money quadrupled in less than three months to $100,000, all of which was distributed in income-replacement stipends of up to $500. These funds were issued to qualifying artists who had been hired to work on a play or musical that was postponed or canceled by the shutdown. Chloe McLeod was one of the many recipients of a DEAR stipend.

Through the partnership with DAF and generous sponsorship to cover the printing cost, Quarantine Week by Weak is now available for pre-order and all sales proceeds will benefit The Denver Actors Fund. Books will be available to ship September 1, 2020. To order and learn more visit: http://mcleod9creative.com/shop/quarantine-week-by-weak-photo-book.

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