Fatma Fahmy
by Fatma Fahmy from Johannesburg, South Africa
One of my life goals and dreams was always mixing my love of photography with traveling. I've worked on that, day after day and year after year and finally the dream comes true but then I had to face a new reality, 'no pain no gain', my chance of travelling means getting away from my comfort zone - my family. I powered through, with my camera on board, no matter what the difficulties would be then suddenly...everything is on hold.
In March 2020, only one month after my trials of adapting to a new life in South Africa, a global quarantine started and of course a study suspension too.
My life’s traffic lights turned all red...coronavirus took the lead...a moment of silence outside with so much noise inside...revising my decision, was it the right one to take?
A mix of fear, confusion and loneliness. I badly miss my family, my old self and my old dream as I thought it would be. Zooming out of my world, country, family and zooming in you will see me alone in a room in South Africa, living or trying to...spending most of time on internet which has become an essentials and nearly my whole life!
I sometimes talk to family and friends with a loud voice inside me sometimes drowning me out and other times telling me that coronavirus will disappear and the sun will soon break over the darkness
Part of the series ALONE TOGETHER - The kitchen has become our refugee spot at home and safe place.
SELF-PORTRAITS: PHOTOGRAPHERS IN CONFINEMENT
Curated by Svetlana Bachevanova (USA/France)
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.
