lockdown snaps: taking photos despite it all

a quick look at the film photos i took in lockdown last year, to inspire me and hopefully you to pick up your camera when things are feeling bad

last year, lockdown sapped what was left of my creative energy. my depression hit hard and i found that i preferred doing absolutely nothing over anything else. picking up the camera became really difficult during lockdown 1.0, and i didn’t start taking pictures around the house or on our walks til weeks into it.

so i’m trying hard not to fall into the same trap this time round, so i was inspired to look back at some of the snaps i took last year. these were all taken on 35mm film on various cameras across the handful of lockdowns we had in 2020!

there’s something really lovely and cosy and homey about sun-drying laundry.

cats on my walk!

forbidden friend.

this was the first and only time we took ice cream out with us in mugs.

level 3 trips to pick up some booze. through the rearview mirror shots are hard to nail in a moving car, but when you get it the results are so great. this just perfectly captured the mood of that exact second with my flatmates. i’ll be doing a future blog about car photography specifically, so i’ll talk more about capturing roadtrip feelings and using windows as frames and lots more!

this was taken on my shittiest cheapest camera ($20) and i couldn’t even tell you the model, it’s the most basic plastic-y point and shoot but it’s also tiny and i can chuck it in my jacket pocket, which is exactly what i did on our walk to western springs here. this shot is nothing special, but it reminds me of all the lovely textures from that picnic - the crunchy leaves, the picnic blanket, and the feeling of grass - an extra special luxury as at that time i lived in a house with no garden. i also like it because i just snapped exactly what i saw from where i was sitting, which makes it feel even more like a memory.

we briefly extended our bubble to this praying mantis that let herself in.

picking up a camera to shoot during lockdown may feel like an impossible task that requires a lot of motivation, but i also know that once i start taking photos i feel so so much better. the delay in getting film developed also adds extra allure, since i love forgetting what i shoot and having a lovely surprise later on.

if taking photos feels like a huge task, there’s nothing stopping you from making the task easier. if you’re shooting film, shoot automatic rather than manual, or choose your point and shoot over your SLR (bonus points if it fits in your pocket).

if that’s still too hard, use your phone. if you see something worth capturing, whether it’s around your room or flat, or out and about on your walk, capture it somehow. if you want the exciting mystery of shooting film but on your phone, i can’t recommend the huji app enough (android and ios). shoot a bunch of shots “blind” (through the tiny viewfinder) and resist the temptation to look at them til after you’re done!

make the little moments special and romanticise your days spent at home. they may be many, and they may start to blur into each other, but there are moments in every day that make them significant. maybe it’s breakfast in the sun, or a cool leaf, or reading your book on the couch - if you think it’s worth remembering or immortalising, do it.

if you’re inspired by any of that, please feel free to share them with me! i’m on instagram here and i’d love to see your beautiful little slices of lockdown. thanks heaps for reading!