An article/interactive in today’s NY Times, “The Great Empty,” reminds photographers that they can play a role in documenting history. This is the first pandemic we’ve experienced since photography has become widely available and practiced. Sure, photography was around during the 1918-1919 pandemic, but only to a relative few. Today there are multitudes.
I hope photographers who have the time and resources, insofar as they can do it safely, get out and document our current experiences. Our experiences and struggles not just in big cities or famous tourist destinations, but also and perhaps more importantly in the tens of thousands of small towns that are struggling to survive.
No, documenting our current social crisis won’t produce any income, but those photographs might (especially if printed) serve future generations when they confront and try to cope with their own pandemics.