THE LOCKDOWN COLLECTION
An exceptionally rare body of work, The Lockdown Collection consists of three hundred images which mark a turning point in history. As the title suggests; the pandemic of 2020. In some ways it is, in its entirety, a historical document. From some angles it can be seen as a valuable lesson containing subtle messages.
Ultimately, in simple terms, it epitomizes of the notion of something positive coming from something negative. If ever there were a time to quote the phrase, "If life gives you lemons: make lemonade"; this is it. That particularly citrus episode, for a photographer, became so sweet in so many ways. 'Bittersweet' encapsulated, perhaps?
An unusual twist of fate lead to its creation. It paved the way for exciting new projects and, above all things, instilled a genuine appreciation in me for the here-and-now, something many of us had in abundance during quarantine. The opportunity to create it in the first place was nothing short of a privilege. I was in the right place at the right time. Kite Beach, Cabarete*.
The images encapsulate, perhaps with a certain poignancy, the lack of human presence during that time and how nature responded. The dates and locations they were captured are what make them unique. It’s highly probable that this collection would never have come into existence if it weren’t for Covid. Humans have long since returned and to accurately recreate it would be impossible. Kite Beach is a busy, public place and almost every square foot of it is trodden daily. Many of the pictures feature plants growing where plants never normally grow; testament to their rarity.
The collection is for sale and the prices set on my Picfair webstore (link below), among other attributes, reflect the truly unique nature of this collection. In a few cases, depending on the image, the values are high. This was, at times, in and of itself, as much an art project as it was a photographic challenge. Some of the captures were lucky finds; others were pre-planned and days in the making. A few document fleeting, windswept moments and others, lovingly curated passage of time. Some were taken during moments of perfect calm: some during exceptionally testing conditions without a tripod. All but a tiny handful of the collection, in fact, were taken hand-held. A tripod, in most situations, strange as it may seem, actually caused more problems than it was supposed to solve.
A select few of the shots, to use an analogy, were virtually flawless gemstones at the taking but still needed careful shaping and polishing. Many of what I consider were, originally, rough diamonds in the collection often took days to polish. Speaking as a photographer, aside from this being a once in a lifetime opportunity, all of the images were obtained and [continue to be] finished with dedication to the art bordering on obsession. During that time I was totally consumed, all the while knowing it would come to an end at some point.
At least eighty percent of what I attempted in the making of this collection failed due to factors beyond my control. Kite Beach was relatively empty during that time: not completely empty. Embarking on an art project in a public place can end up being an exercise on so many levels, regardless of worldly circumstances. It became my routine, my alarm clock and even my calendar. The sunrise, sunset and wind play leading roles in the story. Over time I began to know exactly where the light would rise and where the shadows would fall. Some days yielded; some didn't.
I speak in the past tense; the reality being I still, at the time of this writing (December 2023), have around two hundred and sixty out of three hundred left to edit. With a minimum of a whole day spent on each one and, sometimes days on a single picture, there's plenty of time to digest what's on offer so far. It will be well into 2024, possibly early 2025 by the time the whole collection is complete.
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Given the nature of this collection and my deeply personal attachment to it, I include bespoke editing services on every sale of digital downloads from my Picfair store. I also offer complimentary printing advice on digital downloads in the Dominican Republic where I'm currently working on new projects.
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* Cabarete is a popular tourist destination and world renown kiting location on the north coast of the Dominican Republic, a Spanish speaking country which covers the majority of the eastern portion of an island called Hispanola (located in the upper part of the Caribbean chain; nestled between Cuba and Puerto Rico). The westernmost portion of the island is the nation of Haiti. (Map in the Announcements page).
The Lockdown Collection
A viewing gallery of completed pieces so far.
Please Note:
Colors, brightness and tones may vary between devices and printed mediums. In a few, rare cases, edits posted may vary between platforms. This is why after-sales services are included with digital downloads. My wish is for every owner to have their pieces optimized to their liking.
EPHEMERAL
A great many of the images in the collection were taken when the wind was blowing; ranging from gentle breeze to strong, gusty, pre-squall conditions which were hard to stand still in. What you can only see on the high resolution originals is streaking, moving grains of sand. The shutter speeds were always high enough to capture the subject but not always high enough to freeze sand being whipped across the surface by the wind.
As I was staring down at these during times of high wind I would quite often see the lines moving. I even managed to get a few good time-lapse clips which give a sped up view of what I was seeing; sometimes of exactly the same view as some of the photographs.
Below is a representation of LC#014 - Z Stick (which I thought appropriate to hang above a bed), at approximately five and a half feet across (166cm).
Please stay tuned as this page develops. Thank you.
