Lockdown Stories | How we spent summer 2020

Lockdown Stories during the Covid Pandemic

As the world feels it’s spiralling out of control, I realised, I never had a chance to share and reflect upon the Lockdown we all experienced this summer.

Unbelievably, the “circuit breaker” lockdown looms on the horizon – you can’t turn on the news without hearing this term being debated constantly.  And the fear is starting to set in again.  Personally, I’m dreading the thought.  Not really because of work or money or being stuck at home, I’m now seeing the bigger picture and desperately worried for others.  Winter is coming and it’s not looking pretty.  So, last night, I took out some time to reflect.  To remind myself of Lockdown, how it was and see what positives we can bring from that and take forward into the next season.  Sadly the warmth and sunshine won’t be one of them, but maybe we need to delve deeper. . . .

During lockdown, so many people commented that the world had slowed down.

For many of us, the rush of our busy lives was suddenly confined to the boundary of our homes and walks, allowing us to take stock of our surroundings.  The pace of daily life just calmed.  No school rush, no rush hour, no rush in general.  Before, whether we needed to or not, we would busy ourselves with places to be, and things to do.  Possibly taking little time to really stop and appreciate family, home, the way the light shone through the trees outside the window.

There were multiple instances across the globe of people feeling that birds were singing more, our senses perhaps heightened and we discovered a new way of living.  We began to reflect on our “old way of life” and how it was unnecessary, problematic, too fussy, too busy and we all said we wouldn’t “go back” to how we were before.  In amongst that, some of us had the juggling act to contend with.  The stress of working from home, home-schooling, living full-time with a partner we would ordinarily only see for a few hours each day, coping with the newborn with no support network, missing our loved ones, dealing with loneliness, and of course, coming to terms with job loss and no income.   For a number of key workers, on the frontline, it was seeing the real impact of this dreaded virus, for others it was trying to keep us safe and fed.  Life has undoubtedly changed for us all.

I don’t know about you, but I for the first two weeks felt a sense of mourning.  I had weddings cancelled, brides calling me in tears, plans changed, two kids at home to look after, one to home school, hubby at home needing “projects” – which wasn’t a problem actually!, and a home that now became our boundary.

At first, I didn’t lift up my camera.  I was all a bit confused.  Felt I needed to be “present” for the kids.  I set up timetables for Harry and tried to do Joe Wicks daily and failed miserably by day 3.  Very quickly homeschooling was out and being happy was in.

It was when I finally let go of the “oh this is shit” and realised actually, “oh this could be an amazing experience” that I started to open my eyes.

As a family, we took on the garden.  We created a veg patch and a fairy garden.  We ordered plants online (as the nurseries were closed – took 3 weeks for a box of ferns to arrive … dead!).  In the 3 months of lockdown we only spent 5 days indoors.  We didn’t even go for walks really, we just found solace within our boundary.   I began to capture our existence.  And started to realise that every family was experiencing Lockdown all so differently.  We’d spent so many months apart from friends and family I was intrigued as to how everyone else was spending their time.  And also felt I needed to get out as I was becoming a bit agoraphobic.

So I started a little project to tell other’s Lockdown Stories.  Now I didn’t get to do many.  But it’s a little glimpse, a little record, of what went on.  And for me, I finally had an outlet.

I saw friends I hadn’t seen for months – albeit through a window; I could see the joy they had found within their own boundaries, I could finally capture some emotion and feelings and connections again.  And it helped me to process the whole experience with my own family via observation and reflection

I have so enjoyed looking at other projects that have taken place during lockdown.  And I’m in a few facebook groups full of people from all over the globe sharing their stories – it’s been fascinating to see how this virus has impacted every corner of the world. I’ll list a few links at the end of this post.

The main thing to notice is how what was once considered a mundane activity is now something to appreciate.

Sharing meals, cooking, the 4:30 gin, watering the flowers, walking the dog, playing jenga, drawing on the windows, tickling mummy, just normal daily family life. Other images show what people are noticing more in their own homes — how light is cast in their surroundings throughout the day, the colours of the seasons and in some cases the feeling of being overwhelmed, anxious or isolated.

And yet strangely, Lockdown has brought me back to why and how I started Unscripted Photography:

Capturing the {beauty of} the EveryDay.

I’ve always asked families to just stop, take stock, be grateful, and enjoy the mundane.  No family is ever boring.  No life is ever boring.  I’ve always enjoyed just photographing daily life.  Noticing the little things.  How toddlers walk, how kids eat, how children can get into fits of giggles over nothing, the way Grandads hug just a little bit too tight, how Dad can always drown out the world when he’s on his iPad, the joy of splashing water at Mum when washing the car, and then the simplest of moments – just looking out the window, listening to the birds and reading a good book or watching the shadows move from one side of the room to the other.

It was in fact ME who had ignored my own tagline.  Who had gotten caught up in the school rush, rush hour, rush rush.  I missed the little things.  And I’m so grateful to Lockdown for that.  I now am back to annoying my husband and leaving cameras everywhere and documenting the beautiful Everyday again.  I’m noticing more.  And enjoying more.

And as much as Lockdown 2 scares me to death, this time I won’t mourn, I will try to enjoy.  But be mindful of those less fortunate.  And there won’t be a second of the day that goes by when I’m not thinking of them.  I’ll be honest, I don’t know how to help in that department.  I wish I did.  Any thoughts would be most welcome?

Anyways – if you have read this far.  Bloody well done.  And now I leave you with Lockdown Stories.  Moments from the summer of 2020.  One we’ll never forget.  xxx

Inspiration for more lockdown stories:

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Hold Still Project

Photographers Under Confinement (Facebook Group – request to join)