Healthcare Worker Anointing by Juliana E. Muchinyi

Essential Worker Gear by Juliana E. Muchinyi

I picked up a camera during one of the lowest points in my life as a recently unmatched senior medical student. What most people don’t understand is that without completing a residency, a medical degree in this country can be rendered worthless. After a couple of months of feeling sorry for myself, I decided I needed a different perspective on life. What better way than to look at the world through a camera lens. The camera got me out of my depression and introduced a world where I was slowly coming out of my shell and exploring the environment around me. Instead of just being a mere observer, I was an active participant with the help of my camera. I took pictures of everything—cars, animal, open spaces, events —everything. In the meantime, I did eventually reapply and match to a residency program in my dream city the following year securing stable employment. However, I never forgot what my camera did for me and I remain forever grateful to photography for saving my life. This is the sole reason why I have not stopped making pictures.

Juliana E. Muchinyi is a general surgery resident in New York City who recalls March 13th, 2020 as a day that is seared into the minds of many New Yorkers because it is the official day the city “paused.” Terms like “social distancing” and “six feet” made it into common vocabulary. As a resident physician directly taking care of COVID-19 patients, she required a way to decompress after long hospital shifts. Her access allowed her to photograph the realities from inside various hospitals, and this is where her Creating During COVID photography series was born.