Staring

[Bill Pierce]

Like a lot of folks, I’ve been spending a lot of time during the pandemic sitting in front of my computer - too much time just killing time. Personally and professionally, I photograph people; so, the pandemic has put a real damper on that. To me, that’s dangerous because I think you should always have a project, one that excites you. I’m not quite sure why. I am sure that such an attitude seems self indulgent to people who say that their all consuming jobs aren’t much fun but leave no time for anything else.

I have a few prints in museums. I should see if I could get rid of a lot of others. I know my wife would appreciate the closet space. And that’s the sort of thing responsible photographers do. But sorting pictures isn’t that much fun. I think I’m going to go out and see if you can do street photography when the streets are empty. That could be my shortest project to date, but even if I don’t get any good images, I’ll get some exercise.

The obvious question - do you have a pandemic project? What is it? Share it. It could give many of us something else to do besides staring at our computers.

 

[peterm1]

I have not one but several projects. I find it hard to sit still as sitting engenders thinking. Thinking engenders gloomy thoughts. Gloomy thoughts engenders depression. Even reading history, my usual past time is difficult at the moment. So I keep active (and empty headed 🙂 ). I have been trying my hand at other forms of art to keep myself occupied and interested in life. For example I have made a number of 3D wall hangings made principally from wood, paint and metal. I am in the process of making a fourth, much larger one. This brings into action some skills I have in woodworking, metal working and use of paint and various other materials to create patinated surfaces. Here are three such art objects. I cannot claim they are anything special but I am enjoying the process.

I have also been spending considerable amount of time conserving and repairing the temple lion shown below. I bought this a year or so back knowing it had accumulated considerable damage over the years - cracking of the wood, impact damage to some of the carving etc. The object is about 150 years old (plus) and was from Malacca in the Malaysian Peninsula. It was bought at some point by a local collector then eventually found its way to me. I suspect that some of the damage was from WW2 given that this area was occupied by the Japanese in the war and fought over. But now it looks pretty good after perhaps 60 hours (my estimate of intensive, detailed work). In the photo below there is still some work to yet to be done. It is now pretty well complete but I have not yet uploaded a photo of it so this one will need to suffice.

If all that is not enough I also spent time scanning several hundred slides and negatives from the 1980s. That is still underway though I have completed the best of them - others will need more work in post to get rid of scratches, dust etc. and they may need to wait a bit till I get around to it.

A few of my favorites of the first batch (rendered in black and white)

Deep Dive by Life in Shadows, on Flickr

Eye of the Wind, Wreck Diving - South Pacific by Life in Shadows, on Flickr

Eye of the Wind - Marshall Bennett - Laughlan Islands - New Guinea_4 by Life in Shadows, on Flickr

Life in Shadows Eye of the Wind - Marshall Bennett - Laughlan Islands - New Guinea_6 by Life in Shadows, on Flickr

 

[markjwyatt]

I have a few projects. One that I actually produced during the pandemic, was Project Baobab. Several years ago I had some involvement with baobab, and had some samples still sitting around, so decided to use them as "models". In fact I rented some of these pieces to a New York props firm, so they are professional models.

https://flic.kr/s/aHsmNLkxXu

I developed a process and also started scanning my old negs/slides from the 1970s, 80s, and 90s during the pandemic. Three interesting historical series came out of this:

1. Cal Fame Paramount Citrus Association, Escondido, California. This was one of teh largest Citrus packing houses in the US when built (1934).

https://flic.kr/s/aHsmUncPx9

2. An old abandoned Cliff House in Encinitas, California

https://flic.kr/s/aHsmUo5Qj5

3. The construction California Interstate 15 through Escondido, California

https://flic.kr/s/aHsmUmfvkB

Finally a much lesser historically significant event I documented after getting my first SLR. The Galaxy 500 incident.

https://flic.kr/s/aHsmUtBiWa

 

[Dogman]

I don't do projects. I just wander around aimlessly with a camera, taking pictures of whatever attracts me. Eventually I see a pattern and those pictures are a project. Of sorts.

