With the ongoing pandemic that has become a part of our daily lives since the first quarter of 2020, it is often very difficult to focus or concentrate on (any) other subjects, issues, events, and matters. Psychologically, I know it’s healthy for us to try our best to regularly divert our attention from the onslaught of what we’re all witnessing together to prevent losing our minds collectively as a population. This pandemic is a phenomenon because I can’t recall an event in my lifetime when the entire planet was undergoing the same crisis simultaneously. To ponder about this is humbling because it’s truly in the interest of human civilization to collaborate towards a remedy in the form of a vaccine. Everyone must play a part towards this objective in some particular way.
In regards to distracting myself, I can’t honestly assess how well I’ve fared in this arena. I spent most of March and April photographing Seattle because I strongly believe these images will be appreciated when the pandemic has concluded and the populace inevitably adjusts to our “new normal” way of life (post-corona). It’s important that we not forget what we’ve experienced together.
Alas, amidst all the events and news and my own self-assigned project of photographing the city under quarantine, I forgot to take a moment to write this article to express a little bit of pride of seeing one of my photographs published in the April 2020 edition of Digital PhotoPro Magazine .
Back in January, I mentioned how TIA won third place for the magazine’s “Tell Us Your Story” photo contest. I had shared the website where one could view the winning photos. As exciting as that news was then, receiving the magazine with my photo gracing almost an entire page delivered a profound feeling of exhilaration.
As I’ve opined previously — when it comes to photography, it’s one thing to see your images on a website via the screen of a computer, laptop, or smartphone. It’s another thing altogether to see one’s own photo printed in a magazine, newspaper, brochure, booklet, or billboard.
Before the age of the Internet, seeing one’s photograph in print was, in my view, a remarkable accomplishment. There’s something significantly less ephemeral (one of my favorite words to use regarding the relationship between photography social media) about seeing a photograph in printed publications.
I have already mailed copies of the magazine to family and friends, but I forgot to share the news here on my own blog. Winning third prize also earned me a new Fujifilm X100F digital camera, so I’m looking forward to learning how this brand and model works. I have been using Sony Alpha cameras since 2007 (actually, since 1986 if you include Minolta brands before Sony acquired Minolta)!
Hopefully, there will be many more publications of TIA original images to come, independent of (and in addition to) photo contests!
Thanks for reading this article. If you enjoyed the photographs here, please visit my official website @ www.tia-international-photography.com for an indelible, visual experience.
I’m glad you took the time to capture Seattle during the pandemic as I’m sure it will serve as a record with historical significance post-COVID-19! I’m also happy you took time to celebrate your accomplishments! A feature in a magazine is such an amazing achievement! Kudos! We may be living through a challenging and sometimes terrifying time, but we will make it.
Thanks, my friend. I appreciate your positivity and thoughtful outlook given all the circumstances we’re enduring.