On Board with lockdown.

At times like these it’s quite nice living on a boat. I normally prefer to keep my choice of habitat fairly private but right now, when home life is pretty much all life, it seems appropriate to share it.

I’ve lived in a variety of marina communities and they represent an eclectic mix of people; literally a flotsam and jetsam of back stories with many and varied reasons as to how we’ve all washed up here. Normally, there’s a combination of permanently moored boats, plus the folk who are just passing through but now of course the canals and rivers are also in lockdown. We can’t go anywhere. At this time of year, even the people who live here full time would normally be taking regular trips up and down the waterways by now. The one common factor among most of us is that we’re free spirits, with no wish to be permanently tethered in one place. If the fancy takes us, we can just untie and move off, for a day or a week or even months on end. Not any longer.

But I guess the bonus of living on a boat is that we tend to be surrounded by nature, greenery and wildlife and, of course, water which in itself makes the lockdown easier. For a breath of fresh air and mindfulness, all I need to do is pop a chair up on my deck and I’m there, surrounded by it. And being a photographer, there are still plenty of opportunities to take pictures.

Covid-19 Lockdown Home March April 2020

The waterways are always a source of inspiration, but the current pandemic is feeding into the imagery. Covid-19 has changed our body clocks, interrupted our sleep patterns, shifted the rhythm of normal life on the water. So, the images I’m now capturing are reflecting all of that. They’re naturalistic but also more abstract and atmospheric. Silent smoke curling up from a wood burning stove. Mist on the water in the early hours of the day. Blue skies intensified in reflection. A deserted towpath at dusk in golden hour light. In one image, as the sun goes down, the light hits the front of the boat and delivers a shot reminiscent of a 1970s holiday ad. It’s peaceful with no-one cruising or otherwise passing by. At times though, in the unseasonably sunny weather, the tow-paths are still too busy, populated with cyclists, runners and walkers, and restricted space means effective social distancing is impossible.

Covid-19 Lockdown Home March April 2020

Inside my boat, space is at a premium and every object is carefully chosen for both functional space saving and aesthetic appeal. Now, every corner becomes a small vignette and there’s a feeling of time standing still. Reflected roses, vintage pieces, shadows, glimpses of light and painted panelling all hang together in that still life frame.

For me personally this is, in a sense, all golden time. It’s not often you get an opportunity to really breathe and reflect, and once you’ve got over the shock of no work and no physical contact with friends and family it’s actually quite liberating. I’m enjoying getting through all those jobs that would normally be a chore and an effort to cram into the usual routine. There is always repainting to be done, ongoing repairs and miscellaneous boxes that need sorting through. But this is also an opportunity to spend more time doing the things I love and that, of course, includes photography.

Covid-19 Lockdown Home March April 2020 Project

Covid-19 Lockdown Home March April May 2020 Project\

Covid-19 Lockdown Home March April 2020

Covid-19 Lockdown Home March April May 2020 Project

Covid-19 Lockdown Home March April 2020 Project

Reviewer Portfolio Feedback

Hello Tracey and thanks for sharing your work with us.

The concept of home has a different meaning for each of us. Home can be anything that offers us a sense of security and love. It is the place where we have memories or we want to create memories. So the fact that for each of us this can be something different is what makes this competition so interesting.
In your own series of photos, you present your life in a house different from the usual. In a house that floats. The period of creation of these images is the time of the pandemic where most of us are forced to stay locked in the 4 walls of an apartment. In your case, although the same rules apply, your home, apart from being a shelter, also creates a sense of escape. It is located in a beautiful natural environment that challenges you to travel in it and dream. Although smaller than a conventional house, I think it allows you to feel more freedom and independence. The idea of your series has a simplicity. It does not analyze complex situations. It shows what you see and what you live every day and that is enough for me.

In the technical and aesthetic part, you have done an excellent job. Your professional quality is obvious in the quality of your images. It is obvious that you have the level to create images with the highest criteria. You have a good sense of composition while the color palette and lighting are effective and create a dreamy aura in the images.

The coherence between the images is very strong, which is very important when we want to connect different images in a series. There is a visual harmony that offers the necessary sense of unity. At the same time, each image offers something different to the overall content and this enhances the narrative power of the series.

Although your idea does not impress with its originality, your images are attractive to the viewer and make him/her want to participate in what he/she sees. This is very important and makes your work stand out.

Dear Tracey, you are a very good photographer with the potential for much more. Keep up the good work and I’ll be glad to see more beautiful works like this one in the future.

Best Regards! Lens Culture