Everyone has a "lockdown story". This one is mine. One morning I woke up and decided to let the arts into my life, to become a photographer. Change of career paths are never easy, especially in the fields governed by subjectivity. We all know how messy catching a connecting train or flight can become when you are not in control. A change of career is not different, especially later in life. Bumps on the road are to be expected. Still just because a bit of bad weather is foreseen, this shouldn't stop us in moving forward. Photography was more than just a hobby. Sometimes it was a life saver, a life saver from dark spots. I am a believer that photography is life.
So, why staircases? With lots of time on our hands and with imposed movement restrictions, what is there to do? One thing for sure, is to used up our mobility allowance. Our freedom was at stake. Every day, I went out for my allowance walk with my camera. Not at first but after a while I became very attracted to the beauty and diversity withheld in stairs leading to entrances of neighbouring residences. I found myself at times standing still just contemplating. It was a wonderful feeling. This new clarity was not accidental. Reduced air particle matters in cities and this sudden change of pace all contributed to a different perspective in our lives. So if someone asks me, what I have done during my first lockdown. I will reply with, "I create a collection of staircase photos".
Lines, shadows, symmetry, patterns are all elements that staircases have in abundance making them interesting subjects. Stairs or staircases have been used as subjects of exploration by many photographers over many decades. For instance, stairs were a main subject to study abstraction by Paul Strand.
staircase 09 | staircase 08 | staircase 07 |
---|---|---|
staircase 06 | staircase 0502 | staircase 0501 |
staircase 04 | staircase 0301 | staircase 02 |
staircase 0302 | staircase 18 | staircase 17 |
staircase 16 | staircase 1502 | staircase 1501 |
staircase 14 | staircase 19 | staircase 13 |
staircase 12 | staircase 11 | staircase 21 |
staircase 22 | staircase 23 | staircase 24 |
staircase 25 | staircase 26 | staircase 27 |
staircase 28 | staircase 29 | staircase 30 |
staircase 31 | staircase 32 | staircase 33 |
staircase 34 | starcaise 35 | staircase 36 |
staircase 37 | staircase 38 | staircase 39 |
staircase 40 | staircase 41 | staircase 42 |
staircase 43 | staircase 44 |