This photographer is using his time in self-isolation to capture intimate portraits of his neighbors... from his window.
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CreativityTranscript
00:00It began with me taking pictures through this window.
00:07I was talking on the phone, just speaking to my friend, and I was looking out the window,
00:23and we have flats across the street that are fairly close to us.
00:29I remember looking and seeing the amount of people who were in at the same time,
00:36and it just being really strange, because you never really see that many people in at the same
00:40time. Then I thought it'd be really cool to try and actually document the isolation part of it.
00:46I think it's quite an important thing to have a reminder of this kind of thing.
00:51I had to figure out a way of actually getting in touch with them.
00:56Because we were so close, I just figured, well, I'll put a sign on the window.
01:00It said, like, board, I know I am a photographer looking to document
01:06your isolation from over here. I was really close to not doing it.
01:12I didn't want to put a sign on my window saying,
01:14I want to take photos of you in your room and then come across like, you know, a total weirdo.
01:19Within about 20 minutes, the first one came through, and I was just like,
01:22God, that's so surprising. People were so inviting in this time.
01:28I don't think I would have gotten any pictures if it was just a normal day.
01:31I think people would have, you know, done what I originally said and just
01:36started shutting the blinds. In a way, I think it's made people a little bit more open.
01:40They would send me an Instagram message, and then we'd arrange a time in the evening to shoot.
01:45And I'd call them over the phone and just, you know, get them turning on different lights,
01:51turning off lights or whatever, and just, you know, posing them within the room.
01:55I didn't set up anything that they wouldn't be doing normally.
01:58You know, like, it's not supposed to be...
02:01Like, I said to them as well, I was like, what would you normally be doing at this time?
02:06And then went from there. When something like this happens,
02:09you do start thinking a bit more about the things that you spend your time on
02:13and what they all mean and if they mean anything.
02:17And, you know, like, everything has a place.
02:21And I just find, I think this work is a bit more fulfilling because
02:29it can be used for some good things.
02:47The whole idea in mind was that we're going to make a book and then sell the book and a bunch
02:56of the profits go to the NHS. But I figured it might not be, you know, so well and you're doing
03:02that later on. But I guess if they need money now, I thought I could put up the prints I've
03:07already done and sell them and use all the profit from those to raise money.
03:12I think so far we've raised like, just from the prints, we've raised nearly 500 pounds.
03:18When something like this happens, you compare yourself to the people who are,
03:20you know, like the nurses and things who are, you know,
03:23pretty much risking their lives day to day. So you can't really compare yourself.
03:27But I think, you know, if you can inform people and entertain people, that's a good effort.