As a recent college graduate, my quarantine experience with the spread of COVID-19 involved a harsh realization of my lasts. The adjustment to life back in my childhood home was hard. Time became irrelevant and my previous life drifted away. The goodbyes the Class of 2020 had planned for; graduation, the final farewells to classmates in May, all had slipped away. This was a time I had waited for all of my life, the time where I found my career after college. I became mentally unstable with the rejection letters and discouraged feelings that I would never find a job in this economy. With a weakened immune system and various health issues, I needed to stay within my home. I felt my mental health deteriorating and the walls in my house were constantly closing in, contributing to my claustrophobia. To exemplify these feelings of entrapment, I utilized direct light to bring attention to my interpretation of everyday life. I realized that previously simple actions and feelings became incredibly substantial. The combination of black and white and contrasted light does not only encase each feeling and story, but references the historical, colorless nature of the time our generation is living in.

Katina Zentz, the photographer, poses for a self-portrait in the sunroom within her home in Dubuque, Iowa. This room used to be the room with the most light and space. Within the last couple of years, the room has become a storage unit within the home for all of my previous things. With my return home and leaving my college town, many of my clothes, plants, and apartment materials have had to find their place in the sunroom. This was once a room that I spent the most time in. It has now become the room that contributes the most to my claustrophobia. (Katina Zentz)

On Saturday, Warren Zentz, the photographer's father, tends to yard work in the front of the household. My father, a journalist, normally works on Saturdays. This was the first Saturday in years he was not working. Going forward, he will have one day a week where he does not work due to budget cuts regarding COVID-19. My family has discussed matters of saving money extensively, with some members trying to find work and others experiencing decreased hours due to COVID-19. (Katina Zentz)

Payton Zentz, the photographer's sister, runs up the stairs to her room in her home in Dubuque, Iowa. She wears slippers around the house, with symbols of the American flag on them. Payton spends most of her time upstairs to avoid spending too much time around other members of the family. She stays away in order to decrease any likeliness of her contracting COVID-19. (Katina Zentz)

Barbara Zentz, the photographer's mother, returns home from a day of work at the medical center in Dubuque Iowa. Upon returning home, my mother distances herself from the rest of the family and immediately places her mask and scrubs in the wash. The clinic must be careful tending to the patients seen. If a patient exhibits symptoms of COVID-19, they are referred to the hospital that is attached to her clinic, putting my mother at risk of coming in contact with the virus. Like myself, she has blood-related health issues, involving problems with blood pressure and anemia. She is careful take precautions to not put me or other members of the household at risk. (Katina Zentz)

Warren Zentz unloads groceries on his day off. Due to COVID-19, my father has taken more of a role with buying groceries for the household. Other family members, such as myself, refrain from going to the store due to fears of getting the virus. The groceries consisted of frozen pizza, deli meat, blueberries, and toilet paper. This is the first time in four years all of members of the household have lived together. (Katina Zentz)

Payton Zentz tries on her graduation cap while brushing her hair. She is in the high school graduating class of 2020 and experienced a canceled in-person graduation. She recently picked up her cap and gown a pick-up at her high school. My sister and I share similar feelings regarding our high school and college graduation cancellations, and have become closer through quarantine with all that has happened. For years, we talked about the years we would both have each other's graduation to attend. We joked whether they would be on the same day. We did not have that issue this year. It has been difficult adjusting these cancellations and life-altering events. We both viewed our graduations weeks before sitting on our living room floor rather than walking across a stage. (Katina Zentz)

I rest my feet against the windowsill while relaxing on the couch. This specific place is a spot to look out at the outside world. I see people walking around through the alley either on a regular stroll, returning home from the bars, or getting into their cars to get away. A few weeks ago, Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds allowed for bars, restaurants, and other establishments to re-open. Life almost seems normal to others on the outside. With a weakened immune system, I have decided to stay within the walls of my home. Although this makes me feel trapped at times, I do not feel comfortable going out into the city like my peers. (Katina Zentz)

Payton Zentz prays during a Zoom service on Sunday for Anchor Community Church. The pastor called for the participants in the service to pray before the breaking of the bread. My sister prayed for the healing of the country. She has started returning back to work at her retail job, but asked off for the Sunday Zoom service. The services provide a spiritual connection for her in a time when in-person church services are not permitted. (Katina Zentz)