coronavirus

"Inside Lives" Project by John Ritchie

The past year has been extremely challenging as we’ve faced the Coronovirus and the social distancing imposed by it. As we move into winter, social distancing will turn into isolation when there’s little daylight and the weather turns bad, forcing people to retreat into their homes and wait for better times. I’m taking advantage of these long dark hours to work on a new project that I’m calling “Inside Lives.”

With “Inside Lives” I make photographs of people in the privacy of their homes, illustrating aspects of their lives not seen by others. The photos are all taken at night from outside the house, peering through windows into the home. I hope to capture the uniqueness of people in their private lives, especially as they cope with isolation, and do it in a way that both adheres to and features social distancing. The photographs should be true to their subjects, somewhat voyeuristic, show unusual (even weird) activity, and may be moody, disturbing, or funny.

I’m using volunteer models and have done several shoots already. Recruiting people to work on it with me has been a challenge due to the Coronavirus-imposed lack of social engagement. Photo shoots are fun for all, take a look at what I’ve done and please consider volunteering!

I plan to do as much work on this as I can during winter and spring while darkness is readily available then start showing the work next year. Of course this schedule depends on how rampant the Coronavirus becomes this winter and how much contact it allows. I’m keeping as safe as I can during the shoots but if we need to quarantine at home it’ll make it hard to do anything.

"Friends' Houses (I cannot visit)" and Isolation by John Ritchie

I can’t begin to express the shock and upheaval we all feel at the onset of the Coronavirus and subsequent societal shutdown. Like every other artist on the face of the planet, this is impacting the work I’m doing and how I do it. As someone interested in photographing the life of people, my photographs will of course be affected by the changes in those people and our society, and we’re already seeing big changes. My methods will need to adapt to new constraints such as social distancing and the difficulty of socializing with the people I’d like to photograph. New topics will present themselves, too, as the crisis spawns artistic creativity around the world.

One example of that is the Willamette Valley PhotoArts Guild’s “Socially Distanced Photo Excursions” project, which challenges PAG members to find ways to create photographs under the constraints of social distancing, bans on travel, and shelter in place measures. This project has resulted in hundreds of photographs and gained local press attention.

Friends’ Houses (I cannot visit)” is a photo collection I created as part of the PAG’s Excursions project. In this collection I portray the sense of loss and isolation felt when I go by friends’ houses but cannot visit them.

Isolation In the Age of Pandemic

Although art galleries are closed world-wide, many of them are hosting limited viewing or online exhibits, and Coronavirus-inspired themes such as “Isolation” and “Social Distancing” are hot topics right now. Such is the case with LightBox Photographic’s “Isolation In the Age of Pandemic” exhibit. This is a “jury of peers” exhibit, where people submitting photos vote on which pictures are included in the show. My photograph was one of 20 images selected for the physical exhibit.

“Isolation” opened May 15 and can be viewed online. Access to the physical show in the gallery, located at 1045 Marine Drive in Astoria, will depend on the evolving status of the state’s social-distancing rules. The gallery hopes to be able to hold a reception in June or July. The exhibit runs through July 11.

Solitary Outlook