How has living through the pandemic changed how or what you photograph?

Kendra59 · 05-17-2021, 09:22 PM - **1 Like**

I was cameraless in 2020, and for a few years before that. If I had a decent camera last year, I am not certain if I could have put it to good use. Things were rough...really rough, but hey, you all know it.

For me, March 2020 started off with a bang. I caught the edge of a concrete stair, and fell 8', landing on the right side of my face, and on both knees. I broke more than a few bones with that landing. Needless to say, my attention for the rest of March 2020 was not on the pandemic.

For those that were active with their photography last year, what did you learn from it? How has it changed (has it changed?) your approach to photography? What subjects draw your gaze more often? What inspires you?

I am more drawn towards capturing everyday images of life right now. Parents with their kids, young couples, quiet happy moments. I am more aware of the sacrifices others have been making to keep the rest of us going. Too many paid the ultimate cost here.

The bottom line for me is I am looking for ways to capture the humanity of things. To look for less visually exciting scenes that have deeper meaning. To capture hope, resolve, resilience, fatigue... competence, and a lot more.

That is my contribution to this thread. What would the rest of you like to add?

timb64 · 05-17-2021, 09:36 PM - **1 Like**

By necessity the lack of travel opportunities has made me explore my local area more.

**UncleVanya** · 05-17-2021, 09:47 PM

I shot more locally and I focused on tighter compositions to screen out the background when they weren’t photogenic. I also took photos from afar of people doing everyday things. I shot some macros as well.

stevebrot · 05-17-2021, 10:34 PM

I have mostly been photographing gear...I am getting pretty good at doing so, but is pretty sterile...

Steve

**pentaxus** · 05-17-2021, 10:54 PM

I work for Santa Cruz County in California. At the beginning of the pandemic I would walk around the Emeline St. campus and take pictures of flowers, buildings and shapes during break time. After I started working at home all of that disappeared and I found it difficult to take many pictures because many of my default photo spots were closed or there were no open toilet facilities. I will be back at Point Lobos soon, however.

**subsea** · 05-17-2021, 11:02 PM

I was forced to cancel a trip to Europe that we had already booked and spent more time taking photos locally. Also spent more time revisiting pictures taken over the last 50 years and refining my processing techniques.

**ramseybuckeye** · 05-17-2021, 11:09 PM

Mine was very unusual because right before the pandemic I retired and we bought a house 700 miles away. So we moved during the whole thing and had several months of getting the household arranged, that.part actually worked kind of well. Before I started getting out to explore much I was looking for things around the house to shoot, that got kind of boring. So it was a whole new area to photograph, but not really getting to that much. So it was a slow process of being able to go to some areas around and explore. By late Fall I had found some places that I really liked to shoot. Over the Winter I was able to get out and shoot a lot, but Winter is different here than what I am used to, it may have been below freezing a couple of days, many days were shorts and tee shirt hikes. I had planned to work part time but the pandemic delayed that until recently (after vaccination). So now I have a little less time to shoot, but places are opening up more as we get back towards normal. At some point I was to get a kayak so I can go out into the salt marshes and I also want to venture inland more, see the small towns, farms, and the cities.

aaacb · 05-18-2021, 03:15 AM

I started shooting architectural abstracts with a long lens, mostly of buildings around me. And also a lot more birds than ever before. Before I was shooting mostly street and landscapes.

house · 05-18-2021, 03:31 AM

I've taken a lot less proper photographs. Barely any outings despite living in a country without lockdowns. The family has been well documented though.

trixtroll · 05-18-2021, 04:00 AM

I absolutely refused to go near an airport before I was vaccinated, so my business/personal travel hit an all time low.

I’d lost my interest on photography for a few years and the sudden decrease in travel gave me cabin fever, so I started testing the waters with street photography and walked all over the little city that I live in.

**sergysergy** · 05-18-2021, 04:57 AM

Originally posted by timb64

By necessity the lack of travel opportunities has made me explore my local area more.

What I was going to say...

**jersey** · 05-18-2021, 05:58 AM

As I live in Poland, there was no full lockdown, but then it got hard to get onto train stations with gear, there where no airshows etc so from start of pandemic I almost stopped photographing trains and completely stopped airplanes. Lack of travels also hit me pretty hard, as there is no possibility to visit museum across Europe - for example I was planning to visit BMW Museum last year. I hope I can get there this year after vaccinations are done.

So I'm making photos pf flowers/green stuff and birds. Interesting things I must say, but with my gear collected with museums and middle-ranged teles in mind it is not the most comfortable situation

Kwong · 05-18-2021, 06:46 AM

Originally posted by Kendra59

I was cameraless in 2020, and for a few years before that. If I had a decent camera last year, I am not certain if I could have put it to good use. Things were rough...really rough, but hey, you all know it.

