During my time in quarantine, there was a lot of time for me to sit back and see what captured my eyes around the house. During this time of finding my comfort in staying home for a long period of time, I was able to see my home through a different lens. For a while home was barely a place I would be. I was either out at school, staying out late for a program, spending extra time at school for help, or going to volleyball practice and Saturday classes during weekends, while also spending time taking pictures of my friends outside. Essentially, being outside slowly became my second nature. That being said, the pandemic changed that all. But thankfully, I was able to see my small apartment in the heart of Harlem from a very different perspective. The best parts were the sunsets, when the mellow, yellow light would create shadows over chairs and flower vases. Or when the yellow tint would make me shoot my kitchen like it was a gold chamber. Or even the subtle shadows at dawn, when I would be awake from my messed-up sleep schedule, or the eeriness of the streets at 6 am, which, before this, would’ve been busy and loud.

Hi, my name is Heidi.  This is my first year going to the Salt program.  Salt has taught me a lot of things, like how to use a camera and how to use Photoshop and Lightroom. My teacher always helps me when I am having a hard time. Going to Salt has also taught me how to make new friends because I am kind of shy. But, this year I am not as shy and I keep talking more to people and making new friends. I really love how we go out and shoot pictures of people and nature.  I wish I could go back to Salt and learn more about photography. 

The duality between light and dark is synonymous with the duality between good and bad. God is the ruler of Heaven — a golden paradise — whereas the Devil is the ruler of Hell — an abyss of suffering. The “Dark Ages” is synonymous with the fall of a great empire, whereas the “Age of Enlightenment” characterizes a period of cultural growth. I accepted this rigid dichotomy into my life with indifference because it seemed right to pair light with good, and dark, with bad. Every grim experience I encountered — another hopeless day, the heat that flooded my body after another argument with a loved one, a test paper covered with red marks — was a new event that I could add to my bucket of badness. I was so obsessed with this quantity of badness that it was difficult to believe that any good could come out of my bad experiences. Yet being in the dark was not the real obstacle — it was my fear of the dark, failure, emotional deterioration, backwardness. We forget that the two come in a pair. We forget that good experiences can only exist because we have bad experiences.

The moment I am writing this marks my 103rd day of not feeling the hot, humid heat outside of my small Brooklyn apartment. Being at home every day opened up my eyes to the miniscule details that I had not noticed before. I noticed how the reflections and refractions of sunlight and artificial lighting played a role in appearing on objects I have at home. Being able to use artificial lighting, like flashlights, provided a sense of comfort for me; I had control over something at times when I felt overwhelmed, when it felt like everything was out of bounds. Along with light, I employed color to bring about dimension and feeling to my photography, and to express and induce themes, such as nostalgia, surrealism, and mystery. Utilizing objects, like books and texts, in my photos was important to me because immersing myself into reading helped me to continue to learn about the world, especially important matters, such as racism, police brutality, and the views of others. I thought that using words as a clear motif in my pictures would help to unravel a part of the historical moment that ordinary people, such as myself, were experiencing in 2020 while being stuck at home. Living in my one-bedroom apartment with no privacy, I felt my thoughts stray away from all of the pleasant things in life to the unpleasant things. My Nikon camera gave me an escape from my depressing thoughts. I stumbled upon my purpose during quarantine: to appreciate and enjoy the little things in life. 

Hello, my name is Kevin and this series shows the emotional impact the virus has had on me, how it feels unreal — as if there’s a glitch — but this is reality.  Time in quarantine is going by super slowly, emotions are uncontrollable, people are waiting and waiting to see their friends because they’re lonely without them.  As I struggle to find things to do, I capture myself on camera, playing soccer with myself in my backyard.

People do not take well to confinement, but we cope with it through imagination. To stay sane is to long for the better times when we can leave our house freely, and break away of our worldly restraints. We run away to places of abandonment, we seek out the areas untouched by the long arm of society. My long-exposures do not reinforce the value of movement, but rather the excitement of external discovery. Because we are unable to clearly perceive ourselves when we imagine, we can only see the effects of our actions upon the memories we dig afresh. Unlike our physical selves, the mind is homeless; it wanders until it reaches a point where we are at ease from inside.  

Life seems to hit you unexpectedly at the wrong time and moments and I’m definitely living one of those moments now. Isolation is something that can blend so easily with our daily lives that it suddenly seems normal. Social distancing has allowed me to get closer to my family and to think outside the box. Being home for many months has allowed me to capture the changes and happy moments with the people around me. The thought of taking pictures in quarantine was definitely hard. I knew that I had to push my creativity and not limit myself when it came to photography. At the end of this photographic journey I am very happy with the outcome of my work because I know that it’s a representation of change, emotion and beauty of life.

Throughout this difficult time, I was able to capture how things changed all of a sudden. We were all so used to being exposed and so near each other, without the thought of any of us getting sick. But things changed very quickly for the good and for the bad. Many of those who wanted to grow their faith, were so easily taken by surprise that now they had to listen to a preaching virtually. Many people were searching for hope when they needed it the most during this difficult time and it was hard for them. Although things were changing every day, during quarantine I got to spend so much time with my family and spend time not being at work or at school. We got time to work on puzzles a lot, which is something that wouldn’t normally happen because we were always busy. The time I got to spend with my family was very special to me. 

My photographs are about emotions and how radical life can get sometimes. Emotions can get so deep and irrational, yet, life always manages to bring you back. These four photos are part of a larger project that shines light on the parts of life that many forget — the highs and lows that made you who you are today.

My project is about experimenting with light and window blinds. Some of my images are more abstract while others are portraits. And many of them were also accidents — I definitely surprised myself with my final images.

I haven’t been able to go outside for two and a half months now, whenever I look outside my window it makes me want to go out even more. but, it’s our responsibility to not leave the house for everyone’s safety!  The garden in the front and the plants inside my house give me a lot of comfort during my time at home.