 

[Timmyjoe]

I feel your pain Bill. It's been a dreadful eleven months. I've got a few co-morbidities that would make getting Covid very bad, so I've had to take a leave of absence. Going from being in the thick of the campaign season, to sitting at home staring at the computer screen, has been a real psychological shock to the system. Patiently waiting to get a vaccine so I can get back to work.

Hang in there everyone, the end is in sight.

Best,
-Tim

 

[Pál_K]

“Preserving the past” has been an ongoing unintended project. What I’m doing is photographing the present city, buildings, empty lots, farmland, and such with the knowledge these areas will change radically in even the next 20 years (at least in the U.S.).

For example, in the late 1980’s my other hobbies took me through the Bull Mountain area southwest of Portland a few days every month. With my fathers help I made photos and videos of the area. Farmland, trees, horses. That area is wildly different today: houses, condos, apartments, wide new streets.

Even in the city, not far from my neighborhood, the open fields, trees, and pathways that existed in 1994 no longer exist today - but I have a good record of what used to exist, complete with reference points.

There’s a large walnut tree in a big empty field that I’ve been making photos of for about five years - in all seasons, weather conditions, and light. I suppose that’s a sub-project. But what got me interested was the knowledge that that empty lot might soon get developed and the existence of the tree was at risk.

One near miss: a few years ago I used my phone’s camera to make a photo of an Art Deco building that I’d been seeing for years. I promised myself to come back the next week with a proper camera. I did, but the building had already been demolished. I had no clue that was going to happen!

 

[kshapero]

Other than the grocery store, I never wear a mask. I live free as a bird mostly in nature since most everyone else is Covid freakie. And oh yes, I sit at the computer way to much.

 

[Andrea Taurisano]

I find it hard to sit still as sitting engenders thinking. Thinking engenders gloomy thoughts. Gloomy thoughts engenders depression.

Buddhist books and teachers, as well as a fair amount of scientific research, suggest that thinking (mindful meditation) engenders a clear vision and a free mind, reducing worry and other depression symptoms. But the effect it has on me is more like you describe, just more ruminating thinking, a perceived lack of meaning and depression, to which I'm prone.

Therefore, I spend much more time than earlier walkning in the hills around home, or (in poor weather) on a treadmill while watching inspiring photography videos.

My own photography, or the part of it that I value most and consider best, has been travel related and is now of course put on wait. Beside shooting some rolls of film in and around my home, which isn't a project (and is more an excuse to fondle my Leica), I have undertaken the task of printing a fairly large selection of all my photo archive, at least the last 20 years or so. I've never been good at making contact sheets, therefore my 99% film based archive consists of high res scans, so many that I forget what I have. Now I'm using an Eco Tank Epson printer and washi paper, printing 4 frames on each A4 sheet and archiving them in transparent sheets meant for 4x5 negatives, four frames each side. I've come rather far and - modesty aside - I must say the result is pretty stunning. So many good single photos, so many good series and documentary stuff that no one will ever see printed.. And then I'm back to rumination and blues..

 

[peterm1]

Buddhist books and teachers, as well as a fair amount of scientific research, suggest that thinking (mindful meditation) engenders a clear vision and a free mind, reducing worry and other depression symptoms. But the effect it has on me is more like you describe, just more ruminating thinking, a perceived lack of meaning and depression, to which I'm prone.

Therefore, I spend much more time than earlier walkning in the hills around home, or (in poor weather) on a treadmill while watching inspiring photography videos.

My own photography, or the part of it that I value most and consider best, has been travel related and is now of course put on wait. Beside shooting some rolls of film in and around my home, which isn't a project (and is more an excuse to fondle my Leica), I have undertaken the task of printing a fairly large selection of all my photo archive, at least the last 20 years or so. I've never been good at making contact sheets, therefore my 99% film based archive consists of high res scans, so many that I forget what I have. Now I'm using an Eco Tank Epson printer and washi paper, printing 4 frames on each A4 sheet and archiving them in transparent sheets meant for 4x5 negatives, four frames each side. I've come rather far and - modesty aside - I must say the result is pretty stunning. So many good single photos, so many good series and documentary stuff that no one will ever see printed.. And then I'm back to rumination and blues..

