by Editor Vicente Dolz in collaboration with Yvette Depaepe
Published the 15th of April 2020
 

In countries all over the world, the pandemic confinement means that we can't leave our homes, go to work or go out and take pictures normally.  

Instead, it's time to develop our 'inner' creativity.

As photographers, we all have the means and the ability to take images within even a closed-off environment. We can create images that can express emotion as well as document, impress and amuse.  

During such an extraordinary worldwide crisis, we should not hesitate to do so.

In Spain, we launched a campaign calling for 100 images taken in confinement in collaboration with the Railowsky Foundation. We were asking 100 photographers to contribute with a photograph and a few words (up to 50) expressing their state of mind. Over 7 days, we received more than 100 photographs which we will be exhibited and published in a book later on.

1x has released a photographic challenge to capture these rare moments and to send in your indoor or 'closed' outdoor photographs taken in quarantine.

If you want to participate, (of course you do, why would you not?) upload your photo in your 1x portfolio, send the link together with a few sentences (no word limit) on how you experience these hard days to 

Editor Vicente Dolz on the following email address: [email protected]

Every week, we will publish an article in which we will collect your contributions.

Looking forward to it ...

Stay safe and healthy!!!

'A Tulip Dies' by Jan Kooreman (The Netherlands)

I am Jan and was working home till the end of March. Right now I am not working anymore. Due to the Corona virus, I cannot photograph any people which is what I like to do the most. So I started looking more and more around.
This dying tulip struck me as it symbolizes many things: the nearing end of life, getting old, the beauty of getting old ….
I had to take an image of this flower, so I started experimenting with different sources of light. In the end I choose for a simple flash projected on the wall to create the soft light of this image.  So, as long as there is no possibility to photograph people (in the studio) this is a good second choice for me to keep on shooting.
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#STAYHOME by Marcus Hennen (Germany)

The current situation is not easy for me and my family at the moment. A family member is severely affected and struggles to survive. My wife, children and I are in quarantine. Even if there are still some people who do not take the situation seriously, we can only recommend to stick to the rules and to stay at home.
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'A ray of hope' by Karlitos Solá (Spain)- author of this original idea.

I do not know if it was the second or third day of confinement, I got out of bed early and a little sad, uncertain about the situation that was coming upon us. Thoughtful, I went to the window, the weather was foggy, a fine rain dampened the street floor with a little shine. Everything was weird. No circulation, no one was passing. It wasn't a scene out of an apocalyptic catastrophe movie but simply the hard reality.  Suddenly, a cloud let in a ray of sunlight. For a moment, I was hoping to see someone appear from behind the corner of the street, may be a child clutching his mother's lap.   At that very moment it occurred to me that it would be great if a thousand or a million photographers reclusive in their homes could narrate their experience of this pandemic, in the simplest, most expressive and conceptual way that we photographers have, a photo.
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'Popcorn Pareidolia' by Steven T (Canada)

Our Prime Minister is on TV every morning, regular as clockwork, updating us, and reassuring us in his steady manner that we will get through this pandemic. We haven't left our house for about three weeks now, trying to do our small part to keep the virus from spreading. I've been spending a lot of time at 1X, looking at the photos being posted, and writing critiques. To keep busy, I've been making macro photographs of popcorn and snowflakes. It's Canada, so we have lots of snowflakes. Popcorn, of course, is everywhere. Curiously, the word for a popped kernel of corn is also 'flake'.
'Pareidolia' is the phenomenon of seeing faces in inanimate things like clouds, etc. In the popcorn flakes, I find friendly monsters or cute, cartoon animals. The shots all have to be focus stacked and edited, so it takes some time. I have lots of time. The extra popcorn is eaten with butter and salt. Tough job, but someone has to do it. :-)
We will get through. I hope you're safe there, and keeping your spirits up!
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'Venezia ai tempi del coronavirus' by Enrico Facchetti (Italy)

Rialto is the commercial heart of Venice: my family and I have run stores (grandfather sold cheeses, dad sold Murano glass and I had a jewellery store).  It is a place always very crowded with tourists and Venetians who come to the fish, to buy fruit and vegetable on the market.
Seeing Rialto with all the shops closed and so deserted caused me a feeling of anguish".
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'The Contagion' by Stanislav Aristov (Russia)

 
This image dictates the current mood and what is happening in the world today. Stay  healthy!
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'Quarantine;  Wind from the sea' by Vladimir Asriyan (Russia)

My wife and I live in a large country house in the forest, not far from Moscow since already 3 months.   Therefore, I can say that quarantine for us began a long time ago.

Here we have a lot of opportunities not to be bored.  Large house and plot. There is always something to do.  But realizing that we now are in real quarantine, of course, causes psychological discomfort.

We wish you all good health and good mood.
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If you want to participate, upload your photo in your 1x portfolio, send the link together with a few sentences (no word limit) on how you experience these hard days to 

Editor Vicente Dolz on the following email address: [email protected]
We will publish a new series every week.

Looking forward to your submissions