For me, March 2020 started off with a bang. I caught the edge of a concrete stair, and fell 8', landing on the right side of my face, and on both knees. I broke more than a few bones with that landing. Needless to say, my attention for the rest of March 2020 was not on the pandemic.

For those that were active with their photography last year, what did you learn from it? How has it changed (has it changed?) your approach to photography? What subjects draw your gaze more often? What inspires you?

I am more drawn towards capturing everyday images of life right now. Parents with their kids, young couples, quiet happy moments. I am more aware of the sacrifices others have been making to keep the rest of us going. Too many paid the ultimate cost here.

The bottom line for me is I am looking for ways to capture the humanity of things. To look for less visually exciting scenes that have deeper meaning. To capture hope, resolve, resilience, fatigue... competence, and a lot more.

That is my contribution to this thread. What would the rest of you like to add?

Travel and stay at home lockdowns have definitely curtailed my time just going out and taking picture by quite a bit. Trying to be responsible and staying home.
Hopefully by end of summer things will ease.

dlhawes · 05-18-2021, 07:25 AM

I can't really remember what kind of camera I had back in 1968, when the (Korean Flu) pandemic hit, so I can't say. Of course, that one wasn't milked for all the political crisis value, so it wasn't really a problem.

bertwert · 05-18-2021, 07:37 AM

Photography is something that comes and goes for me. The pandemic brought me out of the 'goes' segment for a while - and it's mainly photographing the wildlife in the local area, much less of anything further away - as seems to be a fairly common theme.

05-17-2021, 09:22 PM - 1 Like	#1
Kendra59 Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2021 Location: Kelowna, BC, Canada Posts: 187	How has living through the pandemic changed how or what you photograph? I was cameraless in 2020, and for a few years before that. If I had a decent camera last year, I am not certain if I could have put it to good use. Things were rough...really rough, but hey, you all know it. For me, March 2020 started off with a bang. I caught the edge of a concrete stair, and fell 8', landing on the right side of my face, and on both knees. I broke more than a few bones with that landing. Needless to say, my attention for the rest of March 2020 was not on the pandemic. For those that were active with their photography last year, what did you learn from it? How has it changed (has it changed?) your approach to photography? What subjects draw your gaze more often? What inspires you? I am more drawn towards capturing everyday images of life right now. Parents with their kids, young couples, quiet happy moments. I am more aware of the sacrifices others have been making to keep the rest of us going. Too many paid the ultimate cost here. The bottom line for me is I am looking for ways to capture the humanity of things. To look for less visually exciting scenes that have deeper meaning. To capture hope, resolve, resilience, fatigue... competence, and a lot more. That is my contribution to this thread. What would the rest of you like to add?

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05-17-2021, 09:36 PM - 1 Like	#2
timb64 Pentaxian Join Date: Apr 2012 Location: /Situation : Doing my best to avoid idiots! Photos: Gallery Posts: 9,510	By necessity the lack of travel opportunities has made me explore my local area more.

05-17-2021, 09:47 PM	#3
UncleVanya Loyal Site Supporter Join Date: Jul 2014 Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 28,398	I shot more locally and I focused on tighter compositions to screen out the background when they weren’t photogenic. I also took photos from afar of people doing everyday things. I shot some macros as well.

05-17-2021, 10:34 PM	#4
stevebrot Otis Memorial Pentaxian Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Vancouver (USA) Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 42,007	I have mostly been photographing gear...I am getting pretty good at doing so, but is pretty sterile... Steve

05-17-2021, 10:54 PM	#5
pentaxus Site Supporter Join Date: Jun 2010 Location: Central Coast, CA Posts: 1,313	I work for Santa Cruz County in California. At the beginning of the pandemic I would walk around the Emeline St. campus and take pictures of flowers, buildings and shapes during break time. After I started working at home all of that disappeared and I found it difficult to take many pictures because many of my default photo spots were closed or there were no open toilet facilities. I will be back at Point Lobos soon, however.

05-17-2021, 11:02 PM	#6
subsea Loyal Site Supporter Join Date: Sep 2016 Location: Commack, NY Posts: 2,603	I was forced to cancel a trip to Europe that we had already booked and spent more time taking photos locally. Also spent more time revisiting pictures taken over the last 50 years and refining my processing techniques.