Yes I agree. Sitting and thinking does not work for me. I too am prone to what Churchill called his "black dog" - his depression. It is just how it is. If it is good enough for Churchill, it is good enough for me. But biochemisty is a bitch. 🙂

 

[zuiko85]

Dinking around building cameras from bits and pieces of old cameras. But I’d be doing that even without the pandemic, just not as much probably. Like to see just what a lens will cover. Home built 4X5 is good for that. Cheap fun because using photo paper as negatives. Cannot really afford 4x5 film and like being able to load and develop under safelight.

 

[RichC]

I got stuck by the Arctic Circle in -10 degree temperatures when Finland shut down! I and my fellow photographers did a project on our time there, including a book (info).

MAP6: The Isolation Project

"On 16 March 2020, five members of the MAP6 collective flew to Finland to photograph around Rovaniemi in Lapland. The coronavirus was beginning to take hold across the world; it had been ranked as a pandemic by the World Health Organization on 11 March, and its impact was only just beginning to be realised. Within hours of arriving MAP6 were notified that all return flights had been cancelled. With the country entering a state of emergency and the borders closed, they were potentially stranded. Events escalated as they watched alarming news updates from their apartment. Museums and schools closed in Rovaniemi, and restaurants and bars were shutting. So began the global lockdown. For four days the MAP6 photographers documented the crisis from within Finland, whilst awaiting confirmation of a flight home."

 

[Out to Lunch]

Having lived for years in countries with a curfew, I've not been overly concerned with the Covid-19 lockdown. I have started the 'in and around the house' thread on RFF months ago and contribute to it. In Vietnam, I can leave the house but avoid crowded areas and large gatherings and spent time photographing Saigon's emerging suburbs, instead. I have too much photo gear and I am now labeling and pricing cameras and lenses to resell locally. All very mundane. A good friend of mine, who is in his mid-70s, took it to another level and is writing his autobiography.

 

[robert blu]

During the first months long lockdown, almost one year ago I took many photos of our daily life, which later after editing sequencing ended in a real project I named "Those Days" available both in form of book or zine, which I explained in this RFF thread : https://www.rangefinderforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=172756

It was a reaction to what I and my wife were feeling in thise days, a mixture of fear, tension, hope, doubt. And helped me very much to keep a mental equilibrium (please do not forget I'm in that risky age group!).

Later we had for a short while better days but soon we went back in the "storm" and only allowed to go out locally. Therefore I started to photograph my neighborhhod, some of the pictures are in my RFF gallery.

This is a work in progress and the project I'm working now.

Short before the pandemic I was working on a project about a small almost rural area about 2 hours drive from where I live, of course we cannot go there now. I'm evaluating if it is possible to close it with the material I already have: it means print small photos and trying editing and sequencing tham. Maybe it will be different than original planned but still of interest.

 

[Sonnar Brian]

Staring at computers. I've been getting paid to stare at computers for over 42 years now. Started using Wordstar in 1980 to write code.
Wordstar is much faster on a 2.7GHz I5 than it was on a 4MHz Z80a. That is my new measure of progress in computers.
Me, Vince, and George R.R. Martin use Wordstar. I wonder who else does.

 

[jsrockit]

I purposely do not want to do a Covid inspired project... it seems everyone and their moms are doing that. So, I'm photographing my comuna Ñuñoa in Santiago, Chile. Well, I guess everyone and their moms are photographing their immediate surroundings too haha. I'm purposely not photographing people because I'm not interested in street photography of people in masks. Of course, if any opportunity is there... I take it still. Old habits... and you just never know what is going to work and spur an idea.

It's funny, but I've really spent a lot of time looking at photography books (and also the entirety of my photography) during Covid and I've come to realize that I like quieter pictures and while I do mostly street photography... I'm not that influenced by street photography. So, yes, quiet photos... ones that reveal themselves over time. Ones that are purposely vague and maybe even difficult. Making something out of nothing. Sometimes a hammer works and I've certainly made images that work like a hammer... where the idea is immediately apparent to the viewer. These days, I'm working in more and more ambiguous ways and Ñuñoa is a pretty boring looking suburb on the surface. However, there is plenty to photograph if you just look and are open minded. Instead of working in single images, I'm trying to use multiple images working together to steer the idea book form. While photographing this way, it looks like 3 different projects are emerging. We will see if it works or if I'm just crazy. In the meantime, I'm just happy that I'm excited about photography still.

