Pandemic Photos...

First off, my intent is not to minimize or mock anything having to do with the pandemic. But I was in Chicago two years ago and something dawned on me.

What photos have you taken during the pandemic which simply wouldn't have turned out the same as if there wasn't a pandemic?

For me, I think it's this photo of "The Bean" in Chicago, which is completely devoid of people:

Two years ago...no toilet paper!

Perfectly Frank wrote in post #19357187
Two years ago...no toilet paper!

Hosted photo: posted by Perfectly Frank in
./showthread.php?p=193​57187&i=i125185305
forum: Urban Life & Travel

Yeah, but look at all the Doritos!

Road Dog wrote in post #19357175
First off, my intent is not to minimize or mock anything having to do with the pandemic. But I was in Chicago two years ago and something dawned on me.

What photos have you taken during the pandemic which simply wouldn't have turned out the same as if there wasn't a pandemic?

For me, I think it's this photo of "The Bean" in Chicago, which is completely devoid of people:

Hosted photo: posted by Road Dog in
./showthread.php?p=193​57175&i=i16581180
forum: Urban Life & Travel

I believe this is the only photo I've ever seen of it in which there were absolutely no people.

As George Takei would say... "Ohhhh Myyyyyy!"

Two from lines at Trader Joe's when six-foot spacing was required

From a distance, March 18, 2020

A few weeks into lockdown - May, 2020

Quarantine Tape

This one doesn't say "Pandemic" at all, but it haunts me a little bit.

This was made during the first week of the lockdown. I'd just retired from a 30-year career about a month earlier when they imposed the quarantine. Don't go out. Stay home. Don't touch anything and sing Happy Birthday when you wash your hands. This could last a month or more, they warned.

OK, that's going to derail some of my retirement plans. I guess I'll use the time to learn how to work photo editing software for my new hobby.

I was sitting at my computer when I saw this shot. I swiveled my chair to my left and picked up a camera. Swiveled to the right and squeezed off two or three frames. Inspiration through post processing took about 5 minutes. My first act of art under quarantine.

May of 2020, I had to go downtown for a Dr's appt and wandered in to Pike Place Market here in Seattle. I had been a little bit stunned by the lack of people, in general, throughout the downtown core; but this was just shocking to me. Pike Place is a major artisan selling area and even in the "off" months there are local and tourist shoppers, vendors, etc by about 9am. This was around 11:30 and should have been full of vendors at least.

IMAGE LINK: https://flic.kr/p/2iZL​Z95

IMAGE LINK: https://flic.kr/p/2iZN​zeU

IMAGE LINK: https://www.flickr.com​/gp/snydremark/20Eu90

Flu-shot clinic on medical practice's patio, October 8, 2020

Adorning the outdoor structure at another restaurant, October 22, 2020

That's a good point; there was some wonderful street art that came out of the lockdowns and some folks attempting to take the sting out of the buildings that had to be boarded up because others are terrible people...I found this wonderful little pupper having the finishing touches thrown on him while wandering the downtown core:

IMAGE LINK: https://flic.kr/p/2iZL​Zdd

Snydremark wrote in post #19357467
That's a good point; there was some wonderful street art that came out of the lockdowns and some folks attempting to take the sting out of the buildings that had to be boarded up because others are terrible people...I found this wonderful little pupper having the finishing touches thrown on him while wandering the downtown core:

IMAGE LINK: https://flic.kr/p/2iZL​Zdd Pupper in progress by Eric, on Flickr

@thechaoticaquatic on Instagram to credit; a perfectly wonderful young woman and a hell of a painter, IMO

Very attractive artwork.

Snydremark wrote in post #19357451
May of 2020, I had to go downtown for a Dr's appt and wandered in to Pike Place Market here in Seattle. I had been a little bit stunned by the lack of people, in general, throughout the downtown core; but this was just shocking to me. Pike Place is a major artisan selling area and even in the "off" months there are local and tourist shoppers, vendors, etc by about 9am. This was around 11:30 and should have been full of vendors at least.

IMAGE LINK: https://flic.kr/p/2iZL​Z95 Erily empty stalls in Pike Place by Eric, on Flickr

Same thing goes for our infamous "Gum Wall" in Post Alley; I've lived in this area and frequented the Market for 30+ years and I've never seen fewer than a dozen people in these areas while the sun is up:

IMAGE LINK: https://flic.kr/p/2iZN​zeU Gum Wall; deserted by Eric, on Flickr

IMAGE LINK: https://www.flickr.com​/gp/snydremark/20Eu90 Post Alley; Ghost Alley by Eric, on Flickr

And just because they're included in the frame, I want to give a shout out to the kick-ass baristas at Ghost Alley Espresso for anyone that loves coffee and comes to visit Seattle's downtown. They are a bit of a hidden gem, but well worth skipping the madness and lines around the Starbucks to grab some tasty bean juice from I, periodically, had to go down for eye or Dr appts throughout the 2 years of this crazy thing, and they soldiered through the entire time and I never once was not able to skip in in the AM and get my morning pick me up. 8)

Wow, my daughter lives in Seattle; Capitol Hill, so I've been to all of those places more than once. Never have I seen them that deserted, especially Pike Place!

This one doesn't need much captioning.