So here we are almost a year into Covid-19 and its various restrictions. Currently, in lockdown 3. Personally, I think it has been the hardest time of all, relatively speaking.  I say “relatively” because thankfully I have managed to avoid infection and the subsequent misery that has brought for a lot of people. 

The hardest part of this time has been the restrictions on my own personal interactions with people.  I tend to thrive in a group format and don’t enjoy solitude, I know people seek out personal alone time for their own reasons but that’s not me.  The reason I call myself a “people photographer” is because of the joy of interaction and that reflects in my images, especially when shooting Press features and PR.

One thing this time has given me is the freedom to be a “happy snapper” again. This is my own term for the casual shooting of anything, no direction or real aim, just going out and shooting what you feel like shooting.  This week that took me back to Withernsea, a place I lived for a short time before joining the Royal Navy.

Simply walking along the coastline with my little Fujifilm X100f was enough of an escape from the negativity and overwhelming stories of grief – the odd happy story – but mainly sadness associated with the pandemic rolling news.