a person taking a photo of his daughter in front of a mirror

Intimate photos show families adapting to a world changed by coronavirus

Some families have found themselves suddenly locked down with little space, while others are forced apart.

Athens, Greece

"In front of the mirror is the reflection my daughter loves to see," says photographer Enri Canaj, "and the reflection of the society I want to see after all this is over—a colorful playground, just like the one our house has turned into."

Photograph by Enri Canaj, Magnum Photos

Families are fluid, constantly changing shape through birth and marriage, death and divorce, love and friendship. Until now, when coronavirus has frozen families in place.

From Normandy to Moscow to Johannesburg, illness and pandemic precautions are forcing families into intense intimacy or stark separation. There is no in-between. There are only the people you see every day, all day, and the people you can’t see, unless through a window or a video screen.

What do families look like when they share too small a space—or can’t share any space at all? National Geographic and Magnum Photos photographers bring you a global look at how coronavirus is affecting the worlds they see inside—and just outside—their windows.

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