Pic(k) of the week 53: READY FOR THE LAUNCH OF SPACESHIP CORONA?
2020. Saying it has been a challenging year, is likely an understatement! On a lighter note, it wasn't only the pandemic that made 2020 special. It is also an exceptional year that counts 53 instead of 52 weeks! This happens when the new year starts on a Thursday or a Wednesday when it is also a leap year, like 2020. Obviously this is only valid when Monday is used as the start of the week.
Typically my Pic(k)s of the week are shot just before the blogpost goes online. This week's however was shot more than 10 months ago; early March 2020.
I vividly remember being out with my Fujifilm X-100V camera trying to shoot some more images for the upcoming review of the new camera. The plan was to shoot images of the Space Shuttle mock-up which dominates Dubai Land sales office. Although it has been there along the 311 highway for a number of years, I never really got close to frame some good images. When arriving at the site mid march, I just got some inside info advising me about an upcoming lock-down and the planned grounding of all airline flights.
The contrast of the lack of people, with the imminent launch of something very important, summarizes how I was feeling that afternoon. I still remember staring at the scene for several minutes, thinking what would be next for me. It quickly became clear that as an airline pilot and freelance photographer myself, both jobs would become under serious pressure! I was anxious about the near future but never posted the image.
Fortunate to keep my job, I went back to the site a few days ago, trying to close off the year called 2020! I was standing there reflecting on the last 10 months. The beach chair was gone. 2020 has been a rollercoaster; a stressful and emotional year.
I named the model "Spaceship Corona"; silently hoping it would be launched soon; never to be seen again. While I believe the original image is much more powerful than the recent work shot at the same place, the latest images can be found on my Instagram account here
Image details:
- Fujifilm X-100V
- ISO 320, 1/1000s, f8.0
- Straight Out Of Camera (#SOOC) using Classic Negative
Just like a certain song, might evoke memories of a specific event, a single photograph can do the same. I strongly believe in photography as therapy. Sometimes just grabbing the camera and going for a walk can do wonders for your state of mind.
The shot with the empty chair shot in March, eventually became the symbol of my "Everybody left" personal project. A homage to all those that lost their jobs during the course of 2020.
As I’m writing this at the very end of the year, there seems to be light at the end of the tunnel and I don't think it is the next train coming our way. If there is anything we citizens of Dubai are good at, it is bouncing back from challenging times; we have done so in the past and will do it again. Resilience at its best! With the postponed 2020 World Exhibition on the horizon later in 2021, I’m confident that my photogenic “City of Contrast”, will rise again like no other! People will return; both in person and in our images!
Remember: "Stay positive. Test Negative."
HAPPY 2021!
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