100 Days

(Socially distanced, of course)

I'm told today is the one hundredth day of the lockdown.  The lockdown never really felt locked down in the same sense as some of the very harsh measures taken across Europe.  I think early on the scientists and government recognised the novel Corona-virus (aka COVID-19) is a disease of confinement and proximity.  Being outdoors, soaking up the rays and having your body generate vitamin D the natural way, it turns out, is probably a good thing.  So I never really stopped going for a walk with a camera.  Early on, I sought out the wide open spaces, and avoided people who were, for the most part, kind enough to return the favour.  The air was cleaner, the blue skies a little bluer, the bees seemed more numerous than usual for the time of the year.  

Eventually, it became clear that more and more people were venturing out.  The recreation area, pictured above, became a place to avoid at certain times of the day, so I gravitated back towards the centre of the city which, it turned out, was delightfully empty!

Surprisingly, the city centre indoor mall was open and largely deserted for just three shops deemed worthy enough to stay open.  One of those stores was an Aldi, and the city centre Aldi under lockdown was wonderful after the after the dystopian nightmare that was one local supermarket closer to home.  Most of the other people around the centre were those who lived there, and city slickers are surprisingly good at respecting distance (and ultra disciplined supermarket shoppers).

As time went on, the walks became more reflective, often on what we've lost already, where we are going and what we are going to lose.  For those of us who work in tech and can work from home on full hours/pay, the first economic shock-waves are still some distance from the windscreen, not in the rear view mirror.

 

When the (occasional) warmer weather was in full swing, I started going out for earlier walks, occasionally catching some very solitary activities.  Photography is always better very early or very late in the day, but in Manchester earlier is generally better.  It was here I started doing something quite unusual for me.  Shooting black and white.

I don't do a lot of black and white because I'm not particularly good at it but, for a short time, it seemed the right thing to do.

Occasionally, there would of course be a disapproving comment online (Why the city centre?  Because it's empty.  Why the none essential photography?  It's irrelevant; the camera is merely an extension of the person doing the essential exercise).  There are, it seems, a lot judgy types (not to mention those who deem stuff) on this Sceptered Isle.

© Jason Hindle

The photos?  #1 and #2, Panasonic GX9 and 12-60 f3.5-5.6 (aka the eBay bargain kit).  #3, Sony A7 II and bog standard 24-70 f4.  #4, Olympus OMD-EM1 mk ii and 12-40 f2.8.  The rest were taken with a Fujifilm X100F (picked up used like the rest of my equipment).