At first I was bloggin' by myself off in the wrong spot, but I just realized that this is where things are happening. Couple days late but here are my photos for week one.
I'm sure everyone is well aware how stressful and anxiety ridden this semester has been. For myself personally, I am stuck between a rock and a hard place. I work at a nursing home in town, so when this all broke out I had to evaluate what was more important- exposing myself as a high risk individual, or taking a leave from my job and being broke, jobless, and unable to pay rent. The latter wasn't a viable option. There were so many points in this semester where I wanted to stop and give up, throw away all my classes and just lock myself in my house forever. Especially when my facility finally became exposed to COVID-19. It was hard to cope with all of this, I had only my partner to rely on. At some point me and my partner started to go for walks to clear our heads. There's something centering about acknowledging the smaller parts of the world around you. As I started to take photos, I was able to zoom in and recognize the smaller worlds that ...
I like this set, it's so distant and silent, definitely something that not use to seeing, especially in that strip mall, with that lone figure bicycling away, kind of figures things as well. 1 and 3 have this relation going on, both of them show this weird display of vertical lines, kind of just thrown around, like no planning in these objects. The last one feels little too abstract for this set, almost like it is on a look shadows, and I like that, curious on what is in the machine. I think overall, some of these photos are bit too tight, 6, 7, 8, kind of show that I think, could always take a step back and breathe, but overall, I like this set.
ReplyDeleteThanks Logan! I'm always trying to figure out how to give images more breathing room haha, I'll mess around with it and thank you for the positive feedback!
DeleteI agree with Logan in the sense that your images give off a silent, distant, and almost quite feel in an area that is usually seen as chaotic. I am drawn to your last two images and love the way the colors interact within them. Even though they appear to be taken in a different area I still get a sense of quiet and silence which I enjoy. I really enjoy the way you were able to capture how the world is changing because of what is going on; I do not know if that is what you were going for or not but that is what I see when looking at these images.
ReplyDeleteThanks Deanna, this was one of few places that has been shutdown during all of this and I have been trying to capture the change in environment that this pandemic is causing. It surprisingly seems like a lot of people in the Toledo/BG area are still going out since there's a lot of traffic around my house, but if you can think of other areas that have been closed off please lemme know!
DeleteI really enjoy these photos, especially because while I recognize where you took them, they don't feel at all like that place. I love this stillness and how you focus on these abandoned elements but don't let them overwhelm the frame, they don't seem too tight to me. I like the juxtaposition in #5 with the mannequins that could look almost as if they could be walking on those empty streets, they're the only ones left. I also love #9, those colors against that blue sky are gorgeous.
ReplyDeleteThanks so much Olivia!
DeleteThe image of mannequins in an empty store front is disturbing, and I love it!!! It's sooooo weird because I know where it was captured and is a perfect representation of what that mall has become somewhat. When it first opened that shopping area was the place to be and was always busy. On a recent shopping visit it felt as if it was a former shell of itself. And now with the current restrictions in place it looks stark! You've captured the vibe of creepy, desolate, and bizarre in all of these photographs (except for the last two, those are great images as well) perfectly!
ReplyDeleteThanks Andrew!! I'm glad the photos came off as creepy and bizarre, that's without a doubt how being there felt. All the while, the mall music is still playing.. creepy!
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