Lighting the Way and Staying Closer
The Distance Project 37
Now it’s been over a year since the lockdown rules were almost completely relaxed, I’ve been returning to some previous subjects. There’s been a few changes...
This is the second post comparing things now and in lockdown; the previous one, How Have Things Changed After Lockdown? was just last week. Dates for older photos refer to the day the original post went live. The first few shots are from social calls in 2020, and the comparison shots from a few weeks ago. The earlier shots have their original captions.
The Rules Are Relaxed
The Distance Project 6 (4th June 2020)
I wrote in 2020:
Some restrictions were relaxed on Monday, so there’s been a few changes in behaviour. The more vulnerable are allowed to venture out, though there are still some curbs on what they can do. Visitors in the garden are now permitted.
(2020) My sister in law has been bringing “the boys”, my nephews, to see me nearly every week since they were babies; they are now 19 and 21. With the lockdown in place, this couldn’t happen. But with the changes to the restrictions, the whole family came to see me on Tuesday.
They brought camping chairs, biscuits and drinks. I sat at my garden table. It was great; nothing beats seeing the people you care about, face to face.
(2022) Two years later we are all sitting at the same garden table. My sister in law couldn’t make it, but here is my brother and the boys. Before, they couldn’t come in my house and we had to socialise in the garden. This time we chose to sit outside because the weather was nice. As soon as it was allowed in July 2021 we had started to socialise at close range again.
(2020) I photographed Graham Stringer on his birthday, Monday 1st of June. He has been confined to his home as a vulnerable individual until today. But now things have eased he is allowed to go out, but he is still wary and this is as far as he is prepared to travel from his front door.
Graham is another photographer.
(2022) Graham is quite prepared to have visitors in his home now and has been since the rules were relaxed last year. I visit him and we talk about photography. This is his living room and I’m just a few feet from him. I didn’t realise he was wearing clothes of almost the same mid-blue colour in both photos until I got home and compared the photos!
Hiroshima Day
The Distance Project 35 (12th August 2021)
The last few shots today are from the Hiroshima Day ceremony in 2021, plus one from this year's ceremony.
I wrote in 2021:
Two and a half weeks after lockdown pretty much ended, I went to the Hiroshima Day Ceremony at the Buddhist temple. It was the 6th of August.
Around one in five adults still wore facemasks, both inside and out. But those who stayed outdoors were quite well spread out, most still keeping their distance. Indoors, they sat all next to each other, masked or not.
Most of the people who chose to stay outside could have squeezed into the shrine room, but it seems they preferred not to.
(2021) I saw perhaps five or six mask wearers out of all of those at the lake. Some people stood back from the crowd at the waterline.
(2021) A woman takes a lantern to the water’s edge. She still wears a mask, but it’s under her chin.
(2022) This year I saw no social distancing, but found this family of four all wearing masks at the lakeside.
This post's photos were taken with either a Pentax camera and lenses, or a Sony A6000 camera and lens.
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