Surviving Lockdown
With uncertainty surrounding the duration of current international travel bans and any hope of traveling abroad in search of fresh photography inspiration and wanderlust has been firmly placed on hold. In the UK, we are currently restricted to one hour a day exercise or walking, which means I am unlikely to get very far from my house.
I must admit, at the start of the nationwide lock down I was not optimistic. For the last couple of months I have been planning a Cornwall based photography project which will have me traveling to different parts of the coastline with the aim of documenting WWII defence structures.
This stint of good weather would have been a perfect opportunity to cross some of the 50 locations I have mapped out however this has obviously put on hold for the time being. Being creative with such heavy restrictions can be difficult however I have seen some amazing examples of people going beyond their comfort levels. Multiple people have started to experiment with home developing and scanning kits, photos shoots via Facetime and tonnes of portraits of family members and pets.
Last summer I created a personal project in which I created my first zine, based on the stickers of local companies stuck to Newquay traffic signs. Its a simple concept but it made me look up and around whilst I walk through town, instead of merely passing through. I find it amazing how individuals adapt to change and restrictions to continue what they are passionate about. And it has pushed me to go out and rediscover my home town in the last few weeks.
To find old cars in back alleys, benches bathed in streetlight at night and find alone barn in a farmers field. The lack of exotic locations or even the ability to get in your car to drive to a location doesn’t mean the end of taking photos. It might just be enough to rediscover the beauty in the area around you.