Be Careful what you wish for… by Lee Atherton

Photography

I am normally a very busy commercial photographer. In February I remember moaning to my wife how fed up I was, constantly chasing my tail and never quite catching it, always watching the clock to make sure everything and everyone was in the right place at the right time. I just wished I had more time. My last commercial shoot was in Birmingham on the 16th March, the remainder of that week saw a cascade of shoot cancellations, wiping out the entire year.

These panels were originally created to send to my clients as a reminder that I am still here and ready for work when things begin to return to normal, a  sort of advert if you like. They have become so much more than that . As the weeks have progressed I have sent out a new panel every 3 weeks or so.  They have become a sort of diary of my lock down. Always trying to show the positives, a sort of celebration of all that has surrounded me.  Due to an underlying health issue I had to isolate for 12 weeks. The images have all  been created during these 12 weeks at home and in the 3rd panel on walks and bike rides as we ventured out. Some of my clients sent messages of support back after receiving the images. It turned out that the images that were so good for my morale actually had positive impacts on  others .  One response read  'Dear Lee, I do love these regular photo diaries - bringing sunshine and smiles to my otherwise wet and dreary Friday. Thank you!  That in turn made me smile too.

Whilst I have been acutely aware of  the horrors that have unfolded  the  creation of these panels has focused on the good. The ability to spend the time with the people closest to you  and have time to  notice the things you normally miss; the field mouse on the patio, the robins that visit constantly, satellites passing overhead and watching sunsets with my wife and sons.  These photo montage panels that began life as client centric adverts will no doubt end up in frames somewhere in my house and will make me smile and remind me of what is really important and the kindness of others who helped us during the height of the pandemic . People that were once passers by in our village I now regard as friends.