Danielle Villasana
by Danielle Villasana from Turkey
I was working in El Salvador when the world began to turn upside down through emergency border closures, hordes of people flooding grocery stories, and uncertainty and anxiety overtaking nearly everyone’s emotions. Based in Istanbul but originally from Texas, I had to make the difficult choice of returning to the United States where my father was sick (most certainly with COVID-19) or to my husband in Turkey. One rushed flight later, I was back in Istanbul where lockdowns, shuttered storefronts, and empty streets soon became the norm.
The first couple of weeks of the pandemic were really strange and difficult. At times I didn't even recognize myself—I'm normally very positive and always see the silver lining, but the pandemic-induced anxiety was a weight I couldn't shake. While the first weeks were difficult to realize that the sinking feeling in my heart and mind was grief for the world, this period has encouraged me to pause, to reflect, and to open up to new ways of thinking. I realized that this pandemic presents an opportunity to leave all that made our world unjust behind.
Photographing during this time helped me to see my own world differently, to focus on something outside of the pandemic-induced sadness, or to simply get out of bed.
As a photojournalist who spends more time on the road than at home, I've never purchased this much food at a time in my life. Once a week I leave my apartment in Istanbul to buy groceries with my husband, which involves trips to two stores, and we split up to share the load. Walking home—thankfully, downhill—I take breaks and notice how the weight leaves red marks on my wrists and shoulders. While this weekly chore was foreign to me a few weeks ago, it has become a welcome ritual as it's my only venture into the outside world.
SELF-PORTRAITS: PHOTOGRAPHERS IN CONFINEMENT
Curated by Svetlana Bachevanova
A collection of self-portraits made by photojournalists from five continents during the unprecedent lockdown due to the corona virus pandemic.
Photographers are people on the road, living to document the lives of others.
Constrained by the lockdown, many of them had their first experience of being still long enough to begin seeing and understanding small details about who they are, their lifestyles and values, that were overshadowed while they were busy. These self-portraits express their experience.
This is a unique collection of self-portraits from some of the best lenses in photojournalism at an historic moment.
Photographers in Confinement is a project in process and I welcome additional submissions from photojournalists at svetlana@fotoevidence.com
I am looking for potential exhibition partners in the USA and abroad.
Svetlana Bachevanova is a founder and publisher of FotoEvidence, long time photojournalist and curator.
