The biggest thing I miss since we went into lockdown in the UK is definitely being out in the city shooting street pictures. Having to stay at home is not a big deal for me, in fact I’ve quite enjoyed this time to get some work done that has been getting put off for a while. But I do love being out there walking for miles and taking in the sights and sounds of the busy streets. One of the worst aspects of this coronavirus outbreak is the unknown aspect of the whole thing. At this point we have no idea how long it will take for this virus to go away, or if it ever will go away. The question has popped into my head many times recently - What if this is the turning point in history? What if busy streets and social interacting become a thing of the past?
Central Station, Glasgow 2019 (above) and 2020 (below)
That old saying ‘Use it or loose it’ just might be a thought we should pause on for a minute. We have been moving away from direct communication for a long time, since email, mobile phones, and then smart phones and tablets. We sit opposite real people on trains, people with stories we don’t know, and yet we bury our faces in a screen and devour other peoples versions of what they want you to think is their real life. But actually their lives revolve around creating bullshit to keep the illusion of their fake life going. It’s like The Truman Show in reverse. So maybe Mother Nature has decided if we are not going to use physical contact, we should loose it.
Last week I felt I just had to get out there and document this time in history. Covid-19 is no doubt the biggest global threat since the 1918 Spanish Flu pandemic. And by the way, That virus had nothing to do with Spain but was actually born in the USA. Anyway, I drove the 20 minutes to get to the city and parked up. I thought there would be lots of parking spaces but I guess the people that have no option but to go to work are probably using cars rather than trains or busses. I sat inside the car for a while debating if this was a good idea or not. There was a side of me that was saying '“keep away. danger. This doesn’t feel right”. But I had to do what I came here for, especially in case the lockdown became even more enforced than it already is.
As I walked these same streets that I have walked so many times, I was struck by just how eerie it was. It felt like a movie, possibly 28 Days Later. There was a quietness to the city that I have never experienced, not even first thing in the morning before the hustle and bustle begin. There were a few people walking there, but they were keeping a safe distance. If someone came toward me on the pavement and there wasn’t a lot of room, I would walk onto the road to pass them. If 2 metres is the suggested distance to keep, I would rather go to three metres.
Let’s hope this virus is a once in a century pandemic and it goes away soon, and never to return. But if not and life doesn’t return to the way it was just a few months ago, isn’t it lucky that street photographers captured the way we were (cue the Barbra Streisand track :o).