 

[lynnb]

My wife and I try to get out of our house once a day for a coffee break. These outings are necessarily short, usually 30-40mins, and usually late morning or midday. I always carry a camera. The local cafes we visit are mostly by the beach, so I've been taking pictures at the beach while we walk to and from our car.

At the start of the pandemic I bought an Instax Mini 9 camera from Aldi for USD35 - about as basic an instant camera as you can get. It has a plastic lens, fixed 1/60 shutter and a manual aperture f12.7 to f/32. There's a choice of color or bw film, both ISO 800. The pictures are credit card size including border; the image size is 6 x 4.5cm (does that sound familiar? A Mamiya 645 it is not). But I learnt to work with the "Instax aesthetic" and a project was born. Instax pictures at the beach.

Encouraged by the results I bought an Instax Square SQ6 which produces 6 x 6cm prints.

Then I realised another project, to document this precious time together with my wife, our only time that we have to ourselves due to caring commitments. I am using instant film for this too.

 

[DennisM]

Shoveling

Shoveling

Similar to other posters, i.e., hopping in the way-back machine and scanning/printing mostly old B&W & chromogenic negatives. I live in NJ though, so lately my projects have been shoveling snow every other day or so.

 

[markjwyatt]

Staring at computers. I've been getting paid to stare at computers for over 42 years now. Started using Wordstar in 1980 to write code.
Wordstar is much faster on a 2.7GHz I5 than it was on a 4MHz Z80a. That is my new measure of progress in computers.
Me, Vince, and George R.R. Martin use Wordstar. I wonder who else does.

I am dating myself, but I remember Wordstar in the 1980s. I remember moving the cursor around using arrows to edit.

 

[markjwyatt]

I purposely do not want to do a Covid inspired project...

Other than a sub-thread of masking pictures, I do not think of my little projects as Covid inspired. Rather, due to Covid, lockdowns, and lack of travel, I just found more time to do things that were on the back burner.

 

[robert blu]

I purposely do not want to do a Covid inspired project... it seems everyone and their moms are doing that. So, I'm photographing my comuna Ñuñoa in Santiago, Chile. Well, I guess everyone and their moms are photographing their immediate surroundings too haha. I'm purposely not photographing people because I'm not interested in street photography of people in masks. Of course, if any opportunity is there... I take it still. Old habits... and you just never know what is going to work and spur an idea.

It's funny, but I've really spent a lot of time looking at photography books (and also the entirety of my photography) during Covid and I've come to realize that I like quieter pictures and while I do mostly street photography... I'm not that influenced by street photography. So, yes, quiet photos... ones that reveal themselves over time. Ones that are purposely vague and maybe even difficult. Making something out of nothing. Sometimes a hammer works and I've certainly made images that work like a hammer... where the idea is immediately apparent to the viewer. These days, I'm working in more and more ambiguous ways and Ñuñoa is a pretty boring looking suburb on the surface. However, there is plenty to photograph if you just look and are open minded. Instead of working in single images, I'm trying to use multiple images working together to steer the idea book form. While photographing this way, it looks like 3 different projects are emerging. We will see if it works or if I'm just crazy. In the meantime, I'm just happy that I'm excited about photography still.

Yes, you are correct: there are many covid projects around. But what I think can be interesting is that each of them is different from the others. Because each project reflects the different situations, the different circumstances, the different personalities of the author. Which is one of the reason for which photography is interesting, same subject different views.

Since the second wave I'm also photographing much the place where I live, my surroundings. Looking for the various light, maybe a crossroad in the strong light of the afternoon and in the soft light of a misty morning. Or it could be a scratch in a wall or a reflection in a shop window, or an empty public park.

No need to go far away to produce a body of work. Learning to look and improving our ablity to do it is always good.

I also took some portraits (not street portrait) interacting with people in their working place (a shop, a bar, a restaurant...) but I noticed they do not like to have their photo published therefore I stopped to do it, I always respect the desires of my subjects.

Of course a deep editing will be necessary, but this is always the case with photography 🙂