Analyzing the Pandemic with the Passage of Time and Photography — a Gallery

It’s been more than a year since the coronavirus-19 hit the globe. Last year was a difficult time as we all had to learn to cope, adjust and act quickly in the changing environment. The “new normal”, as much as we are all trying to live and get used to it, is still pretty strange for many of us. 

The hopeful in us believe, “this too shall pass”. And when it does, when we’ve survived this period, we hope we can look back on this transformative and impactful era with a photographer’s mind.

Whenever we look at photos from certain points of history, we often imagine what it must have been like during the time the photos were taken. Some of us are just a part of the audience, born much later of said past events, grabbing on to visual cues and details to contextualize a historical image. Some of us have lived the said history; an image that represented the reality we used to live in refreshes our memories and experiences. Without a doubt, the same collective schema will happen to us when this pandemic becomes a part of history.

Have you ever thought that one day, these empty cities, social-distancing signages, citizens bulk-buying groceries, wide gaps and spaces between people, bedrooms-turned-workspaces, face masks and so much more, will fade into the past? One day, all of this will be over. While the pandemic has brought more grief and distraught than the good, there still remains a certain melancholy, as with all things that are always changing and ephemeral.

Imagine yourself in the future as you look at these photos. There’s that sensation of joy that you’ve survived this tough time, and then there’s also that hint of sadness as you are reminded that you’ve grown, matured, and changed. This time is truly life-changing, after all. Whether it’s for the better or worse, change always makes us wistful. By memorializing the present, we will be able to turn it into the past. When we look into the past, it makes us anticipate the future. There’s also the grittier, grimmer possibility that the pandemic may outlive some of us — but our photographs are here forever to tell our stories. Our memories live on.

It’s through these musings that heighten our appreciation for the technology that is the camera.

These photos will go down with historical archives of the world. Most importantly, someday in the future, these photos will remind us and tell the whole world that once upon a time, this happened. We were there. We are witnesses of history.

Have you captured a striking and emblematic image of these trying times? Share your shots through the comments below, or upload them to your LomoHome!

written by cielsan on 2021-09-08 #culture #people #film-photography #documentary-photography