A Visual Diary of Isolation

December 26, 2021…As we move into another phase of the COVID Pandemic, I find myself semi isolated once again and photography presenting a challenge within limited spaces.

Photography is basically a lonely process between the mechanical camera and your eyes. This was very evident in the period of isolation during the pandemic.  It was very easy during this time of isolation to drift into negative thoughts.  The pandemic changed everything, you were forced to find refuge in your interior space.  Photography was a means of pulling me toward positive feelings; the outside became the inside. 

Isolation theoretically could be beneficial for the creative mind.  It provides one with an opportunity to slow down and really see those everyday things around you. Without the outside distractions you have a period to develop the skill of seeing shapes and the play of light upon these everyday shapes that you never really paid attention to before.  

The hardest part of this isolation was how to fulfill that desire to create within my limited space.   It was this type of visual challenge that made me create this visual diary of 5 days during which I focused my attention on the everyday things around me, by making 4 images of these everyday things I saw while making a visual record of this feeling of loneliness.

And so, welcome to my 5-day visual diary.

All images shot using a Sony A7II camera using natural window light.

I can be contacted at nymacc@gmail.com for comments.

 

Shop of Souls

Photography is a mix of reality and fiction.  As a photographer you are constantly experimenting with the process.  The images you make are specific to experiences you saw and felt at a specific time and place.  This is the case when recently I visited an antique shop.

There is something almost surreal about antique shops.  From the moment you enter you become enveloped in a maze of the past while still in the present.   As you move thought the aisles this world of forgotten items seem to jump out at you.   It is a small-contained world of memories that become mixed with your own.

The lighting in these emporiums of treasured items tends to be a mixture of overhead lighting, which is not exactly favorable for photographing because of the shadows it creates.  But while the lighting may present a technical challenge it also helps to add a certain shadowy mystery to the objects being photographed.    

As you walk down the aisles you become aware of the many abandoned souls that seem to be looking back at you.  They all have a story to tell, but now they are forever silent.  So, welcome to the shop of abandoned souls.

All images shot using a SonyA7II Camera.  I can be contacted at nymacc@gmail.com