One from my walkabout on Portstewart Prom a couple of weeks ago:
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| Portstewart, 2020. On Ilford MGV RC paper. |
The guy on the left has spotted me (hard not to, with me pointing a great big Hasselblad at him). He didn't say anything as he passed, though I made sure not to make eye contact. We're outside Morelli's Ice Cream shop - the group of young 'uns on the right all have cones, I think, or are waiting to order. Not many masks in sight on that day - I would hope that would have changed if I returned today.
Northern Ireland escaped relatively lightly in the first wave of COVID-19 but right now we're in the middle of a big surge in cases. The closest big hospital to us (in Derry) was described as 'a war zone' the other day. I think it was bound to happen - the whole North Coast was flooded with people all summer - I've never seen it so busy. And almost no-one was masking, it seemed. We did what we could to isolate, given the health issues in our house - groceries were ordered online and everything was wiped before it was put away. Door handles and light switches were bleached regularly. We didn't eat out and we stayed away from people as much as we could - my dander down Portstewart with the camera was probably the one exception in the last 9 months. Even so, our household has just been advised to quarantine for 14 days, since one of us has been close proximity with someone who tested positive. You aren't informed of the details but School, I think, has been the weak link for us - there were quite a few 'positives' just before it closed for an extended half-term. So we're playing the waiting game at the moment - we should know by the weekend if we're in the clear or not. The whole house has been bleached from top to bottom and we have the windows open as much as possible but there isn't really much else one can do. So far no-one has symptoms and I sincerely hope it stays that way.
Good luck! The quarantine is probably wise but the real likelihood of catching it probably low.
ReplyDeleteThanks. I’ll be glad/relieved if a week passes without any changes in our health. In most cases symptoms start in the first 5 days after being exposed to the virus, I understand.
DeleteI hope you all stay healthy and get through this second wave without difficulties.
ReplyDeleteThe guy on the left seems curious about your camera rather than angry you're pointing it in his general direction. Nicely composed and timed, by the way.
Thanks Marcus.
DeleteThe timing is everything in these sorts of shots (as you know!). I'm not great at it - just don't enough of them. I usually find a place to stand (out of the way), focus on a spot and then wait until a decent composition emerges. It's better to wait with the camera up&ready to shoot, I think - that way you're not moving arms etc and so (perhaps!) less likely to draw attention. I did set up on a tripod and remote release a couple of years ago and that worked surprisingly well...I could pretend I was on my mobile phone the whole time and not really looking at the scene in front of me. I might try that again once I'm allowed out.
I use the same technique when I have a tripod with me. Not sure anybody us fooled. :) When I don't have a tripod I make a photo and then feign interest in something above the person's head like a building front or the top of a bridge. Not sure that's fooling anyone either.
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