In September 2021, the photographer Mike Ritter spent his afternoons in Dorchester Park on yet another activity that the pandemic had made more difficult: taking photographs in a public space to, in this case, study relationships, whether familial, romantic, or friendly, as part of a project he called “Get Close.”

Ritter, a Dorchester resident, originally envisioned the project as a one-day event, but when he saw the magic he created by photographing people up close and personal, he decided to expand his work beyond one day, and beyond one portrait. He applied for and won a Community Arts Experience grant from the city, using his photographs from “Get Close” to promote the bid.

Starting next month and running through the beginning of November, Ritter will be using the grant to provide Dorchester residents – families, friends, and individuals – with professional portraits. This second project, called “Beautiful Dot,” will take place across six Boston Public Library branches in Dorchester.

“I love libraries,” Ritter said. “There’s nothing better, in my opinion, than a library as far as a public resource, a public good.”

Two sisters at the Hyde Park library.

With the libraries providing indoor and outdoor backdrops, Ritter hopes that the portrait sessions will entice people already at the libraries to have their portraits taken, and for participants to stick around. The sessions will be first come, first served, so if there is a wait, residents can fill the time by exploring what the libraries have to offer.

The immediate goal of this project was to provide Dorchester residents the opportunity to pose for free portraits, whether they are for family albums, updating a headshot, or a spontaneous friend group photo. But Ritter also hopes to arrange a showing of these images at City Hall so that folks from all over Boston can see the people of “Beautiful Dot” up close.

Ritter became a Dorchester resident when he moved from Pennsylvania after graduating college, and has lived here ever since, now with his wife, Meredith and daughters Vivian and Abigail. When he lost his job at a photo gallery in 2005, he decided to strike out on his own and do photography full time.

The Mitchell family in Dorchester Park last year. Mike Ritter photo

“I’m kind of glad I lost the job,” he said. “I don’t know if I would have gone out on my own without losing it.”

Once in the throes of the pandemic, Ritter, like everyone else, had to adjust. The adjustment resulted in the portraits that made up “Get Close.”
“I feel like it was a step forward for my style and the things I’m interested in trying to express through my photography,” he said of that project. “At this point, it is really just people enjoying one another and having fun and being in the moment.”

“Beautiful Dot” is “about celebrating Dorchester,” he said. “Many times, people only hear about Dorchester in the news, when crime occurs. I’ve always had that feeling like there’s people here that really care and really pull for one another and you know, make big goals and achieve them.

“I wanted to help document and celebrate that part of things which…can be shortchanged sometimes,” he added. “I’m not saying it’s all perfect and everything, but I am saying there’s things here that people are missing if all they look at is the bad stuff.”

The schedule of the library branch portrait sessions:
• Sept. 10 - 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Lower Mills Branch;
• Sept. 24 - 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. in Fields Corner;
• Oct. 1 - 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. in Adams Village;
• Oct. 15 - 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. in Grove Hall;
• Oct. 22 - 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. in Codman Square;
• Nov. 5 - 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. in Uphams Corner.

Mike Ritter will also be giving an artist talk about the story and process behind “Beautiful Dot” on Tues., Oct. 4 at 6:30 p.m. at the BPL’s Fields Corner branch.

To see more of his work, visit mikeritterphoto.com/beautiful-dot-portraits.

Editor’s Note: The Reporter is a media sponsor of the project.