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Lockdown Reconnecting with my local area during the coronavirus crisis

In the spring of 2020 the coronavirus crisis temporarily interrupted my life as a landscape photographer, restricting access to my beloved Lake District. Allowed out just once a day to exercise I used my photography to reconnect with the area around the village where I live.

The coronavirus crisis could not have come at a worse time for me.

In August 2019 I had left the security of my job in IT to go full-time as a landscape photographer. Over the winter months I worked hard to promote my fledgling business and the early signs were good. My diary was full of workshops and 1-2-1s and I was optimistic about the future.

However, my progress was brought to a shuddering halt when on Monday 23rd March Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced that the UK would enter a period of lockdown in light of the escalating Covid-19 pandemic.

With my workshops and 1-2-1s either postponed or cancelled altogether I suddenly found myself with time on my hands. With my beloved Lake District out of bounds and confined to the house except for exercise I set about photographing my local area whilst out walking each day.

I live in the village of Shap on the eastern edge of the Lake District National Park. Spectacular views of the far eastern fells are just a short walk from my backdoor.
During the coronavirus crisis my only opportunity to take photographs was whilst out for my daily exercise. Invariably my route would lead me along the concrete road that joins the Haweswater and Wet Sleddale reservoirs.
With camera in hand I would photograph whatever caught my eye whilst out on my daily walk. Mundane objects that I had passed countless times before (without so much as a second glance) were transformed into fascinating photographic subjects.
Often in order to reach the concrete road I would have to cross the River Lowther just outside the hamlet of Keld. The river marks the boundary of the national park so crossing it always had extra significance for me.
I didn’t always head west into the national park. Sometimes I would make my way east, crossing over an often deserted M6 motorway.
When heading east my destination would often be Hardendale Nab. From its elevated position I could enjoy probably the best view of the Lake District fells that still remained within my reach.
Lockdown also afforded me the opportunity to explore new areas and uncover new treasures. Before lockdown I didn’t even know that the impressive limestone cliffs behind Hardendale Nab even existed!
It wasn’t just new finds that I was keen to photograph but also those subjects that had been on my ‘to-do’ list for a while. I had passed this lime kiln numerous times when driving between Shap and Bampton and now I had the opportunity to spend some time exploring it.
I found lockdown to be a rollercoaster of emotions, full of highs and lows. Often what I chose to photograph reflected my feelings at the time.
The sheep that graze the hillsides remained my constant companions while out walking. Lockdown coincided with lambing season and I would often pause to watch the new born lambs exploring their new found surroundings.
Here in the UK lockdown was put in place at the end of March. Winter was just coming to an end and there were still very few leaves on the trees.
But by they time that lockdown restrictions were starting to be eased the trees were in full leaf. I found it comforting to know that even though our lives had been put on hold nature carried on regardless.

In just a few short weeks lockdown had a profound impact on me as a photographer. It helped me to reconnect with my local area and to find the beauty in a landscape that I had previously taken for granted.

I have found that focusing on more intimate scenes has helped to inject a little more creativity into my images and I have developed a new love for black and white photography.

How long lasting will these changes be? Only time will tell.

Created By
Chris Sale
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