COVID-19: Constraints & Creativity
7/2020
Welcome to our inaugural online gallery! We are very excited about this initiative, hoping that it will enhance the sense of community in our slow photography network. For this gallery, we asked you to share creative work done during COVID-19 quarantine, along with thoughts on the impacts that social isolation had on your photography. In just 6 weeks, we had over 300 images submitted on Instagram with the hashtag #spmcovidcreativity. Our team had a hard time narrowing down the entries, and we hope that you enjoy the beautiful images below. Thanks to everyone for participating, and we look forward to making this a quarterly event!
Tulip Impression I
Image by: Alyce Bender
An hour with a flower can lead to some very creative images. Have you ever sat down with a single subject and tried to create as many images as you could? I tried this exercise due to the COVID-19 restrictions. I chose flowers as the subjects, as they are easy to get even when all you’re going out for is groceries. Through this exercise, I was able to continue being creative in my photography, staying active and uplifted within my craft, even as so many other opportunities and plans fell away.
Rhythm in Stalks
Image by: Krista McCuish Photography
Social distancing during COVID-19 in Nova Scotia meant spending much time in my front yard and studio, where I discovered a garden variety take on rhythm and form. Our premier and provincial health orders stated that "we should stay the blazes home!" No problem for me. It was a good time to think about what nature offers with a world of material to work with right outside the front door.
Backyard Explorer
Image by: Scott Aspinall
One morning, as I made my coffee, I looked out the dining room window and noticed the puddle where my kids splashed around the previous day was now frozen over. Having been unable to get anywhere with my camera because of COVID-19, I wandered out into my backyard to see if the ice had some interesting character. I'm happy I did. It became cold quickly overnight, which created some interesting textures. For added interest, the wind blew some leaves into the puddle before it froze. I finished photographing this just as my kids ventured out, destroying this fragile scene.
A Tale of Two Seasons
Image by: Jeff Freestone Photography
My Autumn in quarantine was about slowing down and taking in my surroundings and really trying to tell a story with my images. The story I wanted to tell specifically was the transition between Autumn into Winter. The last vibrant leaves holding on before giving in to the cold gloomy weather that awaits. I liked this small scene as it told this story in part with the branches looking as though winter had already set upon them and the last of the vibrant yellow leaves providing a nice contrast.
Collective Isolation
Image by: Nick Becker
One thing that months of relative isolation have reminded me is not to take for granted the photographic opportunities that are nearby. This image is one of six in a series called “Collective Isolation,” and each one was taken in my back yard using a 60mm macro lens. Shallow depth of field, black and white rendering, and strong contrast were a few of the tools that enabled me to look beyond my subjects and realize the abstract aesthetic that I was seeking.
Purple Hyacinths
Image by: Daniel Gomez / Dream Captured Images
Sprouting Blue Wood Hyacinth is one of the first signs of spring at my house. It shines a deep hue of purple/blue especially when viewed in the shade. For a subject that was just outside my front door, it took me a frustrating amount of times to obtain the perfect conditions of indirect light and lack of wind. I used my rocket blower to clean off as much dirt as possible from the purple leaves, but in the end had to use the magic of photoshop.
In My Dreams
Image by: Laura Zirino
I have always been a devotee of slowing down, but the COVID-19 crisis brought it to a new level as the outside suddenly was off-limits. This forced me to really slow down and look within for a creative outlet. I watched processing videos, learned new techniques, and began expressing my creativity on older shots (yes, lots of dumpster diving) that found new life through my newly learned skills. While it was frustrating not having the connection to nature that normally gets me through, slowing down inside allowed me to develop a side of myself that I might not have found.
Substitute Forest
Image by: Eric R. Heath
I choose to experiment with macro photography during the lockdown, embarking on a backyard macro project to stay creative. Laying in the grass while trying not to damage my own flowers replaced my hiking boots and weekend photography adventures. This image is the next best thing to backlit trees on a mountain slope that I found on my journey around the backyard.
Shades of Pink
Image by: Kristen Ryan Photography
After all my travels were cancelled during the COVID quarantine, I took to a personal project exploring my backyard with my 150-600 telephoto lens. With all the turmoil and uncertainty, there is peace and joy in observing the beauty of nature in all its simple and extraordinary magic. This image was captured at 600mm shutter painting the colors of the sunset on the pond in our neighborhood. This is a technique I often use while exploring the beach or groups of trees, yet never explored in my own backyard.
Seeds
Image by: Kristin Perry
COVID-19 required intense decision making energy, it would’ve been easy to fall into exhaustion and avoidance. To avoid complacency, I looked to Instagram for inspiration - the Slow Photography Movement got me engaged and the mindfulness activities from Look Again Photos got me focused. Staying creative required a team effort! Before, I would've never taken interest in a scraggly dandelion, focusing on texture, though, I was able to slow down, see differently, and create an image that calms. Oftentimes, a shift in perspective is what's required to seed transformation.
Morse Code
Image by: Anna Morgan / Bluetusk Images
I spotted this interesting piece of birch bark on a local walk just as social distancing became mandatory in B.C. I immediately knew it was special, and the blue dots and brown dashes made me think of morse code. We had a badly timed house move soon after but, as soon as I found this within the moving boxes, I found some time to capture its beauty. For me, creativity comes from looking with an open mind and being alert to the possibilities, and this image represents that perfectly; a piece of art otherwise confined to the leaf litter came to life in a period of extreme slowing down.
Inquisitive
Image by: Brynn Hendricks Schmidt
During our Covid-19 shelter at home orders, I spent a lot of my time capturing birds, foxes, rabbits and squirrels that live on our one acre property. This is the second year in a row we have had a fox den at the back of our yard, so we were fortunate to watch kits grow up this spring. I am able to photograph the animals in our yard from a safe distance without bothering them or altering their behavior in any way. I shoot wildlife with a Canon 7D Mark II and 400mm/2.8 fixed lens with 1.4 extender. The five little fox kits were so curious and playful and I spent many hours watching them before they moved on in mid-May.
Free Spirit
Image by: Tara Workman
The pandemic has been stifling in so many ways but through photography I found a freedom I never anticipated. This image was created as I made the conscious decision to make the most of my surroundings and experiment with my camera in new ways. Looking through the viewfinder I felt as carefree as ever, and subsequently found my solace.
To the Brink
Image by: Patrick J. Krohn / One-Eyed Dog Studios
My 5-mile commute to and from work was the most likely time for me to find photos. Working from home, I now need to make an effort to check out areas of my town. The easier thing to do is just explore the plants in my yard or throughout my neighborhood. One evening I was having fun finding patterns in the hasta and watching this little blank ant cruise around the leaves. I liked it best when it would stop and look over the edge.
Forest in the Stems
Image by: James Rodewald / Nature’s Sake Photography
The Adirondack woodlands that surround my home inspire much of my work, but as the COVID pandemic unfolded those woodlands were effectively closed. To pass the time I learned to draw inspiration from subjects within my gardens. As I pushed myself to try to reveal the beauty of the mundane and familiar within these confines I found myself taken by these new subjects and fascinated by the way in which light changes them throughout the day. Although I miss exploring the larger woodlands, I now take solace in the fact that the trail starts off the back step.