What a Weeknight Dinner Looks Like for Different People and Families

Photographer Lois Bielefeld has always loved food; she notes that one of her chores as a child was to make a meal for her family on the weekends. After seeing the way food can bring families and people together, she was inspired to create her series, "Weeknight Dinners," which showcases the various circumstances and family dynamics that bring people together to share a meal.

Bielefeld's childhood memories fostered her interest in the daily habits of people, particularly those that revolved around food, which she sees as a great window into different cultures. She notes:

The project specifically was shot Monday through Thursday evenings as I wanted to capture habits and rituals that are shaped by the weeknight time crunch rather than the weekends, when people have more time.

The series consists of 78 total images taken from 2013 through 2015 across the U.S. and in Luxembourg. In taking the portraits, she simply asked the subjects to prepare a meal as they normally would, lighting them and the room in a way that preserved the ambient light's feel. From there, she took 25-30 images before the subjects began eating. The results are a fascinating look inside the lives of many people all centered around one commonality: food.

Bielefeld is represented by the Portrait Society Gallery. Be sure to check out more of her work on her site.

Lead image: "Wednesday: Kathy. 2013"

All images used with permission of Lois Bielefeld.