05-17-2021, 11:09 PM	#7
ramseybuckeye Site Supporter Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Hampstead, NC Photos: Gallery Posts: 17,291	Mine was very unusual because right before the pandemic I retired and we bought a house 700 miles away. So we moved during the whole thing and had several months of getting the household arranged, that.part actually worked kind of well. Before I started getting out to explore much I was looking for things around the house to shoot, that got kind of boring. So it was a whole new area to photograph, but not really getting to that much. So it was a slow process of being able to go to some areas around and explore. By late Fall I had found some places that I really liked to shoot. Over the Winter I was able to get out and shoot a lot, but Winter is different here than what I am used to, it may have been below freezing a couple of days, many days were shorts and tee shirt hikes. I had planned to work part time but the pandemic delayed that until recently (after vaccination). So now I have a little less time to shoot, but places are opening up more as we get back towards normal. At some point I was to get a kayak so I can go out into the salt marshes and I also want to venture inland more, see the small towns, farms, and the cities.

05-18-2021, 03:15 AM	#8
aaacb Pentaxian Join Date: May 2016 Photos: Gallery Posts: 3,724	I started shooting architectural abstracts with a long lens, mostly of buildings around me. And also a lot more birds than ever before. Before I was shooting mostly street and landscapes.

05-18-2021, 03:31 AM	#9
house Pentaxian Join Date: May 2015 Photos: Albums Posts: 3,306	I've taken a lot less proper photographs. Barely any outings despite living in a country without lockdowns. The family has been well documented though.

05-18-2021, 04:00 AM	#10
trixtroll Pentaxian Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Dayton, OH Posts: 403	I absolutely refused to go near an airport before I was vaccinated, so my business/personal travel hit an all time low. I’d lost my interest on photography for a few years and the sudden decrease in travel gave me cabin fever, so I started testing the waters with street photography and walked all over the little city that I live in.

05-18-2021, 04:57 AM	#11
sergysergy Site Supporter Join Date: Jan 2011 Photos: Gallery Posts: 5,170	Originally posted by timb64 By necessity the lack of travel opportunities has made me explore my local area more. What I was going to say...

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05-18-2021, 05:58 AM	#12
jersey Site Supporter Join Date: Jun 2017 Location: 3City agglomeration Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 2,056	As I live in Poland, there was no full lockdown, but then it got hard to get onto train stations with gear, there where no airshows etc so from start of pandemic I almost stopped photographing trains and completely stopped airplanes. Lack of travels also hit me pretty hard, as there is no possibility to visit museum across Europe - for example I was planning to visit BMW Museum last year. I hope I can get there this year after vaccinations are done. So I'm making photos pf flowers/green stuff and birds. Interesting things I must say, but with my gear collected with museums and middle-ranged teles in mind it is not the most comfortable situation

05-18-2021, 06:46 AM	#13
Kwong Senior Member Join Date: Feb 2013 Location: Canada Photos: Albums Posts: 198	Originally posted by Kendra59 I was cameraless in 2020, and for a few years before that. If I had a decent camera last year, I am not certain if I could have put it to good use. Things were rough...really rough, but hey, you all know it. For me, March 2020 started off with a bang. I caught the edge of a concrete stair, and fell 8', landing on the right side of my face, and on both knees. I broke more than a few bones with that landing. Needless to say, my attention for the rest of March 2020 was not on the pandemic. For those that were active with their photography last year, what did you learn from it? How has it changed (has it changed?) your approach to photography? What subjects draw your gaze more often? What inspires you? I am more drawn towards capturing everyday images of life right now. Parents with their kids, young couples, quiet happy moments. I am more aware of the sacrifices others have been making to keep the rest of us going. Too many paid the ultimate cost here. The bottom line for me is I am looking for ways to capture the humanity of things. To look for less visually exciting scenes that have deeper meaning. To capture hope, resolve, resilience, fatigue... competence, and a lot more. That is my contribution to this thread. What would the rest of you like to add? Travel and stay at home lockdowns have definitely curtailed my time just going out and taking picture by quite a bit. Trying to be responsible and staying home. Hopefully by end of summer things will ease.

05-18-2021, 07:25 AM	#14
dlhawes Guest	I can't really remember what kind of camera I had back in 1968, when the (Korean Flu) pandemic hit, so I can't say. Of course, that one wasn't milked for all the political crisis value, so it wasn't really a problem.

05-18-2021, 07:37 AM	#15
bertwert Veteran Member Join Date: Jun 2015 Location: Golden, BC Posts: 15,173	Photography is something that comes and goes for me. The pandemic brought me out of the 'goes' segment for a while - and it's mainly photographing the wildlife in the local area, much less of anything further away - as seems to be a fairly common theme.