"I was in panic mode (like many others), trying to make the most out of lockdown"
"I was in panic mode (like many others), trying to make the most out of lockdown"
About
As a commercial advertising photographer, my career came to an abrupt halt in March 2020 as the Covid-19 pandemic began to unfold around us. I was at my career peak, fully booked for months and within a matter of days, life as I knew it had changed. I was forced to stop and, along with the rest of the world, wait for further instruction.
The Developing Story started on a whim while I was in panic mode (like many others), trying to make the most out of lockdown. Since then I have read many articles about performance pressure and I know now that is 100% what I had. As bad as performance pressure has been made out to be since then, it was this need to keep going that was the origin of The Quaranteen Project.
One night, right before I went to bed, I decided that I was going to send 30 cameras to teenagers around the world and ask them to shoot their lives during quarantine. I chose to use teenagers between the ages of 12 and 19 as I felt that this was the most likely age group to never have used a film camera, but could figure out how to use one with a little guidance.
The next morning, without much forethought or planning, I bought 30 disposable film cameras and started making plans to find the teens that I needed for my project. I contacted friend from countries that I thought might be interesting and two charities doing amazing work in India and Sudan.
“Quarantine taught us to stop and look around us.”
The reality of the logistical nightmare soon started to take shape. Covid had caused restrictions in post and online purchasing that I hadn’t thought of before. It was more difficult than I ever imagined to find people to agree to do the project and I’m glad that I hadn’t thought it through properly before or I would never have started.
I finally had my list and was able to send cameras to around 30 teenagers across the globe. The next problem was getting all the cameras back. With lockdowns, transport restrictions, and limited services to rural areas, this took almost a year. Little did I know at the time we would still be in the midst of the same pandemic one year on.
As I am writing this, I still have three cameras left to get. The rolls of film were sent to South Africa for developing and scanning. This was actually the easiest part of the process. Once I had seen the first few rolls, I was able to get an idea of how the project should come together.
I decided that to tell the truest story possible, I wouldn’t do anything to the photos as I wanted the young artists’ work to speak for itself, in all it’s raw beauty. Beauty comes in many forms, including the honesty, courage and diversity shown in these lockdown lives.
“Quarantine taught us to stop and look around us.”
The reality of the logistical nightmare soon started to take shape. Covid had caused restrictions in post and online purchasing that I hadn’t thought of before. It was more difficult than I ever imagined to find people to agree to do the project and I’m glad that I hadn’t thought it through properly before or I would never have started.
I finally had my list and was able to send cameras to around 30 teenagers across the globe. The next problem was getting all the cameras back. With lockdowns, transport restrictions, and limited services to rural areas, this took almost a year. Little did I know at the time we would still be in the midst of the same pandemic one year on.
As I am writing this, I still have three cameras left to get. The rolls of film were sent to South Africa for developing and scanning. This was actually the easiest part of the process. Once I had seen the first few rolls, I was able to get an idea of how the project should come together.
I decided that to tell the truest story possible, I wouldn’t do anything to the photos as I wanted the young artists’ work to speak for itself, in all it’s raw beauty. Beauty comes in many forms, including the honesty, courage and diversity shown in these lockdown lives.
THe developing project
The Developing Story was created to give a voice to those seeking to be heard, while encouraging and empowering all communities to speak their truth through the medium of photography. Through our capsule storytelling projects, we amplify ordinary voices, offer the wider world a new perspective on current affairs, and encourage visual arts in every community around the world.