Items

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  2020-07

  Finding Beauty in a COVID World: Colorado Landscapes

  These are all images from our drive through Colorado. The first two images are a landscape scene and a photo of a mountain goat from Independence Pass, a mountain pass in Colorado that is only open in the warmer months because it gets very treacherous in the winter. It was still quite scary when we went in July, but the views were breathtaking. The last photo is from the Colorado Monument. We chose to drive up to experience it, as there were a lot of people there without masks and we felt safest in the car. All of these photos were taken from the safety and comfort of our car.
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  2020-05

  Finding Beauty in a COVID World: New York Sunset with a Mask

  This image captures a raw New York COVID moment. This is on a roof in Washington Heights with a gorgeous view of the George Washington bridge. We asked a masked stranger to take this photo and immediately sanitized the phone afterwards.
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  2020-07

  Finding Beauty in a COVID World: Rainbow in an Open Landscape

  On our roadtrip driving into Kansas from Colorado, we experienced this beautiful rainbow from so many different angles as we were driving through. At first it wasn’t even a complete rainbow; it was only half a rainbow peaking through the mountains. As we drove further through the open landscape, it transformed into a full rainbow extending over this gorgeous view and even a double rainbow.
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  2020-06

  Finding Beauty in a COVID World: Running Alongside the Locked Up Botanical Garden

  The New York Botanical Garden happens to be near where I reside in the Bronx. Every summer and spring my friends and I plan a few trips to this lovely place to experience all of the natural beauty of the garden. However, this year however, the “Botans,” as we like to call it, was closed for the entirety of the spring and a large chunk of summer due to the pandemic. I believe they are just now, in early August, starting to open with limited capacity. I decided to capture this photo on my run to illustrate how the garden’s beauty is able to penetrate the surrounding community even from outside the gates. You can see the lavender peeking up over the gate and we were able to take a look inside through the openings of the fence to appreciate the park’s beauty. My mask reads “New York Strong.”
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  2020-07

  Finding Beauty in a COVID World: Rabbit in the Grass

  There were so many rabbits living around the place where we were staying in Salt Lake. My dog loved to chase them around the yard. I finally captured one sitting right in front of some flowers and knew I had to share this image. Nature is truly beautiful.
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  2020-07

  Finding Beauty in a COVID World: Dog Lake Hike, Salt Lake City, UT

  In mid-July we decided to travel to Salt Lake City to visit family. Downtown SLC was pretty shut down due to the pandemic so we chose to find some outdoor activities that we could participate in while still remaining safe. These two images are from a beautiful hike we did called “Dog Lake,” a dog friendly hike with a lake (shown in picture 2) for the dogs to go cool off in before heading back down the mountain.
• 2020-07

  Finding Beauty in a COVID World

  In this series my goal was to share how I found beauty this summer, despite everything happening right now in the United States. This collection of photos serves as a reminder for me that although things are not normal and probably won't be for a long time, there is such immense beauty that exists in this world. If it weren't for COVID and losing my job I would not have experienced many of these moments that I captured in these pictures. Perhaps the silver lining of COVID is that for a lot of us, it has forced us to literally sit back and reflect and these photos illustrate the "COVID-friendly" activities I chose to do this summer with all my free time. Some of these photos are some scenic landscapes in NYC, where I live. The rest of these images are from various scenic places throughout the country, mostly in the West, where I began my road trip back to New York City a few weeks ago.
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  2020-07

  Political Activism in the Midst of a Pandemic: BLM Billboard in Utah

  Seen while driving out of Salt Lake City. This image really showcases what political activism can look like during a pandemic. It takes many, many forms but I really liked this form because it truly stood out to me and everyone on the road against this empty landscape.
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  2020-06

  Political Activism in the Midst of a Pandemic: BLM March Columbus Circle

  A Black Lives Matter Protest is disbanded early due to the city curfew. I left this particular protest at 7pm to get home by 8pm but many people chose to stay. The NYPD started mass arresting groups of people who were out protesting after curfew.
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  2020-06

  Political Activism in the Midst of a Pandemic: Fordham Neighborhood Clean-Up

  People gather on Fordham Road after the night of the looting to clean up the streets. It was amazing to see how many people were eager to get involved and help to clean up our neighborhood. I arrived at noon to help and there was barely anything left to do. This truly shows how much can be accomplished when everyone comes together and lends a hand.
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  2020-06

  Political Activism in the Midst of a Pandemic: Aftermath of the Looting in the Bronx

  I took this particular photo because I found it interesting that these already struggling, local shops were looted and were tied to the protests by the media. I did not feel as though these specific actions were tied to the protests however, I do see looting as a valid form of protest when they are targeting big/chain brands and businesses. It was sad to see my neighborhood in this condition. These photos were taken in early June 2020.
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  2020-06

  Political Activism in the Midst of a Pandemic: Empty City Street After Curfew

  This was taken while I was staying in Manhattan for the protests. I went outside at around 11pm to walk my dog but since De Blasio made the curfew 8pm, it had already been three hours past curfew. I had never seen my city so empty at 11pm; it was shocking. There were NYPD officers standing on every corner monitoring the streets to make sure no one was out. If I hadn’t felt trapped inside before because of quarantine and COVID, I definitely felt trapped now.
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  2020-06

  Political Activism in the Midst of a Pandemic: Curfew is Moved to 8pm

  On June 2nd, Mayor De Blasio changed the already established curfew from 11pm-5am to 8pm-5am. This was a very historical moment in New York, as there has never been any curfew enforced on the city in my lifetime and 8pm seemed very early. I worried for essential workers and anyone who had to rely on public transportation to get home for work, as they were arresting people who were out after 8pm if they did not have a valid excuse or explanation. Photo retrieved from the New York Times.
• 2020-06

  Political Activism in the Midst of a Pandemic

  As a New York native, I have experienced all that has gone on in the city through the 2020 pandemic. In late May, the inhumane murder of George Floyd sparked nationwide protests and walkouts in support of the Black Lives Matter movement. Not only were there mass protests and marches throughout New York City, but some of these protests sparked looting and the burning down of institutions at the height of the movement. Following the week in late May and early June where the civil unrest was at its peak, De Blasio imposed a citywide curfew which was quite a historical moment, as it was the first time since 1945. I chose to showcase this collection of photographs that I have taken over the summer which document the movement in NYC. All the photos were taken in and around NYC with the exception of the one of the Black Lives Matter billboard which was taken in Utah while driving out of Salt Lake City. I thought it would be interesting to share what political activism looks like in the midst of a global pandemic.
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  2020-04-03

  Emptiness Around Us: Empty Aisle

  A whole row of empty shelves at Target in Niskayuna, NY in early April. This shelf is normally fully stocked with toilet paper, flushable wipes, paper towels, and facial tissue.
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  2020-04-19

  Emptiness Around Us: Empty Plaza

  The U.S. and New York State flags flying at half-mast in at the Empire State Plaza in Downtown Albany, NY in late April, after Governor Andrew Cuomo ordered all flags to be flown at half-mast in honor of all who have died from COVID-19. The New York State Museum is seen straight ahead centered between the two flags.
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  2020-04-03

  Emptiness Around Us: Empty Shelf

  A scarcely stocked shelf of soap at Target in Niskayuna, NY in early April. The shelf here is normally fully stocked with hand soap. The note explains a purchase limit of 1 soap bottle per guest.
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  2020-04-03

  Emptiness Around Us: Empty Ledge

  An empty shelf at Target in Niskayuna, NY in early April. The shelf here is normally fully stocked with toilet paper, flushable wipes, and facial tissue. The note explains a purchase limit of 1 product per guest, although there was none to be had in the store.
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  2020-04-03

  Emptiness Around Us: Empty Rows

  A few shelves of boxed macaroni and cheese at Target in Niskayuna, NY in early April and a note limiting the amount one dry good per customer. Normally, these shelves are fully stocked.
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  2020-04-19

  Emptiness Around Us: Empty Park

  Taken at Washington Park in Albany, NY in late April. The sign notes that these swings are closed and cannot be used due to COVID-19. All other playgrounds and equipment in the park were closed and had similar signage.
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  2020-04-19

  Emptiness Around Us: Empty Street

  Down an empty State Street in Downtown Albany, NY in late April. This photo was taken standing in the middle of the street, which normally would not be possible as this street is usually busy and packed with cars. The SUNY Central Administration building is seen straight ahead in the distance.
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  2020-04-19

  Emptiness Around Us: Empty Bus

  A CDTA bus pulling up to a bus stop on State Street in Downtown Albany, NY in late April. All riders were required to wear masks, and there were barely any riders on the bus. Its electronic sign reads, “STOP THE SPREAD.”
• 2020-08-10

  Emptiness Around Us

  The month of April found me back in my parents home in a suburb of Albany, NY. My university was closed, and I was forced to move out of my on-campus housing a month earlier. All of my classes continues online, and my film photography class was required to move to a digital photography platform as we were not allowed access to our university’s darkroom to develop our film. I found myself wondering how to find subject matter amidst a global pandemic, where at the time grocery stores were just about the only places open, in what I considered to be the most boring small town in America. After weeks of submitting photo after photo of my backyard, house, dogs, and siblings, my professor asked me to try and find a new subject for my photos. I really had no idea what else to photograph, but on a trip to Target for groceries with my mother, I found myself wandering through row after row of bare, colorless shelves. I took a photo of this to send to my father, proving that there was not a roll of toilet paper to be had, but then thought about how interesting it could be to document the rows and rows of desolate shelves, leading me to a new subject for my photography class assignments: emptiness. I moved from documenting empty shelves, to empty parks, to empty streets. Emptiness was a subject I could find nearly everywhere I looked during the coronavirus pandemic. Looking back on these photos a few months later, I am so glad I was able to use an art form I love to document what life was like during this strange and scary time in our world. I hope that years from now, my photos could help someone have some idea of how empty our world truly felt during this time.
• 
  2020-07

  Finding Beauty in a COVID World

  I thought I would upload these photos to share how I found beauty this summer despite everything happening right now in the US. It serves as a reminder that although things are not normal and probably won't be for a long time, there is such immense beauty that exists in this world. If it weren't for COVID and losing my job I would not have experienced many of these moments that I captured in these pictures. Perhaps the silver lining of COVID is that for a lot of us, it has forced us to literally sit back and reflect and these photos illustrate the "COVID -friendly" activities I chose to do this summer with all my free time. Some of these photos are some scenic landscapes in NYC, where I live. The rest of these images are from various scenic places throughout the country, mostly in the west, where I began my roadtrip back to NYC a few weeks ago.